Tiafoe, 24, is the youngest American to make it this far at the US Open since then-24-year-old Andy Roddick was a finalist in 2006. “It was definitely a hell of a performance,” he said after the game. “I played really well today. Yeah, I guess, I mean, I just went out there and just believed I could do it. It helps that I’ve played him a few times.” Earlier in the tournament, Tiafoe said he was happy to go largely unnoticed. After his win on Monday, he expressed his joy about what his win against Nadal meant to his parents, who immigrated to the United States from Sierra Leone. “I just had a lot of passion for the game. Not mainly for me, but to do it for them. To see them experience me beating Rafa Nadal, seeing me have big wins, but beating those Mount guys Rushmore.for them, I can’t imagine what was going through their heads. “Yeah, I mean, they’ll remember today for the rest of their lives.” Nadal, 36, suffered his first loss at a grand slam event this year and is now 22-1 this season. The Spaniard won the Australian Open and the French Open before pulling out of Wimbledon in July ahead of his scheduled semi-final clash with Australian Nick Kyrgios. “The difference is easy,” Nadal said afterwards. “I played a bad match and he played a good match. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?” Nadal said Tiafoe played more consistently than in previous matches between the two, served well, had a good backhand and was quick. “But I don’t think I pushed him hard enough to create the doubts that I need to create,” he said. “Of course, he did well. If not, he won’t win, no doubt about it. Congratulations to him.” Nadal said he needs to “fix things” and when he feels mentally ready to compete again, he will, but he is unsure of the timing. Tiafoe will face Russia’s Andrei Rublev in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. The US Open men’s singles final is scheduled for Sunday. Tiafoe’s parents met in the United States, where they would have twins, Franklin and Frances. Their father signed them as a day laborer at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in 1999 in College Park. While working around the clock, his father was forced to move into an empty warehouse at the tennis center, where his two boys stayed with him and slept there, while their mother worked night shifts as a nurse. Tiafoe took up the sport, playing free center and fell in love with the sport. Tiafoe has previously stated that while his family didn’t grow up rich, he wouldn’t change a thing. On Monday, she told reporters: “Being around tennis made us leave our neighborhood. My dad could watch us. It shouldn’t have been like that. Once we got into the tennis game, it was like dad My, It would be awesome if you could use it as a full scholarship to school. I mean, we couldn’t afford a university.” CNN’s Jill Martin contributed to this report.
