Frances Tiafoe says his 'body shut down' during heartbreaking defeat in US Open semis

Frances Tiafoe attributed his devastating loss in the US Open semi-final against Taylor Fritz to cramping, stating that his "body shut down" during the match.
Despite holding the lead on two occasions, Tiafoe struggled in the decisive set, which lasted a mere 27 minutes. During this time, he suffered three breaks of serve and managed to secure only nine points.
"I was the better player for sure tonight.In the fourth set, I just had some in-and-out cramps. I felt like my body just kind of shut down on me," said the 20th-ranked Tiafoe, as quoted by AFP. He lost 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Fritz made history by reaching the US Open final, becoming the first American male to achieve this feat since Andy Roddick's run in 2009. It was Tiafoe's second semi-final defeat at the US Open in his past three appearances. He had lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the semis in 2022 in a five-set battle.
"Probably had a lot to do with nerves. I wasn't tired at all," Tiafoe said.
"The closest I was obviously when I played Alcaraz I was kind of hanging for dear life to go five. Here I was really in a position to win. I got ahead of myself and I promise it's not going to happen to me again."

Fritz, currently ranked 12th in the world, has reached uncharted territory by advancing to the final of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career, surpassing his previous best performance of reaching the quarter-finals.
In the championship match on Sunday, Fritz will face a formidable opponent in Jannik Sinner, who currently holds the top spot in the rankings. If Fritz goes on to beat Sinner, he will be the first American man to win a Grand Slam title since Roddick, who won the US Open in 2003.
"It was a crazy match. A lot of it was about handling the moment and the pressure," said Fritz.

"He was playing at such a high level in the third and fourth sets. It was about staying in it, withstanding the pressure and hope that at a certain point the errors would come. It got to that point in the end."
The US Open this year saw a significant shift in dynamics due to the early departures of Novak Djokovic, a four-time winner of the tournament, and rising star Carlos Alcaraz, both of whom were eliminated in the first week of play.
Adding to the unexpected turn of events, Alexander Zverev, currently ranked fourth in the world, also fell short of reaching the semi-final stage.