By his usual high standards, Frances Tiafoe had a disappointing season which culminated with the American ending his season after the Shanghai Masters.
The American played two months less than everyone else and ended the season at world number 30 in the rankings.
Tiafoe only played four matches after the US Open, and didn’t play a competitive match since losing to Yannick Hanfmann in Shanghai.
Tiafoe played Taylor Fritz in an exhibition match this month, and followed it up by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in another exhibition.
Ahead of the 2026 season, Tiafoe has shared why he decided to end his 2025 season earlier than everybody else on the ATP Tour.
Frances Tiafoe shares why he ended his season so early
Tiafoe risked not gaining seeded entry into the Australian Open by skipping the final tournaments of the year, but it’s a decision he is happy with.
Speaking on Served, Tiafoe revealed: “The Open this year wasn’t what I hoped for by any means. Then come to Asia, I missed Laver and the Davis Cup wasn’t great. I was like let’s scratch it [the year], get rid of it. It was what it was.
“In the end I still finished 20 something. But why don’t I choose myself and have a long time as you get ready for new year?
“Once you finish you have Thanksgiving and then go on vacation and you only have four or five weeks to get ready.”
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Instead of playing competitively, Tiafoe began to work on the issues he had found with his game throughout 2025.
He added: “I thought, let’s have a long time to get ready. Get some new habits. It’s really hard to get new habits and change things and work on your game.
“With a two week event it’s hard to get better as you are always worried about the next match and the next thing. It was getting in a different mindset and approach.
“And for me right now the only thing that matters is trying to win majors and be in the position to win majors and be in the top 10 and have a great however many years it may be of prime. That is what the decision was to stop early.
Tiafoe will be working with Todd Martin for the 2026, who has previously worked with Novak Djokovic and Mardy Fish.
Frances Tiafoe reveals what ‘excites’ him about the 2026 season
Tiafoe is not taking anything for granted when it comes to the brand-new season, as he looks to turn his form around.
The star is relishing the chance of competing with the very best on the ATP Tour, especially now he holds a lower ranking.
He revealed: “I think it’s easy to get complacent. I have been top 10 for the last four or five years. Now I have got to earn it. You are not high seeds even in the 250, 500s or Slams.
“I am around 30 right now, I am going to play a top four or five guy in the third round, so that excites me. It also excites me to have that hunger again and chase it a little bit.
“It’s definitely a different seat but it’s an exciting thing which is going to help me really focus when I am playing in front or four or five people because I don’t have that luxury any more. That actually matters much more now. I like it.”
Tiafoe only reached one Grand Slam quarter-final in 2025, and it surprisingly came on the French clay of Roland Garros.
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