WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Frances Tiafoe had no doubts about his friend Sloane Stephens’ chances on Center Court against two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova on Monday.
The Americans, both ranked outside the Top 50 at the moment, bumped into each other shortly before their matches against seeded opponents on Day 1 at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.
“She was coming up; I was going to practice. I was just like, ‘Sloane, I back you to win today. I’m not even worried about it,’” said Tiafoe, who went up against French Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas at No. 1 Court. “She’s cracking up, laughing. She’s like, ‘Well, you better do the same thing.’ I was like, ‘Hey, don’t worry about it.’”
