Sports Q&A

Volleying questions to tennis star Frances Tiafoe during the 2023 Dallas Open

Frances Tiafoe is playing in the 2023 Dallas Open.

Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

The Dallas Open, the only indoor tournament on the men’s pro tennis tour in America, runs February 5-12 at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex on the SMU campus. The event features 60 international players headed by top seeds Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe from the U.S. in singles action.

Fritz is ranked No. 8 in the world, Tiafoe No. 15. Among the other top players scheduled to appear: Denis Shapovalov of Canada, Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia, John Isner of the U.S., Adrian Mannarino of France, Ilya Ivashka of Belarus, and Taro Daniel of Japan. Reilly Opelka, winner of 2022’s inaugural Dallas Open, had to withdraw this year due to injury.

Although Tiafoe is considered one of the fastest players on the pro tour, CultureMap managed to catch up with him on his way to Dallas.

CultureMap: You caused a major fashion ruckus with the mega-decibel outfit you wore during the recent Australian Open. How did that happen? Was it your idea or Nike’s and will you be wearing it during the Dallas Open?

Frances Tiafoe: I’m not in a position where I can sit with Nike and tell them what I want to wear and they’ll make it happen. It definitely wasn’t coming from me. All they told me was, I was going to wear something sleeveless and it’s going to be loud. I said alright, cool.

When I got there and saw it, I said, well, it’s definitely loud. I thought, I’ll rock it. I think I can pull this off. They gave me an alternative outfit but I thought it was kind of bland. Let’s go with the loud one. In Round One, the outfit was going everywhere. Round Two, yeah, all the attention was really cool. I don’t know if I’ll be bringing it out for the next tournament. Maybe I’ll have some different cool ones coming. We’ll see.

CM: Speaking of unusual, your forehand doesn’t resemble anything in a tennis instruction manual. Same question, how did that happen?

FT: I used to have a normal forehand, technique-wise. Everything I do is unorthodox. I have a certain flavor with everything I do. I just tried something different and it felt good, it felt loose. Obviously I’ve had coaches try to change it when I was struggling. I was told that it wouldn’t work at this level or that level. Now I’m sitting close to the top of the game and it’s proved to work at every level. It is what it is. I just hope that kids don’t want to copy it because it’s not ideal.

CM: Unlike many players, you seem to have fun on the court. Is that something that comes naturally or did you have to work at letting yourself enjoy tennis?

FT: No, no, no, it’s not a pre-meditated thing. Who I am on the court is just who I am as a person. I’m a genuine dude. I like to have fun. I’m blessed to be out here playing tennis and playing at a high level in front of people who want to watch me play. I like when people scream my name. I have little kids mimicking some of my celebrations and stuff. It’s already an atmosphere before I even do anything. This is fun.

CM: You beat the great Rafael Nadal at the U.S. Open last year. It was one of the most exciting matches ever at the Open. My heart was pounding watching at home as you drew closer to match point. How did you keep your cool down the stretch? Was your heart pounding, too?

FT: Absolutely! My legs were like cement close to the end of the match. It was partly because I was tired, also because I was so nervous. Yeah, the first time you beat a GOAT, those wins are hard to come by. It’s not easy at all, it’s one of those things you don’t know what to expect because you’ve never been there before. I was trying to stay in the moment, stay locked in, not worrying too much about the score line. I thought I did a good job.

CM: You and Jack Sock defeated Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at last year’s Laver Cup. It was Federer’s final match of his career. Did any part of you think, maybe this isn’t such a good idea? Maybe I should let Federer win?

FT: I knew what time it was when I got out there. I knew I was going to be behind the 8 ball. Not that everybody was going to be against me, but they would be for Roger. I wasn’t going to lie down. I’m a competitor. It was interesting. I hit him and the crowd booed me. I had never been in a situation like that. Hey, it’s kind of cool to say that I beat Roger Federer in his last match. I don’t think he was apologizing for beating everybody for 20-plus years. I think he’s sleeping perfectly fine at night.

CM: What was the first extravagant or crazy thing you bought when you started cashing big tournament paychecks?

FT: I like to buy nice clothes and stuff. I’m not really a crazy spender. I like knowing I can take care of my family, stuff like that. I got my brother a car, a C-class Mercedes, for his birthday. He’s my twin brother and we turned 25. Seeing other people happy from what I’m able to do for them means more to me.

CM: You seemed heartbroken and practically in tears after you lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the U.S. Open semifinals last year. How do you get over a defeat like that?

FT: Every loss hurts but the Slams hurt a little harder. The Alcaraz match was devastating. The love I felt from the fans was something. I was close to something really special, something I really wasn’t planning when I got to New York. Time helps you get over it. With tennis, there are so many events, there’s always the next thing. I wanted to attack the next thing, which happened to be the Laver Cup. If you go there and clinch the Laver Cup and beat Roger Federer, that helps you.

CM: You’re wearing a necklace that says “Big Foe.” When are you getting your own signature tennis shoe?

FT: I rock the “Big Foe,” man, the lifestyle. I love my nickname. The fans call me that and it’s pretty cool. It’s about being me and enjoying my life. About my own shoe, you’ll have to ask Nike about that. Maybe if I win a Slam that will change. I’m just happy to have some shoes on my feet so I can go out and play this sport.

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The Dallas Open runs daily through February 12 at Styslinger / Altec Tennis Complex (at SMU), with sessions at 12 and 7 pm. Tickets and more information at dallasopen.com.

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Movie Review

Long-awaited Wicked movie adaptation lives up to the hype

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera in Wicked.

The musical Wicked is indisputably the biggest Broadway smash of the 21st century, having grossed more $1.6 billion in New York alone and achieving the rare feat of running for over 20 years. All of which is to say that the long-awaited movie adaptation of The Wizard of Oz prequel will most likely be a massive success whether it lives up to what longtime fans envisioned or not.

Part one — yes, this 2 hour and 40 minute film is merely the first act of the musical; part two arrives a year from now — introduces Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the green-skinned witch who goes on to become Dorothy’s nemesis, and G(a)linda (Ariana Grande-Butera), the pink-garbed “good” witch, as they meet at Shiz University in Oz. Glinda is the ultra-popular one with sycophantic hangers-on, while Elphaba is shunned by almost everyone, sometimes including her disabled sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode), who’s desperate to make her own space away from Elphaba.

Her mistreatment by others leads Elphaba to get angry, which manifests itself in uncontrollable magic. Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) notices this and takes a personal interest in her, giving her one-on-one instruction in hopes of harnessing her power. In the meantime, Elphaba and Glinda attempt to go from forced roommates to actual friends, although Glinda’s entitled personality is more of an obstacle than anything else they encounter.

Directed by Jon M. Chu and written by original book writer Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, the film does a great job of distinguishing itself from the stage version while still remaining true to what made it so beloved. As Chu showed in his last film, In the Heights, he has an innate feel for how to tap into the essence of the source material while expanding it into something befitting the scope of a blockbuster movie.

In this case, he finds a way to give even greater emphasis to the bigotry that Elphaba faces simply because of her green skin; the fact that she is being played by a Black woman drives home the point even more. The story remains light and fluffy for the most part, but the ostracization/otherness that Elphaba feels is delivered in a powerful way, as is her empathy for talking animals like Dr. Dillamond (voiced by Peter Dinklage), who are facing their own persecution.

Of course, the highlight of the film is Stephen Schwartz’s music, and while not all of the songs are equal in impact, they still make for a cohesive whole. The number of songs and order they appear in the first act is identical to the stage musical, with the standouts remaining “The Wizard and I,” “Popular,” and “Defying Gravity.” While there is some superfluous action and cutaways added to certain numbers, it’s not enough to distract from what makes the songs effective.

Oddly, the progression of the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda works better on stage when the timeline is accelerated, but Erivo and Grande-Butera make up for this slight lack with their fantastic performances. The emotion each brings to their characters fits them almost perfectly, and there’s simply no denying the strength of each of their voices. Bode, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, and more make for a solid supporting cast.

The well-known ending of the first act of Wicked is a huge high point that is so good that it almost makes up for the fact that audiences won’t see the second film for a long time. But if part one is any indication, part two should turn out to be another great musical theater adaptation in a decade that has already seen its fair share.

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Wicked opens in theaters on November 22.

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