Frances Tiafoe Shares His One Lofty Goal Heading Into the U.S. Open

American tennis star and ATP world No. 17 Frances Tiafoe is used to the bright lights at the U.S. Open. He's been there before, playing some of the best tennis of his career at his home major. But he's nowhere close to finished.

Tiafoe has qualified for the U.S. Open semifinals twice: once a year ago and initially in 2022 after an emotional victory over the legendary Rafael Nadal in the fourth round. Last year, Tiafoe's U.S. Open run came to a close at the hands of fellow American Taylor Fritz in a five-set battle. Now, he's as hungry as ever to reach his maiden major final on the heels of the U.S. Open where he has historically played so well.

Ahead of the U.S. Open, Tiafoe spoke with Sports Illustrated on behalf of his global brand ambassadorship with evian as they team up with Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud for a unique culinary collaboration inspired by Tiafoe's culinary roots. The special menu will be available exclusively at Boulud's Restaurant DANIEL during the tournament's final weekend, while fans away from the action can purchase a "Big Foe Treat Box by Chef Daniel" on GoldBelly to enjoy at home. Tiafoe is excited to share his mom's signature peanut butter stew and cookies and cream macarons—his favorite dessert.

While speaking to the partnership, he shared what he's looking forward to most heading into the final major of the year, where he's seen such strong results over the past few years.

"Just playing, man," Tiafoe told SI ahead of the U.S. Open. "Just getting out there. Getting out there on Ashe, getting out there on Louis [Armstrong Stadium], whatever the case may be. At night, crowd going wild, anticipated matchups. I love the game, man, I love to compete and I love competing there. I just want to get out there and play and feel good, give it the best I can.

"That's the main thing I'm looking forward to and hopefully being around or a position where I haven't been before. Obviously made a couple semis, but would love to be on that second Sunday, man. I want to know what that feels like. I want to just be in that moment and rise to the occasion."

Of course, it's no easy task to reach the final at the U.S. Open final at Arthur Ashe Stadium, but Tiafoe has shown in the past he's more than capable of bringing his best tennis to Flushing Meadow. It's the climax of a grueling hard-court summer after recent ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Cincinnati and Toronto. Tiafoe unfortunately had to retire in his fourth-round match at Cincinnati, the most recent tournament, due to a back issue.

He was able to rest up and compete in the U.S. Open's new-look mixed doubles championship on Tuesday before the men's singles draw kicks off Sunday. With his partner Madison Keys, he fell to Iga Świątek and Casper Ruud in their first-round match. While that's not the result Tiafoe hoped for, he gets more time to rest and prepare before the singles draw begins.

This summer, he made the quarterfinals at the French Open for his best result on clay at Roland Garros. He's still looking for that big result this summer though. It only makes sense that it could come at his home major if he remains healthy. After all, Big Foe has already been there before.

"With all the chaos I feel I can dial in," he said. "It's weird, but I can always imagine myself playing really well at the open and doing well and holding that over my head, just always imagining it. I feel like a kid again when I'm there. I feel like that's why you put in the work."