Frances Tiafoe Has His Eyes on the Title and a Honey Deuce at the US Open

The US Open is finally here, and with it two weeks of tennis, Honey Deuces and a who's who of a guest list making their way to Queens, NY.

One of the sports brightest stars Frances Tiafoe, the 20th ranked player in the world, is returning to the hallowed grounds at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. This is the site of the biggest win of the 26 year old's career, fresh off his first Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati with a title on his mind. And just like anybody else heading to the Open, a nice Honey Deuce to take the edge off as well.

Ahead of the Open, Frances has partnered with Grey Goose, the official vodka of the US Open and of course the extra punch to everybody's favorite drink in Queens over the next couple of weeks. He sat down with Complex to talk the US Open, his big week in Cincy, his bright style on and off the court and of course, sneaking in a few Honey Deuces during his time in New York.

Eddie: I want to start at the top with Grey Goose and hear about what this partnership means for you and how big obviously that is to the US Open with the Honey Deuce being the face of the event for a lot of people.

Frances: Yeah, man, Honey Deuce is so big for the US Open. From the glasses itself, all the past champions and you see how much it sells. Obviously it's a great drink and it's the drink of the US Open. You can't go to the US Open without having a Honey Deuce. And my partnership with them came to be super natural. I mean I love having a HoneyDeuce I love the Grey Goose brand. It's been part of US Open for so long and the Open is my favorite event. I love competing there. I've done my best results in majors there. So I think it was a nice merge with both of us for sure. But ultimately, man, you can't go to US Open without having a Honey deuce and I'm a big Honey Deuce fan. I like those.

Eddie: Do you get to have them? I know you're busy, right? And you're taking care of your body, but do you get to sneak a couple in when you're up there?

Frances: Yeah! I Obviously at an event you locked in and you doing everything you can to recover and be smart. But yeah, once all said and done or even before I'll definitely have some. We're human, but once it gets going I'm locked into the task at hand.

Eddie: Hey, you got to get that picture for Gram. I don't knock it. Let's talk about the Open. How important is this for you each year? Obviously it's home for the Americans on the tour, but it's The Open, it's a major, it's this classic event. How important is this for you each year?

Frances: Oh, it's incredibly big. Some place you really want to do well and give yourself a chance. I mean, it's my favorite slam by a long shot and one of the only tournaments that generally matter. The US Open has gotten so big now and it's such a global event, which it has been for years, but I feel like every year gets more heightened. I love competing here. I love the city of New York and it's a great time.

Eddie: Let's talk about Cincinnati real quick. Made your first Masters 1000 final and that semi-final was epic. It was some of the most insane sets I've seen in so long. What was that like for you and what's it like as an athlete when you have a match that intense and you're up against it that much with two match points and you have to make all that happen. What's that experience like for you?

Frances: It was crazy. Yeah, it was definitely a war. A tough, tough battle and yeah, I mean after a while you're so locked in, you just do anything you can and can stay in there and keep fighting. Yeah, I did unbelievable job, turning that thing around and getting the dub at the end. It was a huge feeling of relief after I won and I'm happy I was able to do that and have such a great run in Cincinnati.

Eddie: Let's talk about your fashion. You're bright, you're vibrant with. It goes into your game day fashion both on the court and off. What's your inspiration?

Frances: I mean definitely on court, especially for the majors, I'm definitely into fashion. So what you see is what you get. I show out in (those) outfits on and off court. I'm not afraid of colors, not afraid of trying new things, but I really like baggy tees, baggy pants and on that vibe it's a casual type vibe where you just kind look fresh everywhere. And then obviously there's sometimes that tighter fits, but I'm probably a mixture

Eddie: Baggy is the wave right now. I'm not mad at it. What gives you the confidence to try that stuff? Like you mentioned you're not afraid of it. You can be bright, you can be loud, you can try new things. Where does that confidence come from?

Frances: Just being comfortable with me, I think my dad and family has always been super confident people. Always know that, always have utmost belief in yourself and doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. So that's that's kind where it is. That's what it is.