DC Dispatch: Tiafoe, Venus, Fritz and a few fashion scoops
Quick conversations with Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz and Venus Williams, plus the latest tennis fashion scoops.
I’m in DC for a few days to attend the Mubadala DC Open, the only joint WTA and ATP 500-level tournament. I’ve grown to love smaller tournaments—even with a stacked field, everything’s just a little more chill, easy to navigate, and, dare I say it, fun. Some of the best tennis players in the world breeze by fans on their way to the practice courts or gym, the media center has the vibe of a summer camp cafeteria, and the crowds are refreshingly manageable. It’s a nice palette cleanser after the epic that was Wimbledon.
It’s “Media Weekend,” but I don’t find press conferences to be the best vessel for longform journalism, especially in an age where quotes and clips are immediately posted online after. If tournaments were a five-course meal, the opening press conferences would be the amuse bouche. Nevertheless, those bite-sized teasers can still be a treat—just make sure you don’t eat a mini towel like Andy Roddick (if you get that reference, you’re in way too deep).
With that in mind, I wanted to share some quick hits I got from Frances Tiafoe (on his recent evolution), Taylor Fritz (on being called a sociopath by Andre Agassi), and Venus Williams (on her US Open outfit plans), as well as some exclusive tennis fashion news on Williams, Naomi Osaka, and a new luxury partnership in the works that you should know.
