It seems 2025 is simply not the year for Frances Tiafoe. Since the start of the year, the American tennis star has faced nothing but failure on the court, delivering a string of unsuccessful performances. As much as one would have hoped for a different outcome for the 27-year-old in the ongoing Shanghai Masters, once again, he suffered an early exit. What separates this setback from the previous ones is that it has only deepened worries about his streak and further damaged his standing among loyal fans.

Earlier today, Frances Tiafoe faced Yannick Hanfmann in the round of 64 clash of the Shanghai Masters, where the German ended up dominating against the American to clinch an emphatic 6-7(11), 6-2, 6-1 victory at Grandstand 2. This marked Tiafoe’s fifth consecutive defeat and a 26-23 win-loss ratio in 2025.

In his last five matches, Frances Tiafoe has endured a series of setbacks. At the 2025 US Open, he fell in the third round to Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets [6-4, 6-3, 7-6(4)]. His Davis Cup campaign also brought more disappointment, as he lost back-to-back matches—first to Jiri Lehecka [6-3, 6-2], and then to Jakub Mensik [6-1, 6-4].

Most recently, at the Japan Open, Tiafoe suffered a first-round exit against Marton Fucsovics, going down [3-6, 6-1, 7-5]. So one can consider that his last victory came at the US Open, where he advanced to the third round before falling to Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets.

Even though Frances Tiafoe has tried to stay positive, his 2025 season has been far from ideal. Struggling with consistency, he slipped out of the ATP Top 25 by September, managing just one final in Houston and a quarterfinal run at the French Open. Overall, the American has found it difficult to get past top-10 opponents.

No wonder this latest defeat in the Shanghai Masters didn’t sit well with many, even though the conditions tried to test him too. Keyboard warriors quickly stormed the internet to take a dig at Tiafoe.

Tennis fans aren’t sparing Frances Tiafoe easily!

Well, one shall also pat the back of his rival, Yannick Hanfmann, who has been steadily proving his worth in this tournament. He kickstarted his Shanghai Masters campaign in the qualifiers with a straight-sets win over Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki [6-3, 7-5] at the Stadium. The following day, he continued his run by defeating Australia’s Jason Kubler [6-2, 6-3]. Advancing to the main draw, Hanfmann overcame Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego [2-6, 6-3, 6-1] in the Round of 128 at Grandstand 2.

Now again, he stunned Frances Tiafoe to book his spot in the next round. No wonder this fan had to heap praise on his rival at the cost of the American. “Hanffmann seems like a good guy. Tiafoe has always been overrated. He is just a touch over .500 for his career, yet he is always called a ‘Superstar’. Love to see it!” wrote one, as if many are rather celebrating such a downfall of the American.”

To be fair, the start of the year itself wasn’t a favorable one for him. It was kicked off during the Brisbane International, where Tiafoe endured a 6-7, 6-4 defeat at the hands of Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the round of 16. Since then, all the major or even minor tournaments, for that matter, have gone in vain for the American international. So it’s only natural to hear out such criticism: “Tiafoe needs to change something. Very upsetting season for him,” said one, while another, expressing genuine concern, said, “What even happened to Big Foe??”

Sadly, this defeat can backfire on Tiafoe, not only because of his previous questionable behavior but also considering his comments in a recent interview where he spoke about Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s dominance in men’s tennis. The former No. 10 admitted that while he isn’t necessarily expecting to beat them right away, he hopes more players step up alongside them, adding that it motivates him to wonder who will be the “third guy” or the “fourth guy” in that elite group.

Yet with five straight losses now, it’s difficult to picture Tiafoe being that player anytime soon. The result is only in front of him, as it’s only natural to hear such comments like, “Washed tiafoe,” as well as “Later ‘little foe’ 👋👋”, making it evident that the majority of them are rather celebrating his downfall.

Then again, one can’t completely blame the American tennis star for holding such an ambition, considering every player on tour dreams of challenging the world’s top two. Sadly, though, the reality shows he still has ground to cover. The two-time Grand Slam semifinalist has beaten both Alcaraz and Sinner before, but his last victory over either of them came more than 1,400 days ago, at the Vienna Open semifinals.

With the head-to-head now standing at 2-6 against the pair and his losing streak extended, those past wins may be the only reassurance as the 27-year-old looks to rediscover his form. So it’s hard for the fans to hold back their tough words against him: “Dude should seriously consider riding off into the sunset,” added another

Frances Tiafoe is aiming to close out his 2025 season on a stronger note, with at least three tournaments still on his schedule. He is set to compete at the European Open (ATP 250) in Brussels starting Monday, October 13, followed by the Vienna Open (ATP 500) and then the Paris Masters (Masters 1000). But before he does, the latter has some crucial advice from this netizen: “He needs to fire his coaches…this is getting ridiculous.”

A right one? We may not be the experts right now, but one thing is clear—Frances Tiafoe is in deep trouble. How he manages to get out of it remains to be seen.