Francis Tiafoe has had himself a year. Earlier this summer, the Maryland native became the third Black American man to be ranked in the top 10 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), after Arthur Ashe and James Blake. This week, he steps up to take on the U.S. Open. In last year's tournament he took eventual winner Carlos Alcaraz to five sets in one of the season's most thrilling matches, and this time around he’s feeling more ready than ever to show up (in a flashy Nike kit) under the lights in Queens.

“It feels very good to be me right now,” he told GQ. “I’m playing some of the best tennis of my life, and this year my life changed quite a bit. All of the effort I’ve put in over time is paying off. There's still a lot more to be done, and I strongly believe that you never want to be too happy about where you're at. You always want to chase for more.”

He talked to GQ about how his diet and training has allowed him to perform at such a high level, why he loves putting his phone on airplane mode, and his advice for anyone trying to keep some sort of a healthy routine on the road.

For Real-Life Diet, GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and other high performers about their diet, exercise routines, and pursuit of wellness. Keep in mind that what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.

GQ: I heard you usually shut it down in the weeks leading up to your matches, and that last year before the U.S. Open you went full-on airplane mode. How’s that going for you?

Francis Tiafoe: I'm pretty closed off. I do my thing, keep it super low key. It feels great to be back in New York. I’m ready to get it all started, and I have a lot of high hopes again this year. You can get lost in the city pretty easy, so I have to be real with myself.

OK, so what’s that really look like?

There's a lot of time in the room, like not spending any extra energy that you don't need to. A lot of room service, not really going out for dinner. Watching Netflix, some of the tennis tournament once it gets going—but honestly? Maybe not. I kind of try to disconnect. Maybe I’ll talk to my family quickly, but not on social media other than quick posts I may need to do. I stay in the moment.

What are you watching on Netflix these days?

Oh, my favorite Netflix series is Love Is Blind. I love it.

Because you’re spending so much time in the room, what are your non-negotiables when choosing a hotel?

I can't stand light in the room when I'm sleeping, so there are definitely blackout shades. I’m not picky about much else.

I would assume that because you're so cognizant of what you're putting into your body that you’re also hunting for a hotel with good meal options?

No doubt, it has to be a very good menu. I'm not gonna be out there having McDonald's, and I know that what you put in is so big to perform at a high level.

I’ll get to the diet in a moment. But, when would you say you got to this point where these were things that you were really mindful of? Has it come with age, or have you always been this dialed in on making sure that you are setting yourself up in the best way possible?

Probably in the last couple years. Once you start doing things at a high level, you want to sustain that. You're trying to get every edge possible and take the guesswork out so you can focus on everything else. I think all these little things are huge things, right? All small wins create big wins.

What would you say is the “smallest thing” that you do that makes the biggest difference in how you feel?

Once the tournament starts, I take out most meat and eat a lot more fish. I feel much better when I wake up in the morning. Also, I have a terrible sweet tooth, so when I cut out the candy—that really helps. When a lot of people talk about recovery, they talk about ice baths and things like that. But I know that really, when I get a lot of hours of sleep, there's no better recovery.

Which is hard sometimes when you're on tour, right? Because you might have a match one evening and then something could get delayed or resumed and you have to pick right back up.

I think that's why the lead up is so big. Because once the tournament gets going, you can't fully control that. It's not like, OK, I'm gonna sleep from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. every day. You don't have that luxury. The Open, for instance, could finish as late as midnight or 1 a.m. Then you have to adjust to what you’ve got. That’s why it’s so important to prioritize the calm before the storm.

Speaking of calm before the storm, talk to me about what your routine looks like when you’re not touring.

It’s really all about eating cleaner and trying to come down on weight. During the season, it’s easy to gain weight because you’re eating out all of the time. So when I’m back home, it’s all about meal prep and being diligent.

What time are you getting up in the morning?

I try to sleep from midnight to 8 a.m. I'm not a morning person at all. So once I wake up and get my bearing on where I am, then I’ll chug a bottle of water.

What’s for breakfast?

Before I go to the gym at 9 or 9:30, I’ll have a protein shake which is just vanilla whey protein and water shaken. After the morning session, I’ll have a CLIF Bar.

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Assuming you have two sessions a day, yeah? What’s the difference between the two sessions?

Yep. The morning's more strength or agility, followed by practice for whatever I’m working on, whether that be my serve or my volleys. Then the afternoon is usually conditioning. So whether we're on the bike or the track, we're doing intervals.

What’s for lunch?

Lunch and dinner are pretty similar and basic. Chicken or salmon, rice, and some veggies. I also have another shake in the afternoon after my session.

Do you have a preference on sessions? Like do you like a certain type of conditioning more than the other?

Well, I don't like any of them. [Laughs] If I had to choose, man. I don’t know. Track takes your soul.

Did you watch the World Championships?

A bit. It's crazy that they're able to do it. Like, it really is sensational.

If you had to pick one track event, what would your track event be?

I’d probably say the 100m.

So you're toeing the line with Fred Kerley is what you're saying?

Yeah, yeah. I can haul one time, maybe do it in about 14 to 16 seconds. Then I’m absolutely cooked. Those guys doing the 800s? Hell no. I’m good with that.

Tennis is such an endurance based sport, but there's also such a focus on fast twitch because of the need to get from one side of the court to the other.

Right. That's why I do a lot more interval based training because I'm essentially going hard for 20 to 30 seconds and then I have 30 seconds off. And then you repeat that, a lot.

Earlier you touched on recovery and how you really feel like sleep is the most important thing. What else do you include in your routine?

Sleep and fueling are big. I will also use boots, and if there’s cryo on-site wherever I am, I’ll do that too. But I like ice baths more, and I’ll also do soft tissue stuff.

A big pain point for people when traveling is feeling all out of sorts. Being out of their element and feeling like junk. Do you have any other tips or tricks for someone who wants to feel better in their body on the road?

It’s all about creating some kind of routine that you do no matter where you are. Ideally, you can get a little bit of a home feeling wherever you are, still taking a walk in the morning or doing whatever else may be a part of your day back home. Again, taking the guesswork out of something helps so much.

What do you see when you look in the mirror these days?

Damn. I would say a guy that has really made it against all odds. I’m not someone who should be doing even half the things that he has. I see a guy whose younger self would be super proud. I see a guy who’s going to continue to impact people for a very long time. The journey’s only begun.

What do you want your impact to be?

It doesn’t matter where you're from; every game and dream can be accessible. With the right belief and mindset, and obviously with a certain amount of opportunity, right? I'm a kid who got a dose of an opportunity and ran with it as far as I could. I want to be in a position to give other kids an opportunity.

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