Frances Tiafoe Explains Why He Fired His Coaches & Reveals Two Additional Changes

Frances Tiafoe just made one of the biggest changes of his tennis career. He’s parted ways with coaches David Witt and Jordi Arconada after cutting his 2024 season short in October.

But it wasn’t just about the coaches.

Tiafoe actually let go of four team members total, not just the two coaches everyone’s talking about. He explained why during an exhibition match in Charlotte on Friday.

Witt joined Tiafoe’s team right before the North American hardcourt season in 2024. The timing seemed perfect at first.

Arconada had been with him for five years – that’s a pretty long relationship in professional tennis.

The partnership with Witt started off incredibly well. Tiafoe reached the semifinals at both the US Open and Citi Open, plus made it to the final of the Cincinnati Masters. Not bad for a new coaching relationship.

He was ranked 29th when Witt came aboard.

By this year, Tiafoe had climbed all the way to World No. 11. He reached the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros and made another final in Houston.

But then things started going sideways in the second half of the season.

When Success Stopped Coming

Tiafoe crashed out of Wimbledon in the second round. The US Open didn’t go much better – he was done by the third round.

Then came back-to-back first-round losses in Japan and Shanghai.

That’s when he decided enough was enough and split with both coaches.

Why He Made the Change

Speaking at the Charlotte exhibition, Tiafoe got pretty honest about his decision:

"I mean, I got rid of more than just two guys, but I definitely wanted a fresh start, you know, I’ve been doing the same thing for a very long time. I will be 28 at the top of the year, I wanted to do something. I want to see… just get a little bit uncomfortable and then see what happens."

He’s turning 28 soon – that’s prime time for a tennis player, but also when you start thinking about making every year count.

"And why not? I don’t think there’s any bad thing that can come out of that, but as far as it was going forward, I guess you gotta wait to see who I decide to bring with me on this crazy journey that we call life."

The day after news of the split broke, Tiafoe posted on Instagram about the disappointing season.

"2025 season has come to an end early this year for the kid. It wasn’t the season I hoped for but lots of lessons learned on and off court. I want to give a huge S/O [shoutout] to my team. I’ve been with these guys for several years. We’ve shared some incredible moments that I’ll remember forever."

He made it clear there’s no bad blood with his former team:

"That being said I’ve decided it’s time for a change. I truly appreciate the love..energy…passion and brotherhood. It’s been a great ride and only bigger and better things for all of us ahead. Excited for what’s ahead for me and ready to put the work in. Thanks for all the love and support thru it all. The best is yet to come."

Back on Court

At that same Charlotte exhibition, Tiafoe beat World No. 6 Taylor Fritz 4-6, 6-4, 10-8. Not a bad way to show he’s still got it.

Next up? A match against World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in New Jersey.

Currently ranked 30th in the world, Tiafoe’s looking to get back into that top 15 where he was earlier this year. Sometimes you’ve got to shake things up to move forward.

The big question now is who he’ll bring in as his new coach. With his talent and that climb to No. 11 this year, there should be plenty of top coaches interested in working with him.