Tiafoe reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne, where he lost in straight sets to Rafael Nadal this morning.
The American was no match for the powerful Nadal, who did not need to get out of second gear to set up a semi-final showdown with Stefanos Tsitsipas.
However, following Tiafoe’s match he was quizzed on his relationship with James.
The question arose because the 21-year-old has been copying the NBA star’s ‘Silencer’ celebration at the Australian Open.
ESPN produced a video comparing both Tiafoe and James’ efforts on Instagram and the Lakers small forward commented with two bicep emojis.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
And now the rising tennis star wants to meet his basketball hero.
“Man, forget about the slam. I thought once I had the celebration the first couple times, I thought I was going to get a meeting with him,” Tiafoe said.
“I would love to meet him one day. That would mean the world to me.
“I think just kind of talk, pick his brain, see everything he’s accomplished, just on and off court, to be just half the guy he is would be unbelievable.
“I look up to him with everything. He’s a true role model.”
Tiafoe then went as far as saying he would ditch all tennis responsibilities to speak with the three-time NBA champion.
“No, if he texted me, I wouldn’t be here right now,” he added.
“I’d be FaceTime’ing him, if he had my number.”
Meanwhile, Tiafoe also highlighted how touch it was to face Nadal on Rod Laver Arena.
“It was tough definitely. I mean, he’s a hell of a player,” he said.
“His ball is kicking up like crazy. Court was really slow. Yeah, it was just tough to really hit the room. I felt like I was hitting a lot of balls long early. Probably overplaying.
“I got in a decent rhythm there for a hot sec, but he’s just tough and he’s played on that court, so he’s more comfortable than me.”