Frances Tiafoe says celebration was nod to LeBron James

Emerging American tennis player Frances Tiafoe pulled off the biggest win of his pro career and celebrated accordingly.

Tiafoe, 20, defeated 5-seed Kevin Anderson in the second round of the Australian Open, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5. After his win, Tiafoe celebrated by flexing his biceps like LeBron James.

Frances Tiafoe celebrates knocking off 5th seeded Kevin Anderson pic.twitter.com/DHctUidICu

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) January 16, 2019

In an on-set interview with ESPN after his win, Tiafoe said he’s a huge LeBron fan and was waiting for a moment where he could do the celebration.

“I’m a massive LeBron fan and I always see him do it. I was like if I ever have a moment where I can do it, I’m going to do it too. So I had to bring it out,” Tiafoe said.

Here’s LeBron doing it for comparison:

Tiafoe is one of the best young Americans on tour. He’s already ranked No. 38, has won a title on tour, and he’s now into the third round of a major for the third time in his career.