During a changeover 26 minutes into his second-round match towards Sebastian Ofner, Frances Tiafoe reached into his bag, pulled out a contemporary prime and adjusted his shirt. Twenty-four minutes later, up by 4-1 within the second set, he swapped that shirt for a clear one once more.

Between the second and third set, Ofner took a medical timeout. Tiafoe had been sporting his shirt for under about six minutes, however he was prepared for one more.

Before the match ended, Tiafoe modified his teal sleeveless shirt as soon as extra. By the top of his straight-sets victory over Ofner, there was a pile of sweaty shirts by Tiafoe’s bench. He picked all of them up and stuffed them into his bag earlier than leaving the courtroom. (Those shirts are later given to the U.S. Open employees members who maintain the laundry.)

Through the fourth spherical, Tiafoe had modified his prime 20 occasions, a median of 5 occasions per match.

He will often return to his bench, hydrate and towel off his face and physique earlier than slipping right into a contemporary shirt. He has no particular technique for figuring out when he wants to alter. Sometimes he’ll seize a contemporary shirt out of his bag on the finish of a set. Other occasions, he’ll change a number of occasions in a single set.

It is just not unusual for a participant who has been sweating in a contest to alter right into a clear shirt a couple of occasions every match. But Tiafoe has taken freshening as much as an elite, seemingly compulsive stage.

If he feels uncomfortable, he needs a contemporary prime.

“You want to be as light as you can on the court,” Tiafoe mentioned after his second-round victory, including that if he feels even a small quantity of moisture on his shirt, he’ll change it. “I’m very adamant about that.”

Many athletes have quirks. Superstitious baseball gamers jump over foul strains to keep away from dangerous luck. Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion, is steadfast about having two water bottles by his bench positioned diagonally from one another with the logos dealing with the courtroom. For Tiafoe, it’s a close to obsession with altering shirts — maybe greater than every other participant on the boys’s tour.

At tournaments, many gamers put on one outfit and keep it up; others swap out an outfit solely whether it is uncomfortable or appears unfortunate. At final 12 months’s U.S. Open, Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, requested an umpire for permission to alter her outfit in the midst of a match.

Players can change tops from their benches throughout matches. Men are allowed two alternatives to go away the courtroom for an entire outfit change in a best-of-five match, and ladies are allowed one change of apparel in a best-of-three match.

“Shirts, socks and shoes should be changed on court,” the International Tennis Federation rule guide says.

At this 12 months’s U.S. Open, Tiafoe has sported a teal, sleeveless prime patterned with shades of child blue, coral, peach and maroon. He has accomplished his ensemble with teal shorts and a pair of bright red shoes together with his nickname, Big Foe, throughout the heels.

Tiafoe mentioned he packed as many as 20 tops in his bag to make certain he had sufficient for his matches. He additionally takes two further pairs of footwear, in case a pair turns into too sweaty.

“I don’t want to feel like I’m playing with really sweaty clothes just because I’m not prepared,” Tiafoe mentioned. “I know how much I can sweat.”

And Tiafoe sweats so much. In a few his matches at this match, even after he has modified shirts, Tiafoe has wanted assist from a ball crew member to peel his shirt off his again as a result of the highest had caught to his shoulders.

The climate on the U.S. Open has appeared to play a task in what number of occasions Tiafoe has modified garments.

In his first-round match, the humidity ranges made enjoying situations really feel muggy inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. In that match, towards Learner Tien, Tiafoe modified his shirt six occasions.

But even after a chilly entrance swept via New York in time for Tiafoe’s second- and third-round matches, he perspired sufficient to alter 4 occasions on Wednesday towards Ofner and 4 occasions on Friday towards Adrian Mannarino.

By his fourth-round match towards Rinky Hijikata on Sunday, temperatures had reached 88 levels. This week, the forecast is for humid days with temperatures into the 90s via Thursday, above regular for this time of 12 months in New York, earlier than settling into the 80s for the semifinals and remaining.

When Tiafoe performs Ben Shelton within the quarterfinals on Tuesday that can most likely imply extra sweat and extra shirt adjustments.

But who’s counting?