Quote of the Day: Frances Tiafoe says he was "losing to clowns" during struggles with form, mental health

Frances Tiafoe is never one to pull punches—not even against himself.

The American got real, some would say a bit too real, during a post-match interview after his first-round Wimbledon win on Monday.

Tiafoe had just scored a milestone victory, needing to go the distance against Matteo Arnaldi, a tricky Italian who has upset the likes of Andrey Rublev, Arthur Fils and Ugo Humbert in recent weeks. The No. 29 seed found himself down two sets, but managed to complete a 6-7 (5), 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 comeback—marking the first time Tiafoe has won a best-of-five match after trailing by two.

Read More: Frances Tiafoe’s maiden two-set comeback puts him among early Wimbledon winners

It was also a bright spot in an otherwise forgettable first half of the season for Tiafoe. The 26-year-old has won back-to-back matches on just two occasions this year, and he’s currently ranked just inside the Top 30—a far cry from his world-beating form of last year.

WATCH: "Don't make excuses": Frances Tiafoe digs deep for comeback Wimbledon win | Tennis Channel Live

When asked a question about mental health in tennis during a post-match interview with Adam Addicott of UbiTennis, Tiafoe didn’t hold back in admitting that his recent results had taken a mental toll—although it was his exact descriptions that definitely got people talking:

FRANCES TIAFOE: It’s brutal. Highs and lows. Think about where I’m at: Literally this week last year I was 10 in the world and now I’m barely seeded here, losing to clowns, I mean…

I hate to say it, but I’m just gonna be honest with you guys. Like, he's having a bad season, it's kind of all over the place. I took the game for granted and got a little too comfortable.

You stop having fun with it and you find yourself in a weird position. Then you forget what you were doing to win. You start doubting yourself and all these kinds of things.

But it’s the game. It’s like anything—nothing is peaches and cream all the time, right? It’s about how fast you can kind of get out of that.

Nothing is peaches and cream all the time. It’s about how fast you can kind of get out of that. Frances Tiafoe after R1 win at Wimbledon

With a bit of help from God, friends and family, Tiafoe says he’s been working his way out of that mental dark place and focusing on “having fun” on the court again.

“There is always light at the end of the tunnel,” Tiafoe continued. “You either try and find it with small wins or continue to feel sorry for yourself and continue to play victim. That’s where it just gets darker and darker and darker.”

Tiafoe, who won two ATP titles last year including the grass-court event in Stuttgart, improved to 14-14 on the season with the win. Having retired with a hip injury in his opening match at the Queen’s Club, Tiafoe will next face Borna Coric in the second round at Wimbledon.