Ben Shelton took advice from Rafael Nadal before his break-out run to the US Open final.
The 23-year-old from Florida to set up a winner-takes-all showdown with Alexander Zverev on Sunday.
His coach and father, Bryan Shelton, called 22-time grand slam winner Nadal last month after a first-round defeat in Cincinnati.
The Spaniard’s words of wisdom helped his son reset after his sensational five-set win .
“I think you learn from your experiences,” said 60-year-old former ATP pro Shelton.
“He won Montreal, he went to Cincinnati and we said ‘this is going to be the toughest day you’re going to have’, playing in the first round in Cincinnati after winning a title.
“Very few people come from that and have another good tournament the next week, and he didn’t, you know? He lost first round.
“I remember talking to Rafa a couple of days after that match. Rafa was, like, ‘you know, you got to be able to get through that first one and have the day off and then be able to get your best tennis again the next week’.
“So it was a lesson for Ben that you’ve got to be able to bounce back when good things happen, just as you have to bounce back when adversity happens or tough things go on.
“So we talked about him beating Carlos and how important it’s really going to be for him to understand that this one is going to be even tougher, you know, to bounce back after that, because a lot of people want to rest after they’ve had something good and want to celebrate it.
“What we say is don’t celebrate until you separate. So you’ve got to win the next match. You’ve got to consolidate it. Then somewhere, hopefully next week, we can celebrate a little bit.”
Shelton is the first Black American man to reach the US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972, and is aiming to become the first home male player to win the title since Andy Roddick in 2003.
He will have a raucous Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd behind him when he takes on German top seed and title favourite Zverev.
The French Open champion, 29, said: “I enjoy these kind of atmospheres.
“I’ve said it before. I played a lot of French guys in France. I think the most hostile crowd, if you call it that, is when you are playing a French player in Paris Bercy back in the day.
“That was quite intense, and I always enjoyed those. I always enjoyed those kind of atmospheres.
“Of course, I played Australian guys in Australia. I played Arthur Fery in Wimbledon. The Wimbledon crowd is a bit different, though. There’s no question about that.
“For me, a loud and energetic crowd is always great, as long as they’re fair, as long as they don’t interrupt in the middle of points. Other than that, I always enjoy these kind of atmospheres.”