‘My Yearly Salary Is Not Even That..’ – In A Stirring Revelation, Frances Tiafoe’s Father Opens Up About Difficult Family Condition During His Childhood

Tennis unfolded many inspiring and spine-chilling journeys of players, like that of Frances Tiafoe. The African-American tennis star, with Jack Sock, defeated the mighty duo of Roger Federer–Rafael Nadal to reach the final and claim the Laver Cup title. Federer had to retire with a defeat because of two budding players who battled throughout. Recently, Tiafoe made it to the Top 10 in the ATP rankings, besides Taylor Fritz. It was the first time in more than a decade that two Americans were in the Top 10. But Tiafoe had to break mountains to reach this level, and he did with the support of his family.

In Netflix’s Break Point: Part 2, Tiafoe and his father talked about what made him achieve the remarkable feat and how their family stood like a rock and surpassed each obstacle.

It was not just Frances Tiafoe who gave everything to the game

In the ninth episode of the series, Tiafoe and his father spoke about the financial struggles they had to endure. His father loved the game and was determined to train Tiafoe at the prestigious JTCC academy in Maryland.

Tiafoe Sr. said, “For somebody to go pro, you gotta pay like $40,000 a year just to be here. My yearly salary is not even that. At a young age, I tried to make them understand that you can’t have an opportunity like this and don’t make the best out of it. “

Only a person with hunger, passion, and love for the game can understand what it is like to play a professional game. The vision of the father filled love for the game in the son, and his mother helped in fulfilling it. The episode starts with Tiafoe saying, “If you get a chance to change your life, you gotta grab it with both hands.”

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The twenty-five-year-old also talked about how his mother took up two jobs so that he could access the best training. Tiafoe made them all proud with a historic win.

Tiafoe repaid the family in a historic moment

The ATP star’s mother worked as a nurse and also took night shifts so that his tennis career could shine. Tiafoe said, “Where I grew up, tennis was very inaccessible for black people. I mean, I’ll be an idiot to not take this opportunity right in front of me.” The career-defining moment for the tenth seed arrived at the US Open 2022.

The man whose family migrated to America in the early 90s played against the legendary Rafael Nadal. Tiafoe had to play a match against a legend who holds the record of winning twenty-two Grand Slams, of which four are US Open titles.

The world was almost sure that Nadal could overpower him. But the boy who grew up devoting his life to tennis filled the Arthur Ashe Stadium with pure art. He played a game that the audience could not forget for decades. The commentators were also stunned by the artistic perfection Tiafoe manifested. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for every person in the stadium, and for Tiafoe, it was a sign of how he has progressed in his career.

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