Tennis is filled with stories of players coming from a humble background to make it to the big stage. While Venus and Serena Williams’ names are among the first ones to come to our minds, they aren’t the only ones that fit this bill. American star, Frances Tiafoe also had an equally challenging upbringing, with only basic facilities available. However, he proved everyone wrong with his grit and determination to shine on the big stage.

What’s more, tennis also helped to change his life and that of his family. As Tiafoe gears up for the 2025 season, he made a kind move for the next generation of players. The 26-year-old teamed up with Yonex to open the game for the next generation of players. Tiafoe motivated them by narrating his story and how he overcame his struggles to make it to the big stage.

In the video shared by Yonex Tennis on their official Instagram handle, Tiafoe can be heard saying, “I think the biggest thing is that you can get yourself out of any situation. It’s you. You’re only in a battle against you. You’re only trying to be better than you. And once you kind of complete those things, I feel the world’s your oyster. The sacrifices that my parents have made for me and my brother to be where we are today, can’t thank them enough.”

Early on in his childhood, Tiafoe moved to the United States from Sierra Leone along with his family as their native country was engulfed in a civil war. During an interview once, Tiafoe’s father, Constant opened up about the difficult times faced by his family. He revealed, “I said OK, if I come here maybe it’ll be better than back there… I worked in construction to build a tennis academy. I didn’t know anything about tennis. After we finished, then they gave me a job. I was like a maintenance guy. When I started working at the job, it was a big problem because I couldn’t pay for babysitting so I had to bring the kids to work.”

Subsequently, Frances Tiafoe was exposed to tennis by his father, who worked in the tennis academy. It is safe to say that the American star had a strange introduction to the sport. Let’s see how!

Frances Tiafoe picked tennis during the nights

While Tiafoe’s father had to bring his sons to the tennis academy, Tiafoe was attracted to the sport. As a result, he left no stone unturned to impress the coaches at the academy. Tiafoe worked hard and had strange ways to pick up the sport. Eventually, he was inducted into the academy where his father worked.

Opening up about his childhood, Tiafoe said, “When I was a kid, my dad got a construction job at College Park Tennis Club in 1999, a new tennis academy in the D.C. area. While my dad worked, I picked up the game during nights and weekends at the facility when the other kids weren’t around. I’d hit against the wall by myself, mimicking techniques I had seen older boys at the academy do. I’d imagine I was playing against Rafa or Roger in the U.S. Open, that those guys were just on the other side of the wall.⁠”

After a decent 2024 season, Tiafoe would look to carry the momentum and make it big next year. Can he win his maiden Grand Slam title in 2025? Let us know your views in the comments below.