“It’s big shoes to fill but a great seat to be in”, is Frances Tiafoe’s definition of Tennis. “I want to impact a lot of people of color to want to pursue the game of tennis,” Tiafoe further said in an interview. By defeating Andrey Rublev to reach the 2022 US Open semifinals, Tiafoe became the first Black American to achieve the feat since Arthur Ashe in 1972! Tiafoe is back in New York once again this year with his goal to win his first Grand Slam and play a role in diversifying tennis even more!

Tiafoe emphasizes the importance of diversity in tennis, believing it is key to attracting a wider audience. A few years ago, the former World No. 10 also said how he doesn’t want anyone to follow in the footsteps of Serena Williams or himself. Instead, to carve their own path, “find their own success,” and embrace it however the way it comes to them by “finding that lane.” There was a similar essence to his inspirational voice after he demolished Grigor Dimitrov in the US Open quarterfinals and sat down for his post-match conference with the US Open Tennis Championships.

A reporter questioned Tiafoe about the growing number of African American tennis players, asking if it inspires him or adds pressure to his performance. The journalist further added how he is “one of the first to break through a lot of stuff,” pointing at his 2022 US Open semifinal appearance.

The 26-year-old player responded, “Yeah, it’s great, man, great…especially for me in my area.” He cited the examples of players like 23-year-old Haley Giavara. Then, he mentioned, Robin Montgomery, who in just one day, became both singles and doubles US Open(2021) champ at just 17-years of age.

Then, he further mentioned junior Grand Slam girls’ doubles titles at the 2023 French Open, 2024 Australian Open and the 2024 Wimbledon Championships winner, Tyra Caterina Grant. He added how it “is pretty cool,” to see them rising in the sporting world. Further continuing, he said, “Matthew Forbes, who played in the main draw here(in his junior years). He had a funny celebration I saw on Instagram. The young dudes are different nowadays.”

Explaining how he doesn’t want to take himself too seriously, Tiafoe said, “So it’s funny being in that seat, but at the same time you got a responsibility too when you are out there competing and enjoying. Because things you do, those kids are going to mimic, want to be how you carry yourself, how you approach your game, how you compete, what you do out there, things you send interviews they are going to want to mimic that and be like that. So, it’s great.” 

Tiafoe once said how fulfilling his “massively big” dreams seemed too far-fetched, and how he never thought he could do “any of these things” in tennis. But for him, it is now a reality after undergoing a lot of struggles about which he revealed earlier.

Frances Tiafoe sheds light on his childhood struggles!

As a kid, Frances Tiafoe and his twin brother, Franklin, played around inside the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland, a place where his father, Constant (Frances Sr) worked. They also spent time with their mother, who worked as a nurse.

Their parents, who migrated from Sierra Leone in the mid-1990s to America, worked day and night to help their children take up tennis lessons at the age of four. It worked out pretty well for Tiafoe, who finished his junior career as the No. 2 player and eventually became a renowned player in the professional ATP circuit after turning pro in 2015. 

Reminiscing his old childhood memories, he once said, “2–3 times a week I’ll get picked up from school and my dad is working, and me and my brother and would have the ball against the wall…we’d see the coaches, tell the players some stuff, and we would go to empty court and try to mimic it…we’re trying to do it.”

However, now that he is on his way to break more records in tennis, Frances Tiafoe hopes to inspire his fans and players from all around the world to believe—anything is possible if one tries hard enough!