?Used to Sneak Into This Thing..?- 25YO Frances Tiafoe Drops Emotional Childhood Revelation as He Attempts to Go for Glory at Washington DC

Frances Tiafoe has become a household name in men’s tennis in the last 12 months. His dream run at the US Open last year saw him climb up the ranks and since then the American hasn’t looked back. He has had a fairly decent 2023 so far with two titles to his name. However, the upcoming few weeks are going to be massive for him.

The Washington Open commences today which is considered to be an important lead-up for the US Open. As players gear up to take the courts of Washington, a certain Frances Tiafoe will be more excited than the others as he holds a special connection with the capital city.

Frances Tiafoe returns to a familiar territory

Born in Hyattsville, Maryland, Tiafoe shares a close relationship with Washington. He also happens to be a fan of D.C based teams and athletes. The 25-year-old grew up at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park and the Washington Open used to be his home tournament. Naturally, as a tennis enthusiast, he would visit the tournament often.

In a recent press conference, the American weighed in on the excitement to play in the home tournament. The local fans are coming in numbers to watch him on the practice courts. Tiafoe said via WJLA News, “This tournament is one of the reasons why I believed I could play pro tennis. I used to sneak into this thing as a kid and now I just really want to win this event.”

He then went on to add the importance of the tournament and said, “I mean outside winning slams and maybe masters, this is definitely up there. It would be a very emotional day, I think it would be a great thing for the city of D.C. and Mark Ein, I think he would love it too.”?He ends his answer by mentioning Mark Ein, the Washington Open director.

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Tiafoe’s special relationship with the Washington Open director

As the director of Tiafoe’s home tournament, Mark Ein has seen the world number 10’s obsession with the sport first-hand. He has known Tiafoe since the American was a toddler and later on, went on to become his mentor and advisor.

Ein has also taken to Twitter to acknowledge Tiafoe’s on-court brilliance on numerous occasions. One such time was when Tiafoe guided the underdog Team World to the Laver Cup triumph last year.

Do you think Tiafoe can win the Washington Open? Let us know in the comments.

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