Back in 2019, Frances Tiafoe made a bold prediction: ‘Remember my little sis name, she finna be a problem,’ about his fellow American, Hailey Baptiste. Fast forward to today, and that prophecy is unfolding. Now a Top 100 player, Baptiste has turned heads with impressive runs, including a quarterfinal appearance at the ASB Classic and a stunning upset of former World No. 8, Daria Kasatkina, at the Miami Open. With the tennis world buzzing about her rapid ascent, Tiafoe, after his own R32 victory, had something new to say about his ‘little sis.’ What’s he predicting now?

Coming from an underprivileged background, Frances Tiafoe may not have had the best training equipment while growing up, but he always knew the rewards of hard work. The Washington D.C. native is currently ranked 17th in the world and his incredible performances in the last few years have now made him an inspiration for players like Hailey Baptiste and Robin Montgomery. Tiafoe has taken the next generation of Black players under his wing. Talking about both Baptiste and Montgomery, he once said,

“They’re from my area in the DMV, and there’s nothing I pride more than D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. I’ve been hanging out with Hailey a ton this week. I always want to see her win.” Just like a big brother to them, he has pledged, “I’m not going to let them fail.” Last year, during his third-round match against Carlos Alcaraz at the Wimbledon Championships, he invited both of them to his player’s box. Even during his US Open campaign, Hailey Baptiste was spotted in his box. And seems like Tiafoe looks up to Baptiste just as much as she looks up to him.

After her exit from the Miami Open, Baptiste shared a few glimpses of her memorable moments from the tournament, with the caption, “wait on it.” In that post, there was a picture that had a note written on it. It said, “Hailey Baptiste u inspired me bro, keep going.” Highlighting that picture on his IG story, Frances Tiafoe wrote, “No lies told, sis. Proud of you, young queen ✊🏿✊🏿@haileybaptiste.“

Previously after her impressive win over Kasatkina, Tiafoe shared a video of him watching her match on TV with the caption, “Lil sis hit the big naaasssstyyy😂😂 Big dub proud of you @hailrybaptiste.” Well, a fellow American Coco Gauff also dropped a “🔥🔥🔥” to her post. Moreover, while Amanda Anisimova also showered love, Nick Kyrgios wrote, “This is tough 🔥😤🎾🍽️“. Not only that, she even got praised by her R32 opponent in Miami. 

After beating Baptiste, 7-6(6),3-6,6-4, Osaka, in her post-match conference, said, “At the net I was telling her how she’s a really good player, which she already knows that. Well, she should already know that.” She’s the breakout star everyone’s buzzing about. But behind the headlines, what’s the story of Frances Tiafoe’s role in her journey?

“He’s always a huge inspiration” – Hailey Baptiste on Frances Tiafoe

In August 2022, during an interview, Hailey Baptiste admitted that Frances Tiafoe has always been the guy she has looked up to and a constant inspiration in her life. Two years later, after seeing Tiafoe making it to yet another SF at the US Open, she spoke on the similar lines. Talking about her childhood friend, who is almost four years older than her, she said,

“He’s always a huge inspiration to me and he’s like a brother to me. We went to school together when I was in fourth grade. I’d be with him all day and hang out with him every weekend, and we’re still close to this day. Same with his brother and his parents; they’re basically my family. To see that, of course, it’s possible because I’ve grown up with him and he’s right there.“

Frances Tiafoe recently clinched yet another historic feat in his career. Playing his 100th ATP Masters 1000 match, he secured his 50th win at this level with a 7-5,7-6(5) triumph over the Spanish star, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, in the R64 of the 2024 Miami Open. What did he say after his win against the Spaniard?

Interesting Fact: Frances Tiafoe now has a record of 17-6 in the U.S. since July. He is also 6-0 in his opening matches this year, he has yet to record multiple wins at the same event. 

“Wins like that are big for me. Any win right now is big for me, but especially the way I played. I was super aggressive, so I’m really happy with it,” said Tiafoe. He’ll be now facing the Frenchman Arthur Fils in the next round. Who will have the last laugh in their first encounter?