Frances Tiafoe just made the US Open more exciting. In a three-hour and two minutes long match, he defeated Alexei Popyrin (6-4, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-3), who had become the man of the moment after thrashing defending champion Novak Djokovic. Notably, Tiafoe was coming off one more nail-biter against countryman Ben Shelton. The All-American clash against his younger counterpart could have gone either way. Soaking in the tense moments was Tiafoe’s long-time girlfriend Ayan Broomfield, who’s more often found off the court than on it these days, and she has been making her own mark in that.

From playing tennis to modeling to running an off-beat business, Broomfield’s career has multiple colors in it. But whatever she has done or is doing, the connection with tennis is very prominent. So how could she stay away from Tiafoe’s high-stakes matches?

In a video posted by ESPN during Tiafoe’s 3rd round match against Shelton, Broomfield was seen literally on the edge of her seat as her eyes went left to right and back, tracking the ball movement. It must have been much more intense for her since the Canadian herself has played professionally, and has two ITF titles to her name. Beginning in South Carolina at Clemson University, Broomfield played for two years in college and had two titles to show for it – ITA Carolina Region Rookie of the Year and ACC Freshman of the Year.

The Canadian delved into a WTA career, debuting at the Coupe Banque Nationale. Broomfield reached a world rank of 467 with partner Maria Patrascu, but she was still on the college scene at that time. Eventually moving to UCLA, she partnered up with Gabby Andrews for the NCAA doubles champions at UCLA in 2019, which the pair won.

Fast forward to 2024, and Broomfield has been rather inactive on the Tour. “Then COVID hit and derailed everything for me. I moved to Florida and was training a lot. I had injury after injury, and I didn’t know if this was something I could do full-time on court,” Broomfield said to Forbes. But Broomfield’s experience in tennis landed her a role in Hollywood!

In 2021, she played the body double of actress Saniyya Sidney in King Richard, the movie based on the Williams sisters’ father, Richard Williams. But that’s not all; she also has a foundation in her name – the Ayan Broomfield Foundation. The foundation’s motive is simple: it aims to help aspiring athletes.

“Often the people that are in need, are usually the most overlooked. There are countless programs/organizations that are currently serving the most vulnerable groups in society. I want to showcase some of this important work!” read the first official post from their page. Notably, Broomfield has graduated with a degree in women’s studies, which might open up yet another new path for her.

She briefly stepped back onto the court at the Boss Open this year and played in the pro-am portion of it. “One thing about tennis, I don’t think you ever lose it,” she told Forbes in June. “The timing may be a little off, but you start grinding again. I am trying to create content around training, and it has been fun. I am not at the same level as before, but I didn’t think I would be.” While she might not be playing it regularly, she is still determined to stay connected to tennis in any way possible, and that has opened up a new career opportunity for her.

“I have my foot in everything with tennis,” says Ayan Broomfield

If we look at some of the highest paid names in tennis, or sports in general, a cursory look at their finances would tell you where the real money is coming from. Yes, prize money matters, at least to those who play on the Tours regularly. But a majority of players’ earnings come from endorsements and sponsorships, and generally off-the-court activities. This is what Ayan Broomfield is focused on.

“I have my foot in everything with tennis without being on court competing 24-7. I still love the sport and have spent 20-odd years in it. With the surge of social media, players can make 10 times more off the court than they were on the court. I can merge the two together,” Broomfield said when asked why she’s not found playing actively anymore.

“Picking up this sport leads to so many opportunities. You can use it for so many adventures in your life, not just the 50 girls on the WTA tour making money. You can get a scholarship, you can model, you can do content creation. You can use tennis to provide that. It was a lesson for me and a lesson for anyone else who wants to pick up a sport. Even if you don’t reach the highest level, what’s next is not bad,” the Canadian further added. She has her foot in tennis-fashion as well.

Broomfield is an ambassador for the sports equipment company, Wilson. The association was quite smooth, since she had used their rackets for years. The brand recently revamped its apparel line which has been received well across the sport and Broomfield believes herself a part of that. “They had a more dated look. Recently they have completely changed that. They are so retro cool now and leading the WTA in their kits. Everybody wants to wear Wilson now. I feel I had a part in that,” she had said. However, the association had a greater impact on her.

Through the tie-up, she met the people who matter. She got to know how the production works. “It has been interesting to see that side of it, not just the content creation, see how they make clothes. As someone who wants to get into the fashion business side of tennis, I am learning all these things. I want to continue to grow and learn,” Broomfield had said to Forbes. As she travels more around the world with Tiafoe as his good luck charm, her understanding of everything tennis is surely going to shape up excitingly, opening novel avenues for her.