‘people See Themselves In Me’: Frances Tiafoe On Being A Tennis Trailbazer In A Mainly White Sport

Frances Tiafoe is successful his constituent erstwhile he talks passionately astir nan increasing beingness of achromatic and mixed practice players astatine nan highest levels of men’s tennis. During a stroll connected tourney grounds he reels disconnected nan names of players he competes pinch regularly connected nan tour. “Now they’re astatine a position wherever I person wars pinch them and spell backmost and forth. So this is great, man. It’s awesome to see,” he says. “And past you person Giovanni [Mpetshi Perricard], you person Gaël [Monfils], who I looked up to.”

Seconds aft Tiafoe mentions his name, Monfils abruptly appears from astir a area arsenic if magically summoned by nan American’s utterance. His presence people leads to a region successful this question and reply arsenic an excited Tiafoe greets Monfils by heaping praise connected his caller haircut, peculiarly focusing his attraction connected nan Frenchman’s sleek fade. Monfils responds pinch a compliment of his own: “You’re looking for illustration a wedding day,” he says, laughing.

This brushwood perfectly encapsulates nan move betwixt 2 different generations of achromatic players successful a athletics wherever their occurrence instantly marks them arsenic trailblazers. Although they measurement connected to nan tribunal pinch nan sole volition of beating each other, location is besides a heavy knowing betwixt them and they are highly supportive.

“He texts maine each nan time,” says Tiafoe. “He tells me, like: ‘Yo, you tin do this.’ Don’t get it twisted, erstwhile he plays he still wants to hit my ass and truthful do I, but it’s conscionable a batch of love.”

Tiafoe, astatine No 14 successful nan rankings is nan third-highest classed US man down Taylor Fritz, nan world No 4, and Ben Shelton, who won nan Toronto Masters 1000 connected Thursday night, but successful position of sanction nickname nan 27-year-old has go nan astir salient US antheral tennis subordinate successful years.

His matches pull NBA stars for illustration Kevin Durant, he breaks breadstuff pinch Taylor Swift and has earned a instrumentality successful Michelle Obama. In caller weeks Tiafoe has been name-dropped successful songs from nan rap duo Clipse and nan rapper Wale.

“I still deliberation he’s nan subordinate connected circuit pinch nan astir clout, for illustration each personage knows him, aliases he knows each celebrity. He’s mentioned successful 2 rap songs, truthful he’s beautiful iconic,” says Coco Gauff, laughing.

Tiafoe, for his part, believes his burgeoning floor plan underlines nan value of tennis reaching beyond its accepted audience: “Just to beryllium capable to beryllium successful a position wherever I get crossover, group want to beryllium a portion of things I’m doing successful a predominantly achromatic sport. They spot themselves successful me, successful nan sport, and they want to get down me. Hopefully I’m capable to get that done,” he says.

There is besides simply cipher for illustration Tiafoe. His extroverted characteristic and bluntness tin beryllium abrasive to immoderate spectators, but he is kind, lukewarm and has clip for everyone. Laughter is ne'er acold from his lips, which makes his power infectious. He has besides deliberately made a constituent of utilizing his level to beforehand female athletes. When he is not playing, he is often astatine WNBA games and he wears subordinate jerseys passim nan tennis play during practice. He is friends pinch galore female hoops players.

Frances Tiafoe astatine Wimbledon successful 2025. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

“I deliberation [female athletes] conscionable request to get their flowers,” says Tiafoe. “They put successful nan work, conscionable for illustration we do. They conscionable request to beryllium getting their love, their notoriety, their compensation. Let them smell their flowers. That’s benignant of what it is. And I deliberation much women should support women, to beryllium honorable pinch you, because it’s a beautiful thing. It’s not conscionable maine showing up and supporting it. It’s maine showing up and watching a bully product.”

In summation to his support for women’s sport, Tiafoe has besides actively tried to thief definite female tennis players travel successful his path. His occurrence has paved nan measurement for others astatine nan Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC), his puerility tennis nine adjacent Washington DC, peculiarly nan WTA players Hailey Baptiste and Robin Montgomery. This year, while besides moving pinch Franklin Tiafoe, Frances’s copy brother, Baptiste has enjoyed a breakout season, reaching nan apical 50. Both players mention Tiafoe arsenic a mentor they person perpetually sought proposal from and he has tried to beryllium connected manus to thief them successful immoderate measurement he can. He takes awesome pridefulness successful their success.

“I’m still young – I’ve still sewage a batch much to achieve. I still haven’t scratched nan aboveground of my career. But pinch them, I’ve already won successful truthful galore ways,” says Tiafoe. “So it’s benignant of really you look astatine nan glass, but it’s astonishing to beryllium successful that seat. It’s a blessing.”

During tournaments, Tiafoe tin sometimes beryllium recovered training pinch different female players, which is still an different sight. He describes Jessica Pegula arsenic his favourite training partner connected nan WTA: “She hits nan shot truthful axenic and correct successful pouch each time,” he says. “She’s beautiful relaxed arsenic well. But she doesn’t want to deed pinch maine immoderate more. She’s made immoderate finals now successful immoderate slams, 1000s, and she doesn’t want to talk to maine arsenic overmuch immoderate more. She sewage excessively large clip for me. She forgot astir nan small people.”

Such is his jovial nature, Tiafoe is often nan butt of jokes among his friends connected nan tour. They tease him for his questionable organisational skills, his deficiency of punctuality and his wide unseriousness. His driving has besides travel nether fire. Offered a level to take sides himself against his friends’ scorn, Tiafoe smiles. “I conscionable precocious sewage my license, truthful I was decidedly shaky successful nan early days, astir apt erstwhile they were saying it,” says Tiafoe. “But I’m decidedly bully [at driving]. I’m decidedly [Lewis] Hamilton 2.0 down nan instrumentality truthful I don’t interest excessively overmuch astir it.”

The communicative of Tiafoe’s past has already been told countless times, but it tin ne'er beryllium repeated enough. The boy of Sierra Leonean parents who immigrated to nan United States, Tiafoe spent overmuch of his formative years astatine nan JTCC, wherever his begetter worked arsenic a janitor.

He has defied almost intolerable likelihood to found himself arsenic 1 of nan champion tennis players successful nan world. After reaching his 2nd expansive slam semi-final astatine nan US Open past year, when he mislaid to Fritz successful 5 sets successful heartbreaking fashion, this twelvemonth Tiafoe will effort to rediscover nan magic connected courts that person regularly inspired his best.

Regardless of what awaits him arsenic he enters nan premier years of his career, however, it is evident that successful galore ways Tiafoe has already won.

“I’d show guys from nan [club] that I’d want to beryllium a pro,” says Tiafoe. “They would conscionable comedian and not return it seriously. I was ever like: ‘Don’t worry, man. I’m going to beryllium nan past personification laughing.’ Here we are today.”