Growing up at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md., where his immigrant father worked as head of maintenance, Frances Tiafoe spent many long days and nights perfecting his game against anyone who would hit with him.
Coming from an underprivileged background, he may not have had the best equipment, or even the latest clothing, but Tiafoe knew the rewards of hard work. In fact, he’s seen it take him all the way to tennis’ Top 30.
Now, as a successful player on the ATP Tour, amid the movement that puts Black lives at the forefront of social conversation, Tiafoe is doing his part to get involved in the careers of up-and-coming Black and minority players because he understands how critical it is for them to have a mentor they can relate to.
"Just knowing that somebody is always going to be up for you is huge."—Frances Tiafoe
"It's huge—they know you both came up the mud, like I like to call it," he said. "You both came up the mud, came up from tough times, going somewhere you never thought in a million years could ever happen.
"Going through the same situations, same problems. You can kind of relate. I know everything they're going through. I physically went through that mentally, so I can give them advice. Just knowing that somebody is always going to be up for you is huge. You build confidence from that."
Washington, D.C., natives Hailey Baptiste and Robin Montgomery, both of whom received wild cards into their first career US Open, were two of 12 Black players representing the United States in the women’s singles draw—the most the tournament has seen in quite some time. Though both players fell in the first round of action, Tiafoe has continued to offer words of wisdom to these rising stars.
"They’re from my area in the DMV, and there's nothing I pride more than D.C., Maryland and Virginia," Tiafoe said. "I've been hanging out with Hailey a ton this week. I always want to see her win. I was texting (Robin) when I was on the bus yesterday, asking her what she thought about her experience, what I thought, and what she can do better. I'm not going to let them fail."
Now ranked No. 82 and playing for a spot in the 2020 US Open quarterfinals, Tiafoe hopes that his experience at tennis’ highest level will provide a platform for him to continue mentoring and giving back to the community that provided so much for him growing up.
"Whether it's tennis or whatever they're doing, I just want to see people of color in my communities win. If they get the inspiration from Frances Tiafoe, that's even better," he says, referring to himself in third person. "That's why I try to give it my all. I'm not doing it for me. It's way bigger than that."
