Frances Tiafoe is in his element when he talks passionately about the growing presence of black and mixed heritage players at the highest levels of men\u2019s tennis. During a stroll on tournament grounds he reels off the names of players he competes with regularly on the tour. \u201cNow they\u2019re at a position where I have wars with them and go back and forth. So this is great, man. It\u2019s great to see,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd then you have Giovanni [Mpetshi Perricard], you have Ga\u00ebl [Monfils], who I looked up to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seconds after Tiafoe mentions his name, Monfils suddenly appears from around a corner as if magically summoned by the American\u2019s utterance. His arrival naturally leads to a pause in this interview as an excited Tiafoe greets Monfils by heaping praise on his new haircut, particularly focusing his attention on the Frenchman\u2019s sleek fade. Monfils responds with a compliment of his own: \u201cYou\u2019re looking like a wedding day,\u201d he says, laughing.<\/p>\n
This encounter perfectly encapsulates the dynamic between two different generations of black players in a sport where their success immediately marks them as trailblazers. Although they step on to the court with the sole intention of beating each other, there is also a deep understanding between them and they are extremely supportive.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe texts me all the time,\u201d says Tiafoe. \u201cHe tells me, like: \u2018Yo, you can do this.\u2019 Don\u2019t get it twisted, when he plays he still wants to beat my ass and so do I, but it\u2019s just a lot of love.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tiafoe, at No 14 in the rankings is the third-highest ranked US man behind Taylor Fritz, the world No 4, and Ben Shelton, who won the Toronto Masters 1000 on Thursday night, but in terms of name recognition the 27-year-old has become the most prominent US male tennis player in years.<\/p>\n
His matches attract NBA stars like Kevin Durant, he breaks bread with Taylor Swift<\/a> and has earned a fan in Michelle Obama<\/a>. In recent weeks Tiafoe has been name-dropped in songs from the rap duo Clipse and the rapper Wale.<\/p>\n \u201cI still think he\u2019s the player on tour with the most clout, like every celebrity knows him, or he knows every celebrity. He\u2019s mentioned in two rap songs, so he\u2019s pretty iconic,\u201d says Coco Gauff, laughing.<\/p>\n Tiafoe, for his part, believes his burgeoning profile underlines the importance of tennis reaching beyond its traditional audience: \u201cJust to be able to be in a position where I get crossover, people want to be a part of things I\u2019m doing in a predominantly white sport. They see themselves in me, in the sport, and they want to get behind me. Hopefully I\u2019m able to get that done,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n There is also simply nobody like Tiafoe. His extroverted character and bluntness can be abrasive to some spectators, but he is kind, warm and has time for everyone. Laughter is never far from his lips, which makes his energy infectious. He has also deliberately made a point of using his platform to promote female athletes. When he is not playing, he is often at WNBA games and he wears player jerseys throughout the tennis season during practice. He is friends with many female basketball players.<\/p>\n Frances Tiafoe at Wimbledon in 2025. Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The Guardian<\/p>\n \u201cI think [female athletes] just need to get their flowers,\u201d says Tiafoe. \u201cThey put in the work, just like we do. They just need to be getting their love, their notoriety, their compensation. Let them smell their flowers. That\u2019s kind of what it is. And I think more women should support women, to be honest with you, because it\u2019s a beautiful thing. It\u2019s not just me showing up and supporting it. It\u2019s me showing up and watching a good product.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to his support for women\u2019s sport, Tiafoe has also actively tried to help certain female tennis players follow in his path. His success has paved the way for others at the Junior Tennis<\/a> Champions Center (JTCC), his childhood tennis club near Washington DC, particularly the WTA players Hailey Baptiste and Robin Montgomery. This year, while also working with Franklin Tiafoe, Frances\u2019s twin brother, Baptiste has enjoyed a breakout season, reaching the top 50. Both players cite Tiafoe as a mentor they have constantly sought advice from and he has tried to be on hand to help them in any way he can. He takes great pride in their success.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m still young \u2013 I\u2019ve still got a lot more to achieve. I still haven\u2019t scratched the surface of my career. But with them, I\u2019ve already won in so many ways,\u201d says Tiafoe. \u201cSo it\u2019s kind of how you look at the glass, but it\u2019s amazing to be in that seat. It\u2019s a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend\u2019s action<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n During tournaments, Tiafoe can sometimes be found training with other female players, which is still an unusual sight. He describes Jessica Pegula as his favourite training partner on the WTA: \u201cShe hits the ball so pure and right in pocket every time,\u201d he says. \u201cShe\u2019s pretty relaxed as well. But she doesn\u2019t want to hit with me any more. She\u2019s made some finals now in some slams, 1000s, and she doesn\u2019t want to talk to me as much any more. She got too big time for me. She forgot about the little people.\u201d<\/p>\n Such is his jovial nature, Tiafoe is often the butt of jokes among his friends on the tour. They tease him for his questionable organisational skills, his lack of punctuality and his general unseriousness. His driving has also come under fire. Offered a platform to defend himself against his friends\u2019 scorn, Tiafoe smiles. \u201cI just recently got my license, so I was definitely shaky in the early days, probably when they were saying it,\u201d says Tiafoe. \u201cBut I\u2019m definitely nice [at driving]. I\u2019m definitely [Lewis] Hamilton 2.0 behind the wheel so I don\u2019t worry too much about it.\u201d<\/p>\n The story of Tiafoe\u2019s past has already been told countless times, but it can never be repeated enough. The son of Sierra Leonean parents who immigrated to the United States, Tiafoe spent much of his formative years at the JTCC, where his father worked as a janitor.<\/p>\n He has defied almost impossible odds to establish himself as one of the best tennis players in the world. After reaching his second grand slam semi-final at the US Open last year, when he lost to Fritz<\/a> in five sets in heartbreaking fashion, this year Tiafoe will attempt to rediscover the magic on courts that have regularly inspired his best.<\/p>\n Regardless of what awaits him as he enters the prime years of his\u00a0career, however, it is obvious that in many ways Tiafoe has already won.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d tell guys from the [club] that I\u2019d want to be a pro,\u201d says Tiafoe. \u201cThey would just clown and not take it seriously. I was always like: \u2018Don\u2019t worry, man. I\u2019m going to be the last person laughing.\u2019 Here we are today.\u201d<\/p>\n