(Video) Frances Tiafoe Bizarrely Forced to Hide Billionaire Sponsor from Outfit at Delray Beach Open

Frances Tiafoe has yet to win a singles title since clinching the 2023 Stuttgart Open.

(Video) Frances Tiafoe Bizarrely Forced to Hide Billionaire Sponsor from Outfit at Delray Beach Open

Umpire darkened a sponsor logo of Frances Tiafoe's outfit (Image via Instagram/Tennis TV, X/Bastien Fachan)

In Short
  • Frances Tiafoe was required to hide a sponsor logo on his shirt before his match at the Delray Beach Open.
  • The umpire used a marker to obscure Barclays' logo due to ATP rules on sponsor logos.
  • Tiafoe aims to return to the top 10 rankings and qualify for the ATP Finals after previously reaching No. 10 in 2023.

Before Frances Tiafoe played his first-round match in the ongoing Delray Beach Open, he was forced to hide a sponsor logo from his outfit. The match, held on Monday (February 16), saw Tiafoe clinch a 6-4, 6-4 win over qualifier Rinky Hijikata.

While they were getting ready for the match, the umpire asked Tiafoe to change his shirt. But as all his other shirts had the same sponsors, the umpire used a marker to darken Barclays’ logo.

Watch the video here:

It’s unclear why the umpire hid the logo. It could be due to an ATP rule, which allows only two sponsor logos on the front of the shirt. Along with Barclays, Lululemon, and Pershing Square’s logos were also imprinted on Tiafoe’s shirt. Barclays, a British multinational bank, has been sponsoring the American since November 2022.

The 28-year-old is set to lock horns with Aleksandar Kovacevic or Zachary Svajda in the second round. Tiafoe is chasing his second title in the home tournament, as it was here, back in 2018, that he lifted his career’s first tour-level title by defeating Peter Gojowczyk.

So far in his career, Tiafoe has won three titles from 10 finals. Apart from the 2018 Delray Beach Open, he lifted the 2023 U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships and the Stuttgart Open the same year by defeating Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Jan-Lennard Struff, respectively.

All of these tournaments fall under the category of ATP 250 events, which means Tiafoe has yet to taste victory in an ATP 500 tournament, making the finals twice at this level: at the 2021 Vienna Open (lost to Alexander Zverev) and at the 2022 Japan Open (lost to Taylor Fritz).

The 28-year-old has also played one final in a Masters 1000 tournament. Back in 2024, he lost the Cincinnati Masters to four-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner.

Tiafoe kicked off his campaign for the 2026 season at the Brisbane International, where eventual champion Daniil Medvedev eliminated him in the round of 16. Next at the Australian Open, Tiafoe lost to Alex de Minaur in the third round. Prior to arriving in Delray Beach, Tiafoe lost to compatriot Sebastian Korda in the round of 16 of the Dallas Open.

Tiafoe has yet to lift a title since winning the 2023 Stuttgart Open. Since then, he has lost three finals: the 2024 and 2025 U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships and the 2024 Cincinnati Masters.

Frances Tiafoe is aiming to play the ATP Finals

Frances Tiafoe, who reached his career-best No.10 back in 2023, now stands in the 28th position on the rankings table. At this stage of his career, he wishes to be back in the top 10 and also wants to qualify for the ATP Finals.

Frances Tiafoe
Frances Tiafoe (Image via X/US Open Tennis)

Look, man, I think I got in the top 100 when I was 18. I’ve played…I’ve played all the Slams about 10 times. And now, you know, I’m just trying to see…getting to the back end of my career. I’m just trying to see what I can squeeze out of the lemon. And I want to see if I have a chance at the big one. I want to see if I can play Turin. I want to see if I can be in the top 10, top 5.

Frances Tiafoe told Christian’s Court

Tiafoe has never qualified for the year-end championships. He has also never progressed to the final of a Grand Slam tournament, reaching the semifinals twice: in the 2022 and 2024 US Open.

Last year in Majors, he made just one quarterfinal, at the French Open. In the Masters 1000 tournaments, Tiafoe, apart from the 2024 Cincinnati Masters, has reached the semifinals just once, at the 2023 Indian Wells.

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