Frances Tiafoe reveals his parents were afraid of leaving him alone in the neighbourhood and how it helped him take up tennis

Frances Tiafoe reveals his parents were afraid of leaving him alone in the neighbourhood and how it helped him take up tennis

Frances Tiafoe (Image: ATP Tour)

American professional tennis player Frances Tiafoe grabbed headlines this year when he advanced to the semifinals of a single major for the first time in his career at the US Open. He became the first American to reach the semifinals at the Flushing Meadows since his compatriot Andy Roddick in 2006, and the first black American man to do so since the great Arthur Ashe in 1972.

That’s not all, at the 2019 Australian Open, he made it to the quarterfinals. During a recent conversation with The Old Man And The Three podcast, the 24-year-old opened up about how the ‘funny’ circumstances during his childhood played a huge role in his journey to becoming a professional tennis player.

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“My dad helped build a tennis academy. Once the tennis academy was built, he became the head maintenance guy,” said Tiafoe. “My dad lived at the tennis center. So, with all those kind of things, it allowed me and my twin brother to be there for free,” the 2022 US Open semifinalist further explained.

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Tiafoe further went on to explained how his parents were afraid to leave him alone at the house and took him to the academy with them. Continuing his train of thought, he noted, “Honestly, it’s funny that we’ve been doing all these cause they were only doing that to get me to tennis center, to not be in our neighborhood after school and kind of just be in a good environment.”

Tiafoe comes from Maryland, and he’s famous around there among many locals to keep their bet on, and when it comes to choosing the best legal Maryland betting apps, here’s a list.

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Frances Tiafoe: career highlights, playing style 

Frances Tiafoe (Image: ATP Tour)

American professional tennis player Frances Tiafoe made his ATP Tour main draw debut at the young age of 16 at the 2014 Washington Open. At 17, Tiafoe became the youngest American player in the main draw of the French Open since Michael Chang in 1989. In 2018, Tiafoe won his first and only ATP title at the Delray Beach Open, becoming the youngest American man to win an ATP tournament since Andy Roddick in 2002.

Tiafoe entered the top 100 of the ATP rankings in 2016. At the 2019 Australian Open, he reached the quarterfinals, and at the 2022 US Open, he also reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the very first time. Moving forward in his career, Tiafoe achieved a high ranking of 17 in October 2022. 

On the court, Tiafoe likes to play an aggressive offensive game, relying on a big serve and powerful forehand. His serves regularly reach between 120 and 140 mph. Other than tennis, Tiafoe likes to watch and play basketball and is a big fan of Brooklyn Nets player Kevin Durant.

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