Frances Tiafoe gets emotional recalling hardships as he breaks into the Top-10

An emotional Frances Tiafoe opened up about his journey after becoming the only third African American to enter the top 10 of the ATP rankings.

Frances Tiafoe gets emotional recalling hardships as he breaks into the Top-10

Frances Tiafoe (Images via SkySports)

Frances Tiafoe made history on Monday when he broke into the ATP Top 10 rankings for the first time. He came from a set down and saved a match point to beat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in Sunday’s final at the ATP 250 Boss Open in Stuttgart, 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(8), and capture his third ATP singles title. It was also his first career grass-court title.

Tiafoe, the Maryland resident popularly known as ‘Big Foe’ is the third African American man after Arthur Ashe and James Blake to reach the Top 10. He spoke candidly following his victory at the Stuttgart Open and reflected on his journey to the top.

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Overcome with a flurry of emotions, speaking exclusively to Tennis TV Tiafoe said, “I’m super emotional, man”. Speaking about his tough upbringing, Tiafoe said, “A guy who grew up, my dad was a janitor at a tennis club. Mom working two jobs through the night. Living in two bedrooms with my mom. I stayed at a tennis center for most of my childhood. A couple of times a week, I spent so much time there, and yeah, nobody thought I’d be able to do any of these things.”

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Tiafoe’s parents emigrated from Sierra Leone to the United States in the 1990s. They raised their two sons in Maryland, where Tiafoe began playing tennis at the age of four. He quickly showed promise, and by the time he was a teenager, he was one of the top-ranked juniors in the world.

Frances Tiafoe has been a professional tennis player since 2015. He has steadily climbed the rankings and has won three ATP titles, including the Stuttgart Open earlier this month. He is currently ranked 10th in the world, making him the second American in the top 10 after World No. 8 Taylor Fritz. Tiafoe and Fritz are the first American pair in the top 10 since Mardy Fish and John Isner in May 2012.

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Tiafoe Says He’s ‘Pleased’ to Prove Doubters Wrong

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Frances Tiafoe and runner-up Jan-Lennard Struff at the Stuttgart Open (Image via: ATP)

In his interview with Tennis TV, Tiafoe opened up about the challenges he has faced along the way. He said that he has often been underestimated because of his background.

Alluding to some of the stereotypes that have stuck with him, Tiafoe said, “On the flipside of that, many people say that Frances Tiafoe is always too relaxed, not too serious, and jokes around too much. They painted this picture of me, and now I’m like, ‘What are you all going to say now?’ I’m really pleased with it.”

The American, popularly known as ‘Big Foe’, will look to carry his winning momentum forward going into the Queen’s Club Championships. Tiafoe will certainly back himself to do at least as well as he did last year at the Championships, where he was stopped in a thrilling five-set fourth-round encounter against Belgian David Goffin.

Tiafoe’s breakthrough is a testament to his hard work and dedication. He has overcome many obstacles throughout his career, but he has never given up on his dream of becoming a top tennis player. His story is an inspiration to people all over the world, and it shows that anything is possible if you set your mind to it.

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