Frances Tiafoe’s Colorful Personality and Achievements on the Court

Some sports are often referred to as rich sports; such as golf, Formula 1, tennis. If we go even further and even further, some sports are even referred to as “White sports” in the sports community. The general opinion is like this. Looking back, you won’t find many black rackets in tennis either. However, Frances Tiafoe, born in America in 1998, seems to have an objection to this situation.

The first time I saw Tiafoe on the screens, I realized at that moment that he was the first black tennis player I had ever watched live. He had already endeared himself to her with his playing style, big forehands and sympathetic manner. But what really caught my attention, of course, was not Tiafoe’s skin color, but his life story. Because names like Federer and Nadal have always come to their places in the tennis world with the support of their families.

They were children with relatively well-off families, that is. Moreover, the general opinion in the sports world was that tennis was a “white sport”. Frances Tiafoe was born in Maryland, USA in 1996, Frances Tiafoe was born to a refugee family who immigrated to America from Sierra Leone. When Tiafoe was a child, his father worked as a janitor at a tennis academy called JTCC.

Frances Tiafoe, who fell in love with tennis when she was just six years old by watching her peers, was described by Vesa Ponkka, the owner of the tennis academy at that time, as “when she sat on the bench, her feet didn’t even touch the ground”. This was how the talent of little Tiafoe, who imitated everything he saw in training by going to the backyard and hitting the ball with a racket, was understood. But working hard wasn’t the only obstacle for Tiafoe.

Frances, who was mocked for her clothes every day and stayed with her brothers and father in the storage room of the tennis academy every day, now has a huge house with a wonderful view and she is a grand slam quarterfinalist. I don’t know if everything is possible in this life, but a lot is possible. Just like Frances Tiafoe. He is the miracle itself.

Who is Frances Tiafoe?

Frances Tiafoe is an American professional tennis player who was born on January 20, 1998 in Maryland to an American family of Sierra Leonean descent. Tiafoe started playing tennis professionally in 2016 and has achieved many successes in his career.

In 2018, Tiafoe managed to reach the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. In the same year, he also won an ATP tour title for the first time. In 2019, he reached the quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time.

Tiafoe’s playing style is noted for his fast foot movements, aggressive baseline strokes and double-handed backhand. He is also known for his strong serves. Although Tiafoe, who is 1.88 meters tall, is a young player who is still progressing in his tennis career, he is ranked in the top 50 of the world rankings as of 2021.

Tiafoe is known not only for his success in playing tennis, but also for the courage he has shown throughout his career. In 2020, he changed clothes and took to the field with a mask reading “Black Lives Matter” at a competition in Washington, D.C. to participate in the protests following the murder of George Floyd. This action was supported by many tennis players, as well as Tiafoe.