Frances Tiafoe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Frances Tiafoe

Tiafoe at the 2024 Washington Open
Country (sports)	United States
Residence	Orlando, Florida, US
Born	(1998-01-20) January 20, 1998 (age 27) Hyattsville, Maryland, US
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Turned pro	2015
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach	David Witt (July 2024-present), Jordi Arconada
Prize money	US $ 14,672,375  53rd all-time in earnings
Singles
Career record	228–206 (52.53%)
Career titles	3
Highest ranking	No. 10 (June 19, 2023)
Current ranking	No. 11 (July 14, 2025)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	QF (2019)
French Open	QF (2025)
Wimbledon	4R (2022)
US Open	SF (2022, 2024)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games	2R (2020)
Doubles
Career record	30–55 (35.29%)
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 160 (November 1, 2021)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	3R (2021)
French Open	2R (2021, 2022)
Wimbledon	1R (2017, 2018)
US Open	2R (2014)
Other doubles tournaments
Olympic Games	2R (2020)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	SF (2018)
Hopman Cup	RR (2019)

Frances Tiafoe Jr. (/tiˈɑːfoʊ/ tee-AH-foh; born January 20, 1998) is an American professional tennis player. He reached his highest ranking of world No. 10 in singles on June 19, 2023. He was the first Sierra Leonean American man to be ranked in the top 10 by the ATP.

Tiafoe won his first of three ATP titles at the 2018 Delray Beach Open. He was the youngest American man to win an ATP Tour tournament since Andy Roddick in 2002. He won his second title on clay in Houston in 2023. His third title was on grass in Stuttgart, also in 2023. He also reached a career-high ranking of No. 160 in doubles in November 2021.

Frances is the son of immigrants from Sierra Leone. He grew up at the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) in College Park, Maryland. His father worked there as the head of maintenance. Because of his unique background and early success, many saw him as a future American tennis star. At 15, Tiafoe won the 2013 Orange Bowl. He was the youngest boys' singles champion ever at that event. At 17, he became the youngest American man to play in the main part of the French Open since Michael Chang in 1989. As a teenager, he won the US Junior National Championship. He also did well on the ATP Challenger Tour, reaching nine finals and winning four titles.

Tiafoe entered the top 100 of the ATP rankings in 2016. He reached the quarterfinals at the 2019 Australian Open and 2025 French Open. At the 2022 US Open, he made it to the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.

Early Life and How He Started Tennis

Frances Tiafoe was born on January 20, 1998, in Maryland. He has a twin brother named Franklin. Their parents, Constant (Frances Sr.) Tiafoe and Alphina Kamara, came from Sierra Leone. His father moved to the United States in 1993. His mother joined him in 1996 to escape the civil war in their home country.

In 1999, his father helped build the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) in College Park, Maryland. When it was finished, he became the custodian there. He was given a small office to live in at the center. For the next 11 years, Frances and Franklin lived with their father at the center five days a week. They started playing tennis regularly at age 4 because they lived right there. On weekends, they stayed with their mother, who worked night shifts as a nurse.

When the boys were 5, their father arranged for them to train at the JTCC for free. When Frances was 8, Misha Kouznetsov became his coach. Kouznetsov saw how hard Frances worked and how much he loved tennis. He helped Frances play in tournaments as he got better. Kouznetsov coached Frances for nine years. Frances's brother, Franklin, played high school and college tennis in Maryland.

Junior Tennis Achievements

Tiafoe at the 2013 US Open

Tiafoe won many junior titles and reached world No. 2 in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior rankings. His success and unique story made him well-known before he became a professional player.

At 14, Tiafoe won his first big international tournament, Les Petits As, in France. The next year, in December 2013, he became the youngest player to win the Orange Bowl. This is one of the top junior events. He beat Stefan Kozlov in the final, just a month before his 16th birthday. A few months later, he also won the Easter Bowl.

With these wins, Tiafoe was the top player at the 2014 French Open junior tournament. He reached the semifinals at the US Open, which was his best junior Grand Slam result. In August 2015, Tiafoe finished his junior career by winning the USTA Junior National Championship at 17. This win earned him a special entry into the main part of the 2015 US Open.

Junior Grand Slam Results – Singles

• Australian Open: Did not play
• French Open: 2nd Round (2014)
• Wimbledon: 3rd Round (2014)
• US Open: Semifinals (2014)

Becoming a Professional Player

Starting Out (2014–2015)

Tiafoe at the Open de Nice in 2015

Tiafoe played his first main ATP Tour match at 16. This was at his home tournament, the 2014 Washington Open. He lost his first match. At the 2014 US Open, he got a special entry into the qualifying rounds. In doubles, he and Michael Mmoh won their first ATP-level match together.

In March 2015, he won his first professional title at an ITF Futures tournament in Bakersfield. He officially became a professional player the next month. In April 2015, Tiafoe started doing well on the ATP Challenger level. He reached his first Challenger final in Tallahassee. His good play earned him a special entry into the main part of the 2015 French Open. He was the first 17-year-old American to play in the men's singles main draw there since Michael Chang and Pete Sampras in 1989.

In August, Tiafoe won his first ATP Tour-level match at the Winston-Salem Open. He then played in the main draw of the US Open for the first time. He finished 2015 ranked 176th in the world.

Breaking into the Top 100 (2016)

Frances Tiafoe at Wimbledon in 2016

In 2016, Tiafoe often went far in Challenger tournaments. At the Indian Wells Masters, he won his first match against Taylor Fritz. This was his only ATP match win that year. He reached three Challenger finals in the United States. In August, he won his first Challenger title at Granby, Canada. This helped him reach a ranking of No. 123.

At the US Open, he played against John Isner. Tiafoe won the first two sets but lost in the fifth set. In October, he entered the top 100 for the first time by winning the Stockton tournament. He ended the year ranked 108th.

First ATP Final in Doubles (2017)

Tiafoe at the 2017 Eastbourne International

At the Australian Open, Tiafoe made it into the main draw through qualifying. He then won his first Grand Slam match. In April, he reached his first ATP final in doubles at the US Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston. He also won two Challenger titles on clay courts.

At Wimbledon, he won his first match against a top-50 player. In August, he got his first win against a top-10 player, beating world No. 7 Alexander Zverev at the Cincinnati Masters. At the US Open, he played a tough five-set match against Roger Federer. He finished 2017 in the top 100.

Winning His First ATP Title (2018)

Frances Tiafoe at the 2018 Queen's Club Championships in London

Tiafoe started 2018 with only nine wins in 38 ATP Tour matches. But he changed that this year! At the 2018 Delray Beach Open, he won his first ATP title. He was a special entry into the tournament. On his way to the title, he beat his idol, world No. 10 Juan Martín del Potro. He became the youngest American to win an ATP title since Andy Roddick in 2002.

He continued his success at the Miami Masters, reaching the fourth round. He also made it to his second ATP final of the year at the Portugal Open on clay. He was the youngest American to reach a clay-court final in Europe since Andre Agassi in 1990. At Wimbledon, he reached the third round of a major for the first time. After this, he entered the top 50 in the ATP rankings.

Tiafoe played for the United States in the Davis Cup semifinals. He also played in the Laver Cup. He finished 2018 ranked No. 39 in the world.

Reaching the Top 30 (2019)

Tiafoe had his best Grand Slam result at the Australian Open. He reached the quarterfinals for the first time. He beat No. 5 Kevin Anderson and No. 20 Grigor Dimitrov. He then lost to No. 2 Rafael Nadal. This great run helped him reach his highest ranking of world No. 29 in February 2019.

He reached the quarterfinals at the Miami Open. He also played in the Next Generation ATP Finals. He finished the season ranked No. 47.

US Open Fourth Round (2020)

At the US Open, Tiafoe reached the fourth round for the first time. He was the youngest American man to go that far at the US Open since Donald Young in 2011. He lost to Daniil Medvedev in the round of 16. He finished 2020 ranked No. 59.

Big Wins and ATP 500 Final (2021)

Tiafoe at JTCC in 2021

Tiafoe started his grass-court season by winning the Nottingham Open. At Wimbledon, he had one of his biggest wins. He beat world No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round. This was his first win against a top-5 player. He reached the third round at Wimbledon.

At the Canadian Open, he beat world No. 10 Denis Shapovalov. At the US Open, he reached the fourth round for the second year in a row. He beat No. 7 Andrey Rublev in a five-set match.

Later in the year, Tiafoe reached his first ATP 500 final in Vienna. He beat Jannik Sinner in the semifinals but lost to Alexander Zverev in the final.

US Open Semifinal and Top 20 (2022)

Tiafoe hits a jumping backhand during the 2022 US Open

In 2022, Tiafoe reached the final of the Portugal Open on clay. This helped him reach the top 25 in rankings. At Wimbledon, he made it to the fourth round for the first time.

His biggest achievement came at the US Open. He beat No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal in the fourth round. He was the first American to beat Nadal at a major since 2005. He then beat No. 9 seed Andrey Rublev to reach his first major semifinal. He was the first American man to reach the US Open semifinals since 2006. He was also the first black American man to do so since Arthur Ashe in 1972. In the semifinals, he lost a very close five-set match to Carlos Alcaraz.

After the US Open, Tiafoe helped Team World win the Laver Cup by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas.

United Cup Champion, Two Titles, and Top 10 (2023)

Tiafoe started 2023 by helping the United States win the first United Cup. He reached the top 15 after the Australian Open.

At Indian Wells, he reached his first Masters 1000 semifinal. He won his first title outside of hard courts at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships on clay. This win moved him to world No. 11.

In May, he reached the third round of the French Open for the first time. During the grass court season, he won his first grass-court title at the Stuttgart Open. He saved a championship point in the final! On June 19, 2023, Tiafoe reached the world's top 10 for the first time in his career. He became one of the few players to win titles on all three main surfaces (hard, clay, grass). At the US Open, he lost in the quarterfinals to fellow American Ben Shelton.

Another US Open Semifinal (2024)

In 2024, Tiafoe reached the semifinals at his home tournament, the Delray Beach Open. He also made it to his eighth career final at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships. He lost to Ben Shelton in the first all-African-American men's singles tennis final in the Open Era.

During the summer, he reached the semifinals in Washington and then his first Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati. He beat Holger Rune in the semifinals, saving two match points. He was the first American man in the Cincinnati final since 2017.

At the US Open, he reached the semifinals for the second time. He joined tennis legends like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in reaching three US Open quarterfinals in a row. He played against Taylor Fritz in an all-American semifinal, the first at a Grand Slam since 2005. He lost a tough five-set match.

After the US Open, Tiafoe had a difficult period. He was fined by the ATP for his actions during a match at the Shanghai Masters.

Early Exit in Australia (2025)

In the first round of the Australian Open, Tiafoe won a long five-set match. He then lost in the second round. At the French Open, he won his first-round match in three sets.

World TeamTennis

Tiafoe has played three seasons for his hometown team, the Washington Kastles, in World TeamTennis. He was supposed to play in 2020 but could not after testing positive for COVID-19.

Playing Style

Frances Tiafoe plays an aggressive game. He uses a powerful serve and a strong forehand. He can serve over 140 miles per hour. After playing him, John Isner said Tiafoe could return his serve as well as almost anyone. Tiafoe's forehand is unique, with a lot of topspin. He has said that improving his serve helped him win his first ATP title.

Coaches

From age 8 to 17, Misha Kouznetsov coached Tiafoe. Kouznetsov left his job to coach Tiafoe full-time. Later, Tiafoe trained with the USTA and was coached by José Higueras. He also worked with Nicolás Todero.

In 2016, former US Open semifinalist Robby Ginepri started coaching Tiafoe. His friend Zack Evenden also helped coach him and became his main coach in 2019. In 2020, Tiafoe added former top-10 player Wayne Ferreira to his coaching team. Ferreira became his main coach in July 2021. In December 2023, Tiafoe started working with former USTA coach Diego Moyano.

Equipment and Sponsors

Since January 2025, Tiafoe has been sponsored by lululemon. He was previously sponsored by Nike and Adidas. Tiafoe uses a Yonex PERCEPT 97 tennis racket. He chose this racket because it helps him play more aggressively.

Personal Life

Tiafoe is known by his nicknames "Big Foe" or "Foe." He has been in a relationship with tennis player Ayan Broomfield since 2018.

His tennis idol growing up was Juan Martín del Potro. Tiafoe first played against del Potro in 2017. He got his first win over his idol at the 2018 Delray Beach Open.

Tiafoe enjoys watching and playing basketball. He is a big fan of Kevin Durant. He also supports Washington, D.C. sports teams like the Washington Spirit, Washington Mystics, Washington Wizards, Washington Commanders, and Washington Capitals.

Because of his connection to the JTCC and growing up in Hyattsville, Maryland, many fans of the University of Maryland Terrapins also support Tiafoe. He often attends Maryland Terrapins Football and Maryland Terrapins Basketball games. He has a long friendship with University of Maryland Football coach Mike Locksley.

Tiafoe wants to be a role model, especially for young people. He has said, "That's one of my biggest motivations – to get more black people playing tennis... But I'm just trying to inspire everyone, doesn't matter what race... especially younger people."

Tiafoe also played in the 2023 NBA Celebrity All-Star Game.

Performance Highlights

Singles

Current through the 2025 Wimbledon Championships.

Doubles

Important Finals

Masters 1000 Tournaments

Singles: 1 (1 Runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	2024	Cincinnati Open	Hard	Jannik Sinner	6–7(4–7), 2–6

ATP Tour Finals

Singles: 10 (3 Titles, 7 Runner-ups)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1–0	Feb 2018	Delray Beach Open, United States	ATP 250	Hard	Peter Gojowczyk	6–1, 6–4
Loss	1–1	May 2018	Estoril Open, Portugal	ATP 250	Clay	João Sousa	4–6, 4–6
Loss	1–2	Oct 2021	Vienna Open, Austria	ATP 500	Hard (i)	Alexander Zverev	5–7, 4–6
Loss	1–3	Apr 2022	Estoril Open, Portugal	ATP 250	Clay	Sebastián Báez	3–6, 2–6
Loss	1–4	Oct 2022	Japan Open, Japan	ATP 500	Hard	Taylor Fritz	6–7(3–7), 6–7(2–7)
Win	2–4	Apr 2023	U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, United States	ATP 250	Clay	Tomás Martín Etcheverry	7–6(7–1), 7–6(8–6)
Win	3–4	Jun 2023	Stuttgart Open, Germany	ATP 250	Grass	Jan-Lennard Struff	4–6, 7–6(7–1), 7–6(10–8)
Loss	3–5	Apr 2024	U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, United States	ATP 250	Clay	Ben Shelton	5–7, 6–4, 3–6
Loss	3–6	Aug 2024	Cincinnati Open, United States	ATP 1000	Hard	Jannik Sinner	6–7(4–7), 2–6
Loss	3–7	Mar 2025	U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, United States	ATP 250	Clay	Jenson Brooksby	4–6, 2–6

Doubles: 1 (1 Runner-up)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	0–1	Apr 2017	U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, United States	ATP 250	Clay	Dustin Brown	Julio Peralta Horacio Zeballos	6–4, 5–7, [6–10]

National and International Team Competitions

Team Finals: 6 (3 Titles, 3 Runner-ups)

Result	Date	W–L	Tournament	Surface	Team	Partners	Opponent team	Opponent players	Score
Loss	Sep 2017	0–1	Laver Cup, Prague, Czech Republic	Hard (i)	Team World	Sam Querrey John Isner Nick Kyrgios Jack Sock Denis Shapovalov	Team Europe	Roger Federer Rafael Nadal Alexander Zverev Marin Čilić Dominic Thiem Tomáš Berdych	9–15
Loss	Sep 2018	0–2	Laver Cup, Chicago, United States	Hard (i)	Team World	Kevin Anderson John Isner Diego Schwartzman Jack Sock Nick Kyrgios	Team Europe	Roger Federer Novak Djokovic Alexander Zverev Grigor Dimitrov David Goffin Kyle Edmund	8–13
Win	Sep 2022	1–2	Laver Cup, London, United Kingdom	Hard (i)	Team World	Taylor Fritz Félix Auger-Aliassime Diego Schwartzman Alex de Minaur Jack Sock	Team Europe	Casper Ruud Rafael Nadal Stefanos Tsitsipas Novak Djokovic Andy Murray Roger Federer Matteo Berrettini Cameron Norrie	13–8
Win	Jan 2023	2–2	United Cup, Sydney, Australia	Hard	United States	Taylor Fritz Jessica Pegula Madison Keys	Italy	Matteo Berrettini Martina Trevisan Lorenzo Musetti Lucia Bronzetti	4–0
Win	Sep 2023	3–2	Laver Cup, Vancouver, Canada	Hard (i)	Team World	Taylor Fritz Tommy Paul Félix Auger-Aliassime Ben Shelton Francisco Cerúndolo	Team Europe	Andrey Rublev Casper Ruud Hubert Hurkacz Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Arthur Fils Gaël Monfils	13–2
Loss	Sep 2024	3–3	Laver Cup, Berlin, Germany	Hard (i)	Team World	Taylor Fritz Ben Shelton Alejandro Tabilo Francisco Cerúndolo Thanasi Kokkinakis	Team Europe	Carlos Alcaraz Alexander Zverev Daniil Medvedev Casper Ruud Stefanos Tsitsipas Grigor Dimitrov	11–13

Wins Over Top-10 Players

Tiafoe has a record of 13 wins and 37 losses against players ranked in the top 10 at the time of their match.

#	Player	Rk	Event	Surface	Rd	Score	Rk	Ref
2017
1.	Alexander Zverev	7	Cincinnati Open, United States	Hard	2R	4–6, 6–3, 6–4	87
2018
2.	Juan Martín del Potro	10	Delray Beach Open, United States	Hard	2R	7–6(8–6), 4–6, 7–5	91
2019
3.	Kevin Anderson	6	Australian Open, Australia	Hard	2R	4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 7–5	39
2021
4.	Stefanos Tsitsipas	4	Wimbledon, United Kingdom	Grass	1R	6–4, 6–4, 6–3	56
5.	Denis Shapovalov	10	Canadian Open, Canada	Hard	2R	6–1, 6–4	52
6.	Andrey Rublev	7	US Open, United States	Hard	3R	4–6, 6–3, 7–6(8–6), 4–6, 6–1	50
7.	Stefanos Tsitsipas	3	Vienna Open, Austria	Hard (i)	2R	3–6, 6–3, 6–4	49
2022
8.	Rafael Nadal	3	US Open, United States	Hard	4R	6–4, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3	26
9.	Stefanos Tsitsipas	6	Laver Cup, United Kingdom	Hard (i)	RR	1–6, 7–6(13–11), [10–8]	19
2024
10.	Andrey Rublev	8	Washington Open, United States	Hard	QF	6–4, 7–6(7–3)	29
11.	Hubert Hurkacz	7	Cincinnati Open, United States	Hard	QF	6–3, ret.	27
12.	Grigor Dimitrov	9	US Open, United States	Hard	QF	6–3, 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 4–1 ret.	20
13.	Daniil Medvedev	5	Laver Cup, Germany	Hard (i)	RR	3–6, 6–4, [10–5]	16

See also

In Spanish: Frances Tiafoe para niños