It hurt Frances Tiafoe deeply that she, as a perfect team player when that is required in such an individual sport as tennis, did not have to compete in the Olympic Games in Paris a few weeks ago.
“A really tough decision for me, not easy,” Tiafoe told the Washington Post just five days before he begins his US Open campaign for the Grand Slam glory that has eluded him – and every other male American tennis player – since Andy Roddick won his home major in 2003.
“I love representing my country. I love being an American, I love my home,” said the 26-year-old Maryland native, the son of Sierra Leonean immigrants. “But you know… it was worth it.”
After opting not to switch from the grass at Wimbledon to the clay court at the French Open – not his favorite surface – Tiafoe is now hot going into the final Grand Slam tournament of the year while other players appear to be burned out.
This smart move saw Tiafoe reach the final of the Cincinnati Open on Monday, the last major warm-up match before the US Open, catapulting himself back into the top 20 – 20th place, to be precise – in the rankings.
He is back where he belongs, joining Taylor Fritz (No. 12), Ben Shelton (No. 13), Tommy Paul (No. 14) and Sebastian Korda (No. 16), making it the first time since October 1996 that there are five Americans in the top 20.
After reaching his highest career ranking of No. 10 in June 2023, Tiafoe was ranked just No. 29 among the top 32 players in the first week of July when Wimbledon was approaching.
But then something clicked for Big Foe – as he is affectionately called – and he forced the eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz to five exciting sets in a thrilling third-round thriller, but lost 5:7, 6:2, 4:6, 7:6 (2), 6:2.
But after reuniting on Wednesday morning at Arthur Ashe Stadium – the same court where they played another epic five-set match in the semifinals of the 2022 US Open before Alcaraz won his first of four Grand Slams – there is still a bromance in the air between the two.
“I have the utmost respect for this guy,” Tiafoe said of his 21-year-old opponent. “And when he told me today, ‘You know, you deserve to have these runs (at the Cincinnati Open),’ and ‘I want you to keep it up’ … he knows that my good performance is helping the game.
“And that’s just a fact. I think we can really continue to help move this game forward with our personalities and all of our stuff. And you know, I think we have a duty to give the game our best and continue to perform well.”
Tiafoe, who recently began working with David Witt, the former coach of women’s tennis stars Venus Williams and Jessica Pegula, feels a responsibility to give back even in the middle of his career.
That’s why he attended a training session at the local National Junior Tennis League on Wednesday.
And he also has his Frances Tiafoe Fund at the USTA.
Because his father was a maintenance manager at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland, Tiafoe was given the opportunity to play tennis, and now he wants other kids to see themselves in him.
“I was in this position once and now to be able to give back, it just gives me life,” he said. “I love seeing these kids happy when they see me. I love being able to put a smile on kids’ faces. That’s how it was for me growing up.”
And he added with a laugh that it would be better to do this “when I’m as important as you are … and really making a difference, than when I’m old and retired and people don’t really remember you anymore.”
