By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, July 31, 2023
Rock Creek Park represents Frances Tiafoe’s tennis roots—and a reminder of where he honed his stealth skills.
As a kid growing up in Maryland, Tiafoe remembers hopping the fence to sneak into the Mubadala Citi DC Open and watch as a fan.
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The kid who once tip-toed into the tournament Mubadala Citi DC Open has grown into the world’s 10th ranked man aiming to take the ultimate step: Win the Washington, DC title.
The home grown player believes he can bloom in Rock Creek Park.
“I mean, this is the reason, this tournament is one of the reasons why I play pro tennis,” Tiafoe told the media at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. “Being this close to fans. You see a lot of fans here so up close and personal with the players. You know, it’s a 500, we like great players.
“To have my name around the stadium, I mean, I used to sneak into this thing as a kid. Now, you know, I just really want to win this event. Outside of winning slams and maybe Masters Series, this is definitely up there. It would be a very emotional day, I think it would be a great day for the city of D.C. and Mark Ein, I think he’d love it too.”
Tiafoe, who is seeded second in the singles draw, opened play today partnering Hubert Hurkacz in a 2-6, 7-6(9), 10-7 doubles win over buddies Christopher Eubanks and Sebastian Korda.
Growing up in Maryland, Tiafoe sometimes slept on the floor of the tennis club where his father was head of maintenance.
These days, Tiafoe is taking big strides toward tracking his major dream and credits his maturity and discipline for his rise to the Top 10.
“I’m a guy came from very humble beginnings,” said Tiafoe, whose parents emigrated to the United States from Sierra Leone. “I came on the scene, I was 18 years old, 19 years old, in top 100. Guys thinking I’m gonna be the guy to do it, X, Y, and Z, American hope, blah, blah, blah.
“It was tough. I don’t think I was really ready for it. You know, I was, you know, a young guy having money, I was enjoying my life, you know, outside activities and stuff like that. Now I just honed it in.”
Tennis is a sport for a lifetime and in Tiafoe’s case it’s a life-changing sport.
Tiafoe is giving back joining forces with the USTA Foundation to create the Frances Tiafoe Fund in an effort to aid under-resourced kids with tennis and educational support.
The USTA Foundation, the charitable arm of the USTA, and Tiafoe launched…
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