Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Frances Tiafoe

How Frances Tiafoe built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Frances Tiafoe Jr. is a highly ranked American professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 10 in singles in June 2023. Notably, he is the first Sierra Leonean American man to break into the top 10 of the ATP rankings. Tiafoe's rise in the sport represents a significant accomplishment, marking him as a prominent figure in American tennis.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2011: Youngest American Man at US Open

In 2011, Donald Young reached the round of 16 at the US Open. This is used as context because at the US Open in 2020, Frances Tiafoe advanced to the round of 16, becoming the youngest American man to advance that far in the US Open since Donald Young in 2011.

December 2013: Orange Bowl win

In December 2013, at the age of 15, Tiafoe became the youngest player to win the Orange Bowl, which is one of the highest-tier Grade A events on the ITF Junior Circuit. He defeated Stefan Kozlov in the final a month before turning 16.

2013: Orange Bowl Win

In 2013, at the age of 15, Frances Tiafoe won the Orange Bowl, becoming the tournament's youngest-ever boys' singles champion.

2014: ATP Tour Debut and US Open

In 2014, Frances Tiafoe made his ATP Tour main draw debut at the Washington Open, losing to Evgeny Donskoy. He also received a wildcard into the qualifying draw at the 2014 US Open, but lost to Tatsuma Ito. In doubles, he and Michael Mmoh picked up their first ATP win before losing in the second round.

2014: Grand Slam Results in 2014

In 2014, Frances Tiafoe's best result at a junior Grand Slam tournament at the US Open was reaching the semi-finals. He reached the second round of the French Open, and the third round of Wimbledon.

2014: Junior Grand Slam Results

In 2014, Tiafoe was the top seed at the French Open junior tournament, but he was upset in the second round. Later in 2014, he lost at Wimbledon to Noah Rubin.

March 2015: First Professional Title

In March 2015, Frances Tiafoe claimed his first professional title by winning the ITF Futures tournament at Bakersfield.

April 2015: ATP Challenger Breakthrough

In April 2015, Frances Tiafoe broke through onto the ATP Challenger level, achieving solid results that pushed him into the top 300 in the world. He reached the quarterfinals of Sarasota, the semifinals of Savannah, and his first Challenger final at Tallahassee.

August 2015: Wins USTA Junior National Championship

In August 2015, Frances Tiafoe capped his junior career by winning the USTA Junior National Championship at age 17, defeating Stefan Kozlov in the final and earning a wild card into the main draw at the 2015 US Open.

May 2016: Nike Sponsorship

In May 2016, Frances Tiafoe was sponsored by Nike.

2016: Breaks into ATP Top 100

In 2016, Frances Tiafoe broke into the top 100 of the ATP rankings.

2016: ATP and Challenger Performances

In 2016, Frances Tiafoe had consistent runs at the Challenger level but struggled to break through at the ATP Tour level. He won his first-round match at the Indian Wells Masters against Taylor Fritz but lost to David Goffin in the next round. He reached the final in Tallahassee.

2016: John Isner Comments

In 2016, after facing Frances Tiafoe at the US Open, John Isner commented on Tiafoe's ability to return serve and suggested improvements for his second serve.

2016: Robby Ginepri began Coaching

In the fall of 2016, Robby Ginepri began coaching Frances Tiafoe.

2017: First Match Against del Potro

In 2017, Frances Tiafoe first faced his tennis idol Juan Martín del Potro at Acapulco, with del Potro winning the match.

2017: World TeamTennis Debut

In 2017, Frances Tiafoe made his World TeamTennis debut with the Washington Kastles.

2018: First Win Against del Potro

In 2018, Frances Tiafoe secured his first win over his idol Juan Martín del Potro at the Delray Beach Open, en route to his first career ATP title.

2018: Delray Beach Open Win

In 2018, Frances Tiafoe won his first ATP title at the Delray Beach Open, becoming the youngest American man to win a tournament on the ATP Tour since Andy Roddick in 2002.

2018: First ATP title

In 2018, Shortly before winning his first ATP title, Zack Evenden started to help coach Frances Tiafoe.

February 11, 2019: Career-High Ranking

On February 11, 2019, Frances Tiafoe reached a career-high ranking of world No. 29 after his performance at the Australian Open.

2019: Evenden Became Primary Coach

Before the start of the 2019 season, Zack Evenden took over as Frances Tiafoe's primary coach.

2019: 2019 Season Overview

In 2019, Frances Tiafoe couldn't build on his success from the Australian Open, experiencing losses at various tournaments, including the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. He qualified for the Next Generation ATP Finals, where he was eventually defeated by Alex de Minaur, finishing the season ranked No. 47 in the world.

2019: Australian Open Quarterfinals

In 2019, Frances Tiafoe reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

2019: Loss of Quarterfinal Points

In 2019, at the Australian Open, Tiafoe previously earned quarterfinal points.

2020: Olympics

At the 2020 Olympics, Frances Tiafoe lost in the second round to Stefanos Tsitsipas.

2020: Drops Out of Top 50

In February 2020, Frances Tiafoe dropped out of the top 50 in the rankings after losing in the first round of the Australian Open to Daniil Medvedev, failing to defend his quarterfinal points from 2019.

2020: Hiring of Wayne Ferreira

In the 2020 season, Frances Tiafoe hired former top-10 player Wayne Ferreira as an additional coach.

November 1, 2021: Career-High Doubles Ranking

On November 1, 2021, Frances Tiafoe achieved a career-high ranking of No. 160 in doubles.

2021: Cameron Norrie Wins Indian Wells

In 2021, Cameron Norrie won the Indian Wells tournament. Tiafoe defeated Norrie in 2023 at Indian Wells.

2021: Win Against Stefanos Tsitsipas

In 2021, Tiafoe had one of his greatest career wins, beating world No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets in the first round of Wimbledon.

May 2, 2022: Top 25 Ranking

On May 2, 2022, Frances Tiafoe reached the top 25 in world rankings after his performance at the Portugal Open where he reached the final.

2022: US Open Semifinals

In 2022, Frances Tiafoe reached the semifinals of the US Open, marking his first Grand Slam tournament semifinal appearance.

2022: First Top 10 Win Since 2022

In 2022, during the American Summer swing, Frances Tiafoe upset Andrey Rublev in Washington, marking his first top 10 win of the season and his first since 2022.

April 10, 2023: World No. 11 Ranking

On April 10, 2023, Frances Tiafoe moved to world No. 11 after winning the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships.

June 19, 2023: Career High ATP Ranking

On June 19, 2023, Frances Tiafoe reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 10, becoming the first Sierra Leonean American man to be ranked in the top 10 by the ATP.