History of Frances Tiafoe in Timeline

Frances Tiafoe Jr. is an American professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high world ranking of No. 10 in singles on June 19, 2023, making him the first Sierra Leonean American man to break into the ATP's top 10.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1972: Arthur Ashe in US Open Semifinals

In 1972, Arthur Ashe reached the US Open Semifinals. This is relevant because Frances Tiafoe became the first black American man since Arthur Ashe in 1972 to reach the semifinals.

1989: Chang and Sampras at French Open

In 1989, Michael Chang and Pete Sampras participated in the French Open. Tiafoe became the first 17-year-old American to play in the main draw of the men's singles tournament since Chang and Sampras in 1989.

1989: Michael Chang at French Open

In 1989, Michael Chang played in the main draw of the French Open. At 17, Tiafoe became the youngest American in the main draw of the French Open since Chang.

1993: Father's Immigration to the US

In 1993, Frances Tiafoe's father immigrated to the United States from Sierra Leone.

1996: Mother's Immigration to the US

In 1996, Frances Tiafoe's mother joined his father in the United States, immigrating from Sierra Leone to escape the civil war.

January 20, 1998: Frances Tiafoe Jr. Born

On January 20, 1998, Frances Tiafoe Jr. was born in Maryland, along with his twin brother Franklin.

1999: Father's Job at JTCC

In 1999, Frances Tiafoe's father began working as a day laborer on a construction crew that built the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) in College Park, Maryland, and was later hired as the on-site custodian.

2002: Andy Roddick's Win

In 2002, Andy Roddick won a tournament on the ATP Tour, a feat that Frances Tiafoe would later match in 2018 as the youngest American to win an ATP title since Roddick.

2002: Andy Roddick's US Clay Court Championships Win

In 2002, Andy Roddick won the US Clay Court Championships. This made Tiafoe the youngest American to win an ATP title since Roddick's victory.

2004: Andy Roddick Defeats Nadal

In 2004, Andy Roddick defeated Rafael Nadal in a Grand Slam tournament, a feat relevant to Tiafoe's later achievement.

2005: Last All-American Semifinal at US Open

In 2005, Andre Agassi and Robby Ginepri met at the US Open, which marked the last all-American semifinal at a Grand Slam until Tiafoe reached the 2023 US Open Semifinals.

2005: James Blake Defeats Nadal at US Open

In 2005, James Blake defeated Rafael Nadal at the US Open. This is significant because Frances Tiafoe later became the first American to defeat Nadal at a Major since Blake's win in 2005.

2006: Andy Roddick Reaches US Open Quarterfinals

In 2006, Andy Roddick reached the US Open quarterfinals. This is significant because Frances Tiafoe became the youngest American man to reach the US Open quarterfinals since Roddick in 2006.

2010: American Man to defeat a top-three seed at a major

In 2010, Frances Tiafoe became just the second American man since 2010 to defeat a top-three seed at a major

2011: Roddick and Fish at US Open

In 2011, Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish played at the US Open. At the US Open, Tiafoe reached the fourth round, becoming the first American man to reach the second week at the US Open in consecutive years since Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish in 2011–12.

2011: Youngest American Man at US Open

In 2011, Donald Young competed at the US Open. At the 2020 US Open, Tiafoe became the youngest American man to advance to the round of 16 since Donald Young in 2011.

December 2013: Orange Bowl Win

In December 2013, Tiafoe became the youngest player to win the Orange Bowl, a Grade A event on the ITF Junior Circuit, defeating Stefan Kozlov in the final.

2013: Orange Bowl Win

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

2014: ATP Tour Main Draw Debut

In 2014, 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 US Open, losing to Tatsuma Ito, and participated in the doubles tournament with Michael Mmoh, winning their first career ATP-level match.

2014: Grand Slam results

In 2014, Tiafoe participated in grand slams, achieving the following: French Open: 2nd round, Wimbledon: 3rd round, US Open: Semifinals

2014: French Open junior tournament

In 2014, Tiafoe was the top seed at the French Open junior tournament, where he was upset in the second round.

March 2015: First Professional Title

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

April 2015: ATP Challenger Breakthrough

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

August 2015: USTA Junior National Championship

In August 2015, Tiafoe won the USTA Junior National Championship at the age of 17, defeating Stefan Kozlov in the final and earning a wild card into the main draw at the 2015 US Open.

May 2016: Sponsored by Nike

Since May 2016, Frances Tiafoe was sponsored by Nike.

2016: Sam Querrey's Wimbledon Win

In 2016, Sam Querrey won at Wimbledon. Tiafoe became just the second American man since 2010 to defeat a top-three seed at a major, joining Sam Querrey, who did it at Wimbledon.

2016: Top 100 ATP Ranking

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

2016: Isner's Comments at US Open

In 2016, after facing Frances Tiafoe at the US Open, John Isner commented on Tiafoe's serve return abilities and areas for improvement.

2016: ATP Tour Struggles

In the 2016 season, Tiafoe consistently made deep runs at the Challenger level but struggled to make a breakthrough at the ATP Tour level. He secured his first ATP match win of the year at the Indian Wells Masters against Taylor Fritz.

2016: Robby Ginepri Began Coaching Tiafoe

In the fall of 2016, Robby Ginepri, a former US Open semifinalist, began coaching Tiafoe.

2017: First Match Against del Potro

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

2017: World Team Tennis Debut

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

2017: John Isner in Cincinnati Semifinals

In 2017, John Isner reached the semifinals in Cincinnati. This is relevant because Frances Tiafoe was the first American male player in the Cincinnati semifinals since Isner in 2017.

2017: Sam Querrey's Wimbledon Win

In 2017, Sam Querrey won at Wimbledon. Tiafoe became just the second American man since 2010 to defeat a top-three seed at a major, joining Sam Querrey, who did it at Wimbledon.

2018: Relationship with Ayan Broomfield

In 2018, Frances Tiafoe made known his relationship with tennis player Ayan Broomfield.

2018: First Win Over del Potro

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

2018: Improved Serve

In 2018, Frances Tiafoe won the Delray Beach Open and credited an improved serve for his better play in the tournament.

2018: Delray Beach Open Win

In 2018, 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: Zack Evenden Helped Coach Tiafoe

Shortly before winning his first ATP title in 2018, Frances Tiafoe's friend Zack Evenden started to help coach him.

February 11, 2019: Career-High Ranking

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

2019: Evenden Became Primary Coach

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

2019: Season Struggles

During the 2019 season, Tiafoe faced challenges in building upon his success at the Australian Open, experiencing early exits in various tournaments and struggling with illness. However, he did qualify for the Next Generation ATP Finals.

2019: Lost quarterfinal points

In 2019, Tiafoe lost his quarterfinal points.

2019: Australian Open Quarterfinals

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

2020: Olympics Loss

At the 2020 Olympics, Tiafoe lost in the second round to Tsitsipas, who took his revenge for the Wimbledon loss.

2020: Positive COVID-19 Test

In 2020, Frances Tiafoe tested positive for COVID-19 and did not play in the World TeamTennis season.

2020: Australian Open Loss and Ranking Drop

In 2020, Tiafoe's first-round loss at the Australian Open to Daniil Medvedev resulted in him dropping out of the top 50 in February due to losing his quarterfinal points from the previous year.

2020: Hired Wayne Ferreira as Additional Coach

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

July 2021: Parted Ways with Zack Evenden

In July 2021, Frances Tiafoe and his coach Zack Evenden parted ways by mutual agreement, and Wayne Ferreira became his primary coach.

November 1, 2021: Career-High Doubles Ranking

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

2021: Wimbledon Win against Stefanos Tsitsipas

In 2021, Tiafoe defeated world No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round of Wimbledon, marking his first win against a top-5 player.

May 2, 2022: Reached Top 25 in Rankings

On May 2, 2022, Frances Tiafoe reached the top 25 in world rankings, marking a significant milestone in his career.

2022: Honored at Maryland Terrapins Football Game

After Frances Tiafoe defeated Rafael Nadal and reached the semifinals of the US Open in 2022, he attended a Maryland Terrapins Football game where he was honored for his accomplishments.

2022: US Open Semifinals

In 2022, Tiafoe reached the semifinals of the US Open, marking his first time reaching the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament.

2022: First Top 10 Win of the Season

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

April 10, 2023: Moved to World No. 11

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

June 19, 2023: Career High Ranking

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