History of Frances Tiafoe in Timeline

Frances Tiafoe Jr. is a highly successful American professional tennis player. His career peaked at world No. 10 in singles as of June 19, 2023. Tiafoe made history as the first Sierra Leonean American man to achieve a top 10 ATP ranking.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1972: Arthur Ashe at US Open

In 1972, Arthur Ashe reached the semifinals at US Open. This is mentioned in reference to Tiafoe becoming the first black American man since Arthur Ashe to reach the semifinals.

1989: Michael Chang and Pete Sampras

In 1989, Michael Chang and Pete Sampras were the last 17-year-old Americans to play in the main draw of the men's singles tournament.

1989: Youngest American in French Open main draw since Michael Chang

In 1989, Michael Chang played in the French Open.

1990: Andre Agassi at French Open

In 1990, Andre Agassi played in the French Open final.

1993: Father immigrated to the United States

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

1996: Mother immigrated to the United States

In 1996, Frances Tiafoe's mother immigrated to the United States to escape the civil war in Sierra Leone.

January 20, 1998: Frances Tiafoe Jr. was born

On January 20, 1998, Frances Tiafoe Jr. was born. He is an American professional tennis player.

1999: Father began working at JTCC

In 1999, Frances Tiafoe's father began working as a day laborer and later as the on-site custodian at the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) in College Park, Maryland, where the family also lived.

2002: Andy Roddick won US Clay Court Championships

In 2002, Andy Roddick won the US Clay Court Championships, youngest American to win an ATP title.

2004: Andy Roddick defeats Nadal

In 2004, Andy Roddick defeated Rafael Nadal. This is mentioned in reference to Tiafoe becoming only the third American to defeat Nadal in a Grand Slam after Roddick.

2005: Agassi and Ginepri Meet in US Open Semifinals

In 2005, Andre Agassi and Robby Ginepri met in the US Open semifinals. This is mentioned to provide context that Tiafoe reaching the semifinals in 2023, would be an all American semi final, like in 2005.

2005: James Blake Defeats Nadal at US Open

In 2005, James Blake defeated Rafael Nadal at the US Open. This is mentioned in reference to Tiafoe becoming the first American to defeat Nadal at a Major since Blake's victory.

2006: Andy Roddick Reaches US Open Semifinals

In 2006, Andy Roddick reached the championship match at the US Open. This is mentioned in reference to Tiafoe becoming the first American man to reach the semifinals in Flushing Meadows since Roddick.

2010: Second American to defeat top 3

In 2010, Sam Querrey did it at Wimbledon.

2011: American men at US Open

In 2011, Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish were the last American men to reach the second week at the US Open in consecutive years.

December 2013: Won the Orange Bowl

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: Won Orange Bowl

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 and US Open

In 2014, Tiafoe made his ATP Tour main draw debut at the Washington Open, losing his first tour-level match. He also received a wildcard into the qualifying draw at the US Open but lost. In the doubles tournament at the US Open, he and Michael Mmoh picked up their first career win at the ATP level.

2014: 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.

2014: 2014 French Open, Wimbledon and US Open

In 2014, at the French Open, he reached the second round. At Wimbledon, he reached the third round. At the US Open, he reached the semi finals.

March 2015: First professional title

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

April 2015: Breakthrough on ATP Challenger level

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

August 2015: Won USTA Junior National Championship

In August 2015, Tiafoe capped his junior career by winning the USTA Junior National Championship, 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 at Wimbledon

In 2016, Sam Querrey did it at Wimbledon.

2016: Broke into top 100 ATP rankings

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

2016: John Isner Comments on Tiafoe's Game

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

2016: 2016 Season

In the 2016 season, Tiafoe consistently produced deep tournament runs at the Challenger level, but only managed one ATP match win. He was awarded a wild card into the main draw at the Indian Wells Masters, where he won his first-round match against Taylor Fritz.

2016: Robby Ginepri Begins Coaching Tiafoe

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

2017: First Match Against Juan Martín del Potro

In 2017, Frances Tiafoe first faced Juan Martín del Potro at Acapulco, with del Potro winning in a third-set tiebreak.

2017: World Team Tennis Debut

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

2017: John Isner in Cincinnati Semifinals

In 2017, John Isner reached the Cincinnati semifinals. This is mentioned in the context of Tiafoe being the first American male player in the Cincinnati semifinals since Isner.

2017: Sam Querrey at Wimbledon

In 2017, Sam Querrey 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 Juan Martín 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: First ATP title

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

2018: Delray Beach Open Win Attributed to Improved Serve

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

2018: Zack Evenden Helps Coach Tiafoe

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

February 11, 2019: Career High Ranking

On February 11, 2019, Tiafoe reached a career-high ranking of world No. 29.

2019: Evenden Becomes Primary Coach

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

2019: 2019 Season

In 2019, Tiafoe reached the quarterfinals at the Miami Open, losing to Denis Shapovalov, and qualified for the Next Generation ATP Finals. He finished the season ranked No. 47 in the world.

2019: Reached Australian Open Quarterfinals

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

2019: Dropped out of top 50

In 2019, after losing his quarterfinal points from the Australian Open, Tiafoe dropped out of the top 50.

2020: 2020 Olympics

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 Team Tennis season.

2020: 2020 Australian Open

In the 2020 Australian Open, Tiafoe was defeated in the first round by Daniil Medvedev.

2020: Wayne Ferreira Hired as Additional Coach

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

July 2021: Parting Ways with Zack Evenden

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

November 1, 2021: Career high ranking in doubles

On November 1, 2021, 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 the 2021 champion on his way to the semifinals in 2023.

2021: Defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas at Wimbledon

In 2021, Tiafoe defeated world No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas at Wimbledon, gaining his first win against a top-5 player. He also reached the quarterfinals at the Queen's Club Championships.

May 2, 2022: Top 25 Ranking

On May 2, 2022, Frances Tiafoe reached the top 25 in world rankings after a successful European Clay swing.

2022: Reached US Open Semifinals

In 2022, Tiafoe reached the semifinals of the US Open for the first time.

2022: Honored at Maryland Terrapins Football Game

In 2022, after defeating Rafael Nadal and reaching the semifinals of the US Open, Frances Tiafoe attended a Maryland Terrapins Football game where he was honored for his accomplishments.

2022: First Top 10 Win Since 2022

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

April 10, 2023: Tiafoe Reaches World No. 11

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 ranking

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