History of Frances Tiafoe in Timeline
"Frances Tiafoe Jr., an American professional tennis player, achieved a career milestone on June 19, 2023, by reaching the world No. 10 ranking in men's singles. This accomplishment made him the highest-ranked Sierra Leonean American tennis player ever and only the third African-American man to break into the ATP top 10, following in the footsteps of tennis legends Arthur Ashe and James Blake."
1972: Ashe's Legacy at the US Open
Arthur Ashe's historic run to the semifinals of the US Open in 1972 stood as a testament to his talent and paved the way for future generations of Black American tennis players, including Frances Tiafoe, who equaled this achievement.
1989: French Open Debut
Tiafoe made his Grand Slam debut at the French Open, becoming the first 17-year-old American to play in the main draw since Michael Chang and Pete Sampras in 1989.
1989: Youngest American in French Open Main Draw
At 17, he became the youngest American in the French Open main draw since Michael Chang in 1989.
1990: Youngest American to Reach a Clay-Court Final in Europe since 1990
In 1990, Frances Tiafoe became the youngest American to reach a clay-court final in Europe since Andre Agassi played in the French Open final that same year.
1993: Father's Immigration
Tiafoe's father immigrated to the United States in 1993.
1996: Mother's Immigration
His mother immigrated to the US in 1996.
January 20, 1998: Birth
Frances Tiafoe was born on January 20, 1998, in Maryland.
1999: Start at JTCC
In 1999, Tiafoe's father began working at the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) where Frances and his twin brother would also begin playing tennis.
2002: First ATP Title and Youngest American Winner
Tiafoe won his first ATP title at the Delray Beach Open, becoming the youngest American to do so since Andy Roddick in 2002.
2004: Roddick's Historic Win over Nadal
Andy Roddick made history in 2004 by becoming the first American to defeat Rafael Nadal in a Grand Slam match, a feat that would later be matched by James Blake and Frances Tiafoe.
2005: Tiafoe Makes History with US Open Quarterfinal Run
Frances Tiafoe etched his name into the history books at the 2005 US Open. He became the first American since James Blake, also in 2005, to defeat Rafael Nadal at a Major. At 24, he was the youngest American to reach the quarterfinals since Andy Roddick in 2006, and the third American ever to defeat Nadal in a Grand Slam, joining Roddick (2004) and Blake (2005).
2006: Roddick's Run to the US Open Final
Andy Roddick's impressive performance at the 2006 US Open, where he reached the championship match, marked the last time an American man had progressed to the semifinals in Flushing Meadows before Frances Tiafoe achieved the feat.
2010: Tiafoe's Upset Win a Rare Feat for American Men
Frances Tiafoe's victory over a top-three seed at a major tournament in 2010 was a notable achievement, as he became only the second American man to do so since Sam Querrey's wins at Wimbledon in 2016 and 2017.
2011: Tiafoe Joins Elite Company with Consecutive US Open Appearances
Frances Tiafoe's consecutive appearances in the second week of the US Open in 2011 put him in a select group of American men, alongside Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish, who achieved the same feat in 2011-2012.
2011: Tiafoe's Breakthrough at the US Open
In 2011, at the age of 22, Frances Tiafoe became the youngest American man to reach the round of 16 at the US Open since Donald Young achieved the feat in the same year.
December 2013: Orange Bowl Victory
In December 2013, Tiafoe became the youngest player to win the Orange Bowl.
2013: Orange Bowl Champion
At 15 years old, Tiafoe won the 2013 Orange Bowl, becoming its youngest-ever boys' singles champion.
2014: Junior Grand Slam Results
Tiafoe did not participate in the Australian Open juniors, reached the second round of the French Open juniors, the third round of Wimbledon juniors, and the semifinals of the US Open juniors.
2014: ATP Debut & First Doubles Win
Tiafoe made his ATP debut at the 2014 Washington Open and got his first ATP-level win in doubles at the US Open.
2014: Junior Grand Slam Performances
Tiafoe was upset in the second round of the French Open juniors, lost at Wimbledon, and reached the semifinals of the US Open juniors.
March 2015: First Professional Title
Tiafoe won his first professional title at an ITF Futures tournament in Bakersfield in March 2015.
April 2015: Breakthrough at Challenger Level
Tiafoe had a string of successes at the ATP Challenger level, reaching the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals in consecutive tournaments, earning him a wildcard spot at the French Open.
August 2015: USTA Junior National Championship Win
Tiafoe won the USTA Junior National Championship in August 2015.
May 2016: Signs with Nike
Tiafoe switched from Adidas to Nike as his sponsor in May 2016.
2016: John Isner Praises Tiafoe's Return of Serve
Following their encounter at the 2016 US Open, John Isner, known for having one of the best serves in tennis, commended Tiafoe's ability to return his serve, comparing him favorably to Novak Djokovic.
2016: Robby Ginepri Joins Coaching Team
Robby Ginepri, known for his US Open semifinal appearance, became part of Tiafoe's coaching staff in the fall of 2016.
2016: Querrey's Wimbledon Upset
Sam Querrey caused an upset at Wimbledon in 2016 by defeating a top-three seed, a feat that Frances Tiafoe would later replicate.
2016: Breakthrough into Top 100
Tiafoe broke into the top 100 of the ATP rankings in 2016.
2016: Challenger Final & First ATP-Level Win
Tiafoe reached the final of the Tallahassee Challenger and won his first ATP-level match against Taylor Fritz at Indian Wells.
2017: World TeamTennis Debut
Tiafoe made his debut with his hometown team the Washington Kastles in the World TeamTennis league in 2017.
2017: Cincinnati Semifinalist
In 2017, John Isner was the last American male player to reach the semifinals in Cincinnati before Tiafoe achieved the same feat.
2017: First Match Against Idol Juan Martín del Potro
In 2017 at Acapulco, Tiafoe faced his childhood idol, Juan Martín del Potro, for the first time. Del Potro emerged victorious in a closely contested match that went to a third-set tiebreak.
2017: Querrey Repeats Wimbledon Upset
Sam Querrey repeated his impressive feat from the previous year by once again defeating a top-three seed at Wimbledon in 2017.
2018: First ATP Title
Frances Tiafoe won his first ATP title at the 2018 Delray Beach Open.
2018: Zack Evenden Starts Coaching
Shortly before Tiafoe clinched his first ATP title in 2018, his friend Zack Evenden began assisting with coaching duties.
2018: First Victory over del Potro
Tiafoe achieved his first win against his idol, Juan Martín del Potro, at the 2018 Delray Beach Open, a tournament he went on to win.
2018: Improved Serve Leads to Delray Beach Open Title
Tiafoe attributed his improved performance at the 2018 Delray Beach Open, where he secured his first ATP title, to a more effective serve.
2018: Relationship with Ayan Broomfield
Tiafoe's relationship with fellow tennis player Ayan Broomfield became public in 2018.
February 11, 2019: Tiafoe Reaches Australian Open Quarterfinals and Achieves Career-High Ranking
On February 11, 2019, Frances Tiafoe reached a career-high ranking of world No. 29 after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the first time in his career.
2019: Australian Open Quarterfinals
He reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in 2019.
2019: Tiafoe's Quarterfinal Points From 2019 Australian Open
In 2019, Frances Tiafoe earned quarterfinal points at the Australian Open, contributing to his ranking.
2019: Tiafoe's Struggles and Next Generation ATP Finals Appearance
In 2019, Frances Tiafoe struggled to maintain his success from the beginning of the year. However, he did qualify for the Next Generation ATP Finals, where he reached the knockout rounds.
2019: Evenden Becomes Primary Coach
Zack Evenden assumed the position of Tiafoe's primary coach with the commencement of the 2019 season.
2020: Wayne Ferreira Joins Coaching Team
Tiafoe brought on Wayne Ferreira, a former top-10 player, to supplement his coaching team in the 2020 season.
2020: Missed WTT Season Due to COVID-19
Tiafoe was set to rejoin the Washington Kastles for the 2020 World TeamTennis season but was unable to play after testing positive for COVID-19.
2020: Tiafoe's Early Exit at the 2020 Australian Open
Frances Tiafoe lost in the first round of the 2020 Australian Open to Daniil Medvedev, causing him to drop out of the top 50 rankings.
2020: Tsitsipas Exacts Revenge at the Olympics
At the 2020 Olympics, Stefanos Tsitsipas faced Frances Tiafoe once again and emerged victorious, avenging his loss at Wimbledon.
July 2021: Coaching Change: Ferreira Becomes Primary Coach
Tiafoe and his coach Zack Evenden decided to part ways mutually in July 2021. Following this, Wayne Ferreira, who had joined as an additional coach, took on the role of Tiafoe's primary coach.
November 1, 2021: Career High Doubles Ranking
He achieved his career-high doubles ranking of No. 160 on November 1, 2021.
2021: Tiafoe's Breakthrough at Indian Wells
In 2021, Frances Tiafoe achieved a significant milestone by reaching his first Masters 1000 semifinal at Indian Wells. His impressive run included a notable victory over Cameron Norrie, the reigning champion of the tournament.
2021: Tiafoe Defeats Tsitsipas at Wimbledon and Reaches Third Round
In 2021, Frances Tiafoe achieved a significant victory by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas, the world No. 4 and 2021 French Open finalist, in straight sets at Wimbledon. This win marked his first against a top-5 player. He went on to reach the third round of the tournament.
May 2, 2022: Tiafoe Breaks into Top 25 and Makes French Open Debut
On May 2, 2022, Frances Tiafoe reached a career milestone by breaking into the top 25 rankings following his performance at the Portugal Open. He also secured his first-ever victory at the French Open in the same year.
2022: Attends University of Maryland Events
Following his victory over Rafael Nadal and subsequent semifinal appearance at the 2022 US Open, Tiafoe was recognized at a University of Maryland Terrapins Football game for his achievements. He is known to attend Maryland Terrapins Basketball games as well.
2022: US Open Semifinals
Tiafoe reached his first Grand Slam semifinal at the 2022 US Open.
April 2023: Tiafoe Claims First Title Outside Hard Courts
In April 2023, Frances Tiafoe secured his first title on a surface other than hard courts by winning the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships. This victory propelled him into the top 15 of the world rankings.
June 2023: Tiafoe Cracks Top 10 and Completes Career Surface Slam
Frances Tiafoe reached a new career milestone in June 2023 by breaking into the top 10 of the world rankings. This achievement came after he won his first grass-court title at the Stuttgart Open, completing his collection of titles on all three major surfaces.
June 19, 2023: Career High Ranking
Frances Tiafoe achieved his career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 10 on June 19, 2023.
December 2023: Reunites with Former Coach Diego Moyano
In December 2023, Tiafoe ended his coaching relationship with Wayne Ferreira and rejoined forces with Diego Moyano, his former coach from the USTA.
2023: Participates in NBA Celebrity All-Star Game
Tiafoe took part in the 2023 NBA Celebrity All-Star Game.
2023: Second and Third ATP Titles
Tiafoe won his second ATP title at the 2023 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships and his third at the 2023 Stuttgart Open.
2024: Current Information
The information presented is current as of the 2024 Cincinnati Open.