Frances Tiafoe stood with his hands on his hips and feigned disappointment Thursday after his partner during a doubles drill dumped an overhead into the net.
Moments earlier, on the same courts at the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) where he learned the game not far from the nation’s capital, Tiafoe jokingly chastised another of his temporary teammates — all aged 10 or under — for not celebrating a good shot properly, explaining the importance of yelling and punching the air.
A semifinalist at the U.S. Open last year and now ranked in the ATP Top 10, he took part in the clinic with dozens of kids after a ceremony to announce the launch of The Frances Tiafoe Fund in conjunction with the USTA Foundation, the charitable arm of the sport’s national federation.
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“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. It’s something I’ve always been passionate about. I love people. I love helping people,” the 25-year-old Tiafoe said.
“I’m a product of this place. I’m a guy who was given a chance — who wouldn’t have really had one — and look what I was able to do with it. I feel like more people need to be given that, especially in this area, and especially people who look like me. I know how much influence I have in this area, so I’m happy to start it here in D.C.”
His parents emigrated from Sierra Leone in the 1990s during a civil war there. They moved to Maryland, where his dad helped construct the JTCC in College Park, then worked as a maintenance man there.
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So that’s where, and why, Frances and his twin brother, Franklin — who took part in Thursday’s on-court drills, too — picked up tennis.
“This place was built in ’99. I’ve been here ever since. I’ve been here my whole life. I’ve played on these courts numerous times. I’ve spent so much time with some of these coaches, these mentors, people who have been here 20-plus years. They’ve seen my whole rise and see me where I am today,” said Tiafoe, who is entered in the joint ATP-WTA hard-court tournament in Washington next week.
“All these little kids who come and see me — it’s to be in the position to inspire people, and I wanted to be in a position to actually have an impact and not just sign autographs.”
His fund is starting with grants totalling 250,000 USD from the USTA Foundation and one of Tiafoe’s sponsors.
“He understands this platform he has for the next 10-15 years as he’s winning championships,” the USTA Foundation’s Jeffrey J. Harrison said. “He’s a role model for kids across the country.”
Devonte Thomas, a coach with the Dallas Tennis and Education Association, looked on as Tiafoe showed off some of his racket skills, and his sense of humour, with the younger participants.
Thomas said he travelled from Texas with a pair of 10-year-old tennis players to spend part of this week at the JTCC.
“It gives kids an opportunity to see pros from a human perspective, without all the glam,” Thomas said, “and to see them give back.”
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