With last weekend serving as the 10-year anniversary of his ATP debut in DC, Frances Tiafoe recently recalled that maiden taste of pro tennis.
“That was an incredible night,” he said of his first pro match- a straight-sets defeat to Tour veteran Evgeny Donskoy on Stadium Court.
“I've never been so excited. I was supposed to play quallies. When I found out I had a main draw wild card, I was [excited]. But I was so nervous. I did not want to step on center court and play. It was an incredible night, man. Incredible night.”
At the time, Tiafoe was a scrawny 16-year-old with dreams of reaching the top of the tennis world.
“My goal isn’t to be top junior,” Tiafoe told me days before his ATP debut in 2014. “It’s to be a top pro.”
A decade later, the JTCC alum offered perspective on the 10-year journey.
“I've had a really good career,” he said Monday as he prepared for his eighth-career appearance at the Mubadala Citi DC Open.
“Coming where I came from, things I've done, things I've done for the city, things I've done for the game of tennis. I think I've brought interest to a bunch of people who usually wouldn't have interest in watching the game. I've introduced a lot of people to the game.
“I've won on the biggest stages. I've played on the biggest stages. I've been able to bring my family to watch me play. Take care of my family. I think I've had a really good career.”
Longtime broadcaster Brett Haber has known Tiafoe since he was 14 and was on the call for Tennis Channel for Tiafoe’s debut.
“I remember how shy he was,” Haber said in a recent phone interview. “I remember how much of a challenge it was for him to speak to the media at the beginning. He was uncomfortable and not nearly as self-possessed as he is now.
“But to watch him blossom into this joyful, talented, well-spoken, well-liked, well-respected young man, who not only has become a Top-10 talent, but has also used his voice for such important causes and platforms and understands his place in the sports stratosphere, it’s very gratifying.”
In his 10 years as a pro, Tiafoe has won three titles, reached the 2023 U.S. Open semifinals and been ranked as high as No.10 in the world.
The on-court accolades speak for themselves, Haber said, but it’s Tiafoe’s ability to use his platform for causes away from the court that may be most impressive.
In 2020, in the wake of the George Floyd protests across the U.S., Tiafoe helped create the Rackets Down, Hands up campaign that focused on spreading awareness about unwarranted fatalities of African Americans in the U.S. at the hands of law enforcement. The initiative led Tiafoe to receive the 2020 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award.
“He wrote the letter to Arthur Ashe [in 2022] that spoke to his self-awareness of his place on the timeline of African-American athletes and what he owes to those that came before him and what he hopes to do for those who come after him,” Haber said. “He’s got a good sense of self and a good sense of place.”
Tiafoe was happy to reflect on his career to date, but said there is still unfinished business.
“Now I'm at a stage where I want to chase my dreams and do my thing, ultimately do the goals I always wanted to do as a kid, kind of focus on that.”
Among those dreams is capturing an elusive title at his hometown tournament. Tiafoe has reached the quarterfinals in each of the past two years in Rock Creek Park, before falling to the eventual champion.
“I'm definitely ready to win this thing,” he said. “I'm ready to put my best foot forward. It would be great to just play a bunch of matches here this week and get myself to the weekend, get myself to the position to try to win the event.”
