- The Washington Times - Sunday, July 30, 2023

For many, home is a place of comfort, of familiarity. And though life may lead us away from it sometimes, when we return, it’s great to feel the love from those closest to us.

For Frances Tiafoe, there may not be a better week of the year than this one.

“It’s just love, right? Everyone gets super excited to see me, even when I was not in my best place in my career,” said Tiafoe, who is the No. 2 seed in the men’s tournament and is scheduled to play his first match at the Mubadala Citi DC Open on Tuesday. “Everyone was just excited to see how far I’ve come … That kind of love you can’t really beat, and I feel so at home.”

The kid from Hyattsville who learned on the courts of College Park and has grown up traveling the tennis world as “Big Foe” returns to the District this week for the annual Rock Creek Park tournament that has a new name, the product of becoming a combined 500-level ATP and WTA event. 

Tiafoe is carrying a new title with him this year, as well. 

“It’s got a different ring to it, for sure,” he said of his top 10 world ranking, breaking in at No. 10 after his second ATP Tour win of the year in Stuttgart last month. “It’s a crazy achievement, something I hope I’m rocking for years to come.”

The 25-year-old has steadily put one foot in front of another, methodically climbing the tennis ranks throughout his eight-year career — “the come-up,” as Tiafoe proudly calls it. And it all started in Prince George’s County.

“To be able to be here and see all these people so excited to see me walk around … it’s crazy,” Tiafoe said. “I come back, and I want these kids to believe that this is something that’s reality, not something that’s so far-fetched.”

Tiafoe spoke last week at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park after announcing the creation of his charitable foundation, eager to give back to those that might not be serving or volleying on a level playing field.

“Ultimately, these kids did not necessarily have any chance or access to play tennis,” Tiafoe said. “Just knowing that someone that they can look up to that’s so relatable is giving them that chance, it’s going to be so huge.” 

His story, even if familiar to many by now, retains its impact.

His parents, Constant Tiafoe and Alphina Kamara fled civil war in their home country of Sierra Leone in the mid-1990s. Arriving in Maryland, Constant was hired to help build the JTCC and eventually worked in maintenance there. Frances and his twin brother, Franklin, frequently accompanied their father to work and learned the game there.

He won his first career tour title in 2018 in Delray Beach, finishing the year in the top 40 and reaching the quarterfinals of the 2019 Australian Open just a few weeks later. He would lose that match in straight sets to 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal — the same man he would beat three years later in an electric, four-set U.S. Open round of 16 match that propelled him into a different stratosphere.

“When you have a dream, and a dream comes true, it’s crazy,” Constant Tiafoe said. “I taught my kids when they were little … When you have an opportunity, you have to go for it.”

His semifinal run in Flushing Meadows, losing to eventual champion and current world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, made him the youngest American man to go that deep in the tournament since 2006 (Andy Roddick) and the first Black American man to do so since Virginia native and Washington tournament co-founder Arthur Ashe in 1972. 

“Anytime I’m in my toughest moments, I remember that I’ve come from so far, so I really feel like I can achieve anything,” Tiafoe said. “Nobody I’m competing against had my come-up.”

Tiafoe has since backed that up with two more ATP titles this year, and comes into the Mubadala Citi DC Open playing the best tennis of his career over the past 12 months.

“He’s so dedicated now and that’s leading to consistent results,” Mubadala Citi DC Open chairman Mark Ein told The Washington Times. “The difference between being [No.] 30 in the world and 10th in the world, at 30th in the world, you can have a good run a couple of weeks a year. At 10 in the world, you need to be winning matches virtually every week and be making a lot of deep runs. That’s what he’s doing.”

Tiafoe arrives at Rock Creek Park “in a different place than I did in any other year,” and will seek to best last year’s three-set quarterfinal loss to 2022 champion Nick Kygrios.

“Man, I was close last year. If I beat Nick I really thought I was going to win. I think I had a good shot at it,” Tiafoe said. “We played one of the best matches of the year last year.”

Kyrgios has been hampered with injuries for most of this season, and won’t defend his singles and doubles titles due to a lingering wrist ailment. World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev has also withdrawn, leaving world No. 9 Taylor Fritz as the top men’s seed in the District, fresh off a run to the Atlanta Open final last week. Tiafoe resides on the opposite side of the draw as the second seed, with the best opportunity he’s had to win in his backyard.

“This is definitely the year,” Tiafoe said. “I haven’t come in in better form in any other year. I’m really looking to do just that and only that.” 

“This tournament, outside of the Slams, probably means the most to me. If my name was around that stadium, that would be a monumental moment not only for me, but people of color here in D.C. and for my family, which is why I do it.”

“I know we’re not supposed to have favorites,” Ein joked, “but nothing would be better for our community than to see Frances winning this tournament.”

A D.C. title would be another monument in a year full of them for Tiafoe, and a terrific start to the hard-court season would set him up as one of the favorites at the U.S. Open, with last year’s euphoria still fresh in his mind as he chases one of tennis’ ultimate prizes.

“I’m gonna be motivated ’til I win a slam, I’ll be real with you. I win a slam, ain’t nobody can tell me nothing,” Tiafoe said. “Top 10 was a big one, something that I really wanted to do. Now, it’s about that. I win a grand slam, and I had a terrible career after that, so be it. But, hey man, I did the unthinkable.”

• George Gerbo can be reached at ggerbo@washingtontimes.com.

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