 Tiafoe at the 2025 Davis Cup Qualifiers | |
| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Born | (1998-01-20)January 20, 1998 (age 27) Hyattsville, Maryland, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Turned pro | 2015 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | David Witt (Jul 2024-Oct 2025),[1] Jordi Arconada (-2025) |
| Prize money | US$ 15,384,074[2] |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 236–214 |
| Career titles | 3 |
| Highest ranking | No. 10 (19 June 2023) |
| Current ranking | No. 29 (3 November 2025) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (2019) |
| French Open | QF (2025) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (2022) |
| US Open | SF (2022,2024) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | 2R (2021) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 32–57 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 160 (1 November 2021) |
| Current ranking | No. 574 (3 November 2025) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2021) |
| French Open | 2R (2021,2022) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (2017,2018) |
| US Open | 2R (2014) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | 2R (2021) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| US Open | 1R (2025) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | SF (2018) |
| Hopman Cup | RR (2019) |
| Last updated on: 3 November 2025. | |
Frances Tiafoe Jr. (/tiˈɑːfoʊ/tee-AH-foh;[3] born January 20, 1998) is an American professionaltennis player.[4] He reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 10 on 19 June 2023, becoming the firstSierra Leonean American man to beranked in the top 10 by theATP.[5] He also has a best doubles ranking of No. 160, achieved on 1 November 2021. Tiafoe is currently the No. 5 American singles player.
Tiafoe won his first of three ATP titles at the2018 Delray Beach Open, becoming the youngest American man to win a tournament on the ATP Tour sinceAndy Roddick in 2002. He won his second title onclay at the2023 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston and his third ongrass in2023 Stuttgart.
The son ofSierra Leonean immigrants, Tiafoe was raised at theJunior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC), aUSTA regional training center inCollege Park, Maryland, where his father worked as the head of maintenance. His unique background and success as a teenager led him to be widely regarded as a great prospect to become one of the next American tennis stars.[6][7][8][9][10][11] At 15, Tiafoe won the 2013Orange Bowl, the tournament's youngest-ever boys' singles champion. At 17, he became the youngest American in the main draw of theFrench Open sinceMichael Chang in 1989. As a teenager, he won theUS Junior National Championship and enjoyed success on theATP Challenger Tour, reaching nine finals and winning four titles.
Tiafoe broke into the top 100 of the ATP rankings in 2016. At the2019 Australian Open and2025 French Open, he reached the quarterfinals, and at the2022 US Open, he reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.
Tiafoe was born on January 20, 1998, along with his twin brother Franklin, in Maryland, to Constant (better known as Frances Sr.) Tiafoe and Alphina Kamara, immigrants fromSierra Leone.[12] His father immigrated to the United States in 1993, while his mother joined him in 1996 to escape thecivil war in their country. In 1999, his father began working as a day laborer on a construction crew that built theJunior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) inCollege Park, Maryland. When the facility was completed, he was hired as the on-site custodian and given a spare office to live in at the center. The Tiafoe brothers lived with their father at the center for five days a week for the next 11 years. They took advantage of their living situation to start playing tennis regularly at age 4. They stayed with their mother when she was not working night shifts as a nurse.[13][14]
When Tiafoe and his brother were 5 years old, their father arranged for them to begin training at the JTCC, bypassing their usual fees. When Tiafoe was 8 years old, Misha Kouznetsov began coaching him at the center, taking interest in him after seeing his work ethic and interest in the sport. Kouznetsov helped sponsor Tiafoe to play at tournaments as he progressed through the juniors. He continued to coach Tiafoe for nine years until he moved to the USTA National Training Center inBoca Raton, Florida.[13][14] Tiafoe's brother Franklin stayed in Maryland, where he attendedLaurel Springs School and accredited, NCAA approved online school, while playing high school tennis atDeMatha Catholic High School and later played college tennis atSalisbury University.[15]
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Tiafoe won enough high-level junior titles to reach world No. 2 in theInternational Tennis Federation (ITF) junior rankings. His success at the juniors combined with his unusual upbringing helped him rise to national prominence before he turned pro.[13][14][16] At the age of 14, Tiafoe won his first prestigious international tournament atLes Petits As in France.[17] The following year, in December 2013, Tiafoe became the youngest player to win theOrange Bowl, one of the highest-tier Grade A events on theITF Junior Circuit. He defeated compatriotStefan Kozlov in the final a month before turning 16 years old.[18] Several months later, he also won the Easter Bowl, a second-tier Grade B1 event.[19]
With these two big titles, Tiafoe was the top seed at the2014 French Open junior tournament, where he was upset in the second round.[20] He then lost atWimbledon to the eventual championNoah Rubin.[21] Tiafoe produced his best result at a junior Grand Slam tournament at theUS Open, where he reached the semifinals before losing a tight match toQuentin Halys.[22] That was the last ITF tournament he would play at the junior level.[23] In August 2015, Tiafoe capped his junior career by winning theUSTA Junior National Championship at the age of 17. Tiafoe defeated Stefan Kozlov in the final in a five-set match, taking the first two sets and the last. With the win, he earned a wild card into the main draw at the2015 US Open.[24]
Australian Open: A (-)
French Open: 2R (2014)
Wimbledon: 3R (2014)
US Open: SF (2014)
Tiafoe made hisATP Tour main draw debut at the age of 16 and a half after being granted awildcard by his home tournament, the2014 Washington Open. He lost toEvgeny Donskoy in his first career tour-level match.[25] At the2014 US Open, Tiafoe received a wildcard into the qualifying draw but lost to 11th seedTatsuma Ito. In the doubles tournament, he was awarded a wildcard into the main draw withMichael Mmoh. The two teenagers picked up their first career win at the ATP level in the first round by defeating veteransVíctor Estrella Burgos andTeymuraz Gabashvili, before losing in the second round.[26] In March 2015, he claimed his first professional title by winning theITF Futures tournament atBakersfield. He officially turned pro the following month.[27]
In April 2015, Tiafoe broke through onto theATP Challenger level. After starting the month ranked below the top 800 in the world, he put together a string of solid results that pushed him into the top 300 in the world by the time the first set of ATP rankings were published in May.[28] Even though his ranking was too low to gain direct entry into any of the three American clay-court Challenger events, Tiafoe reached the quarterfinals ofSarasota as a qualifier, then reached the semifinals ofSavannah as a wildcard, and finally reached his first career Challenger final atTallahassee with a special exempt.[29] At the last tournament, he defeated top seedFacundo Bagnis to notch his first win against a top-100 opponent. Tiafoe's performance at these events was good enough to win the 2015 Har-Tru Challenge and earn the only American wildcard spot into the main draw of the2015 French Open.[30][31] In hisGrand Slam debut, Tiafoe lost his first-round match toMartin Kližan. Nonetheless, he became the first 17-year-old American to play in the main draw of the men's singles tournament sinceMichael Chang andPete Sampras in 1989.[32]
At theWinston-Salem Open in August, Tiafoe entered the main draw as a qualifier and won his first ATP Tour-level match, after defeatingJames Duckworth in a third-set tiebreaker.[33] He then made his main-draw debut at theUS Open with the wildcard he earned from winning the junior national championship. He would lose to the No. 22 seedViktor Troicki in the first round.[34] After the US Open, Tiafoe continued his success on the Challenger Tour and reached a second final atKnoxville, losing toDan Evans. Driven by his success at the Challenger level, Tiafoe climbed to a year-end ranking of 176, cracking the top 200 a few months before turning 18 years old.[35]
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In the 2016 season, Tiafoe consistently produced deep tournament runs at the Challenger level, but was unable to break through in his few opportunities at the ATP Tour level. At theIndian Wells Masters, Tiafoe was awarded a wild card into the main draw and won his first-round match against his compatriot rival, No. 80Taylor Fritz, in their first ever ATP-level match. This would turn out to be his only ATP match win of the year. He lost his next match toDavid Goffin in a third-set tiebreak.[36] Tiafoe's best performance in the clay-court season came atTallahassee where he avenged his loss toFacundo Arguello in the final the previous year by knocking him out in the first round. For the second consecutive year, he was able to reach the final, this time losing to fellow teenagerQuentin Halys.[37]
Tiafoe began his return to the North American hardcourts by reaching his second Challenger final of the year atWinnetka before losing to top-seededYoshihito Nishioka. He then reached his third consecutive Challenger final in the United States atLexington. The following week atGranby, Tiafoe reached his fourth Challenger final in five such events in North America.[29] He defeatedMarcelo Arévalo in the final to capture his first Challenger title and climb to a career-high ranking of No. 123 in the world.[38] Tiafoe was awarded a wildcard into theUS Open, his only Grand Slam main draw of the year. He faced off against American veteranJohn Isner in the first round and won the first two sets, but eventually lost the match in a fifth-set tiebreak.[39] In October, Tiafoe cracked the top 100 for the first time by winning the maiden event atStockton, defeating fellow AmericanNoah Rubin in the final.[40] He finished the year ranked 108, making him the highest-ranked player at his age for the second year in a row.[41]
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At theAustralian Open, Tiafoe began the year by reaching the main draw of a Grand Slam through qualifying for the first time and then recording his first career major match win overMikhail Kukushkin.[42] To close out the winter hard court season, he also qualified for theMiami Masters and won his first round match before falling toRoger Federer.[43] Tiafoe followed up a good start to the year on the hard courts with a very impressive clay court season that helped his ranking climb to No. 65 in the world.[44] He began with theUS Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston, where he reached his first career ATP final in the doubles event, after partnering with veteranDustin Brown as a wildcard entry.[45] He then continued his success on clay by winning back-to-back Challenger titles over the next three weeks at theSarasota Open on green clay and theOpen du Pays d'Aix on red clay, the former of which included a victory over former top-10 playerJürgen Melzer in the semifinals.[44]
In hisWimbledon debut, Tiafoe defeatedRobin Haase in four sets for his first win over an opponent ranked in the top-50. He followed this up with his first top-10 win over world No. 7,Alexander Zverev, at theCincinnati Masters in August.[46] Tiafoe gained more prominence after takingRoger Federer to five sets in his first-round match onArthur Ashe Stadium at theUS Open.[47] In September, captainJohn McEnroe chose Tiafoe to replaceJuan Martín del Potro for Team World in the inauguralLaver Cup, which mostly featured players in the top-25 of the ATP rankings.[48] He lost his only match toMarin Čilić.[49] Tiafoe achieved a year-end ranking inside the top 100 for the first time, but only managed to be named the first alternate for the inauguralNext Generation ATP Finals.[50]
Tiafoe entered the year having struggled on the ATP Tour, with just nine wins in 38 matches. Nonetheless, he would quadruple that number of wins by the end of the season.[51] At the inauguralNew York Open, Tiafoe reached his first career quarterfinal at an ATP Tour-level event before losing to top seedKevin Anderson. The following week, Tiafoe entered theDelray Beach Open as a wildcard and won his first ATP title after beatingPeter Gojowczyk in the final.[52] He became the first wildcard entry to win the tournament. Along the way, he defeated his idol and world No. 10,Juan Martín del Potro, as well as fellow Next Gen playersHyeon Chung andDenis Shapovalov. With the victory, he became the youngest American to win an ATP title sinceAndy Roddick won theUS Clay Court Championships in 2002.[53][54] Tiafoe's win streak was snapped in the first round of theIndian Wells Masters by his compatriotErnesto Escobedo. However, he bounced back at theMiami Masters to reach the fourth round, a career-best at a Masters event. He upsetTomáš Berdych in the third round before losing toKevin Anderson for the second time this year.[55]
Tiafoe continued his success at the ATP level into the clay-court season. He played at thePortugal Open for the first time and made it to his second ATP final of the year, despite needing to save three match points in the first round. He upset the defending champion, No. 11Pablo Carreño Busta, in the semifinals before losing to hometown favoriteJoão Sousa in the final. Nonetheless, he became the youngest American to reach a clay-court final in Europe sinceAndre Agassi played in theFrench Open final in 1990.[56]
Tiafoe followed up on this success atWimbledon by picking up his first win over a seeded opponent at a major against No. 30,Fernando Verdasco, en route to reaching the third round of a major for the first time. With this performance, he also broke into the top-50 of the ATP rankings after the tournament.[57][58]
During theUS Open Series, Tiafoe had his best result at theCanadian Open. He defeated two top-30 players, including hometown favoriteMilos Raonic, before losing to No. 5Grigor Dimitrov in a third-set tiebreak.[59] At theUS Open, Tiafoe won his first career match at the event against No. 29,Adrian Mannarino, before losing to fellow Next Gen playerAlex de Minaur in the second round.[60][61] Following the last major event of the year, Tiafoe made his Davis Cup debut for theUnited States in the semifinal againstCroatia. After easily losing toMarin Čilić in straight sets, Tiafoe played in the fifth and decisive rubber againstBorna Ćorić. Despite taking a two set to one lead, he ultimately lost the match as the United States lost the tie.[62][63] For the second straight year, Tiafoe replacedJuan Martín del Potro in theLaver Cup.[64] He again lost his only match, this time to Dimitrov.[65] At the end of the season, Tiafoe qualified for theNext Gen ATP Finals, having just barely failed to qualify the previous year. He defeatedHubert Hurkacz in his round robin group, but lost toJaume Munar and the eventual champion,Stefanos Tsitsipas, as he did not advance out of the group.[66] Tiafoe finished the year ranked No. 39 in the world.[28]
Tiafoe's biggest result of the year came at theAustralian Open, where he made it to the quarterfinals of a major for the first time. During the tournament, he upset No. 5Kevin Anderson in the second round as well as No. 20,Grigor Dimitrov, in the fourth round before losing to No. 2,Rafael Nadal.[67][68][69] As a result of this run, he reached a career-high ranking of world No. 29, on February 11, 2019.
Tiafoe could not build on this success during the rest of the season. He did not win multiple matches at a tournament again until he reached the quarterfinals at theMiami Open, losing toDenis Shapovalov. He could not defend the points from his title at the2019 Delray Beach Open or his runner-up at the2019 Estoril Open a year earlier, losing in the first round at the former and in the quarterfinals at the latter.[70][71] Tiafoe closed out the clay-court season with a first-round loss at theFrench Open toFilip Krajinović in which he struggled with an illness.[72] He faced more difficult draws atWimbledon and theUS Open, losing to No. 10Fabio Fognini in the opening round of the former and No. 7Alexander Zverev in the second round of the latter, despite pushing both opening to five sets.[73][74] At the end of the season, Tiafoe qualified for theNext Generation ATP Finals. He was placed in a round-robin group withUgo Humbert,Mikael Ymer, andJannik Sinner. After an opening-match loss to Sinner, Tiafoe defeated Humbert and Ymer to advance to knockout rounds. There, he was defeated by top seedAlex de Minaur.[75] Tiafoe finished the season ranked No. 47 in the world.[28]
Tiafoe dropped out of the top 50 in February, after losing his quarterfinal points from the 2019 Australian Open when he was defeated in the first round of the2020 Australian Open byDaniil Medvedev.
At theUS Open, Tiafoe advanced to the third round of the tournament for the first time by defeatingAndreas Seppi of Italy, thenJohn Millman of Australia.[76] In the third round, he knocked outMárton Fucsovics of Hungary in straight sets and moved onto the round of 16, becoming at 22 the youngest American man to advance that far in the US Open sinceDonald Young in 2011.[77] He lost in straight sets in the round of 16 to the tournament's third seed,Daniil Medvedev of Russia.[78] Tiafoe finished the season ranked No. 59 in the world.[28]
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Tiafoe started the year at theDelray Beach Open, where he was beaten byCameron Norrie in the quarterfinals.[79] He then lost in the second round of theAustralian Open and in the first or second rounds of severalATP 250 tournaments. At theMiami Open, he beat top-30 playerDan Evans in a comeback, but lost in the round of 16 to No.1 seedDaniil Medvedev.[80] He did not have good results during the European Clay Swing as he could not qualify for the main draw of theMadrid Masters or theRome Masters and he lost in the first round of theFrench Open toSteve Johnson, despite being up two sets to love.[81]
Tiafoe started his grass-court season by defeatingDenis Kudla to win theNottingham Open.[82] Tiafoe reached the quarterfinals at theQueen's Club Championships, where he lost toDenis Shapovalov.[83] Later that grass-court season, Tiafoe had one of his greatest career wins in the first round ofWimbledon, beating world No. 4 and2021 French Open finalist,Stefanos Tsitsipas, in straight sets to gain his first win against a top-5 player.[84] Tiafoe became just the second American man since 2010 to defeat a top-three seed at a major, joiningSam Querrey, who did it at Wimbledon in both2016 and2017.[85] He then defeatedVasek Pospisil in the second round in straight sets to reach the third round at Wimbledon for the second time in his career,[86] where he lost toKaren Khachanov. At the2020 Olympics, Tiafoe lost in the second round to Tsitsipas, who took his revenge for the Wimbledon loss.[87]
At theCanadian Open, Tiafoe lost in the second round of qualifying toEmil Ruusuvuori, but was awarded a lucky-loser spot in the main draw after fellow AmericanSebastian Korda withdrew. He defeated qualifierYoshihito Nishioka in the first round, and then earned his second top-10 victory of the year by upsetting 10th-ranked home favoriteDenis Shapovalov in the second round.[88] He lost in the third round toGaël Monfils. The following week at theWestern & Southern Open, Tiafoe defeatedUgo Humbert, but lost in the second round toDiego Schwartzman.
At theUS Open, he reached the fourth round for a second consecutive year by defeating fifth seed and world No. 7,Andrey Rublev in a five-set match. Tiafoe was the first American man to reach the second week at the US Open in consecutive years sinceAndy Roddick andMardy Fish in 2011–12.[89] He was then defeated byFélix Auger-Aliassime.[90]
Tiafoe had to enter the main draw via qualifying inVienna, beatingAlex Molčan andLucas Miedler, both in three sets. In the main draw, Tiafoe beatDušan Lajović in the first round before winning his second match of the year against Tsitsipas, after recovering from a break down in the third set.[91] Tiafoe then beat Diego Schwartzman to reach his first ATP 500 semifinal, where he beatJannik Sinner after trailing in the second set to reach his first ATP 500 final.[92][93] He would lose to Alexander Zverev in straight sets in the final.[94]
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Tiafoe saw success in the European Clay swing of the season. At thePortugal Open, he defeatedMonte-Carlo finalistAlejandro Davidovich Fokina in the quarterfinals[95] andSebastian Korda in the semifinals.[96] He lost toSebastián Báez in the final,[97] but reached the top 25 in rankings on May 2, 2022. In his next event, theMadrid Open, Tiafoe lost toCristian Garín in the first round. Tiafoe, who had played in theFrench Open six times previously, recorded his first victory at Roland Garros in2022 with a first-round win overBenjamin Bonzi. In the second round, he lost toDavid Goffin in four sets. At theWimbledon Championships, he reached the round of 16 for the first time at this major. He lost again to Goffin this time, in a tight five-set match that lasted 4 hours and 36 minutes.[98][99][100]
At theAtlanta Open, Tiafoe reached the semifinals where he lost toJenson Brooksby in straight sets.[101] In his next event, at his home tournament ofWashington, Tiafoe reached the quarterfinals, but let five match points slip away and lost toNick Kyrgios in three sets.[102][103] At the same tournament, he also reached the semifinals indoubles withAlex De Minaur. The next week, at theCanadian Open, Tiafoe reached the second round with a win overBenjamin Bonzi before losing to No. 10 seedTaylor Fritz. His win against Bonzi lifted him to a then-career-high ranking of No. 24, which also made him the No. 2 American player. At theCincinnati Masters, Tiafoe reached the second round with a win over No. 12 seedMatteo Berrettini.[104]
Tiafoe reached the fourth round of theUS Open after defeating 14th seedDiego Schwartzman in the third round. In the fourth round, he recorded the biggest win of his career over No. 2 seedRafael Nadal to reach the quarterfinals.[105] With his win over the 22-time Grand Slam champion, he became the first American to defeat Nadal at a Major since wildcardJames Blake at the2005 US Open.[106] At age 24, he also became the youngest American man to reach the US Open quarterfinals sinceAndy Roddick in2006.[107] He was only the third American to defeat Nadal in a Grand Slam after Roddick (2004) and Blake (2005).[108][109] Next, he defeated No. 9 seedAndrey Rublev to reach his first major semifinal in his career, becoming the first American man to reach the semifinals in Flushing Meadows since 2006 when Andy Roddick reached the championship match, and the first black American man sinceArthur Ashe in1972.[110][111] In the semifinals, Tiafoe lost toCarlos Alcaraz in a five set hard-fought match lasting more than four hours.[112] He saved a match point against him in the fourth set, after coming back from two sets to one down, but lost in the decider.[113]
Tiafoe then participated in theLaver Cup, defeatingStefanos Tsitsipas to seal the victory for Team World.[114]
Tiafoe started the season at the inauguralUnited Cup, as the No. 2 American male player, where the United States team became champion by defeating Italy in the final.[115]
He reached the top 15 following theAustralian Open where he reached the third round.[116]
AtIndian Wells, Tiafoe reached his first Masters 1000 semifinal, defeatingMarcos Giron,Jason Kubler, qualifierAlejandro Tabilo, and 2021 Indian Wells championCameron Norrie (the biggest win of his season by ranking), all without dropping a set, before losing to fifth seedDaniil Medvedev.[117] At theMiami Open, he was defeated byLorenzo Sonego in the third round.[118]
Tiafoe reached his sixth final and won his first title outside hard courts at theU.S. Men's Clay Court Championships. Due to multiple rain delays, he played and won four matches all in straight sets over the course of two days, defeatingGijs Brouwer in less than an hour in the semifinal[119] andTomás Martín Etcheverry in the final. This tournament victory moved him to world No. 11 on April 10, 2023.[120][121][122]
In May, Tiafoe competed at theFrench Open as the No. 12 seed and reached the third round of this Major for the first time, losing to No. 22 and eventual semifinalistAlexander Zverev in four sets.[123]
During the grass court season, Tiafoe reached his seventh final and first on grass at theStuttgart Open, defeatingJiří Lehečka, sixth seedLorenzo Musetti, andMarton Fucsovics along the way.[124][125] In the final, he defeatedJan-Lennard Struff after saving a championship point in the final-set tiebreak. Tiafoe reached the world's top 10 for the first time in his career on June 19, 2023.[126] With his titles on clay and on grass during the season, he completed the set of titles on three different surfaces.[127] Seeded 10th atWimbledon, his highest career Grand Slam seeding, he reached the third round, losing to 21st seedGrigor Dimitrov in straight sets.
At theUS Open, Tiafoe lost in the quarterfinals to compatriotBen Shelton in four sets.
Tiafoe reached the semifinals at his home tournament, theDelray Beach Open, losing to third seed and compatriotTommy Paul, the eventual runner-up.[128] At theMiami Open he lost in the second round to AustralianChristopher O'Connell, having received abye at the tournament.[129]
At theU.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, where he was the defending champion, Tiafoe defeatedJames Duckworth,Jordan Thompson, andLuciano Darderi en route to his eighth career final and fourth on clay. He lost to top seedBen Shelton in the first all-African-American men's singles tennis final in theOpen Era.[130][131][132][133]
During the American Summer swing, he reached the semifinals for the first time inWashington upsetting top seedAndrey Rublev, his first top 10 win of the season, and first since 2022,[134] before losing to eventual champion and fourth seedSebastian Korda. Next he also reached the semifinals inCincinnati for only the second time in his career at a Masters level, with wins overAlejandro Davidovich Fokina, 14th seedLorenzo Musetti,Jiří Lehečka, winning on the sixth match point,[135] and finally fifth seedHubert Hurkacz by retirement, his 200th career win.[136] He was the first American male player in the Cincinnati semifinals sinceJohn Isner in 2017. He reached his first Masters and biggest final of his career with a three-set stunning defeat of 15th seedHolger Rune, coming from behind in the third set and saving two match points.[137][138]
At theUS Open he reached a third consecutive quarterfinal with wins overAleksandar Kovacevic,Alexander Shevchenko, 13th seed Ben Shelton in five sets, and 28thAlexei Popyrin in four sets, joining American players Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick in achieving the milestone.[139][140] He reached the semifinals for the second time after the retirement of tenth seedGrigor Dimitrov in the fourth set, setting up an all all-American semifinal withTaylor Fritz, the first at a Grand Slam since 2005 at theUS Open, whenAndre Agassi andRobby Ginepri met.[141] He would go on to lose in 5 sets.[142]
After the US Open, Frances Tiafoe went through a tough period on the tour, with a record of three wins and five losses before ending his season following theParis Masters. This slump included a confrontation with chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote during the Shanghai Masters. Following his second round loss toRoman Safiullin, Tiafoe abused the umpire verbally after receiving several warnings during the match for exceeding the time allowed to serve.[143] In November the ATP fined him a total of $120,000 for his actions, $60,000 for verbal abuse and $60,000 for aggravated behaviour.[144][145]
In the first round of theAustralian Open, Tiafoe struggled againstArthur Rinderknech, eventually winning in five sets despite throwing up during the fourth set.[146] He would go on to lose toFábián Marozsán in five sets, losing in the second round of the Australian Open for the second straight season.[147] In the first round of theFrench Open, Tiafoe defeatedRoman Safiullin in three sets.
Tiafoe has played three seasons ofWorld TeamTennis, all with his hometown team theWashington Kastles, making his debut in 2017. He was to return to the Kastles during the 2020 WTT season, but did not play after testing positive forCOVID-19.[148][149]
Like many of his top-ranked American contemporaries such asJack Sock andSam Querrey,[150][151] Tiafoe plays an aggressive offensive game that relies on a big serve and powerful forehand.[152] At 6 feet 2 inches tall, Tiafoe can launch serves at over 140 mph,[153] and regularly hits first serves between 120 and 140 mph.[154] After facing him at the2016 US Open,John Isner said that Tiafoe could return his serve — widely regarded as one of the best in the game — as well as any player on tour outside ofNovak Djokovic. He also said that Tiafoe's second serve could use improvement.[39] Tiafoe's most unusual shot is his forehand, which carries heavy topspin and is driven by an unusual arm motion.[152] When Tiafoe won the2018 Delray Beach Open, he credited an improved serve for his better play in the tournament.[155]
From age 8 to 17, Tiafoe was coached at theJunior Tennis Champions Center in Maryland by Misha Kouznetsov, who had played college tennis atUMBC and coached tennis atRobert Morris. Kouznetsov left his job at the JTCC to work with Tiafoe full-time.[156] After Tiafoe moved to Florida to train with the USTA, he was coached byJosé Higueras from Spain, who had led fellow AmericansMichael Chang andJim Courier to Grand Slam titles. Tiafoe also worked withNicolás Todero while at USTA.[157]Robby Ginepri, a formerUS Open semifinalist, began coaching Tiafoe in the fall of 2016.[42] Tiafoe's friend Zack Evenden started to help coach him shortly before he won his first ATP title in 2018.[158][56] Evenden took over as Tiafoe's primary coach before the start of the 2019 season.[159] In the 2020 season, Tiafoe hired former top-10 playerWayne Ferreira as an additional coach.[160] In July 2021, Tiafoe and Evenden parted ways by mutual agreement, and Ferreira became his primary coach.[161] In December 2023, Tiafoe parted with Ferreira and reunited with former USTA coachDiego Moyano.[162][163]
Starting in January 2025, Tiafoe is sponsored bylululemon and is a brand ambassador for them.[164] Tiafoe was previously sponsored by Nike since May 2016.[165] He was also previously sponsored by Adidas.[14] Tiafoe endorses theYonex PERCEPT 97 tennis racket equipped with Polytour Pro 125 strings. He chose this racket because it helps him "play more aggressively".[166]
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Tiafoe is nicknamed "Big Foe" or simply "Foe."[167][168] He made known his relationship with tennis playerAyan Broomfield in 2018.[169]
Tiafoe's tennis idol growing up wasJuan Martín del Potro, in part because the Argentine was the first pro to sign a tennis ball for him.[54] The two first faced each other atAcapulco in 2017, with del Potro winning the match in a third-set tiebreak. Tiafoe picked up his first win over his idol at the2018 Delray Beach Open en route to his first career ATP title.[53]
Tiafoe likes to watch and play basketball, and is a big fan of fellow Washington, D.C. area nativeKevin Durant.[170] He is also a fan of Washington area sports teams, including theWashington Spirit in theNational Women's Soccer League,Washington Mystics in theWomen's National Basketball Association,Washington Wizards in theNational Basketball Association,Washington Commanders in theNational Football League, and theWashington Capitals in theNational Hockey League.[171][172]
Due to Tiafoe's connections to theJunior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) inCollege Park, Maryland, and his childhood inHyattsville, Maryland, many fans of the University ofMaryland Terrapins are also fans of Tiafoe.[173] Tiafoe is regularly covered byUniversity of Maryland Media and Fan Sites.[173][174] After Tiafoe defeated Rafael Nadal and reached the semifinals of the US Open in 2022, he attended aMaryland Terrapins Football game where he was honored for his accomplishments.[175][176] Tiafoe also attendsMaryland Terrapins Basketball games.[177] Tiafoe has a long-term relationship withUniversity of Maryland Football coachMike Locksley, whom he met as a teenager, and has appeared on Locksley's podcast.[178][179][180]
Tiafoe has embraced his position both as one of the few players of color on the ATP Tour and as a potential role model to youngsters in general, saying, "That's one of my biggest motivations – to get more black people playing tennis... But I'm just trying to inspire everyone, doesn't matter what race... especially younger people."[181][182]
Tiafoe played in the2023 NBA Celebrity All-Star Game.
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
Current through the2025 Shanghai Masters.
| Tournament | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | Q2 | 2R | 1R | QF | 1R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 0 / 9 | 11–9 | 55% |
| French Open | A | 1R | Q3 | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 2R | QF | 0 / 10 | 8–10 | 44% |
| Wimbledon | A | A | Q1 | 2R | 3R | 1R | NH | 3R | 4R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 0 / 8 | 13–8 | 62% |
| US Open | Q1 | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 4R | 4R | SF | QF | SF | 3R | 0 / 11 | 24–11 | 69% |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–4 | 3–4 | 5–4 | 3–3 | 6–4 | 10–4 | 10–4 | 9–4 | 8–4 | 0 / 38 | 56–38 | 60% |
| National representation | |||||||||||||||
| Summer Olympics | NH | A | NH | 2R | NH | A | NH | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | 50% | |||||
| Davis Cup | A | A | A | A | SF | A | RR | QF | RR | A | 2R | 0 / 5 | 1–7 | 13% | |
| ATP Masters 1000 | |||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells Open | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | NH | 3R | 3R | SF | 3R | 3R | 0 / 9 | 10–9 | 53% |
| Miami Open | A | A | A | 2R | 4R | QF | NH | 4R | 4R | 3R | 2R | 3R | 0 / 8 | 14–8 | 64% |
| Monte-Carlo Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | A | A | A | A | 2R | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | 50% |
| Madrid Open | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | NH | Q1 | 1R | 3R | 2R | 4R | 0 / 5 | 5–5 | 50% |
| Italian Open | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | A | Q2 | 1R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 0 / 6 | 1–6 | 14% |
| Canadian Open | A | A | A | 1R | 3R | A | NH | 3R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 4R | 0 / 7 | 7–7 | 50% |
| Cincinnati Open | A | Q1 | A | 3R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | F | 4R | 0 / 9 | 13–9 | 59% |
| Shanghai Masters | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | NH | 2R | 3R | 2R | 0 / 6 | 2–6 | 25% | ||
| Paris Masters | A | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | A | 1R | QF | 1R | 1R | A | 0 / 6 | 4–6 | 40% |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–5 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 0–1 | 8–5 | 8–7 | 8–8 | 7–8 | 9–8 | 0 / 57 | 57–57 | 50% |
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Tournaments | 1 | 5 | 6 | 17 | 24 | 26 | 11 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 25 | 21 | 204 | ||
| Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Finals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | ||
| Overall win–loss | 0–1 | 1–5 | 1–6 | 7–18 | 28–27 | 23–27 | 9–11 | 33–24 | 35–25 | 40–21 | 33–26 | 26–23 | 236–214 | ||
| Year-end ranking | 1145 | 176 | 108 | 79 | 39 | 47 | 59 | 38 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 52% | |||
| Tournament | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | SR | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | 1R | 3R | 1R | A | A | 0 / 4 | 2–4 |
| French Open | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | A | 1R | 0 / 6 | 1–6 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | A | NH | A | A | A | A | 0 / 2 | 0–2 |
| US Open | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | A | A | 0 / 3 | 1–3 |
| Win–loss | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 / 14 | 4–14 |
| National representation | |||||||||||||
| Summer Olympics | NH | A | NH | 2R | NH | A | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | |||||
| ATP Masters 1000 | |||||||||||||
| Indian Wells Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | A | A | 2R | A | 0 / 1 | 0–0 |
| Miami Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | 1R | A | A | A | 0 / 1 | 0–1 |
| Madrid Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | A | A | 2R | A | 0 / 1 | 1–1 |
| Italian Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | QF | 1R | 0 / 3 | 3–3 |
| Cincinnati Open | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | 0 / 5 | 1–5 |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 0–0 | 0 / 10 | 5–9 |
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||
| Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Finals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Overall win–loss | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 4–9 | 1–2 | 2–4 | 9–10 | 4–9 | 6–7 | 0–1 | 30–48 | |
| Year-end ranking | 536 | N/A | 684 | 367 | 186 | 442 | 595 | 163 | 225 | 194 | 38% | ||
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2024 | Cincinnati Open | Hard |  Jannik Sinner | 6–7(4–7), 2–6 |
|
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Feb 2018 | Delray Beach Open, US | ATP 250 | Hard |  Peter Gojowczyk | 6–1, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1–1 | May 2018 | Estoril Open, Portugal | ATP 250 | Clay |  João Sousa | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1–2 | Oct 2021 | Vienna Open, Austria | ATP 500 | Hard (i) | Alexander Zverev | 5–7, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1–3 | Apr 2022 | Estoril Open, Portugal | ATP 250 | Clay |  Sebastián Báez | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1–4 | Oct 2022 | Japan Open, Japan | ATP 500 | Hard |  Taylor Fritz | 6–7(3–7), 6–7(2–7) |
| Win | 2–4 | Apr 2023 | U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, US | ATP 250 | Clay | Tomás Martín Etcheverry | 7–6(7–1), 7–6(8–6) |
| Win | 3–4 | Jun 2023 | Stuttgart Open, Germany | ATP 250 | Grass | Jan-Lennard Struff | 4–6, 7–6(7–1), 7–6(10–8) |
| Loss | 3–5 | Apr 2024 | U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, US | ATP 250 | Clay | Ben Shelton | 5–7, 6–4, 3–6 |
| Loss | 3–6 | Aug 2024 | Cincinnati Open, US | ATP 1000 | Hard | Jannik Sinner | 6–7(4–7), 2–6 |
| Loss | 3–7 | Mar 2025 | U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, US | ATP 250 | Clay | Jenson Brooksby | 4–6, 2–6 |
|
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Apr 2017 | U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, US | ATP 250 | Clay | Dustin Brown |  Julio PeraltaHoracio Zeballos | 6–4, 5–7, [6–10] |
|
|
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Apr 2015 | Tallahassee Tennis Challenger, US | Challenger | Clay | Facundo Argüello | 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 4–6 |
| Loss | 0–2 | Nov 2015 | Knoxville Challenger, US | Challenger | Hard (i) |  Dan Evans | 7–5, 1–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 0–3 | Apr 2016 | Tallahassee Tennis Challenger, US | Challenger | Clay |  Quentin Halys | 7–6(8–6), 4–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 0–4 | Jul 2016 | Nielsen Pro Tennis Championship, US | Challenger | Hard |  Yoshihito Nishioka | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 0–5 | Jul 2016 | Lexington Challenger, US | Challenger | Hard | Ernesto Escobedo | 2–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–7(3–7) |
| Win | 1–5 | Aug 2016 | Challenger de Granby, Canada | Challenger | Hard |  Marcelo Arévalo | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Win | 2–5 | Oct 2016 | Stockton ATP Challenger, US | Challenger | Hard | Noah Rubin | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 3–5 | Apr 2017 | Sarasota Open, US | Challenger | Clay | Tennys Sandgren | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 4–5 | May 2017 | Open du Pays d'Aix, France | Challenger | Clay | Jérémy Chardy | 6–3, 4–6, 7–6(7–5) |
| Win | 5–5 | Oct 2020 | Internazionali di Tennis Emilia Romagna, Italy | Challenger | Clay | Salvatore Caruso | 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 6–5 | Jun 2021 | Nottingham Open, UK | Challenger | Grass | Denis Kudla | 6–1, 6–3 |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Jan 2015 | US F5, Weston | Futures | Clay |  Benjamin Balleret | 5–7, 4–6 |
| Win | 1–1 | Mar 2015 | US F10, Bakersfield | Futures | Hard | Maxime Tabatruong | 6–1, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1–2 | Mar 2015 | US F11, Calabasas | Futures | Hard | Dennis Novikov | 6–7(4–7), 6–7(6–8) |
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Jan 2014 | US F2, Sunrise | Futures | Clay | William Blumberg |  Jason JungEvan King | 7–6(7–4), 4–6, [6–10] |
| Season | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 13 |
| # | Player | Rk | Event | Surface | Rd | Score | Rk | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | ||||||||
| 1. | Alexander Zverev | 7 | Cincinnati Open, US | Hard | 2R | 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 | 87 | [184] |
| 2018 | ||||||||
| 2. | Juan Martín del Potro | 10 | Delray Beach Open, US | Hard | 2R | 7–6(8–6), 4–6, 7–5 | 91 | [185] |
| 2019 | ||||||||
| 3. |  Kevin Anderson | 6 | Australian Open, Australia | Hard | 2R | 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 7–5 | 39 | [186] |
| 2021 | ||||||||
| 4. |  Stefanos Tsitsipas | 4 | Wimbledon, UK | Grass | 1R | 6–4, 6–4, 6–3 | 56 | [187] |
| 5. |  Denis Shapovalov | 10 | Canadian Open, Canada | Hard | 2R | 6–1, 6–4 | 52 | [188] |
| 6. |  Andrey Rublev | 7 | US Open, US | Hard | 3R | 4–6, 6–3, 7–6(8–6), 4–6, 6–1 | 50 | [189] |
| 7. | Stefanos Tsitsipas | 3 | Vienna Open, Austria | Hard (i) | 2R | 3–6, 6–3, 6–4 | 49 | [190] |
| 2022 | ||||||||
| 8. |  Rafael Nadal | 3 | US Open, US | Hard | 4R | 6–4, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 | 26 | [191] |
| 9. | Stefanos Tsitsipas | 6 | Laver Cup, UK | Hard (i) | RR | 1–6, 7–6(13–11), [10–8] | 19 | [192] |
| 2024 | ||||||||
| 10. |  Andrey Rublev | 8 | Washington Open, US | Hard | QF | 6–4, 7–6(7–3) | 29 | [193] |
| 11. |  Hubert Hurkacz | 7 | Cincinnati Open, US | Hard | QF | 6–3, ret. | 27 | [194] |
| 12. |  Grigor Dimitrov | 9 | US Open, US | Hard | QF | 6–3, 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 4–1 ret. | 20 | [195] |
| 13. | Daniil Medvedev | 5 | Laver Cup, Germany | Hard (i) | RR | 3–6, 6–4, [10–5] | 16 | [196] |
| Result | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | Jun 2023 | Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic,London, UK | Grass |  Novak Djokovic | 3–6, 6–3, [7–10] |
Tiafoe's life story is an inspiring one. His parents, Constant and Alphina, emigrated from Sierra Leone to the United States in 1995 and settled in Maryland. Tiafoe and his twin brother Franklin were born there in 1998.
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year 2020 | Succeeded by |
ATP rankings: Top male singles tennis players from the Americas | |
|---|---|
as of 17 November 2025 | |
| |
|
Association of Tennis Professionals Top American male singles tennis players | |
|---|---|
As of Nov 23, 2025 | |
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