Frances Tiafoe made the rounds. Up, down, in, out. Touching every nook and cranny of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, conducting 90-second interviews, shaking hands, trying hard to manage a smile for everyone in his path.
It was the eve of the United States Open last month and Tiafoe, 25, was returning to the scene of his greatest triumph, a semifinal at the 2022 Open that included an upset of four-time champion Rafael Nadal.
The Open represented Tiafoe’s party. He was ranked No. 26 entering the tournament last year and started this year’s Open in the top 10, largely on the strength of winning two ATP titles, in Houston and Stuttgart, Germany, this season. He also reached the semifinals at Indian Wells before losing to Daniil Medvedev.
But Tiafoe, whose career began when his parents immigrated from Sierra Leone and his father became head of maintenance at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md., has struggled in the majors this year.
He lost in the third round at the Australian and French Opens and at Wimbledon. At the US Open he was defeated in the quarterfinals by a fellow American, Ben Shelton.
Tiafoe and Shelton were selected by Team World captain John McEnroe to play at the Laver Cup in Vancouver, British Columbia.
In last year’s cup, Tiafoe and Jack Sock defeated Nadal and Roger Federer in the final match of Federer’s career. Tiafoe then beat Stefanos Tsitsipas to win Team World. It was the first time in the event’s five-year history that Team Europe failed to win.
The following interview has been edited and condensed.
What was it like playing Roger and Rafa in Roger’s last match?
Me and Jack were joking, let’s go hard, no, let’s make it a good show? I’m happy we went out there and played hard.
The result was so irrelevant. Tennis won that night.
What did you say to Roger when you met at the net after the final point?
“Thank you for the past 20 plus years. Thank you not only for your play on the court, but for who you are as a person. What you did will never die.”
Then, in the match, you had to save four points against Tsitsipas?
Man, I felt like I lost 100 match points. It was crazy. I had never experienced anything like this before. Incredible shot with legends sitting on the bench. It was an incredible atmosphere.
When you look back on this year, do you say it was a great year or that you need to step it up?
I think it’s been a great year outside of the Slams. But Slams are the only thing I really care about, to be fair.
You’ve talked about Arthur Ash and the privilege of being a person of color in this sport. But Arthur also spoke of the burden he felt. Do you feel the pressure of being in this position and having to motivate others?
One hundred percent, because it’s not like basketball or football, which are mostly colored sports. Not only are you one of the few, but you do it at an extremely high level. There are expectations, but people look up to you and want to be like you. You are able to change people’s lives. It is certainly a burden, but at the same time it is also a blessing.
You’ve mentioned that right before you play a match, the most important thing is for your mother to tell you how much she loves you. How important is your family to your success?
Family is everything to me. I would do anything for my family. I play this game at a high level for my family. This is one of my biggest motivations every day. My family can’t even believe we are in this position.
Is there a life goal that defines you?
Probably when I’m done, both my parents will be able to put their feet up. I want to be able to help children in Sierra Leone to play the game of tennis. It’s not really for me.
