Frances Tiafoe, one of the top male tennis players worldwide, returned to his childhood tennis court Thursday to announce a new initiative to support young tennis players who lack the resources to support their passion.
The Prince George's County native launched a fund destined to support the tennis education of young players enrolled at the National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) program nationwide.
The Frances Tiafoe Fund is a program that in collaboration with the United States Tennis Association will provide funding for more than 270 NJTL chapters across the country, supporting the education of about 130,000 students, USTA said.
"I got my career on a pretty good rhythm right now, so I’m very much so established, and I want to start focusing on this kind of things that I’m truly passionate about," Tiafoe said.
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Tiafoe, just like the players he's planning to support, grew up without the resources necessary to support his tennis education. The son of Sierra Leonean immigrants, Tiafoe was able to start playing the sport at the Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland, where his dad worked as a custodian.
"When we got here, we came with nothing. So if we leave here and we have something, we have to look back at where we came from," said Frances' father, Constant Tiafoe.
Known as "Big Foe" on the court, Frances Tiafoe delivered a milestone performance at the U.S. Open last year when he beat 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.
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"Just being in a position to make people win, people who look like me win," said Tiafoe at the opening ceremony for the eponymous fund. "It’s ultimately not about them being the next Frances Tiafoe. Whatever those kids’ names is … they want to be the next them."
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