As the French Open draws closer, many tennis fans will focus on two of the game’s biggest stars, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
The Spaniard’s fading dominance on clay is the sport’s hottest topic, just ahead of the Serb’s quest for his first championship at Roland Garros.
The attention of United States enthusiasts may be focused elsewhere in the men’s draw, on a youngster who could be the “next big thing” in American men’s tennis, a teenager who is the living embodiment of the American dream.
The son of immigrants from the West African nation of Sierra Leone, 17-year-old Frances Tiafoe could be the story of the opening week at Roland Garros as he makes his first appearance at the main draw of a grand slam event.
He has a compelling story to tell. Last year, the Washington Post introduced Tiafoe as “an improbable tennis prodigy”, for who could have imagined the son of a labourer at a tennis centre’s construction site would grow up to be perhaps the best hope to end the 12-year US men’s drought in grand slam tournaments.
“He is definitely the real deal,” Patrick McEnroe, the former chief of player development at the US Tennis Association, told the Post last year.
“He has got all the tools and he has a real good sense of how to play – what shot to hit at the right time, when to sense his opponent is feeling the pressure, so he doesn’t have to do too much, or when he has to do a little more.
“I often see kids who may hit the ball really well but don’t know how to play the game. Frances does and he has a tremendous amount of joy and passion when he plays.”
Those skills were honed at the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) in Maryland, where his father was retained on the maintenance crew after working as a labourer during the centre’s construction.
The elder Tiafoe and his twin sons lived in a cramped office there for 11 years, and Frances took up the game at the age of four.
Because his father was an employee, Frances was allowed to enrol at the JTCC at no cost and he could be found hitting balls long after the other kids had gone.
“He was always on the court all day long, from sun up to sundown, and he played with anybody who had a pulse,” said Frank Salazar, one of Tiafoe’s coaches, who has known the player since he was five.
“When we would get done training the bigger boys, he would roll the basket of balls out there and try to serve by himself or play some mini-tennis with whoever had a few minutes. Suddenly, he started to get really good.”
Others have noticed Tiafoe’s growth: music mogul Jay-Z’s Roc Nation agency manages him.
Last month, Tiafoe was at the White House Easter Egg Roll, along with Caroline Wozniacki and, 20 days from now, he will be making his grand slam tournament debut.
Tiafoe’s fascinating backstory will be retold a few times before then, and why not?
His story could be an inspiration to millions.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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