We have all heard the phrase “I eat, sleep, and breathe [blank],” meaning that you are extremely dedicated to your craft. For American tennis star Frances Tiafoe, this wasn’t just a saying—it was a way of life that led him to become one of the top players in the world.

Who is Frances Tiafoe?


Tiafoe’s parents immigrated from Sierra Leone to College Park, Maryland, before he was born. When he was young, his dad worked as a day laborer while his mother worked night shifts at a nursing home. His dad was hired to help with the construction of the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park. He was so well-liked by everyone at the facility that he was hired as a custodian once the center became operational. His father was given an office, and Tiafoe and his brother would sleep on a massage chair during the week at the tennis center while their parents were working.

When Tiafoe was five, he began taking lessons at the facility and training every day. It wasn’t long before he became obsessed with one goal: to be the greatest. “I want to be the best to ever come from this place,” he told his father at the age of six. His work ethic reflected this obsession. His coach at the time, Misha Kouznetsov, first noticed his dogged dedication to the sport, seeing the elementary schooler on the court at 8:00 AM when he arrived at the facility and still there when he left at around 8:00 PM. When he wasn’t on the court training, he was like a sponge, watching older students train to learn whatever he could to improve his game.

Kouznetsov, intrigued by Tiafoe’s dedication and talent, began coaching him. By the age of eight, he entered his first tournament, which he won. He continued winning as he progressed through the ranks of the junior tennis circuit. By the time he was 16, he already considered himself a veteran due to the countless hours he spent on the courts.

“I’m only 16, but I’m like 35 in tennis years; I’ve been on a tennis court all my life. The only thing that’s been there longer is the net post,” he joked with the Washington Post after a match.

In 2013, he made history by becoming the youngest player to win the Orange Bowl, a coveted international title for teens. Just two years later, Tiafoe made the decision to turn pro at the age of 17 after being heralded as the next great American tennis star.

The Pro


As a professional, he won his first major title in 2018, and in 2019 he broke into the top 30 tennis players in the world. Like many young stars, he had to deal with the added pressure of success and reassess his mindset moving forward.

“I got a bit complacent in 2019. It took me a long time to kind of just get myself together,” he told reporters, explaining that during that time he “started really falling in love with the process, just trying to get better. I think during that time, the cameras weren’t on me, and attention wasn’t on me. I was able to just kind of get better and do my own thing. I stopped trying to be that guy.”

With a renewed mindset, Tiafoe continued to excel. In 2022, he ranked within the top 25 in the world and turned heads when he beat Rafael Nadal and became the first American to reach the US Open quarterfinals since 2006.

The Open


In 2023, he broke into the top 15 in the world, and in 2024, he and Taylor Fritz became the first two Americans to reach the semifinals of the US Open in over 15 years. In the semifinals match, Tiafoe came up just short of advancing to the final.

“I got ahead of myself,” Tiafoe told reporters after the match. “It’s something I’m definitely going to learn from.”

To say that Frances Tiafoe has grown up on the tennis court would not be hyperbole. From sleeping in an office at the facility, to dominating as a teenager, he has been in pursuit of one goal: to be the best player in the world.

Like Tiafoe, will we push ourselves to give everything we have to our goals and the courage to learn from the setbacks we face along the way?