Frances Tiafoe announced the launch of the Francis Tiafoe Fund in conjunction with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) as a means of giving back to the under-served youth.
Tiafoe was at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park (JTCC), Maryland, a momentous place in Tiafoe's memorabilia. It was his father's workstation when he emigrated from Sierra Leone during the 90s due to the civil war in the West African nation.
Constant Tiafoe, better known as Francis Sr., helped to construct the JTCC and was later instilled as the Head of Maintenance. Little did he know, he was building the future of a resilient and gregarious top-10 player on the ATP Tour in his son.
Frances Tiafoe learned early tennis drills at the JTCC alongside his brother while growing up. It is not far off from Washington where the man nicknamed 'Big Foe' will participate at next week's Citi Open as the tournament's second seed.
"This place was built in ’99. I’ve been here ever since. I’ve been here my whole life. I’ve played on these courts numerous times. I’ve spent so much time with some of these coaches, these mentors, people who have been here 20-plus years. They’ve seen my whole rise and see me where I am today."
"All these little kids who come and see me — it’s to be in the position to inspire people, and I wanted to be in a position to actually have an impact and not just sign autographs."
To commemorate the launch of the Frances Tiafoe Fund, the USTA pledged $150,000 in grants, while Clif Bar - one of Tiafoe's newest sponsors will donate $100,000, taking the total grant to $250,000 to start with. Tiafoe then participated in a youth tennis clinic with a group of kids, giving them pointers and playing mixed doubles together.
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