Tiafoe Feels 'Big Responsibility' As 'A Lot Of Kids Want To Play Now Because Of Me'

| by Sebastian Dahlman

Frances Tiafoe had a fantastic run at the US Open last year, highlighting him as an inspiration to thousands wanting to play tennis.

Tiafoe's tennis story is rather unique and definitely something worth a film or two. The American wasn't slated for tennis stardom, but he worked extremely hard to get where he wanted to be and is enjoying the fruits of labour this season.

He's been really good, and after last year's US Open run, the American has become one of the leading players on the ATP Tour that American youngsters look up to, especially those of a similar heritage. It's something he takes very seriously.

 As far as people of color, geez, that's a great compliment. I appreciate that. But, yeah, it holds a lot of weight. I definitely feels it holds a lot of weight. A lot of kids want to play the game now because of me. I feel that. Definitely a big responsibility. It's definitely a place you want to be in, a place you want to continue to grow and have people want to play the game.

Obviously I think the biggest thing is what happened the last 12 months, adversity in sport, what that means. Saw all the people, how the country is reacting to me going for that run. I think it helps because it's not a normal face you see doing that every day here at the US Open.

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He's been particularly touched by all the young kids coming up to him recently. His energetic playstyle and affinity to hit entertain the crowd resonates well with the youngest fans, which is expected. The all-serious approach is not something kids can relate to, and that's what he talked about ahead of the 2023 US Open.

Yeah, as far as these kids, man, these messages, it's crazy. I go around at some tournaments, even back home practicing, these little kids come up crying, We've been waiting to meet you. I want to be just like you. You're the reason I started the game, da, da, da.

That is stuff that means a lot. I put in a lot of time, hard work. Some people think I'm out here joking around, whatever. But kids see life in me. They see the game is cool to play because of me. It's a cool place to be in. It's cool to feel like you're inspiring people. I measure success how many people you bless. So I feel like I'm doing a good thing.

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