Frances Tiafoe claimed the biggest win of his career in the fourth round of the U.S. Open, beating Rafael Nadal in four sets to book a quarter-final match against Andrey Rublev. Tiafoe said he lost track of space and time after winning the entertaining encounter.
The victory over Nadal, who was undefeated in a Grand Slam match in 2022, was all the more special for Tiafoe as his family and girlfriend were in the crowd, cheering him on. Frances said on the court after the match: āIām happy I won in front of my mom, my dad, my girlfriend and my team.ā
Tiafoeās parents met in the U.S. after fleeing the civil war in Sierra Leone

Frances Tiafoeās parents, Constant Tiafoe and Alphina Kamara Tiafoe, fled the civil war in Sierra Leone in the mid-90s and settled in Maryland. āI was going to a funeral every week,ā Kamara talked to The Washington Post about the war that would claim 50,000 lives and displace millions.
Constant and Alphina met in suburban Washington, D.C., and struck up a relationship. The couple welcomed Frances and his twin brother Franklin on 20th January 1998.
Frances and Franklin didnāt enjoy a luxurious life growing up – Constant worked as a laborer and Kamara as a registered nurse – but it was better than life in their native Sierra Leone.
The brothersā trip to Africa when they were eight filled them with a deep appreciation of their parents. Tiafoe told Andscape that he witnessed previously unknown poverty levels:
āPeople living with lights off for a week, having to shower with cold water, just living a life that was harsh. The poverty there is crazy. You see it on TV, and then you see it up close and itās like, damn. People were really hurting, and there was very little hope.ā
Tiafoe noted that despite the precarious conditions the kids in Sierra Leone were living in, they werenāt complaining, though he felt sorry for them. āIt made me understand that as an American citizen, I had opportunities and I was capable of doing whatever I wanted,ā he added.
Frances told the BBC that the trip helped him realize that the family was blessed though his parents werenāt wealthy. He explained:
āWe got food on the table every night, parents who love us, a TV, all the accessories we need. It aināt terrible, you know what I saying? I was definitely not running my mouth after that ā I was about the happiest kid in the world.ā
Francesā father saw tennis as a means to pay for his sonsā college education

In 1999, Constant secured a construction job at the Junior Tennis Championship Center (JTCC) in suburban Washington D.C. Constant impressed with his work ethic and was hired as the centerās custodian.
To make more money, Frances took care of the complex during the day and the clay courts at night. The long hours forced him to stay near the facility, so he converted a vacant room into makeshift living quarters.
Kamara also worked long hours for most of the week, so Frances and Franklin spent many nights sleeping in the converted room. Tiafoe talked to Andscape about the living situation:
āIt was a pretty small room. There were two massage tables in there, and my father slept on one and me and my brother were small enough to share the other. My momās apartment was maybe three minutes away, and weād stay there on weekends and other days when she was off.ā
The Tiafoe brothers didnāt complain. Constant enrolled his sons for free at the JTCC when they were five. Franklin and Frances had access to world-class facilities, but their parents couldnāt afford new training gear.
This led to insults from kids at the facility with privileged backgrounds. āThose poor, poor jokes back then really hurt,ā Tiafoe said. āIt made you feel, in the back of your mind, that you werenāt cut from the same cloth.ā
Despite lacking access to new gear, Tiafoe, driven by talent and hard work, progressed rapidly in the sport. Constant saw tennis as a chance for the brothers to secure scholarships for college education. Tiafoe said:
āOnce we got in the game of tennis, it was like my dad was like, It would be awesome if you guys can use this as a full scholarship to school. I mean, we couldn’t afford a university. So use the game of tennis.ā
Tiafoe feels he owes it to his parents to succeed, given their sacrifices

Francesā dreams of playing at the highest tennis levels sparked as he watched the Williams sisters dominate the Grand Slams. He drew motivation to work towards his dreams from his parentsā sacrifices and hard work.
āIt humbled me and made me serious,ā Tiafoe told the BBC. āIt came into my head pretty quick to use tennis as a way to help not only myself but our family because they have sacrificed so much.ā
āI tell them all the time, itās not about me,ā Frances told News 24. āThey did loads for me and my twin brother. We couldnāt be anymore thankful. Right now Iām just returning the favor. I donāt have an excuse never to not compete in a match.ā
After defeating Rafael Nadal, Tiafoe predicted his parents would never forget the sensational victory. āI canāt imagine whatās going through their heads,ā Frances said. āYeah, I mean, they’re going to remember today for the rest of their lives.ā
Franklin wasnāt present during Francesā win against Nadal, but he was doubtlessly proud of his twinās effort. āNot shocked,ā Franklin wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of the brothers.
āHe pushes me, and I push him,āĀ Frances toldĀ The Washington Post. āHe keeps me grounded, he keeps me humble and he keeps me focused.ā