How Frances Tiafoe went from sleeping at a tennis center to the US Open semifinals
Frances Tiafoe has already qualified for the 2020 US Open – his fourth major championship – and has made history by becoming the first Australian to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal with a victory in the US Open. We ask Frances what it’s been like to be a part of a growing Australian tennis culture.
How did you find out?”I’ve always been pretty fortunate to have some very good people in my life. I’ve had some great friends in my life, which I enjoy.
I’ve never been around a group of people that I couldn’t relate to, for some reason.
I’ve also always enjoyed watching tennis, playing tennis and playing for my school, because I wanted to be able to compete and show what I could do.
I’ve got so many friends who I’ve had very strong feelings for.
I’m also very close to two women who I’ve been living with for the past two years.
They’ve really helped me to become a better person and have been my support.
I’ve always felt that I’ve made mistakes in life and I’ve had to learn from them. But they’ve always been good people, so that was always going to be a positive thing.
How did you get into tennis?”I first started playing tennis at the age of four. I liked to play with my brother. I wasn’t into it when I was little – I was just into watching.
I wasn’t like the other kids around me who were like, ‘Oh, how old do I have to be to play tennis.’
I always wanted to be a little kid and not an adult.
It took me a while to catch up. I didn’t get to play much. I enjoyed watching the sport, I wouldn’t want to say I was a player, but I would say I enjoyed seeing other people doing it.
I started training when I was about 13. I wasn
