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Roger Federer survives first round scare against 70th-ranked Frances Tiafoe
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/29/tennis/us-open-first-round-federer-tiafoe/index.htmlAs a fan of watching tennis (I am no player myself, but my husband is and he has educated me on the finer points) and a fan of the great Roger Federer (as a resident of Switzerland, it's almost an obligation to be, LOL), I watched last evening's thrilling first round US Open tennis match and was very impressed with the playing and general demeanor of Frances Tiafoe. While Roger literally hung on by a thread to win, Tiafoe looks to be one of the most impressive American men's tennis players right now and should have a brilliant career ahead of him if he keeps on the way he has begun.
I am posting this CNN article because it is one with more details about the young man himself. IMO, they make him even more impressive.
Reportedly a quiet, thoughtful teen, Tiafoe credits much of his development to his father, Constant Tiafoe, an immigrant from Sierra Leone.
The elder Tiafoe helped build, and later became the custodian of, the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland, where Frances has trained since he was a child.
While working around the clock, his father was forced to move into a vacant storage room at the tennis center, where his two boys would stay with him, sleeping on a massage table, while their mother worked night shifts as a nurse.
...
At just 15 years old, Tiafoe won the prestigious Orange Bowl, becoming the youngest boys' singles champion in the tournament's history -- a remarkable feat considering the list of previous champions, which includes Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Ivan Lendl, Jim Courier, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.
While many junior prodigies have come and gone, Tiafoe's unique background and work ethic set him apart from the rest. He said of his parents, "with them trying so hard, I felt like I didn't want to let them down. I felt like I didn't want to let the opportunities go for granted."
The elder Tiafoe helped build, and later became the custodian of, the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland, where Frances has trained since he was a child.
While working around the clock, his father was forced to move into a vacant storage room at the tennis center, where his two boys would stay with him, sleeping on a massage table, while their mother worked night shifts as a nurse.
...
At just 15 years old, Tiafoe won the prestigious Orange Bowl, becoming the youngest boys' singles champion in the tournament's history -- a remarkable feat considering the list of previous champions, which includes Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Ivan Lendl, Jim Courier, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.
While many junior prodigies have come and gone, Tiafoe's unique background and work ethic set him apart from the rest. He said of his parents, "with them trying so hard, I felt like I didn't want to let them down. I felt like I didn't want to let the opportunities go for granted."
He's someone I'll be paying attention to from now on and I wish him ALL success!
10 replies
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I saw him here against Isner a couple weeks ago. He lost in two but still, every single game was a battle. Isner was serving 130mph+ and I'm sure he got some aces but they were few and far between. This kid was on him the whole match.
We're going to be seeing his name for a while. And that's a good thing.
matches. But before he lost to Isner, he won against Alexander Zverev - who is the one many experts expect to be the first of the younger generation to win a Major.
http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2017/08/alexander-zverev-frances-tiafoe-cincinnati-masters-atp-tennis/68572/
And Zverev had just beaten Federer - albeit a Federer plagued with back issues - to win the title in Montreal!
So Tiafoe really is one to watch.
Madison Keys are looking very good.
And yes, much as I love Roger, it is great fun to see the NextGen players play good matches and, as in Tiafoe's case, gaine some major confidence in their games.
Btw, Serena is featured in a commercial that they're running on ESPN where she looks very glamorous - playing ping pong! 
