After a gruelling 4-setter that had the audience on the edges of their seats, Frances Tiafoe beat the rising Martin Damm 6-4, 7-5, 6-7, 7-5 to reach round 3 at the US Open. Though Tiafoe is no stranger to the tournament, having reached at least the quarterfinals in the last three years, this particular match was a tough one with Tiafoe even saying, “I haven’t played many matches where I haven’t been broken for four straight sets and still could’ve easily been in a fifth. Testament to him. He battled incredibly well.” The match in itself was inspiring, as was Tiafoe’s outlook of it, with the No. 17 seed speaking about the role of inspiration in sportsmanship in his post-match interview.

“I had a little kid’s parents come up to me and say like, ‘you, you saved my kid’s life, we couldn’t get through to him.’ And, I, you know, I sign a ball, and talk to the kid, I was like, you know, you listen to your parents. I was laughing with the kid, and he turned a whole new leaf.” Tiafoe said of a heartwarming incident he recently experienced with a young fan.

“It’s a totally different thing, like you see the guys like, they see themselves in me. Nipsy Hussle says it best, ‘the highest human act is to inspire.’ and I think we’re in a definitely, an unbelievable position to be doing that, and I feel that, when I’m out here, playing, being in the highest level, I feel I’m in a great space to inspire people.” In light of the recent anger outbursts at the US Open, it’s refreshing and certainly grounding to hear Tiafoe’s take, a reminder to everyone of what tennis is really about. It’s probably this attitude that has earned Tiafoe a respect from the sporting community and world at large, getting name dropped in two rap songs and even winning over former first lady Michelle Obama!

Frances Tiafoe’s refreshing take on the game attracts celebrities to his tennis matches and gets him featured in rap songs!

Frances Tiafoe is the third top ranked US player in tennis, after Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton who are currently #4 and #6 respectively. However, it’s not just his skill that attracts people to him, it’s what he stands for in terms of representation and inclusivity.

When asked to comment on Tiafoe’s popularity, Coco Gauff laughed heartily while saying, “Every celebrity knows him, or he knows every celebrity. He’s mentioned in two rap songs, so he’s pretty iconic.” A song by Pusha T references Tiafoe with the line, “Watching Tiafoe with the Open, that’s the only back and forth that I’m posting,” which is a pretty big compliment coming from one of Virginia’s OG hip-hop stalwarts! And it only gets better,

Michelle Obama went to see Tiafoe play Carlos Alcaraz in the 2022 US Open semi-final. Though Tiafoe eventually conceded to Alcaraz in a tense five setter, the former first lady could be seen cheering him on from the crowd through all five sets.

Tiafoe definitely seems to have more going for him than just his game, his charisma, and character are as inspirational as rest of it, so no wonder he’s out here making everyone from little kids to the former first lady root for him!

Meanwhile, stay tuned to our EssentiallySports Live Blog to not miss a beat from the 2025 US Open.