Frances Tiafoe is back in the US Open semifinals, and it’s beautiful where his latest run has taken him. The American will step onto Arthur Ashe Stadium to face Ben Shelton, but long before Tiafoe became world No. 12, he was just a kid from College Park, Maryland, dreaming of one day making it there.
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In 2021, a 22-year-old Tiafoe wrote a letter to Arthur Ashe after winning the Humanitarian Award. And the ATP Tour recently re-released the same letter.
“I did not have much growing up. My parents are both immigrants from Sierra Leone,” Tiafoe wrote in the letter. “My dad was a janitor at a tennis facility in Maryland, and I was lucky to be around the sport from a young age, even if I did not have the money or opportunities a lot of other kids did. None of that stopped me from dreaming big.”
That little boy eventually found himself being honored with an award carrying Ashe’s name.
“Here I am, 22 years old, and I just found out that I won the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award. That little kid with big dreams now has his name associated with yours. That is insane… I know I need to carry the torch and make a difference in the world.”
During the COVID-19 hiatus, Tiafoe and his girlfriend created “Racquets Down, Hands Up,” using their platform to raise awareness about racial injustice and brought in several solid tennis players within their campaign. Tiafoe wanted young people to know that their background did not have to decide how far they could go.
Tiafoe also spoke about what Ashe meant to him, despite never getting the chance to meet him.
“I wasn’t lucky enough to be around when you were doing your thing, but I know you were so much bigger than tennis,” wrote Tiafoe. “Honestly, you could have been the President!”
He also added the quote by Ashe himself, from which he gets his inspiration.
“From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life,” said Ashe, per Tiafoe. He was inspired by Ashe as he managed to become a Grand Slam champion while making his life about something bigger than tennis. And as his own career progressed, Tiafoe realized he wanted to do the same.
He wrote about being financially secure enough to take care of his family and then asking himself what came next.
“What about those kids who are where I was not that long ago?” This question became part of Tiafoe’s purpose. He also remembered that, ten years earlier, simply walking into Arthur Ashe Stadium would have been enough to blow his mind.
Now, he is preparing to play another US Open semifinal on that very court. Tiafoe told Ashe that he wanted to help young kids believe their dreams were possible, just as Ashe had helped show him the way.
“I have been lucky enough to make a living. Now, it is time to make a life. You did more than your share for the world. I promise I will always do mine.”
Tiafoe is still trying to abide by that promise, which he made five years ago to his inspiration, with the gratitude and respect he has for his own journey.