WIMBLEDON ā There is a behind-the-scenes moment captured during a recently released episode of the Netflix docuseries āBreak Pointā where Frances Tiafoe is warming up in a nearly empty Arthur Ashe Stadium hours before his fourth-round U.S. Open match against 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.
āIām so pumped up for today,ā Tiafoe tells his coach, Wayne Ferreira, between practice serves. āIām coming after this (expletive), bro.ā
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To which Ferreira responds: āI wouldnāt see any reason why you wouldnāt.ā
Tiafoe would, indeed, go after Nadal that September night while producing what was undoubtedly the biggest victory of the Americanās career so far, a step along the way to his debut in a Grand Slam semifinal in New York.
It also was part of a surge by Tiafoe that has continued this season. He heads into Wimbledon, which starts on Monday, ranked in the Top 10 for the first time on the heels of winning a grass-court tournament for the first time.
āI knew I was capable on grass, but winning a title helps. Winning on a Sunday just gives you confidence, in general. Since the U.S. Open, any time Iām on a hard or grass court, I feel like Iām at my best and one of the best players in the world and have a chance against anybody,ā Tiafoe said in an interview with The Associated Press. āSo I have high hopes for Wimbledon.ā
Hard to see a reason why he wouldn't. Consider the way Tiafoe has performed lately: Since entering 2023 with one career ATP title and a .517 winning percentage, the 25-year-old from Maryland has claimed a pair of trophies while winning at a .737 clip.
Itās part of what Tiafoe called āthis revamp,ā a renewed resolve and dedication that came about after he made it into the Top 100 as a teenager in early 2017 and rose to the Top 30 two years later, but dropped all the way down to No. 84 in 2020.
On June 19, the day following his title at Stuttgart, Germany, Tiafoe got to No. 10.
āIt's a testament to all of the sacrifices I've made for the game," Tiafoe said. "Iāve done it my own way, and Iām here now ā and planning to stay for a while.ā
He joined Taylor Fritz as the first pair of American men simultaneously in the Top 10 since Mardy Fish and John Isner in May 2012. Tiafoe is also the first African-American man to be among the ATPās best 10 players since James Blake in January 2009 ā and just the third in the half-century of computerized rankings, along with Arthur Ashe in the 1970s.
Tiafoe and Blake traded text messages about the accomplishment.
āTold him, āI always wanted to be like you, growing up,āā Tiafoe recounted.
āIām so proud of him and the hard work he has put in,ā Blake told the AP. āTop 10 is something that can never be taken away and it doesnāt come without hard work and determination. He has put in the hours and followed up on his breakout performance last year at the Open. Iām looking forward to his continued success and watching him inspire the next generation.ā
Providing an example and being an inspiration to others are things Tiafoe talks about, too.
His āCinderella story,ā as he puts it, is unique and, by now, well-known: His parents emigrated to the United States from Sierra Leone in West Africa amid its civil war in the 1990s; they ended up in Maryland, where his father helped construct a tennis training center for juniors, then became a maintenance man there; his mother was a nurse working two jobs; Frances and his twin brother, Franklin, picked up tennis where dadās job was.
āThe U.S. Open was my big, obviously, breakout moment. All the hype around it in New York. You canāt imagine,ā Tiafoe said. āAn American story. My story.ā
The Netflix episode that focused on his Flushing Meadows experience ā the hugs and laughter after beating Nadal; the tears after losing to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz ā āgot me emotional,ā he said.
āTo be able to relive those little moments ā the car rides after certain things or my reaction to winning a big match. The people around me. You can only relive the actual moment of what happened, which is the match, not everything outside of it," Tiafoe said. "Ten years from now, Iām not going to remember what I said in that particular moment. All those things are so cool, man.ā
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Howard Fendrich has been the APās tennis writer since 2002. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HowardFendrich
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports