"Everyone tunes in when my brother plays, it's really cool" - Frances Tiafoe's twin brother Franklin on tennis' impact on their family
Frances Tiafoe's brother, Franklin Tiafoe, recently opened up about the significance of tennis for his family and lauded Frances for his game. The American athlete concluded his year after competing at the Paris Masters.
Tiafoe was last seen competing on the court at the Paris Masters, where he was defeated by Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the very first round with a score of 6(5)-7(7), 7(7)-6(4), 6-3. After his US Open performance, he fell short of delivering stellar performances in the rest of the tournaments, such as the Japan Open, Shanghai Masters, Vienna Open, and more.
In the US Open, he reached the semifinals, where he squared off against Taylor Fritz; however, the latter won the match with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. The player is currently in his off-season and recently appeared in an interview with his family with Yonex Tennis, where his brother, Franklin Tiafoe, who is also a tennis player, opened up about the importance of the sport in his family.
"For us the family, I mean tennis has been a blessing. Everyone tunes in when my brother plays and it's really cool to see. The sacrifices that my parents have made for me and my brother to be where we are today, can't thank them enough," Franklin Tiafoe said. [3:50 onwards]
Franklin Tiafoe is inspired by his brother and has played tennis for Salisbury University and has also participated in various ITF professional tournaments. Although not as accomplished as his twin brother, he aspires to be known by his own name in the tennis world one day, and not as Frances Tiafoe's brother. The inception of the brothers' tennis dreams could of course be traced back to when they used to assist their father, who worked at the Junior Tennis Champions Center.
Frances Tiafoe talks about his father's feelings regarding his career
In the aforementioned interview, Frances Tiafoe opened up about his thoughts on tennis and revealed the feelings of his father when it came to the former's career. He highlighted the versatile rules of the sport and said that he 'loved' watching tennis.
"I just loved the game of tennis. I loved how the ball sounded off the strings. I loved watching tennis . I loved the idea that you have to make a decision in two seconds. I remember when I was 11, I told my pops: "I think I'm going to be a pro." He was like, "Let's get through tomorrow. He never really liked when people say I'm talented because it's the work. You got to put yourself in those positions," Tiafoe said.
Frances Tiafoe is looking forward to kickstarting his 2025 season at the Brisbane International, which will commence on December 30, 2024, and will continue till January 6, 2025.