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Top seed Frances Tiafoe surprised a young fan just before embarking on his campaign on the clay courts of Houston.
Tiafoe will open his Houston 2023 campaign against Steve Johnson on Thursday, April 6, after Wednesday's (April 5) play at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship was cut short due to rain.
Prior to commencing his campaign in Texas, World No. 15 Tiafoe pleasantly surprised a young fan. During an interview, the little girl was asked about her preferred tennis player and the reasons behind her choice.
As she was responding, Tiafoe appeared from behind and surprised her, leaving the young fan in awe. The little girl was overjoyed to see her favorite tennis player and her face lit up with a huge smile.
Tiafoe, 25, has had a remarkable start to the season, winning 15 out of his 20 matches. He won his first five matches in Team USA's triumphant campaign in the inaugural United Cup Down Under. However, Tiafoe's seven-match winning streak came to an end in the Australian Open third round, where he was defeated by Karen Khachanov.
After being eliminated in the quarter-finals of both Dallas and Acapulco, Frances Tiafoe made an impressive run to the semi-finals of the Indian Wells tournament, ultimately losing to Daniil Medvedev.
Following a disappointing third-round exit in Miami, Tiafoe is eager to regain his winning form at the upcoming Houston tournament, where he has a 3-4 record and made it to the quarter-finals last year.
Frances Tiafoe thrilled by reunion with GOAT LeBron James
Currently in Houston for the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, Frances Tiafoe is eager to get his clay season underway. Thanks to his recent collaboration with Stella Artois, the American tennis star was granted exclusive access to the highly anticipated LA Lakers-Houston Rockets game on Monday, April 3.
While there, Tiafoe was fortunate enough to cross paths with basketball icon LeBron James. He had the pleasure of witnessing the Lakers' impressive 134-109 victory over the Rockets, which included a remarkable triple-double performance by the basketball legend himself.
The World No. 15 was excited to share the moment on social media as he lavished praise on James.
"Always an honor @kingjames. You ain’t only just the [GOAT] but one of the realest dudes out here. All love brotha," Tiafoe captioned his Instagram post.
Frances Tiafoe previously met LeBron James during a match between the LA Lakers and the Washington Wizards on December 6, 2022.
