“He was like; you need to back yourself and know that you are the one” – Frances Tiafoe on his father’s influence on his life

Frances Tiafoe recently admitted that his father, Constant Tiafoe, has been a huge influence in his life. In a video with GQ Sports, Frances Tiafoe was asked to reveal the top ten things he considered indispensable.

One of the things that the American chose was a necklace given by his father. Tiafoe conveyed that the necklace, which says, “Big Foe” (his nickname), was his father’s gift from earlier in the year. Divulging the significance of the accessory, the 24-year-old said that it was a token of encouragement from his father, who asked him to back himself and let everyone know who he is by wearing the necklace.

He stated that the necklace "got a lot of headway" during his recent run at the 2022 US Open, which saw him produce his best Grand Slam result to date – reaching the US Open semifinals.

“Yeah. So, this is "Big Foe" necklace right here. Got a little tangled but it’s all good. My dad gave it to me earlier this year. He was like, yeah, you need to rep yourself. You need to back yourself and know that you’re the one. You gotta let everybody know who you are, so wear it around your neck,” he continued “They got a lot of headway during this (US Open) run too. Everyone knows that Big Foe finally arrived now. So, I always wear it constantly.”

Frances Tiafoe further spoke about his father, Constant Tiafoe, being an inspiration and a huge influence in his life. The US Open semifinalist acknowledged his father’s hardships while also recalling some valuable lessons and words of wisdom from his father.

“My dad’s a huge influence in my life. Not only how he got me into the game, but just teaching me the importance of hard work and what success really means – opportunity meeting preparation. He’s just always pushing that message kind of just, you know, nothing’s given, everything’s earned,” he continued.

“You gotta put the time in if you really want anything. And sometimes you know, success may not show up for you know, years and years, but you gotta be ready when it’s your moment. And yeah, he’s a big inspiration for me,” Tiafoe confessed.

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Frances Tiafoe’s father’s job at tennis club introduced him to the sport

Frances Tiafoe at the 2022 Laver Cup

Frances Tiafoe had a humble upbringing. The son of immigrants, Tiafoe was raised in Maryland where his father, Constant Tiafoe, secured a job as a daily laborer at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland.

His father was given a spare office to live on the premises, which allowed the 24-year-old and his twin brother to play tennis regularly and eventually the US Open semifinalist flourished into a professional tennis player.

"I’m a son of immigrants, as both my parents grew up in Seirra Leone, before they came to the States. They met here, had me and my twin brother. My dad, being a maintenance worker at a club, helped to build a club ’99. My mom being a nurse, working two jobs, working overtime through the nights,” Tiafoe revealed during his 2022 US Open run.

Frances Tiafoe fared exceptionally during the second half of the 2022 season. The American reached his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the 2022 US Open, defeating players such as Marcos Giron, Jason Kubler, Diego Schwartzman, Rafael Nadal and Andrey Rublev. He bowed out in the last four of the New York Major to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Tiafoe further had a stellar week at the Laver Cup in London, where he teamed up with Jack Sock to outclass the legendary pairing of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He then helped Team World to victory by getting the better of Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final encounter of the tournament.