ATP · World No. 19

Frances Tiafoe

🇺🇸USA · Age 28 · Born 20 January 1998

About

Frances Tiafoe Jr. was born January 20, 1998, in Hyattsville, Maryland, to Sierra Leonean immigrant parents. His father managed the Junior Tennis Champions Center, where Tiafoe lived and trained from age four. He turned professional in April 2015 after winning his first ITF Futures title. Breakthrough came with his first ATP title at 2018 Delray Beach Open as a wildcard, youngest American winner since Andy Roddick in 2002. Reached career-high No. 10 in June 2023, US Open semifinals in 2022 and 2024, Australian Open QF in 2019, French Open QF in 2025. As of April 2026, ranked No. 19 ATP with 1965 points, recently reached Houston semifinals losing to Tommy Paul.

Profile updated 29 Apr 2026

Right now

ATP rank

1,965

Ranking points

Career titles

#16

Career-high rank

Recent form

No recent matches in our 7-day window.

In the news

“"The price of regret is far greater than the price of discipline."”
— Ben Rothenberg, Bounces

News last refreshed 29 Apr 2026

How they play

Playing style

Frances Tiafoe plays an aggressive baseline game powered by a big first serve exceeding 140 mph and a powerful, unorthodox forehand loaded with heavy topspin from a semi-western grip and unique high arm takeaway. His flatter backhand redirects pace effectively down the line, contrasting his spinning forehand to disrupt opponents. Quick court coverage and early ball-taking make him dangerous in offensive rallies on fast surfaces, though consistency in point construction limits deeper runs.

Serve

Big first serve tops 140 mph regularly 120-130 mph with good placement; holds 74% of service games. Second serve is a weakness, often a high-looping moonball vulnerable to attack.

Groundstrokes

Forehand weapon with heavy topspin, fast racket-head speed from unusual swing; backhand flat and low, effective for pace redirection and down-the-line shots, lacks heavy spin.

Movement

Athletic and quick laterally, covers court well inside baseline taking ball early; solid defender but prefers hard and grass over clay; good explosive speed.

Weakness

Second serve lacks pace and depth, easily attacked; mental lapses in pressure situations and inconsistent intensity lead to losses against lower-ranked opponents; point construction can lack variety.

Surface splits

Career surface splits.

Hard

57.1% 248–186

Clay

59.3% 99–68

Grass

57.1% 32–24

Notable rivalries

Taylor Fritz

All-American rivalry; Fritz won 2024 US Open SF and 2026 Houston SF 7-5 4-6 7-6(7), fourth straight win; first Slam SF clash since 2005.

Carlos Alcaraz

Lost 2022 US Open SF; Tiafoe leads early encounters but trails overall.

Jannik Sinner

Lost 2024 Cincinnati final; competitive Masters matches.

Rafael Nadal

Historic 2022 US Open R16 win, first American to beat Nadal at Major since 2005.

Career

Career snapshot

Career titles

#16

Career high

2014

First season

Season	Year-end rank	W–L	Titles
2017	79	33–25	2
2018	39	30–29	1
2019	47	23–30	0
2020	59	20–16	1
2021	38	41–26	1
2022	19	35–25	0
2023	16	40–21	2
2024	18	33–27	0
2025	30	26–23	0
2026	30	1–1	0

Team and equipment

Head coach: Dr. Mark Kovacs

Height: 188 cm
Plays: Right-handed
Backhand: Two-handed
Coach: David Witt
Racquet: Yonex VCORE 98
Apparel: Lululemon

Career highlights

2018 Delray Beach Open ATP title
2023 Houston Clay Court title
2023 Stuttgart grass title
US Open SF 2022 & 2024
Australian Open QF 2019
French Open QF 2025
Career-high No. 10 June 2023

Watch & follow

Where to follow

Live scores when Tiafoe is on court appear on our tennis today and live streaming pages. The full ATP top-100 sits at our live ATP rankings. Compare Tiafoe on the player statistical deep dive.

Head-to-head vs Jannik Sinner →

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