Two years ago, tennis player Frances Tiafoe became the first Black American man to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since Arthur Ashe did so in 1968. Now, Tiafoe is back in the U.S. Open semifinals after a 6-3, 6-7 (5) 6-3, 4-1 win over Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, who retired in the fourth set.
Tiafoe will face fellow American Taylor Fritz on Sept. 6, setting up the first All-American Grand Slam semifinal since the 2005 U.S. Open and guaranteeing an American male in a Grand Slam final for the first time since the Wimbledon championships in 2009.
“It’s cool when those guys see me, they see me as, like, a role model, a guy they want to aspire to be,” Tiafoe said when asked about other Black players from around the world. “That’s a pretty cool seat to be in.”
“Obviously as you guys know, I’m not a guy who takes himself too serious by any means. It’s funny being in that seat but, at the same time, you have a responsibility when you’re out there … because things you do, those kids are going to mimic and want to be how you carry yourself, how you approach your game, how you compete with you out there, things you say in interviews,” Tiafoe explained. “They’re going to want to mimic that and be like that. It’s great.
“Then from a big-picture standpoint, I’ve got so many people that would never watch tennis a day in their life coming to matches because I’m playing. You know, you’ve seen so many cool people come out to watch, and just normal people that would just never really watch tennis and now are, like, fans of it because I’m playing it. It means a lot, and it’s helping the game. I genuinely think when I’m playing well it helps the sport, for sure.”
In other U.S. Open news, two Black players have reached the U.S. Open mixed doubles championship game tomorrow. Taylor Townsend and Donald Young hope to bring home the trophy and the $200,000 that goes with it on Sept. 4. Young plans to retire after the tournament.
