TENNIS – Players’ Voice with Frances Tiafoe: “It’s about empowering black people”

Frances Tiafoe has given the United States something to celebrate since 2018, the year of her first title, conquered at Delray Beach. By accomplishing this performance, he became the youngest American to win an ATP tournament since Andy Roddick in 2002. Building on his momentum, he reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 Australian Open and rose to the top. 29th in the world ranking.

But it is the work done off the courts that is most important to the 23-year-old and, since the death of George Floyd in May 2020, he has been passionately invested in bringing the demands of the Black Lives Matter movement . With his girlfriend, tennis player Ayan Broomfield, he united the black tennis community in the video “Rackets down, hands up”, which went viral on social media.

In the latest edition of Players’ Voice, Frances shares the inspiration he got from producing this video, talks about how he would like things to turn out in the United States and his dream of bringing a Grand Slam trophy back to the Sierra. Leone …

I was at home when I first saw what had happened to George Floyd. It was unbelievable. He had one knee resting on his neck for nine minutes, but at that point I didn’t realize this drama was going to be a turning point. Racism is not a new phenomenon, it did not happen suddenly, it is present in everyday life. It was just one of many incidents that could be filmed, so that the whole world could be witnessed.

What impressed me the most was seeing all these people, with different skin tones, coming together during this very special moment. It was strong. I think that inspired a lot of popular figures, like NFL players, NBA players or WNBA players, to go with the flow and make it a priority.

It was from there that my girlfriend Ayan and I decided that something really needed to be done. We had to. With social networks, everyone can express themselves publicly, deliver their feelings, but the word was being released and we wanted to seize this opportunity. Not to put us forward, no, just because it was what we believed in. We just wanted to deliver our message, use our space and do our part.

So we started to think together, to find the best way to have a real impact, and that’s how we had the idea to make a video: “Rackets down, hands up”. In 2014, Michael Brown threw his hands up in the air but that didn’t stop him from being shot, that’s where our inspiration came from. We were hoping to get the support of as many tennis players as possible but I didn’t want to ask too much of them. That’s why video seemed to me to be the strongest option: they didn’t have to do or say a lot. Still, we expected to see high caliber players appear in this video, which was not easy. I’m friends with some of them, but calling Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka and asking them if they were okay with participating was kind of weird!

I’ve spoken to them a few times since, to see how to keep the conversation going. Ultimately, for them, it’s about using your platforms. They are awesome for that. Everyone has a platform. It doesn’t matter if it’s big or small, you have to use it. People listen to us on any subject, so we need to take advantage of it as much as possible.

At the end of last year, I found out that I had won the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award, issued by ATP. It was giant, I won’t hide it from you! At the very beginning, I didn’t even know this award existed, which made the surprise even more pleasant. Being able to talk about something that is really close to my heart and realizing that what I was doing resonated with other people, that meant a lot to me.

But I can’t stop there. We must continue to move forward, so that none of this momentum is lost. The way tournaments like the US Open responded was beautiful, but it’s so much more important than the sport.

I know many NFL and NBA players have visited inner city schools, to make children understand that we see and hear them, that we were like them at one time and that they weren’t. alone. There is light at the end of the tunnel. We must make these children smile, and assure them that there is life beyond the circle in which they live. I’m a big fan of quotes and one day Will Smith said something that stood out to me: “The important thing is not where you are, but where you are going”, and that’s exactly it! It’s about empowering black people.

I don’t want them all to become a Serena Williams or a Frances Tiafoe, I just want them to come true on their own no matter what form it takes. Whatever path you take, find it! But how do we create these pathways? This is the main issue. How can we better help these individuals and make them understand that they can be whoever they want? I don’t know if that means giving a ton of money, investing $ 50 million in projects to guarantee transportation, food or even scholarships. Sending black children to college is very strong. This experience can totally change their future. I’m not saying everyone has the means to do this, but these are the kinds of ideas that we need to bring to life to make real change.

But first, we need more people to understand what it is like to be a black individual every day. The challenge here is to change the existing mentalities and it is difficult, but here we come back to the need to use our platforms to help raise awareness. The more I achieve things on the court, the more I hope to achieve on the outside as well. The better the results, the better the platform will be.

When I think back to my career goals, winning a Grand Slam would be the absolute accomplishment. I have always dreamed of bringing a major trophy back to Africa. My parents both emigrated from Sierra Leone and went through a lot of hardship to guarantee us a happy childhood. Both ensured endless days of work, including weekends. For them to see me put on that performance and bring the cup home – I mean, my real home – that would be exceptional. I would like everyone to feel concerned on this day, and for the children to realize that it is possible. The difficulties they face are real, so the symbol would be strong. It’s bigger than me. I would love to do so much for my community in Washington DC, but in Africa, the land where my parents are from, it would mean a lot to them. I feel that somehow my legacy depends on that and what I do for them, so that’s my ultimate goal.

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