Frances Tiafoe living large in Palm Beach County as he begins play at Miami Open
MIAMI GARDENS — Rising American tennis star Frances Tiafoe raves about Miami as he gears up this week for the Miami Open. But his heart is in Palm Beach County.
Tiafoe, the 25-year-old Washingtonian coming off a semifinal appearance in the prestigious Indian Wells event last week, moved his home base to Boynton Beach two years ago during the pandemic.
And Tiafoe, who made a memorable run to the US Open semifinals last September, revealed he’s soon buying a place in Boca Raton with his girlfriend. For now, when Tiafoe is not on the road with the tour, he’s living with his father and brother in Boynton Beach.
“Couple of years ago, my dad seen a place and liked the area,’’ Tiafoe told The Palm Beach Post Tuesday. “And we did it. My father wanted to move to Florida and took that place. It’s cozy and cool. And the people make where you are living than the actual city.’’
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A basketball junkie, Tiafoe, who is ranked 14th, has played tennis at Florida Atlantic University’s courts. But it is FAU’s basketball team making nationwide headlines as it has advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time.
While Tiafoe says his favorite college basketball team is the University of Maryland, he’s now pulling for the Owls.
“How do I not? ‘’ he said.
Tiafoe and Coco Gauff often hit together
Tiafoe has a growing friendship with neighbor Coco Gauff, who is from Delray Beach. They hit for the first time in Indian Wells and plan on doing more of it when they are home.
Tiafoe didn’t have too tough a decision last month when he skipped the Delray Beach Open to realize a dream. He was chosen to compete as a celebrity during NBA All-Star Weekend. His team won the celebrity game as Tiafoe made 2 of 3 baskets from mid-range.
Tiafoe said he has friends on the Heat but remains devoted to his original hometown team, the Wizards. One of Tiafoe’s best friends is Bradley Beal, who flew into Flushing Meadows to watch Tiafoe’s ride to the semifinals.
“I was crazy excited to go to Utah,’’ Tiafoe said. “So happy (Commissioner) Adam Silver got that done for me. Obviously I’m a huge hoop fan. It was unbelievable to go out there and be around so many great athletes entertainers, artists.’’
His teammates were actor Simu Liu, comedian Hasan Minhaj, singer Janelle Monae and fitness instructor Alex Toussaint. His team faced rapper Cordae, former NFL star Calvin Johnson and MLB legend Albert Pujols.
Tiafoe cavorted with Dwyane Wade, LaMelo Ball and spoke to many of the All-Star participants. When Tiafoe made the US Open semifinals, LeBron James tweeted out his congratulations.
“All the parties were great,’’ Tiafoe said. “Being around so much greatness you’re rubbing elbows with, it made me want to keep going and be even better in what I’m doing. That was the surreal thing being around people I look up to. Being with all these iconic people made me realize I have a lot more work to do.”
Tiafoe said it came about when he was in Japan for a tournament while the NBA was staging an exhibition between the Wizards and Warriors. He met deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, who asked whether he’d be interested in the celebrity game.
Tiafoe said it was among the “craziest moments’’ of his life when he got the email from Silver, saying he was going to be an All-Star participant. Of course, nothing was crazier than meeting former First Lady Michele Obama, who attended his Open quarterfinal match when he became the first American man to reach the Open semifinals since 2006.
“I feel like it’s a big crossover,’’ Tiafoe said recently of his All-Star stint. “A lot of people have taken interest in me, a lot of people are following the game of tennis who usually wouldn’t because of the personality I bring out there on court and being a person of color. It’s touching a lot of people.’’
Indeed American men’s tennis is on the upswing and Tiafoe can’t be discounted from winning Miami, especially since Novak Djokovic still is banned from competing in the USA because of his non-vaccination status.
“I love the city of Miami,’’ said Tiafoe, who received a first-round bye and won’t play his first match until Saturday. “You play well in the city you like and I got friends on the Heat.’’
Carlos Alcarez men's favorite at Miami Open
Carlos Alcaraz, who won Indian Wells and is the reigning US Open champion, is the favorite here with the men’s draw beginning Wednesday.
Alcaraz could ultimately be the Spanish blockade preventing an American man from breaking the 20-year Grand Slam drought. But the Americans are edging closer.
“I think the conversation has stopped (that we can’t win it),’ Tiafoe said. “Guys are doing great things. Guys are knocking on the door. I think an American can do it and me, Tommy (Paul) and (Taylor) Fritz are in the forefront of that.’’
Tiafoe, Fritz, who won the Delray Beach Open last month, and Paul are all transplanted Floridians. Fritz recently moved to Miami and Paul, who made the Australian Open semifinals in January, hails from Delray.
“(Paul) is so talented, it took him a while to get on the scene,’’ Tiafoe said. “I’m not surprised by anything he’s doing. That guy’s special. A great athlete. All three of us are going to be in the conversation every week. When someone says we made a great run. It’s something we expect now.’’
Tiafoe, who lost a tight 7-5, 7-6 semifinal match to Daniel Medvedev at Indian Wells, is seeking to crack the top 10. But that’s not priority No. 1. He’s known for an electric backhand and arguably covers the court as well as any player outside Alcaraz.
“I’m 14th in the world – I’d be lying if I’m not trying to get into the top 10,’’ Tiafoe said. “(Bleep) it, you’re right there, might as well. But my goal is to win a Grand Slam. And when I’m playing, I feel people are genuinely excited to watch me play. That’s not going to change dramatically if I go from 14 to 5.
"But I want to do great things and put asses in the seats to watch me play.’’
Miami Open
Wednesday through April 2
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boynton Beach resident Frances Tiafoe rooting for FAU Owls in NCAA tourney
