NEW YORK — Frances Tiafoe’s run to the U.S. Open semifinals is, first and foremost, about the man himself.
He’s a 24-year-old from Maryland who took up tennis because his father was a janitor at a junior training center, a player who never won a match past the fourth round at a Grand Slam tournament until now, who owns one career tournament title on the ATP Tour and a sub-.500 career record, and whose ranking ranged from 24 to 74 over the past two seasons.
“A Cinderella story,” to use his phrase.
Tiafoe’s tale — which already includes a victory over record-setting 22-time Grand Slam men’s singles champion Rafael Nadal along the way to Friday’s matchup against No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain with a berth in the final at stake — is about so much more, too.
It is a significant step forward for American men’s tennis right now, and it could help grow the sport in the future, too.