Frances Tiafoe still perfectly remembers watching Serena and Venus Williams play against each other in the Wimbledon final and hoping to one day be a successful tennis player. Tiafoe, 24, was just a baby when Serena captured her first Grand Slam title at the 1999 US Open.
Serena, 41, finished her career with 23 Grand Slams. On the other side, 42-year-old Venus is still active and she has seven Grand Slams in her collection. Tiafoe, who will be turning 25 in January, is ranked 19th in the world and he recently made his first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open.
Tiafoe on being inspired by the Williams sisters
“Serena and Venus weren’t playing tennis, even with the come up I had like, I’m you know, seven eight years ago watching them play against each other in the Wimbledon final, in a predominantly white sport, I’m looking at my dad, that’s iconic.
I’m not saying, I want to be them because they’re one of ones. But I want to be remembered like that. And I think, and when you create that, it’s you know, it’s insane. I mean, it’s it you know you’re forever remembered and that’s what I want,” Tiafoe said on The Old Man And The Three podcast.
After a strong end to the 2022 season, Tiafoe will be aiming to have a good 2023 season. In September, Tiafoe fell just short of reaching his first Grand Slam final as he was edged out by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in five sets.
This January, Tiafoe will be aiming to make another great Grand Slam result at the Australian Open. At Melbourne Park, Tiafoe’s best result has been the quarterfinal result achieved in 2019. Going into the tournament, Tiafoe is not really considered among the top favorites for the title. It remains to be seen if Tiafoe can put on a strong fortnight and potentially win it all at the Australian Open.
