- Frances Tiafoe’s parents, Constant Frances Tiafoe Sr. and Alphina Kamara are American immigrants from Sierra Leone who fled a civil war
- Constant, France’s father was an on-site custodian of a tennis center where his children learned how to play tennis while Alphina was a nurse
- Frances’ father encouraged his children to focus on tennis in order to get scholarships since the family could not afford a university education
Frances Tiafoe’s parents are Constant Frances Tiafoe Sr (father) and Alphina Kamara (mother) who moved to the United States in the 1990s after fleeing the West African country, Sierra Leone. Inasmuch as they pushed themselves to become great in their endeavors, with Constant working at a tennis center and Kamara working as a nurse, they couldn’t get their names marked as famous people.
Yet, they have impacted greatly the lives of their 2 sons, Frances and Franklin Tiafoe. Frances has brought fame to his parents through his being one of the most successful tennis players. He has competed in Grand Slam singles, Olympic Games, Grand Slam doubles, and other team competitions. He is most notable for becoming the first American in the main draw French Opens since Michael Chang in 1989.
Who are Frances Tiafoe’s Parents?
His Father, Constant Tiafoe Was an Immigrant Construction Worker and Custodian at a Tennis Center in Maryland
Previously known as Constant Zubairu, Frances Tiafoe Sr. started his life in Sierra Leone, a poor country on the south coast of West Africa. According to Washington Post, he moved to London in 1988 before heading to the United States in 1993, about 5 years before the birth of Frances and his twin, Franklin Tiafoe.
Frances’ father was determined to make the most of his life in America and luckily, he got a job as a construction worker at the Junior Tennis Championship Center (JTCC) in Washington D.C in 1999. Afterward, he was employed as the center’s custodian due to his dedication to his job.
Frances Sr. being determined to make more money to help his family, started to also run night jobs after his day jobs, caring for the complex. He later became an unofficial ambassador at the center with duties such as ushering visitors and detailing members’ cars among other roles.
The long hour of work had him spend most of his days at the center. This led to the creation of a room for the older Tiafoe in the complex. His sons, Frances and Franklin stayed in the same room with their father 5 days a week and returned home when their mother was available from her job.
Frances’ Mother, Kamara is a Registered Nurse
Born in Sierra Leonne, Alphina Kamara is a registered nurse who left her home country in 1995 after winning a U.S government visa lottery and a coveted green card.
Well, Kamara thought to flee Sierra Leone because of the Civil War that started in 1991, lasted until 2002, and claimed the lives of over 50,000 people.
According to her, she was attending funerals week in and week out as a result of the violence.
See Also: Juan Pablo Varillas- 7 Unknown Facts About The Tennis Player
Frances’ Parents Married After 2 Decades of Being Together
Despite being together for years and having their twin boys on January 20, 1998, there are reports that the parents of the tennis superstar officially got married in 2013 after they had met in Maryland.
Whatever the case, Kamara and Frances Sr’s being a couple since the 1990s has brought up a family that the world pays attention to.
As a couple, they’ve been through the thicks and thins of life. They struggled financially and had to work day and night. In fact, while Kamara was away at work on night shifts, her spouse and children were living at the tennis center and sleeping on massage beds.
Even after leaving his job at the tennis center 11 years into working there, in a bid to start a business, he failed and struggled with debt. Despite this, different pointers have shown that Kamara continues to be a part of her husband’s life.
How Frances’s Parents Have Contributed to His Success
It is almost impossible to speak about the success of Frances Taifoe without bringing the roles and sacrifices of his parents. First, his father exposed him to tennis and encouraged him and his brother to work hard to gain scholarships since the family could not afford a university education.
Away from that, Kamara being a strong Christian would pray for her children and be happy even when she did not really understand the sport.
Both their sons turn out to become good at the game and played for DeMatha Catholic High School and Salisbury University. Nonetheless, Frances’ love for the game could not let him keep the sport away and in no time won many awards.
Frances’ success is traced back to when he was 14 and won his first international tournament at Les Petits As in France In 2013, he became the youngest player to win the Orange Bowl.
In 2015, Tiofe claimed his first professional title by winning the ITF Futures tournament. He also became the youngest American in the main draw French Opens since Michael Chang in 1989.
Frances has also made several records in Grand Slam singles (2019-2022), Olympic Games (2021), Grand Slam doubles, and other team competitions. Despite all these records and more, the younger Tiafoe revealed that one event that his parents will keep forever in their hearts is his winning Rafael Nadal on September 5, 2022.
Frances Tiafoe’s parents, Constant Frances Tiafoe and Alphina Kamara have contributed to making America one of the countries with the highest number of immigrants that have reached 50.6 million in 2022, per the World Population Review. They have also added to raising one of the youngest, yet toughest tennis players in the country while also leading also their personal lives away from the public and focusing on their careers.
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