Frances Tiafoe backs efforts to expand grassroots tennis in UK

Independent

a day ago

US tennis star Frances Tiafoe believes the game in the UK can set a global example as the sport attempts to break free from its elitist reputation and open up at grassroots level.
Lack of access to facilities has typically led to far smaller participation levels than in more popular sports in Britain and, though an LTA report in 2024 revealed that around 3.6million UK children play at least once a year, barriers remain to its regular uptake amongst young people, both in Britain and abroad.
Much of that is down to the expense of equipment and limited access to properly maintained courts and coaching, in practice fencing the game off from some demographics.
Current world number 12 Tiafoe, whose family immigrated to the United States from Sierra Leone during the 90s, cites his early introduction to the game as an outlier.
Had his father not worked as janitor at a tennis centre in Tiafoe's hometown Maryland, he believes he would never have taken up a game which was seen as off limits to people from less affluent backgrounds.
'You give a chance to people in inner cities, people who wouldn't be able to do a particular sport,' said Tiafoe, who was speaking at an event in London to mark one year of Barclays Free Park tennis scheme, which provides facilities and coaching with the aim of removing barriers between children and grassroots sport.
'In America, that's why everyone's so quick to play basketball. All you need is a ball and a hoop. Same as (football) over here (in the UK).'
He believes that initiatives like Free Park Tennis – billed as the sport's answer to Park Run and which provides for free the coaches and equipment many would otherwise be unable to afford – will provide the stimulus in the UK for barriers to fall away.
'Tennis you need rackets and strings and shoes, it becomes very upper echelon,' he said. 'This way everyone will be able to it. That's what means a lot to me.'
Tiafoe, a two-time US Open semi-finalist in 2022 and 2024, will be aiming to improve upon his Wimbledon record – where he has never progressed beyond the fourth round – when play begins on Monday.
The 27-year-old is drawn to face the Dane Elmer Moller in the first round with a possible second-round meeting with Brit Cameron Norrie.
He believes that more players from his background will in future feel they can follow in his footsteps, with the UK leading the way in breaking down barriers.
'There'd be three or four of me sitting here if we had these schemes (in the US),' he said. 'That's why I'm so passionate about these type of things.'
BBC Sport presenter Ian Wight, also speaking at the event, said his own experience of growing up on a council estate in south London pushed him and his peers towards football because sports like tennis appeared closed off.
'When we were younger, you go the tennis court where I lived in Brockley, it was always empty,' he said. 'I didn't see anybody on there – white, black, nobody.
'There were people who played football with us just because it's easy to get a football and all of you can play. I'm sure some of those guys, if they had the facilities from this kind of initiative, they would have done it. '