On the eve of the US Open, crowd favourite Frances Tiafoe was named in Forbes’ list of highest-paid tennis players for 2025. The world No. 17 reportedly earned £11million ($15.2m) over the last year, with £8.9m ($12m) coming from his off-court endeavours.
It’s the first time Tiafoe has been named in the top-10 tennis rich list since turning professional in 2015, and the American was “shocked” to see his name among the likes of multi-Grand Slam champions like Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff.
Tiafoe came in at No. 9 on Forbes’ list of highest-played players, which was unveiled last week. While some of the earnings floated in these reports should sometimes be taken with a pinch of salt, the 27-year-old confirmed his £11m total was correct.
“I seen it. It’s pretty accurate,” he smiled, speaking after his first-round win in Flushing Meadows.
“You know, I never really thought about it, but when I actually thought about it and, like, you know, the inflow I have and things like that, I was like, yeah. Obviously all before tax, right?”
It’s not a huge surprise to see Tiafoe in the rich list. In the last year, he ditched long-term apparel sponsor Nike and signed a deal with Lululemon. He’s also one of the most popular players throughout the North American hard-court swing.
But the world No. 17 was still stunned to see himself named, especially given his humble beginnings. Tiafoe started playing tennis because his father worked as the head of maintenance at the famous Junior Tennis Champions Centre in Maryland.
He started out by hitting against a backboard, and he and his brother, Franklin, were soon gifted free places to train among the gifted players at JTCC.
Tiafoe went on to become a top-10 player, winning three titles across all three surfaces and reaching two US Open semi-finals. And he knows his success is a testament to where he came from.
He added: “But yeah, I was pretty shocked about it because knowing the list, a lot of Grand Slam champions. It’s a testament, man, to my story, just being truly blessed and highly favoured, man.
“Honestly, when you look at the list, I shouldn’t be on the list, to be honest with you. To be [nine], that shows a lot of brands and people want to follow me and be part of my journey. That means a lot for me, more than the money part. Obviously that’s cool too.
“But I mean, that many people want to be a part of me because, honestly, if you look at the list, I shouldn’t be on there, but it’s a testament to also being a genuine person. I feel a lot of my partners invest in me the person rather than the athlete.”
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