Frances Tiafoe presents $50,000 check to support hometown tennis center in Maryland

Frances Tiafoe is giving back to the tennis center that raised him.

This week, the 25-year-old American was back home in College Park, Md. to present a $50,000 check to the Junior Tennis Champions' Center in College Park, Md. to support the organization's tennis programming. The sum comes from Tiafoe's eponymous Frances Tiafoe Fund through the USTA Foundation, which was established last summer and supports tennis and education programming for under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis and Learning program.

JTCC is one of more than 250 NJTLs around the country that are supported by the USTA Foundation, and it also is the training ground of 2021 junior US Open winner Robin Montgomery. Ray Benton, JTCC CEO, called Tiafoe "an incredible role model to kids everywhere," and called it "an honor" for the club to "have him return to the place where it all started and help us move our mission forward.”

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of everyone at JTCC,” Tiafoe said in a statement. “It means a lot to me to be able to pay it forward and help the next generation of kids have access to the same opportunities as I did."

This spring, Tiafoe has also supported the initiative through youth tennis clinics at tournaments in Dallas and Houston, where he went on to reach the final.

“Frances has turned his success on the court into a platform for advocacy, passionately working to ensure that under-resourced youth have the opportunity to unlock their potential through tennis and education,” USTA Foundation CEO Ginny Ehrlich said.

“His commitment to opening doors for the next generation reflects not only his exceptional character but also his belief in the transformative power of sport and learning.”

After also splitting with coach Diego Moyano this week, Tiafoe will be back in action on clay in Europe as the spring season ramps up with back-to-back Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome later this month.