Iconic artist Wale: ‘Frances has got the rapper energy’
Frances Tiafoe has long been the face of tennis in the “DMV” (the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia), and other celebrities in the area have taken notice. Iconic artist Wale is a big supporter of the US Open quarter-finalist, who will play Grigor Dimitrov on Tuesday for a place in the last four.
“It’s like a shot in the arm. The DMV is known for football, basketball. We’ve got a lot. But tennis, there are not a lot of black men’s tennis players that are having that level of success,” Wale told ATPTour.com. “For him to be where we’re from, it’s just the icing on the cake. He’s an easy guy to root for in a sport that I feel like he can even be one of the faces of.”
Wale even visited the Mubadala Citi DC Open last month to watch his friend compete in the ATP 500 event. He compared the atmosphere to that of a Washington Commanders home game.
“I would imagine [it was] like a Sugar Ray [Leonard] boxing match that was in Landover in the ‘80s or something,” Wale said. “You could feel that the energy was for him and he put on a great show.”
Beyond his success on the tennis court, Wale has been impressed with how the 26-year-old carries himself.
“He’s humble. Even when he was like, ‘It’s my house’ [against Ben Shelton], you can still tell that he respects his opponent, he respects the game. He’s just easy to root for. He gets into it when he’s got to,” Wale said. “On a personal level, just how he is with me and how he is with other people, he’s just a really good dude. People that have that much success, they don’t always be the best people and he’s just a really good person that really respects the sport and respects his opponent. He’s an exciting player. What’s not to love, right?”
Wale has a couple pairs of Andre Agassi shoes in storage and has watched the likes of Agassi, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams over the years. Today, he follows players including Tiafoe, Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka, and believes “tennis is an easy watch”.
“There are a lot of young legends emerging right now,” Wale said. “[There is] just a lot to be excited about. I’ve been watching.”
Something that appeals to the Washington, D.C.-native about tennis is the one-on-one nature of the competition. He said that makes it “a different monster”.
“You can’t really take plays off. Your strategy is your strategy. You’ve got to battle with your own mind. It’s a psychological sport,” Wale said. “[Washington tournament chairman] Mark Ein explained so many layers of tennis to me at the Washington tournament. He explained so many levels that I never even thought of, so I watch it with a different mindset at this point.”
Wale is immersed in the sports world with the University of Maryland football team and its head coach, Michael Locksley, who is a mentor of Tiafoe’s. But when the rapper finishes for the day, he has checked in on Tiafoe’s US Open efforts. The home favourite is into the quarter-finals for the third consecutive year.
“I watch the highlights when I get back,” Wale said. “I think I’m going to be able to watch the next match, but I’ve been locked in with practice. I’ve been catching the good stuff, though.”
[ATP APP]Most of all, Wale feels pride watching what his friend is accomplishing.
“It’s like an infinite level [of being proud] seeing him manoeuvre through this and seeing how he keeps his composure. It’s very inspiring to me. We can all learn a lot from Frances Tiafoe, to be honest,” Wale said. “Tennis is a wicked game, man. You can be down crazy and have to rally back… There’s a lot you can learn. I watched him, I talked to him. We talk on the phone. His energy is that of a person who is grateful for everything.
“He wants to represent this area just as much as a rapper would. Frances has got the rapper energy, to be honest. He wants to represent where he’s from just like a rapper would.”
Wale believes Tiafoe is just getting started on and off the court. The American also sets a great example off the court and has been recognised for it. Tiafoe earned the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in 2020.
“He’s got so many more tricks up his sleeve and I think he’s just going to put Maryland tennis on the map,” Wale said. “Black tennis players, they have somebody to look up to. Young black kids have somebody to look up to, and Naomi and Coco are doing their thing. But young black boys have somebody to look up to and that’s exciting and admirable.
“It’s exciting to see what he can do and I’m always going to support him. I’m grateful that we made our connection and that he’s doing what he’s doing. Sometimes I take his matches too seriously!”
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