In 2019, Michael Locksley became the head coach of the football team at the University of Maryland. His previous job was as offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama, one of the most successful sports programmes at any level in any sport in the world.

Locksley was told a young professional tennis player wanted to meet with him to learn more about what made Alabama successful. That player was Frances Tiafoe.

“He came up to my office to meet me and had a lot of questions,” Locksley recalled. “What is that programme about? How do they win? How do they do it consistently?”

Locksley had first met Tiafoe when he was a young teen — Tiafoe is a fixture on the sporting scene in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, otherwise known as the ‘DMV’. But this first formal interaction impressed the coach, and from then on he has become a mentor to the 24-year-old, who on Wednesday advanced to his first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open.

“Anyone who knows him knows that he has an elite athleticism about him,” Locksley said. “I know he’s been right there at the cusp a few times. With the questions he asked about Alabama, he was trying to find that secret sauce or that extra advantage or edge that would help him get over the top, which we’ve seen here firsthand at Flushing Meadows.

“It’s not necessarily about the physical part as much as it is about the mental approach, and I think that’s what he’s taken away from the relationship that he and I share.”

Locksley has come across many people during his time, but he has been especially impressed with Tiafoe’s willingness to seek advice. The American is the son of two immigrants from Sierra Leone and his father was a janitor at a tennis facility in Maryland. It was there that Tiafoe picked up the game and now he is competing on the biggest stages in the world.

Given where he comes from, Tiafoe is doing everything in his power to take his career as far as possible. Every step of the way, he does it with an unforgettable smile on his face.

“I think it’s the humility that the kid shows… To know his story and what he’s overcome to get to where he is, that is what drew me [to him],” Locksley said. “A guy like him, who has had most of the odds stacked against him and to overcome them and become not just the tennis player, but the person that he is, it’s been very rewarding to watch and see.

“He has a personality that makes everyone seem as though it’s not the first time they’ve met. You walk away after you met and he’s got that infectious smile, the personality and just really a welcoming personality.”

^{Tiafoe and Locksley at the University of Maryland. Photo Credit: Maryland Athletics}
Locksley added that with such a welcoming personality, people will be gravitate to Tiafoe. Although there is nothing wrong with that, a key is to separate that from the work that must be done.

“One of the things we talked about is if you want to be a consistent winner, you’ve got to develop that killer instinct and develop a championship routine. The work is done in the dark, it’s done in your training, preparing your body for a long Tour season. Mentally being in the right frame of mind where you’re not being motivated by outside entities, but self motivation,” Locksley said. “If you want to be a champion, sometimes you have to make sacrifices and I think over the last couple of years he’s embraced the sacrifices it takes and the discipline it takes to win at a high level, especially at that level.”

That has been a key focus for Tiafoe’s coach, Wayne Ferreira, who has worked with the American since just before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The former World No. 6 has worked hard to add structure and focus to his charge’s game. From going for a run without his phone to his diet, Tiafoe has taken many steps in the right direction.

“He liked a lot of candy and chocolates and cookies. He’d eat at unusual times. He missed breakfast a lot. Didn’t really have a good set of times on how [or] when to eat before matches, what to eat after matches. You need a little guidance on that side, and he’s done well on that side of it,” Ferreira said. “Practising, it’s about investing and putting in the best practice you can. We don’t practise long, because I’d rather that he practise properly. So we try to go out there and do the best that we can for the time we are doing it. We always try to work on specifics, things to improve.

“It’s just being professional… In my opinion, [he] was not really professional enough.”

There have been times since Tiafoe corrected that when he has wanted immediate results for his investment. That did not always come.

But the 24-year-old is now seeing the fruits of his labour in New York. According to Locksley, one of the biggest takeaways from his time at Alabama was embracing the process, a message he has passed along to Tiafoe.

“It’s all about the process and not focussing on results as much as each day, going out and really dedicating yourself and having the focus to eliminate as many distractions as you can. To work on your game each and every practice you have to be the best version of yourself,” Locksley said. “Everybody knows that he is an elite athlete on the Tour. Not very many people have that athleticism he has, but I think for him at a young age [it was important] to recognise that talent is only going to get you so far.

“The mental edge comes from mentally preparing yourself to play in big events like the one he is in at the US Open, and the big thing with that is continuing to eliminate the distractions, staying focussed, keeping ‘the main thing’ the main thing and I think he’s done a tremendous job of that so far.”

^{Photo Credit: Sarah Stier/Getty Images}
Tiafoe has received support this week from plenty of celebrities, including LeBron James and Jamie Foxx. Washington Wizards Stars Bradley Beal and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have been at Arthur Ashe Stadium to support him, too.

If you look carefully at Tiafoe’s right wrist, he wears several rubber bracelets with motivational messages on them. One is a “locked in” bracelet from the University of Maryland’s football programme. Others were gifts from Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy.

“[It is] anything just to give you a little inspiration. Look at that: Yeah, why not me? You put the time in, so why not me?” Tiafoe said. “Believe in yourself, it’s so big. You have to believe in yourself before anybody else does.”

No matter what happens in the US Open semi-finals against third seed Carlos Alcaraz, Tiafoe has earned his place in the last four. Win or lose, millions around the world could learn from his journey.

“I think it’s a great message for anybody really that you can end up achieving greatness from where you are coming. Frances has been lucky in some ways of having great help from people along the way,” Ferreira said. “But it’s a great story. Hopefully there will be a movie about it one day. But he has to win the Grand Slam first. You only get movies if you do well.

“But his story is very unique, and it’s a great story. He’s very humbled. He’s a very, very nice individual. Very great heart and kind. You’ve got to love him. He’s truly special.”

Jannik Sinner played his part in a US Open classic against Carlos Alcaraz in the early hours of Thursday morning. The Italian hammered the ball with unrelenting force throughout the five-hour, 15-minute clash, but was unable to prevail, with the Spaniard showing his fighting spirit and quality to advance in five sets.

The 21-year-old, who squandered a match point in the fourth set, admitted that his loss against Alcaraz will haunt him for a while.

“I had some tough losses. This is in the top list,” Sinner said in his post-match press conference. “Concerning the rest of the tournament, I think this one will hurt for quite a while. But tomorrow I [will] wake up, trying to somehow take only the positives, trying to take away the other part.”

Sinner edged past Daniel Altmaier and Ilya Ivashka in five sets en route to his fourth Grand Slam quarter-final. However, with a first major semi-final on the line, the 11th seed was unable to find a way past Alcaraz in their fourth ATP Head2Head meeting.

Despite his disappointment, Sinner was pleased with his showing on Arthur Ashe Stadium in a performance that captured the world’s attention.

“It was a good match from my side and from his side,” Sinner said. “I could finish in three sets, could finish in four sets, could finish in five sets. The level was high. At some point I didn’t serve that well, but he was returning well. It was a good match. Obviously the crowd was good. For me only the second time on Ashe. So it was a good match for sure.”

Sinner leaves Flushing Meadows holding a 42-12 record on the season. The Italian captured his sixth tour-level title when he defeated Alcaraz in the Umag final in July and is up to No. 11 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings following his run in New York.

“I feel good. I think we have improved a lot physically in the last month, so I was ready for a tough, tough battle. I feel physically more ready to play these kinds of matches for hours and hours,” Sinner said when reflecting on his recent progress.

“Many positives I think in this week. The first week I didn’t play my best tennis, for sure. But today I raised it because he’s the kind of player who makes you raise the level.”

The 2019 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals titlist is currently 14th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. The Italian will be aiming to finish the season strong and qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in November, having competed as an alternate last year.

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner in the early hours of Thursday morning at the US Open in a classic five-hour, 15-minute match that captured the world’s attention.

Stars from inside and outside the tennis world, including Stan Wawrinka and Coco Gauff reacted to the quarter-final clash on social media, with many calling it the match of the year.

Read More From The Quarter-Final Match
Alcaraz Saves MP; Outlasts Sinner In Historic US Open QF Thriller
Alcaraz: ‘The Energy I Received Was Unbelievable’
Alcaraz Qualifies For Turin

How good is this match #Alcaraz – #Sinner ? @usopen 🔥💣

— Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) September 8, 2022

Can’t get any better …@janniksin vs @carlosalcaraz
I just found myself screaming in my room, is it normal?😹

— Feliciano López (@feliciano_lopez) September 8, 2022

this match is insane. I leave at 6am for the airport but I refuse to sleep and miss this. #Sinner #Alcaraz

— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) September 8, 2022

Sign me up for the next 10 years of Sinner vs Alcaraz matches. This has been a delight

— Laura Robson (@laurarobson5) September 8, 2022

Worth staying up for. #Alcaraz #Sinner incredible tennis.

— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) September 8, 2022

Thank you to @janniksin & @carlosalcaraz for showing us the future of tennis now.

Incredible in every possible way @usopen @espn

— Patrick McEnroe (@PatrickMcEnroe) September 8, 2022

These guys are going to be great! This tennis is INSANE!!!!!! Absolutely insane! @janniksin @carlosalcaraz @usopen @espn

— Rennae Stubbs OLY (@rennaestubbs) September 8, 2022

These guys are going to be great! This tennis is INSANE!!!!!! Absolutely insane! @janniksin @carlosalcaraz @usopen @espn

— Rennae Stubbs OLY (@rennaestubbs) September 8, 2022

Been watching 4 sets live front row… UN-REAL #playstationtennis

— Kirsten Flipkens (@FlipperKF) September 8, 2022

This match is insaaaaane 💥🇺🇸🗽 @usopen pic.twitter.com/t6czV2jJm5

— EdouardRogerVasselin (@ERogerVasselin) September 8, 2022

Is this the best match of the year?

— Pam Shriver (@PHShriver) September 8, 2022

#alcaraz #sinner #usopen phewwwwwwwwwwww🔥🔥🔥🔥

— Rohan Bopanna (@rohanbopanna) September 8, 2022

This is video game tennis. Can’t wait to watch these two battle for years.

— James Blake (@JRBlake) September 8, 2022

Carlos Alcaraz broke new ground in the early hours of Thursday morning when he edged Jannik Sinner in a five-set thriller to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final. Under the lights on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the Spaniard saved one match point en route to a historic victory.

“I feel great to be in my first semi-final in a Grand Slam,” Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference. “I feel better reaching a semi-final here [at the] US Open. This tournament is amazing. The crowd is amazing, I would say the best in the world.”

In an epic clash between two former Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champions that finished at 2:50 a.m. local time, it was the 19-year-old Alcaraz who prevailed after five hours and 15 minutes. The match broke the record for the latest finish in tournament history and was the second-longest clash in US Open history.

“Probably at the end of the match, I was [at] my end. It was really, really tough for me,” Alcaraz said. “[But], during the whole match, five hours, 15 minutes of the match, I felt great physically. The level of tennis that we played, it was really, really high. But I felt great.

“The energy I received in this court at 3 a.m., it was unbelievable,” Alcaraz later added. “I mean, probably in other tournaments, everybody [would go] to their house to rest. But they [stayed] in the court, supporting me. It was unbelievable.”

Alcaraz, who with the win qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time, has now improved to 49-9 on the season. The two-time ATP Masters 1000 titlist will next play Frances Tiafoe on Friday. The American downed Andrey Rublev to become the first American man to reach the semi-finals since 2006, when Andy Roddick advanced to the championship match.

“It’s going to be really, really tough,” Alcaraz said when looking ahead to the match. “Everybody knows the level of Frances. He has beaten Rafa Nadal and Rublev. He’s playing unbelievably right now. High confidence. He loves the crowd. He loves this court. I’m going to have to play my best.”

Did You Know?
Alcaraz has the opportunity to become the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings next Monday. The 19-year-old can achieve the feat by lifting his first major trophy or if he reaches the final and Casper Ruud does not.