American tennis may have rising star in Francis Tiafoe

American men’s tennis has been in eclipse. Finally, a new talent may be on the way. Francis Tiafoe, a 16-year-old prodigy, is being hailed as the next big thing and reports last week suggested Jay-Z, the American hip-hop mogul, is set to sign the teenager as a client of his new sports agency.

For years, American men’s tennis has been in eclipse. No grand slam singles champion since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open, not even a semi-finalist since Roddick’s 2009 Wimbledon final.

Finally, though, new talent may be on the way. Francis Tiafoe, a 16-year-old prodigy, is being hailed as the next big thing and reports last week suggested Jay-Z, the American hip-hop mogul, is set to sign the teenager as a client of his new sports agency.

Sceptics might dismiss the Jay-Z/Tiafoe link as US hype – a common enough occurrence. Remember Donald Young? Many do not.

But those who have watched Tiafoe in action seem convinced he is a rising star.

In October, he became the youngest player to win the prestigious, 18-and-under Orange Bowl, an event that counts Roger Federer, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg and Roddick among its champions.

Then, as Bill Ackman, Tiafoe’s billionaire benefactor, told Business Insider last month, Tiafoe has “a very compelling life story”.

The son of immigrants from ­Sierra Leone, Tiafoe was a toddler when his father found work as a labourer at the construction site of a tennis centre in Maryland. Once the centre was complete, his father was retained as a maintenance man and their home was a small storage closet on the site.

The job allowed Tiafoe to get free lessons and bypass the US$40,000-a-year (Dh147,000) fees.

It reads like a rags-to-riches Hollywood script and American fans are hoping more chapters remain to be written.

Follow us on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE