Tiafoe: “Being black in the US is crazy, even driving can be dangerous. I’m an activist, no more racism”

“Being black in the US is crazy. There is too much violence. Young people get shot, they shoot…Driving and being black can be dangerous. There are guns and everything. People have to unite and we have to end racism. I feel like an activist too.” Interviewed by El Paisthe number 11 of the world Atp Frances Tiafoe recounts the difficulties faced by African Americans in recent years, also in relation to the opportunities in the world of tennis, “a sport that has normally been white” as defined by the player, son of a miner and a nurse from Sierra Leone fleeing the civil war .

Tiafoe: “I’m an activist”

When asked if he considers himself an activist, Tiafoe replies without hesitation: “Absolutely, without a doubt, in America we all have our role and I like that. The influence of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X or Mandela? Strong, of course. What they did was crucial. There are also Barack and Michelle Obama. When I think about what Mandela did under apartheid, those millions of people who mobilized: it’s amazing what those great activists did.”

Serena, Venus and the inspirers

Tiafoe listed African-American champions who led the way: “Venus and Serena Williams they inspired so many who wanted to be like them. We had the example of Arthur Ashe then it came James Blake [n.4 nel 2006], and I would like to be like them. There had been before Althea Gibson (first African-American to win Roland Garros in 1956), then Zina Garrison (1990 Wimbledon finalist). You know there is someone who paved the way. Of course, there is still a lot to do.”