Skip to main content

Tennis star Frances Tiafoe and his girlfriend, Ayan Broomfield, have been dating for more than a decade, but she really captured the hearts of fans in 2024 when she went viral as she nervously watched her beau compete against Ben Shelton during the US Open.

A clip of her in the stands showed an array of emotions from Broomfield. They included her looking so nervous that she was literally squirming out of her seat to the pure joy and excitement when Tiafoe took the lead. She also went viral during the 2026 Miami Open after she playfully reacted to the crowd cheering for Tiafoe’s opponent, Arthur Cazaux.

Besides being her man’s No. 1 fan and going through the highs and lows of each match with him, here are a few other things you may not know about Ayan Broomfield.

Broomfield was born on Aug. 13, 1997,  in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. After moving to the U.S., she attended Clemson University, then UCLA. She graduated from the latter in 2020 with a degree in women’s studies. 

Like Tiafoe, Broomfield is a tennis player as well. She made her WTA Tour debut in 2014 at the Coupe Banque Nationale. At the collegiate level, she and teammate Gabby Andrews won the doubles event at the 2019 NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championship, defeating Kate Fahey and Brienne Minor of the Michigan Wolverines.

She starred in her own Amazon Prime documentary titled Ayan Broomfield Tennis Story. Broomfield was also a body double for Venus Williams in select scenes of the 2021 biographical film King Richard. On set, she got to meet Will Smith, who was playing the family patriarch, as well as Serena Williams.

Tiafoe was by his girlfriend’s side at the film’s premiere.

Broomfield and Tiafoe met when they were introduced by fellow tennis pro Victoria Duval at the U.S. Open in 2015. It’s believed that the pair began dating shortly after that. However, they didn’t make their relationship Instagram official until 2018 when Tiafoe first appeared in Broomfield’s Valentine’s Day post.

During an interview with the ATP, Broonfield explained that she and Tiafoe have bonded over their shared experience in the sport, saying, “We can talk about tennis. I mean, I played tennis myself. So even just when we’re seeing the draw, and we kind of look at certain players, sometimes I can act as a sounding board for matches. I just feel like we just understand it and what it takes for someone to go and be able to compete at the highest level.”

She admitted that Taifoe may not always take her advice, but still appreciates having someone there whom he can talk to about strategy.

In 2024, Broomfield started the Ayan Broomfield Foundation. The nonprofit’s mission is to “elevate local programs worldwide” and “provide those in need with athletic gear to enrich their lives through the power of sport.”

Best in News