Ayan Broomfield: Frances Tiafoe's Partner and Advocate for Change in Tennis
Frances Tiafoe’s rise through tennis has never been a solo act. Just beyond the baseline, often just out of the TV frame, stands Ayan Broomfield — former pro, college champion, body double to Venus Williams on the big screen, and now a driving force for change in the sport.
They’ve been together 11 years. It shows.
From Ontario courts to college champion
Broomfield was born on Aug. 13, 1997, in Ontario, Canada, and grew up on Canadian courts before crossing the border to chase a bigger tennis future in the United States. Clemson University was her first stop, and she didn’t tiptoe into college tennis. She stormed it.
In two years at Clemson, she collected major honors: ACC Freshman of the Year and ITA Carolina Region Rookie of the Year. Those awards confirmed what coaches already knew — she wasn’t just another recruit; she was a cornerstone.
Then came the move that changed everything.
After her sophomore season, Broomfield transferred to UCLA “because of its rich history and to have the opportunity to create something for its future,” as her school bio put it. She delivered exactly that. As a senior in 2019, she and doubles partner Gabby Andrews captured the NCAA doubles title, securing UCLA’s seventh NCAA doubles crown.
The ring meant more than jewelry. It was the fulfillment of a promise she’d made to herself. When the championship ring arrived, she posed with it on Instagram, writing that her number one goal in college tennis was to get a national championship ring — and now it sparkled on her hand.
A brief pro run and a different kind of platform
Before college, Broomfield had already dipped her toes into the professional game. In 2014, she made her WTA debut at the Coupe Banque Nationale, playing doubles alongside Maria Patrascu. The pair reached a world ranking of No. 467 in women’s doubles, a modest number on paper, but a marker of a teenager already navigating the pro circuit.
She later shifted her focus more toward singles and built a profile that extended beyond rankings. Brands noticed. Partnerships with Wilson and Athleta followed, reflecting her status as an influential figure in women’s tennis rather than just another name on an entry list.
Then Hollywood called.
Broomfield’s clean technique and athleticism landed her a role as a body double for Saniyya Sidney in King Richard, standing in for Venus Williams’ tennis scenes. On set, she met Will Smith, who played Richard Williams, and Serena Williams herself. It was a surreal leap from college courts and ITF events to a major film about the very sport that shaped her life.
Tiafoe was by her side at the movie’s premiere in November 2021. On Instagram, he called it an “iconic night” they were able to share together.
A DM, a US Open, and the start of something lasting
The origin story is very 21st century. They met through a mutual friend, fellow player Victoria Duval. The rest unfolded online.
“You know, Instagram these days and, you know, I slid in her DMs,” Tiafoe said in an August 2018 press conference, admitting it wasn’t something he usually did. Messages turned into conversations. Conversations turned into a phone number. Then came the first big in-person test.
Broomfield and her family came to watch him at the 2015 US Open.
“I was like, jeez, we’re not even dating yet, and I’m already meeting your family,” Tiafoe recalled. “We’re moving quite quick here, but that was another story.”
They made it official on Sept. 8, 2015. Four years later, Tiafoe marked the anniversary with a playful, affectionate Instagram tribute, calling it their “Fourth year anniversary” and laughing at how “craaaazzyyy quick” time had gone. “We been datin datin,” he wrote, adding, “Love you deep sexy. You one crazy chick but couldn't imagine being with anyone else.”
Three months after they started dating, he went public with the relationship. On Dec. 22, 2015, he posted a photo of the two of them in matching backward caps, wrapping an arm around each other after a week together in Boca Raton. The caption was young, open, unfiltered — he’d had “a amazing time” and was going to “miss you sooo much.”
The world was getting its first look at the couple. Inside their circle, the bond was already much stronger.
Top 10 and a scrapbook of belief
As Tiafoe climbed the rankings, Broomfield didn’t just watch. She documented. In June 2023, when he cracked the world’s top 10 for the first time, she celebrated with a collage of screenshots she’d been quietly saving.
“TOP 10 IN THE WORLD!” she wrote. She admitted she had started taking screenshots of different moments and accomplishments “a few years ago in anticipation of this day.” It wasn’t an impulsive post; it was a long-term project built on faith in where he was headed. “I am so proud of you,” she added.
Tiafoe answered in the comments with the same raw honesty that’s made him a fan favorite.
“Man to think how far we've come. 2015 meeting you for the first and also just starting my career. Youve rocked with me thru it all. The good the bad and the standstills. It's been a ride no one can put into words,” he wrote. Then he cut straight to the heart of it: “You mean more to me than you can ever imagine. I love you with all I got.”
By then, he was a US Open semifinalist, a star on the global stage. She was no longer just “the girlfriend in the stands.” She was a sounding board, strategist, and equal partner who understood every layer of the grind.
Strategy talks and surprise appearances
Unlike many partners of top players, Broomfield speaks the same tennis language fluently. She’s lived the draw sheets, the scouting, the nerves before big matches.
“We can talk about tennis. I mean, I played tennis myself,” she told the ATP in August 2023. “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.”
She described their personalities as complementary. Tiafoe is naturally “happy-go-lucky.” She’s the more serious one. “I think we balance each other out a lot,” she said.
He doesn’t always follow her tactical advice. He does value it. “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 added.
That understanding plays out in quieter ways, too — like where she chooses to be when he’s chasing titles.
In 2023, at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston, Tiafoe thought she was in Los Angeles. Instead, she slipped into the crowd, hidden among his family and friends. He didn’t spot her until the end of the first set. By the time he lifted his second ATP trophy, the surprise had sunk in.
“I also want to thank … my girlfriend Ayan, who I see in the crowd at 1-0. I didn't even know you were in Houston. I thought you were in L.A.!” he said in his victory speech, captured by Tennis TV. “She surprised me, that's unbelievable you're here. You see me win my second title, so that's unbelievable.”
It was a small moment on a small stage compared to Grand Slams and night sessions in New York, but it captured their dynamic perfectly: she appears when it matters, often when he least expects it.
Ayan’s Aces and a bigger fight
Broomfield’s story isn’t just about supporting a top-10 player or reliving her own past on court. She’s intent on changing who gets to see themselves in tennis.
In early 2025, she launched Ayan’s Aces, an initiative aimed at bringing diversity to the sport. The opening move was bold and symbolic: hosting more than 100 women of color at the Miami Open. Not just in the cheap seats, but in spaces that have historically been closed off — suites, curated cultural events, rooms where the future of the game is shaped as much as on the practice courts.
Since then, she has continued to push for representation for women of color both on and off the court. That means visibility in the stands and in the suites, but also in the conversations around the sport’s culture, access, and opportunity.
Her own path — from Ontario to Clemson to UCLA, from WTA events to Hollywood sets, from college champion to advocate — gives her credibility when she speaks about what tennis can be, and who it should include.
More than a cheerleader
Publicly, Broomfield is often framed as Tiafoe’s “biggest cheerleader,” and she absolutely is that. She’s in the stands when their schedules align, shouting, clapping, living every point. She posts the tributes, saves the screenshots, flies across the country to surprise him mid-tournament.
But the label undersells her.
She’s a former pro who knows the sting of a bad loss and the weight of a big win. She’s a national champion who understands the pressure of playing for a program with history. She’s a strategist who can glance at a draw and see danger zones and opportunities. She’s a woman using her platform to make tennis look more like the world beyond the gates.
As Tiafoe keeps pushing deeper into Slams and chasing bigger titles, the cameras will keep finding him. Just behind him, often one step removed from the spotlight, Ayan Broomfield is building something of her own — a career, a cause, and a legacy that won’t need anyone else’s ranking to measure its impact.
