"I thought, ‘She’s going to think I’m trash.": Hailey Baptiste and Frances Tiafoe describe memories of playing with Williams sisters

When Frances Tiafoe greets Hailey Baptiste with a casual, “What’s up, bro?” and she fires back, “What’s good, dawg?” it’s instantly clear: this isn’t a stiff interview. It’s two friends, both from Washington D.C., talking openly about tennis, life on tour, and everything in between. They talk in ATP's Tour Tales.

The conversation begins with Baptiste admiring their surroundings.“Sick, bro. Incredible facility,” she says to Tennis Channel. “It doesn’t even feel like a tennis gym. It’s crazy. I mean, this has got to be the best site in the world, no question.”

Tiafoe agrees: “I can’t think of somewhere else that compares to this. You excited to play tomorrow?” “No,” Baptiste deadpans, before laughing. Tiafoe pushes her on the conditions. “It’s a night session. The lights, the atmosphere. How do you feel the courts are?”

“They’re fast. Super fast, for sure. Even faster than D.C., because I feel like D.C.’s courts are fast, but here’s much quicker.” “You like it?” Tiafoe asks. Yeah, I like it. Good with my serve,” she answers.

Talk turns to the jump from junior tennis to the professional game. “What do you think is the biggest difference?” Tiafoe asks. “You see some players jump in and kill right away, but some take a long time.”

Baptiste doesn’t hesitate: “Juniors, like, nobody really understands what the game is. You’re just going out there playing matches. Some juniors have a full team around them, doing the whole thing like they’re Fed, and they come out the game and kill. But honestly, I didn’t take juniors seriously at all. I was just having fun.Obviously when you get to a Slam, you’re nervous and want to do well, but I can’t say I was centred back then. At this level you can’t do that — it’s different pressures. The biggest thing is just being professional, taking care of things on and off the court.”

She also points out the danger of peaking too early: “Some players who had a full team early, they come out killing, but they can burn out. If you’re too locked in as a junior, by the time you’re 20, even before, you’re going to burn out. It’s not fun anymore — it feels like work.” For her, keeping tennis fun is key: “I think that’s why we’re able to play so well. We just had fun. Even now, when I’m in big moments, I go back to that: ‘This is what I dreamed of doing as a kid. I’m going to have fun.’ The worst feeling is being in those moments and not enjoying them.”

Tiafoe nods, recalling his own messy junior days: “I was always all over the place. At USTA, I’d forget my shoes for practice, or start hitting and all my rackets had popped strings. I’d get suspended for a day, then have to call Pops: ‘Yo, what happened?’ ‘I didn’t get anything done.’ And he’d be steaming: ‘What do you mean you didn’t practice? The coaches were hard on us, but we needed that because we were so relaxed back home. That made the biggest difference. At first I was so focused on not doing things wrong, I did everything wrong. Eventually, I just woke up and was like, ‘All right, I’m ready to run today — something’s going to go wrong.’”

Tiafoe asks Baptiste when she first realised she could hang at the top level. “When I beat Madison Keys,” she replies without pause. “I was 17, it was my first WTA match at the City Open. I was just happy to be there. My coach told me I could beat her, and when I did, it flipped a switch in my head: ‘Wait, I can do this.’ Then I went to Cincinnati two weeks later, and that really gave me belief.”

“You need that moment,” Tiafoe says. “Tennis is so much about confidence. Some guys at the top aren’t even that nice, but they believe in everything — every shot.” “Exactly,” Baptiste agrees. For Tiafoe, that moment came against a legend. “I always knew I was going to be a pro. I didn’t know how it would look, but I was confident I’d make money playing tennis. The real moment was when I lost to Roger in a five-set battle at 19. I was like, ‘I think I’m going to be one of them.’”

When the topic shifts to starstruck moments, both recall doubles matches with the Williams sisters. “Playing doubles with Venus at the DC Open,” Baptiste says. “From the moment I heard, that’s all I could think about. Walking on court, it was packed, standing room only — for doubles! I was so nervous. Every ball I missed, I thought, ‘She’s going to think I’m trash.’ But it was incredible.”

Baptiste laughs. “KD (Kevin Durant) pulled up to that match too. But I was so locked in on Venus I couldn’t even think about KD. That was definitely my starstruck moment.” Tiafoe remembers partnering Serena at Hopman Cup. “We lost every match, but the mindset she had was unreal. She’d say, ‘I’ve got 23, he’s got 20 — he’s not better than me.’ That confidence was crazy.”

Despite the glamour, the grind is real. “It’s tough,” Tiafoe admits. “People see the glitz and glam, but it’s long and gruelling. We’re playing 11 months a year. I love the game and traveling, but you never really settle anywhere. Even at home, you’re only there a few days before leaving again. Baptiste agreed: “It makes a huge difference having good people around you on tour. If I didn’t have you and Franklin with me, I wouldn’t enjoy it as much. We keep each other motivated, laugh it off after losses, and just move forward.”

Not everything is serious. The two burst into laughter recalling chaotic travel days. “Funniest cover story of all time?” Tiafoe asks. “After the US Open, Jordy’s birthday, we went out,” he recalls. “Next day, we’re leaving. You told me you were packed — but your room was an explosion, bags everywhere.”

“Yeah, I don’t know why I said that,” Baptiste laughs. We’re trying to stuff everything into cars. You’re so relaxed, strolling in like nothing happened, while we’re stressing with bags on bags. That was wild,” Tiafoe says, shaking his head.

When asked about her ambitions, Baptiste is clear: “My biggest goal is to win a singles title. I haven’t gotten one yet, so that’s number one. Ranking-wise, I want to get into the top 30, maybe top 20. Start the new year seeded in Australia. That would be huge.” Tiafoe is just as ambitious: “It’s time. I’m trying to finish top 10, maybe even top 5. With the team I have and the mindset, I believe it.” Baptiste nods. “We both can be at the top of the game. Take it to another level. Have the sport looked at differently.”

From forgetting rackets at USTA practices to sharing courts with Serena and Venus, Frances Tiafoe and Hailey Baptiste have walked similar paths. What binds them is more than geography — it’s a shared belief in hard work, joy, and confidence. “We truly love the game,” Baptiste says. “It looks like we’re having fun, and the fans want to see that.” The goals are set, the belief is strong, and one thing’s for certain: they’re just getting started.