The United States is living a real dream this US Open. After several years of lethargy, especially in the men’s team, the country sees how in the current edition of the New York ‘Grand Slam’ everything is going according to plan, with four representatives (two men and two women) in the semifinals .
Frances Tiafoe, Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro They are, along with Taylor Fritz, three of the four American semifinalists in this US Open with a marked and historic local flavor, but his path to the top of tennis could not have been more different.
Tiafoe, the son of refugees from Sierra Leone with few resources, shares space with Pegula and Navarro, who come from two multi-millionaire families.in a semi-finals where his compatriot Taylor Fritz was also included.
Since 2003, four Americans have not been seen in the semifinals of a grand slam. That time it also happened at the US Open and at that time, 21 years ago, It was also the last time there was a men’s champion with the stars and stripes: Andy Roddick.
Tiafoe is the only one of the four who knows what a semifinal is at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was in 2022 with a tremendous performance at the US Open where he eliminated Rafa Nadal in the round of 16 and only lost in the run-up to the final against the eventual champion, a very young Carlos Alcaraz.
Unlike the backgrounds full of zeros in Pegula and Navarro’s bank accounts, Tiafoe is part of a family from Sierra Leone that came to the US in the 1990s. fled the civil war in his country.
He was born in Hyattsville (Maryland) in 1998 and it was in that state that he came into contact with tennis from an early age and almost by chance.
His father worked on the construction of the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park (Maryland) and was later hired as a maintenance manager.
Because she lives in the area, Frances and her brother Franklin grew up, dividing their time between their father and mother, surrounded by rackets – including free lessons – and the now world number 20 in soon stood out for his talent on the court.
“Everyone is family to me. I will do anything for my family. I play this sport at a high level for my family. That’s one of my biggest motivations every day. “My family can’t believe we’re in this position,” he said last year in an interview with The New York Times.
Shining after destroying Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals, Emma Navarro acknowledged this Tuesday in a press conference the initial advantage she has in her career as the daughter of Ben Navarro.a banker with a whopping fortune of around $1.5 billion, according to Forbes magazine.
“I have had access to tennis courts since I was little. I can practice with other children. I have coaches to help me, of course.“said the 23-year-old tennis player and number 12 in the WTA.
“I think a lot of kids have access to that now, especially in the US, and it’s great that our sport is growing and more and more kids have resources like that. But of course (my family’s resources) played a role for letting me be where I am. I am so grateful that I had the resources as a child.” he added.
Ben Navarro, after becoming vice president of Citigroup, founded Sherman Financial Group and created Credit One bank. His financial success also led him to investments in sports and, in particular, in tennis as he is the owner of the WTA 500 in Charleston and the Masters 1,000 and WTA 1,000 in Cincinnati.
Pegula has a similar background: a family with a lot of money and also to prominent sporting interests.
His father is Terry Pegula, who created an energy empire through the company East Resources. with investments in oil and gas. According to Forbes, his enormous fortune amounts to $7.7 billion, placing him among the 400 richest people in the world.
One would think that being the father of a tennis player currently ranked sixth in the WTA world rankings would be Terry Pegula’s main connection to the world of sports.
Nothing could be further from the truth, as the Pegula family owns two NFL and NHL franchises: the Buffalo Bills of American football and the Buffalo Sabers of ice hockey.
The 30-year-old Pegula walks past the painting to Navarro, hence Flushing Meadows I can experience a women’s final this Saturday between two New Yorkers and two millionaires as well.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
