American tennis star Frances Tiafoe recalled how her rise to fame led to invitations and interactions with soccer's most powerful couple.
Tiafoe appeared on 'The Pivot' podcast, hosted by former NFL stars Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder, and revealed that he once took photos with Taylor Swift.
He also said he received invitations to Kansas City from a pair of Chiefs stars: Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes.
“I've said it in real time, with whoever I'm with, like, 'Hey, I'm here taking pictures with Taylor Swift,'” Tiafoe, 26, said on the podcast.
'Of course, I have to keep the money, we're here at 'The Pivot'; I'm a Beyonce guy. But right now I'm like, man, this is crazy, she's the biggest star here.
“Then Mahomes and Travis said, 'Hey, we have to have you in (Kansas City.') For them to say that is crazy to me and then they rolled out the red carpet for me.
Frances Tiafoe spoke about her growing fame and how it has changed who she interacts with
Tiafoe said he once took photos with singer Taylor Swift (top left) and that Chiefs stars Travis Kelce (top center) and Patrick Mahomes (top right) invited him to Kansas City.
“It's crazy because playing tennis and being able to reach so many people and people want to meet me and hang out and do things, those are the things, that's why you do what you do.”
Tiafoe did not reveal when or where those meetings took place, but said he stays in touch with other stars, such as tennis legend John McEnroe and his New York Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.
The 26-year-old has not been seen in public with Swift or Kelce. However, the famous couple did play some tennis at last summer's US Open in Flushing, Queens.
Mahomes and his wife, Brittany, joined Swift and Kelce from a suite inside Arthur Ashe Stadium for the men's singles final between American Taylor Fritz and Italy's Jannik Sinner.
Fritz, who beat Tiafoe in the semifinals of the Grand Slam tournament in five sets, ended up losing to Sinner in straight sets.
Tiafoe is still searching for his first Grand Slam title. His best result in one of tennis's four major tournaments was two semi-final berths at the US Open in 2022 and 2024. He also reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in previous years.
The up-and-coming star said he's “just a regular guy from Maryland” and maintains that he's not defined by the sport he plays.
“I have a lot of interests besides just hitting a tennis ball, and it shows,” he said. 'I am who I am in every room. I'm not trying to act for anyone else.
Tiafoe is one of the seeds in the upcoming Australian Open men's singles tournament
He noticed a rise in his popularity at that 2022 US Open, when he defeated Rafael Nadal in the fourth round to reach the quarterfinals.
'It's amazing how it can change like that. Suddenly everyone wants to come and see, people hit me, I go to events.
'It took me a while to take that because I never really saw myself like that. But now I have accepted it and it has surely helped me.”
Tiafoe is currently ranked 17th in the ATP rankings and is one of the seeded men's singles players at the 2025 Australian Open, which begins in just three days.