Ayan Broomfield: Partner and Change-Maker in Tennis

Frances Tiafoe’s tennis rise has been loud, joyful and impossible to ignore. Beside him, often just out of the camera frame but never far from the story, is Ayan Broomfield — partner, former pro, college champion and now a driving force for change in the sport they both love.

Their relationship is 11 years deep. Their connection to tennis runs even longer.

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 bigger tennis dreams in the United States.

She arrived at Clemson University and made an immediate impact. In her first year, she was named ACC Freshman of the Year and ITA Carolina Region Rookie of the Year, a double stamp of how quickly she had settled into the college game.

Two years in, she made a bold move. Broomfield transferred to UCLA, drawn, as her school bio put it, by the program’s rich history and the chance to help shape its future. She delivered.

In 2019, as a senior, she and doubles partner Gabby Andrews claimed the NCAA doubles title, securing UCLA’s seventh NCAA doubles crown in school history. The moment lived on in a photo of Broomfield grinning into the camera, flashing a sparkling championship ring.

“My number one goal for college tennis was to get a national championship ring. look what just arrived 💎😍 could not be happier to get it while competing at ucla,” she wrote, the caption capturing the mix of relief and pride that comes when a long-stated goal finally lands on your hand.

A brief but meaningful pro career

Broomfield’s talent had already brushed the professional level before her college success. In 2014, she made her WTA debut at the Coupe Banque Nationale, playing doubles alongside Maria Patrascu. The rookie pair climbed to No. 467 in the world doubles rankings, a modest number on paper but a clear marker of potential.

She later shifted more of her focus toward singles, carving out a place in the sport while also attracting partnerships with major brands like Wilson and Athleta. For many players, that would be the story: a solid career, a foothold in the pro game, a respected name in the locker room.

For Broomfield, it turned into a launchpad.

Hollywood calls: King Richard

Her game opened an unexpected door when she was cast as a body double for Saniyya Sidney in King Richard, the acclaimed film about Venus and Serena Williams and their father, Richard.

On set, she didn’t just recreate Venus Williams’ strokes for the camera. She met Will Smith, who played Richard, and Serena Williams herself. It was a surreal extension of a life built around tennis — one day grinding on court, the next day recreating one of the sport’s most iconic careers for the big screen.

Tiafoe joined her on the red carpet for the film’s premiere in November 2021. On Instagram, he wrote that he couldn’t be happier they had experienced such an iconic night together, another shared milestone for a couple whose lives keep intersecting with the sport’s biggest stages.

A DM, a US Open and a fast start

Their story together began the way many modern relationships do — with a message.

During a 2018 press conference, Tiafoe revealed that they first connected through mutual friend and fellow player Victoria Duval. Then came Instagram.

“You know, Instagram these days and, you know, I slid in her DMs,” he said. “And then it was quite weird. I don't usually do it, and we started talking a little bit, and then I asked for her number.”

Things escalated quickly. 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,” he said. “We're moving quite quick here, but that was another story.”

The quick start became something lasting. They officially started dating on Sept. 8, 2015. Four years later, Tiafoe marked the anniversary with a typically unfiltered tribute on Instagram.

“​​Happy Fourth year anniversary babes. Damn time went craaazzyyy quick. We been datin datin 😂😂😂,” he wrote. “Love you deep sexy. You one crazy chick 😂😂 but couldn't imagine being with anyone else 💕💕❤️❤️💕.”

Three months into their relationship, Tiafoe had already gone public with it. On Dec. 22, 2015, he posted a photo of the pair in matching backward caps, arms wrapped around each other.

“Great week in boca with @ayanbroomfield had a amazing time with you and Im gonna miss you sooo much hope you have great time during the holidays with the family #bae #greatgal #cantwaittobewithuagain,” he captioned it, the kind of early-days post that now reads like the opening chapter of a much bigger story.

Top 10 and a scrapbook of success

As Tiafoe’s ranking climbed, Broomfield stayed close — sometimes courtside, sometimes from afar, always tuned in.

In June 2023, Tiafoe broke into the world’s top 10 for the first time. Broomfield marked the moment with a carousel of screenshots charting his journey.

“TOP 10 IN THE WORLD!” she wrote. “I started taking screenshots of different moments and accomplishments a few years ago in anticipation of this day ... I am so proud of you.”

Tiafoe replied in the comments, pulling back the curtain on how far they had come together.

“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.

You mean more to me than you can ever imagine. I love you with all I got.”

By then, their roles were clear: he was the showman lighting up courts around the world; she was the former player who knew exactly what it took to get there — and what it cost.

The strategist in the stands

Broomfield isn’t just a supportive partner who claps at the right moments. She understands the grind. She’s lived it.

When schedules allow, she’s in the crowd, watching not just as a fan but as someone who can read a draw sheet and a backhand grip with equal fluency.

In April 2023, she went one step further. Without telling Tiafoe, she flew to Houston to watch him play the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship. He didn’t spot her until the end of the first set of the final, when he was on his way to winning his second ATP title.

“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.! She surprised me, that's unbelievable you're here. You see me win my second title, so that's unbelievable,” he said in his victory speech, captured by Tennis TV.

Later that year, in an interview with the ATP, Broomfield spoke about their dynamic. Tiafoe, she said, is naturally “happy-go-lucky.” She is more serious. The contrast works.

“I think we balance each other out a lot,” she said.

They also share a language only tennis people fully understand.

“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,” she explained.

Tiafoe doesn’t always follow her advice, but he values the conversation.

“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.

Ayan’s Aces: changing the picture in tennis

Broomfield’s influence now stretches well beyond one relationship or one player.

In early 2025, she launched Ayan’s Aces, an initiative aimed squarely at increasing diversity in tennis. The first major push came at the Miami Open, where Broomfield and her team hosted more than 100 women of color, bringing them into a space where they are still too rarely seen in large numbers.

It wasn’t just about seats in the stadium. Ayan’s Aces focuses on representation on and off the court — in the suites, at cultural events, in the wider ecosystem that surrounds the sport.

Her own path — Canadian junior, college star, pro player, body double in a Hollywood film, partner to a top-10 star — gives her a unique vantage point. She knows how tennis looks from the baseline, from the locker room and from the corporate side. She also knows who is still missing from those pictures.

As Tiafoe continues to chase bigger titles and deeper runs at the majors — including a third US Open semifinal in September — Broomfield’s role keeps evolving. She is his sounding board, his surprise in the stands, his archivist of milestones. She is also building something of her own, a project that could shape who gets to follow them onto the sport’s biggest stages.

In a game obsessed with rankings and results, Ayan Broomfield is quietly changing something harder to measure: who feels like they belong in tennis at all.