Frances Tiafoe’s girlfriend was body double for Venus Williams | Tennis | Sport

American star Frances Tiafoe has put himself in a good position for a deep run at Wimbledon but will have to get past controversial Kazakh pro Alexander Bublik first. The 28-year-old has been cheered on throughout his career by long-term partner Ayan Broomfield, with the pair’s relationship made public in 2018. Broomfield is a former tennis star herself, winning doubles titles on the ITF tour and also playing at NCAA level for the UCLA Bruins, though she has since pivoted away from the sport – sort of.

The Canadian, who is a few months older than her famous partner, can be spotted in the film King Richard. She was cast as the body double for Saniyya Sidney, who was cast as Venus Williams in the film. King Richard earned six Oscar nominations, with Will Smith winning for his portrayal of Venus and Serena’s father Richard Williams. “I had so much fun shooting the tennis scenes as Venus Williams for the new movie King Richard,” Broomfield wrote in an Instagram post at the time.

Broomfield wasn’t the only tennis player to take a role in the film. Marcela Zacarias, who made the world top 200 and represented Mexico at the Fed Cup, joined her in a number of scenes after being cast as Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.

“We’ve been friends since we were young,” Zacarias told Marca in 2022. “Before serving each point, we analysed the shots we had taken. We clicked really well and that helped a lot.”

Tiafoe, who is seeded 17th at Wimbledon this year, was joined by his partner as he celebrated winning a first career ATP 500 title at Halle. The world No.19 beat compatriot Taylor Fritz in that final and the pair will meet again at SW19 if both win their third round encounters.

Fritz, the sixth seed, didn’t drop a set in his first two matches after an injury to Jack Draper on the eve of the tournament helped him avoid a potentially tricky opener. He takes on Lorenzo Sonego, who holds a 3-1 career record against Tiafoe, in the third round.

As for Tiafoe, it hasn’t been smooth sailing. After a four-set win over Terence Altmane in round one, he was also taken to four by British hopeful Jan Choinski.

If he can beat Bublik, the American will match his best-ever Wimbledon run. He last reached round four in 2022, losing to David Goffin.