Jay-Z z tennis shoes

Since Roc Nation Sports was founded in 2013, they've managed to land some high profile clients. With Jay Z at the helm, Roc Nation was able to sign some of the biggest names in all of sports including CC Sabathia, Robinson Cano, Skylar Diggins, Ndamukong Suh, Victor Cruz, and of course, Kevin Durant. The latest rumors surrounding Roc Nation Sports focus on a less known athlete, one you've probably never even heard of, 16-year-old tennis prodigy Francis Tiafoe.

A true rags to riches story if it comes true, Tiafoe's parents immigrated from West Africa to find a better life. His father got a job in 1999 as a day laborer working construction to build the Junior Tennis Championship Center in College Park, Maryland. At just 4-years-old, Francis started practicing at the JTCC, and his talent was so evident that Misha Kouznetsov, a tennis pro at the center took him under his wing as a coach and mentor when he was just 8-years-old. Fast forward to now, and Francis is one of the top young players in the world, and in December of last year, he became the youngest player to win the Orange Bowl.

Francis has been moving up through the ranks, and is widely considered the United States next tennis star, but would it be a good move for Roc Nation Sports to sign him? First off, Francis' athleticism is what sets him apart from other players his age. At 16, he's already 6'1 and many believe he's not done growing. On the junior tour, Tiafoe followed up his Orange Bowl title by winning the 2014 Easter Bowl, becoming the first player since John McEnroe in 1976 to win the two back-to-back. Currently the #5 ranked player on the junior tour, Francis is just about ready to make his professional debut.

Do you recognize the actor on the far right? He hit with @Riske4rewards and @FTiafoe this afternoon #houseoftennis

— JTCC (@TheJTCC)

A few months back, Jay Z invited Tiafoe to attend a concert of his in Baltimore, and made his pitch to the prodigy. This isn't the first time Francis has been courted by celebrities as he's already played wit Rafael Nadal, and even had a session with actor Kevin Spacey. Since the meeting, Tiafoe has yet to update his Twitter or Instagram, possibly because he's in the negotiations of a contract with Roc Nation. The hope for Jay Z and Roc Nation is Tiafoe can finally end the US men’s grand slam drought, which dates back to 2003 with Andy Roddick.

Stay tuned for the latest news on Tiafoe and Roc Nation Sports, and hopefully the prodigy can live up to the hype and become the next great US tennis phenom. As of now, he's consistently proven he will be.

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