Tiafoe pens open letter honoring his Nurse Mom

As tennis, and much of the world, moves into uncharted territory returning to semi-normal function while the COVID-19 pandemic remains a real threat, it's critical to listen to experts—and to people who have direct experience with the issues at hand.

In the tennis realm, there's perhaps no player better to consult than Frances Tiafoe, who not only tested positive at the All-American Team Cup, in Atlanta, but also is close with someone else on the front lines: his mom, Alphina, a nurse practitioner.

The story of Tiafoe's father, an immigrant from Sierra Leone who helped build a tennis academy in College Park, Md., is rightfully well known. Fewer people, though, are aware of his mother, who works in a nursing home.

In an open letter for The Players' Tribune, titled "Nurse Mom," Tiafoe talked about his and his mom's relationship, and what the world can learn from it.

"As a kid, you know having your mom be a nurse is a pretty cool job," he wrote. "Any time you got sick she was right there to make you better, real quick. And any time we’d cough, Mom would be sure to make sure we were all right."

Needing her expertise while he had COVID-19, though, was a different story. When Frances and his twin brother, Franklin, (who'd also tested positive) were in isolation, much of the help Alphina could safely give consisted of dropping off food and medicine "outside the door" and listening to the boys' updates, Tiafoe said.

He also pointed out that, although he was young and healthy and had a nurse for a mom, not everyone will be so lucky, and that no level of precaution prevents the virus perfectly.

Thus, he gave the audience a stern warning:

"My mom is telling me to social distance, wash my hands and wear a mask … so I’m passing along the message. You better do those things, too. Don’t make my mom mad," he wrote. "Do it for my mom."