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Tiafoe and Former Coach Kouznetsov Don’t Speak
17 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Bios
When Frances Tiafoe first emerged as a young American prospect, he was sixteen and played as a wildcard in 2014 Washington DC first round night match, a 46 46 loss to veteran Evgeny Donskoy.
His coach back then was a Russian American former college tennis player named Misha Kouznetsov, who dedicated ten years to building and developing the young black kid – the son of the janitor at the Junior Tennis Champions Center. Tiafoe started playing tennis at age four with his twin brother Franklin, who became a decent college player at Salisbury University. Kouznetsov eventually left his coaching job at JTCC to work full time with Tiafoe.
Under Misha’s supervision Frances achieved a No. 2 ITF junior world ranking and became the youngest winner in history of the Orange Bowl 18/under division. Following that win, under Misha’s guidance and training, Frances’s professional ranking ascended 61 in the world. At that point, Tiafoe made the decision to leave Kouznetsov and he relocated to Florida to work with USTA coaches Nicholas Todero, Jose Higueras and Robby Ginepri. Tiafoe later reached US Open semifinals in 2022, 2024 and achieved top 10 ATP world ranking. He has earned over $14m in prize money and won three ATP titles.
After parting with Big Foe, Kouznetsov became director of tennis and head pro at a club in Maryland where he developed and ran an elite junior academy. Today he gives private lessons to over 20 junior players in the DC area. He has also coached notable pro players Denis Kudla, Bjorn Fratangelo, Hailey Baptiste and Olga Puchkova.
It’s the classic story of an outsider coach creating a future champion but then being kicked to the curb just before the big professional success came.
“Frances never paid me,” Kuoznetsov told a insider. “We invested ten years in him, so we don’t talk. I hope one day I can tell my story. I am doing well and have a successful business in the DC area, that was my plan B. But you are correct, he is arrogant and his parents showed up when the money came in. They had nothing to do with his tennis.”
Tiafoe, ranked 17 in the world, lost in the third round at 2025 US Open to Jan-Lennard Struff after defeating Yoshihito Nishioka and Martin Damm Jr.
Frances Tiafoe · Misha Kouznetsov · US Open
Sam · September 1, 2025 at 6:14 am
“Frances never paid me,” Kuoznetsov told a insider.
Ouch!!! 😬 How common is something like that, Scoop?
Steve · September 1, 2025 at 7:39 am
Rick Macci had to prepare a gigantic lawsuit before he got paid by Richard Williams. The movie didn’t show that part. 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · September 1, 2025 at 8:30 am
Sam, Osaka and Williams did the same thing, I know a guy who invested in Giorgi when she was a low lever pro and he was never paid back. It happens all too much. Fortunately most players to pay for the coaching, just a few con artists.
Scoop Malinowski · September 1, 2025 at 8:33 am
Steve, the movie I’m told glossed over a lot of shady episodes of the Williams, though I couldn’t watch a second of it, I can’t stand re-enactment films of things I lived through, prefer documentaries.
Scoop Malinowski · September 1, 2025 at 6:14 pm
Fritz Biofile https://mrbiofile.com/2025/09/01/biofile-taylor-fritz-interview/
Sam · September 10, 2025 at 6:01 am
Sam, Osaka and Williams did the same thing, I know a guy who invested in Giorgi when she was a low lever pro and he was never paid back. It happens all too much.
Scoop, well, were their actually written contracts—or just oral agreements? 🧐
Sam · September 10, 2025 at 6:02 am
Oops, I meant “were there,” not “were their.” 🤪
Scoop Malinowski · September 10, 2025 at 8:19 am
I don’t remember exactly but I think it was with contract, only a fool would hand over money without some kind of deal in writing.
Sam · September 18, 2025 at 2:38 am
Scoop, so if there have been lots of breaches of contract, why doesn’t anybody ever sue?? 🤔
Scoop Malinowski · September 18, 2025 at 8:10 am
Sam I would guess there was no contract, and the coach applied pressure by quitting his job to devote all his time to Tiafoe who got cold feet and flipped the script. Coaching a top 100 player in pro tennis is a very unstable job. Any losing streak can happen at any time. And job security during a five tournament first round losing streak is zero. Tough business.
Ray Collins · September 18, 2025 at 3:56 pm
It’s a sad day when a coach pours years of his life into a young player, hand-shake deal–and then gets burned in the end. Shame on Frances.
Scoop Malinowski · September 18, 2025 at 5:34 pm
It is indeed and I can’t recall ever hearing Foe every say a word of gratitude for all the world class coaching he got from Mischa.
Scoop Malinowski · September 18, 2025 at 5:37 pm
Foe has a history of ingratitude to help he got from the generous white man. https://www.tennis-prose.com/articles/tiafoe-wins-houston-after-benefactor-brody-passes/
Sam · September 27, 2025 at 1:22 am
Well, Scoop, if there was no contract, then what you said rings true: “Only a fool would hand over money without some kind of deal in writing.” 🤡
Sam · September 27, 2025 at 1:24 am
I’ve always found it interesting how Tiafoe spells his first name. Typically, “Frances” has always been the feminine form, and “Francis” the masculine. Oh, well—maybe his parents didn’t know how to spell!! 😄
Scoop Malinowski · September 27, 2025 at 8:31 am
We all learn this the hard way.
Scoop Malinowski · September 27, 2025 at 8:34 am
Good question about the spelling I’ve never seen addressed. They did spell Franklin right tho.