Former American ATP top ten player Frances Tiafoe has hired Todd Martin as his new coach for the 2026 season.
Tiafoe has fallen out of the top 25 echelon of the ATP this year. He shutdown his season after a mediocre showing on the Asian circuit post US Open.
Martin, the former Australian Open and US Open finalist and world no. 4, has coached previously on the ATP World Tour collaborating with Novak Djokovic, Mardy Fish and Brian Baker however he did not achieve any notable success and admitted that experience as a coach “didn’t go too well.”
But now he has a fresh start with a hungry player entering his prime years at 27-28. Tiafoe has reached two Grand Slam semifinals and will seek the wisdom and knowledge of Martin to regain his top ten ranking. The duo will begin work together next month in Boca Raton, FL.
Tiafoe dismissed David Witt as his coach a month ago. Tiafoe has previously worked with Robby Ginepri, Wayne Ferreira, Diego Moyano, Zach Evenden, Misha Kouznetsov and Jose Higueras
Todd Martin Biofile interview link
Frances Tiafoe · Todd Martin · US Open
Steve · October 20, 2025 at 5:05 pm
Impressive trail of ex-coaches….none of them were good enough to stick with?
Scoop Malinowski · October 20, 2025 at 8:59 pm
And a diverse list. I was told Martin has a job lined up for next summer at a big tennis complex in NC but he’s staying in Newport for one more year until his daughter graduates high school, then of to North Carolina.
Sam · October 23, 2025 at 3:48 am
Well, the good news is that even if Martin doesn’t work out, Madonna says she’s definitely available. 😉
Better get it in writing, Todd—especially when you’re dealing with a known welsher. 🦹♂️
Scoop Malinowski · October 23, 2025 at 8:17 am
Sam, Martin will go all in on this job, it’s a wonderful opportunity to improve a struggling elite player and finally succeed as an ATP coach after three flops.
Sam · November 2, 2025 at 3:59 am
Well, Scoop, I sure don’t envy anyone working with Tiafoe. In fact, he seems to be so strange that I guess it’s no coincidence that there’s only one letter of difference between UFO and TFO. 😂
Scoop Malinowski · November 2, 2025 at 7:48 am
Sam I find it an interesting pairing. Martin is one of the smartest players I ever interviewed but he has flopped as a coach so far, he’s totally motivated to help Foe who is also at a career fork in the road. Hopefully the chemistry works, will be interesting.
Sam · November 11, 2025 at 3:14 am
Scoop, it sounds like Martin has little to lose.
And speaking of Tiafoe, I didn’t realize his parents were immigrants from Sierra Leone. That may explain their bizarre feminine spelling of his first name, since they probably weren’t that good at English.
Scoop Malinowski · November 11, 2025 at 8:17 am
Sam it is a big opportunity for Todd Martin, one of the most intelligent players I ever had the chance to interview. With his background and experience and knowledge of the sport, it seems inevitable he will be a fabulous coach. If the players listen to him, which even John McEnroe admitted was a problem for him when he tried coaching Bruguera, Philippoussis, Raonic.