Ayan Broomfield knows her way around a tennis court. A onetime NCAA champion in women’s doubles at UCLA, she now travels the world alongside her boyfriend, American tennis star Frances Tiafoe, as he competes on the ATP Tour. Showcasing both her perspectives as a former player and current WAG (wives-and-girlfriends of athletes), Broomfield has an online fanbase of roughly 175,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok.
Broomfield is a content creator, a type of guest increasingly coveted by the U.S. Open and the tennis industry writ large for their ability to lure new audiences to the sport through posting on social media. Broomfield shares fashion and skincare videos, and she hosts a traveling pop-up tennis clinic she hosts called Ayan’s Aces. As an influencer, she said, no time of year during the 11-month tennis calendar is as busy as late August and early September, when the U.S. Open takes place.
“This is the main sporting event that people are watching, and it helps that it’s in New York. I mean, it’s the mecca of connecting culture, sports, fashion, beauty and music,” Broomfield said. “A lot of brands are noticing that there’s a lot of visibility around the tournament, and they want to activate in a special way.”
