Serena and Venus Williams paved the way for Ayan Broomfield - now she's doing the same for the next generation

Ayan Broomfield has been a staple at tennis courts around the world for years, first as a competitor and now as a public figure alongside tennis star partner Frances Tiafoe.

But Broomfield, who has two doubles titles on the ITF tour to her name, is the first to admit she may not have made it without the Williams sisters.

Born in Canada in 1997, she grew up in an age when women of colour were still a rarity on the tennis court – that is, until Serena and Venus Williams burst onto the scene.

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"They were by far my biggest inspirations on court," Broomfield, 27, tells 9honey, and not just because the sisters were champions.

"It was just great to have that representation. If Serena and Venus weren't there, there would be no one for us [women of colour] to look up to," she continues.

"It was a privilege to be able to see two girls that came from, you know, not the best financial situation use their athleticism and their wit and their drive to create a lane for all women of color."

Women like Broomfield, who modelled her junior career on the Williams sisters and pursued tennis at a college level because Serena and Venus had proven young Black women deserved a place on the court.

The Williams' also served as a poignant example of a belief Broomfield has held since childhood, one her family drilled into her from the very first day she picked up a racquet.

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"My parents really taught me that regardless of your race, regardless of your economic background, sport is the greatest equaliser because it's about hard work," Broomfield explains.

"And tennis is one of the sports where the harder you work, the more time and hours you put in on the court, you're going to get better, it's not just about God-given ability ... and that opens a lot of doors for you."

Tennis changed Broomfield's life: it won her a full scholarship to the prestigious University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), has sent her all over the world to compete, and helped her meet the love of her life, Tiafoe.

Her tennis ability even landed Broomfield a gig as Venus Williams' body double in the award-winning 2021 film King Richard, where she got to work closely with the women who she'd modelled so much of her life and career on.

Without tennis – and women like the Williams sisters to look up to in the sport – Broomfield would be a very different woman today.

So it came as a surprise when she quietly took a step back from competing after the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting gears to focus on charity work, fashion, and social media while she travels the world with Tiafoe to support his career.

For Broomfield, who had been playing since she was a child, the decision just made sense.

"Tennis is one of those individual sports that requires 110 per cent of your life. It's what you eat, what you drink, what you're thinking, everything physically and mentally," she says.

"Your whole life has to revolve around the sport. And I did that for like, 20 years straight ... it's a lot mentally."

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There were physical injuries too but the mental and emotional weight of performing at such a high level for so long took a toll on Broomfield and after the pandemic, she knew it was time to step off the court — at least for a while.

Tennis will always be part of her life but her focus now is on being the role model to the next generation that the Williams sisters were to her.

The 27-year-old established the Ayan Broomfield Foundation to provide tennis gear and training for underprivileged youth and give back to the community that helped her get to the place she's in today.

"If I can inspire young kids to continue with the sport of tennis, or even just to continue with sports in general, that's something that I want to do," she says.

"My goal is hopefully, in 15-20 years, someone comes up to me and says, 'I came to one of your foundation activities, and that made me want to be a tennis player' ... that would mean the world to me if it came full circle."

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When Broomfield's not planning foundation events, she uses social media to offer fans a peek into the reality of life on the road with Tiafoe.

With close to 100,000 followers on Instagram, her feed is stacked with snaps from the US Open, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, NFL games with Taylor Swift, and plenty of athletic brand partnerships.

Next on her packed agenda is a trip Down Under for the Australian Open 2025, where she'll be an ambassador for Piper-Heidsieck, Official Champagne of the tournament, alongside Aussie tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis.

"I'm definitely looking forward to getting my outfits ready," Broomfield says with a grin.

A huge fashion lover, she wowed in a skintight latex dress at the brand's luxe AO activation in 2024 — "I think it was my favorite night of the entire tournament" — and is eager to immerse herself in AO style again this year.

That said, Australia's sweltering summer weather offers some unique challenges too.

"It's something that I've talked to my friends about ... but I don't think people talk about it at all, and the struggles of being a woman of color and beauty on the road."

Thankfully, she's found a handful of talented hairstylists she trusts to help her get AO ready in 2025 and Broomfield can't wait to touch down in Melbourne for all the excitement.

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