Looks of surprise took the faces of the Bobcat tennis team as professional player Frances Tiafoe appeared during a Zoom call in January to surprise freshman Chantajah Mills with a Frances Tiafoe Fund scholarship, telling her, “I’m a huge fan.”
Tiafoe is a top-10 tennis player worldwide and competed in a U.S. Open semifinal. Mills has followed Tiafoe’s journey for years and even previously watched him compete in person.
“I’ve always looked up to [Tiafoe] because he’s an American player, and not only that, he’s an African American player,” Mills said. “To see someone who achieved it and is still working towards his goals and still pushing every day to achieve more…having someone like that to look up to and having direct contact with… it’s mind-blowing to me.”
Life drastically changed for Mills in 2022, when her future in tennis became ambiguous after she broke her kneecap playing high school sports. Although the injury occurred at a prime time for college recruitment, Mills remained optimistic.
“It was like a huge setback, but I think I just embraced the time off. I made sure I used it as time to reflect on how much I actually want tennis and where I want to take it,” Mills said.
After multiple surgeries and months of rehab, Mills got back to the court. In the meantime, a highlight reel on YouTube caught the attention of Texas State tennis head coach Kendall Brooks.
“We felt like she was kind of a hidden gem under the radar with how good she looked on video,” Brooks said. “[We were] really impressed with a lot of the things that she did prior to coming [to Texas State].”
Brooks characterized Mills’ active community engagement and leadership as factors in her recruitment and the support for her nomination and receipt of the scholarship.
Moving from New York to Texas, Mills spent her first semester in fall 2024 adjusting to a new environment. However, she aspires to make a positive impact in her new home and says the scholarship has deepened her motivation for growth.
“I just want to go 10 times harder than I was before. I want to get as much better as I can every year. I want to help improve the team environment [and] give back to my teammates as much as I can,” Mills said.
While acclimating to life as a college athlete, Mills recognized new challenges ahead but faced them with determination.
“You have to realize that it’s not just about you anymore. It’s about how much you contribute to everybody around you,” Mills said. “If you’re slacking, you’re hurting not only yourself, you’re hurting everyone…that was something I had to understand.”
This mindset does not go unseen by her coaches and teammates, who express an appreciation for how fast she connected with the team.
“She is very competitive, which, of course, you know you should be in tennis. But I think seeing that at such a young like place in her college tennis career is such a green flag,” teammate Kiana Graham said. “I think that because she’s already in such a good place now that, like, in the future, I’m sure – and have no doubt, that she’ll only keep building on that foundation.”
Mills exemplified that competitive spirit early on alongside Graham, when they swept their doubles matches 3-0 in her debut college tournament during the fall season.
With the spring season ahead and years of college eligibility left, Brooks sees a promising future for Mills.
“I think she’s only scratched the surface of how good she can be,” Brooks said. “I don’t think the ceiling is very low… it’s very high, and so I’m excited to see, you know, her push and just really see what she can do here… not only individually, but for our team as well.”
