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There’s a good chance you’ve seen 26-year-old Ayan Broomfield–a former Division 1 college tennis champion, content creator and long-term girlfriend of the professional tennis player Frances Tiafoe–without necessarily realizing it.
In 2021’s King Richard, Broomfield stepped in as the actress Saniyya Sidney’s body double in a number of tennis scenes, depicting Venus Williams in the nascency of her extraordinary (and still going!) career. It marked just one of a few turns in the spotlight that have underscored Broomfield’s newish path in creating and influencing—she was also a compelling feature in Netflix’s docuseries Break Point, which had Tiafoe as one of its main protagonists. I’ve been lucky enough to get on court with her, too, and she’s still got it (Broomfield won the NCAA Division I Women’s Doubles Championship in 2019 while playing for UCLA). Think: Deep groundstrokes, a great net game, and an equally radiant personality to boot.
In her global travels, Broomfield has signed brand partnerships with such names as INNBeauty, Bumble and bumble, Bondi Sands, Years of Ours, and the tennis giant Wilson. While doing so, she has found a synergistic way to weave in philanthropy–Broomfield launched her eponymous foundation earlier this year.
Here, over a discussion in a penthouse suite at the Delano in Las Vegas (where Tiafoe is participating in Netflix’s The Netflix Slam in early March), she tells us about how she’s giving back, her beauty tips, and a bit of tennis advice for us mere mortals.
You’ve launched the Ayan Broomfield Foundation, a namesake philanthropic project. Tell us about it.
Ayan Broomfield: I started traveling full-time with Frances about a year and a half ago. I felt it pretty quickly–we were going from city to city, and receiving so much from the sport. I was gaining all these experiences, but hadn’t given anything back. I didn’t come from a lot of money, and growing up, my Dad was always super, super adamant about giving back when you could, with the resources you could. So with the Foundation, I wanted to try and merge the travel, merge the content creation side of things, and merge philanthropy all together.
Very cool.
AB: At each main tournament that I go to, I find a local charity or organization to partner with. And I use one of my brand deals to work on donations, with either money or product. For example, at the Miami Open (occurring from March 17 to March 31), I partnered with Lotus House, which is a local Miami women’s shelter. I work with INNBeauty, and I was like, ‘hey, look, they need sunscreen.’ It’s something that gets overlooked so often. So, INNBeauty is donating 500 units to the shelter. When we’re in Miami, I’m going to play pickleball with the kids, too. A little event to get people together. So, yeah. I’m trying to merge it all together, with everything I’ve been given from the sport!
I saw you did something during the Australian Open earlier this year to kick things off–was that the start of it?
AB: I did! I did a few things in Melbourne. One of them was to hit with some of the kids at the Boys and Girls Club. One girl told me she’d been in six different foster homes, and coming to play tennis was a highlight for her. I think a lot of people don’t realize how much of a release it is, being outside, making contact with the ball. It’s a euphoric feeling when it goes well. If I can provide a bit of euphoria to anyone through this, I’m going to do my best.
You work with beauty partners such as INNBeauty, Bumble and bumble, and Bondi Sands. Tell me about your beauty tips–any rules or gold standards, first and foremost?
I mean honestly, it s funny because coming from playing tennis, beauty was never something that I worried about. For me, it was always about the game first. So it was a big switch, from being a full-time athlete. Now, I do think about what I’m wearing, what makeup I have on.
You’ve been on Netflix’s Break Point, you’re a rising social media name, you were in King Richard. You know the drill!
And, in paying more attention to it, my main rule is: Always use good tinted moisturizers with sunscreen. I think as you go grow older, you realize how important sunscreen is.
What about fitness and wellness while you’re on the go? It can be hard to do so, even if you’re not jet-lagged.
I love the 12-3-30 workout on the treadmill. Incline on 12, 3 miles per hour, 30 minutes. It’s my go-to. I knock that out every day. Also when you’re traveling a lot, gyms at hotels can be inconsistent. I bring bands everywhere I go, now. And you don’t even have to go to the gym for that. You can band workout wherever!
You’ve played tennis at an elite level. You witness elite tennis week in and week out while traveling with Frances. But for amateur tennis players, in general, what would you say are some great tips to keep in mind? I need Ayan Broomfield coaching!
Tennis is like riding a bike. You never 100 percent lose it, if you know it. So, have confidence in that! I also think when you’re out hitting, don’t just hit aimlessly. Take 20 or 30 minutes to focus and work on something specific. Two cross-courts, one down the line–that’s one of my favorite repetitions.
So a little discipline goes a long way, even if just playing casually?
Yeah. And don’t forget to do the same at net. I love my net game. Set up structures for net practice, emphasizing reaction time. If you’re playing with someone strong, encourage them to hit it harder, forcing you to react quicker.
I could use that training.
Oh, one more thing: A while ago, I invested in a ball machine. Sometimes when you’re stressed, it’s good to just let it out on court. Go and put a 100 balls in the machine. Then let it out on 100 forehands.