TENNIS prodigy Learner Tien has loved a whirlwind yr thus far.

At first of 2025 he earned his first win at a Grand Slam, beating Camilo Ugo Carabelli within the opening spherical of the Australian Open.

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He then sparked an enormous upset after beating fifth seed Daniil Medvedev in spherical two.

The 19-year-old made it to the fourth spherical – turning into the youngest man since Rafael Nadal in 2005 to take action – by easing previous Corentin Moutet in straight units earlier than ultimately dropping to Lorenzo Sonego.

Tien’s excellent Australian Open marketing campaign noticed him soar from No121 to No67 on the earth rankings.

And now he is without doubt one of the most fun prospects in tennis.

Discussing his begin within the sport, Tien informed The Guardian in March: “I began once I was little older than one.

“I feel [it was] one in all my dad’s outdated rackets that have been mendacity round. In order that they didn’t actually even anticipate for me or my sister to begin taking part in tennis that younger. So it’s not like they have been prepped with little kiddy rackets or something.

“My mother and father would play recreationally. I bought to the courts a pair instances every week, simply with my dad, simply watching him play in random males’s leagues.

“In order that’s sort of how I bought launched. Finally my dad began taking me to the courts, randomly feeding me balls from a reasonably younger age, after which it sort of simply progressed from there on.”

Tien’s ardour for tennis picked up when he began faculty on the age of 11.

He was homeschooled all through the early years of his life by his mom, a retired trainer, who named him in homage to her career.

The tennis ace continued: “The tennis wasn’t actually within the image but.

“My sister is a couple of years older than me, so my mother retired when my sister was born, so she was already simply at residence with my sister beginning to train my sister. So she simply thought she’d train me, too.

“I began faculty younger. I’d work via the yr. I wouldn’t have summer season break and stuff like that. I’d simply work all year long.

“I clearly like tennis greater than I like faculty, so it was a very good motivation for me to sort of get away from faculty simply to go and play. However all through juniors, my mother and father did an excellent job, actually, of not placing lots of strain on me to win.”

Tien is now set to face Alexander Zverev within the first spherical of the French Open on Wednesday.

It will likely be his first look in the principle draw at Roland Garros.