Learner Tien: ‘My parents never put pressure on me to win’

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Learner Tien: ‘My parents never put pressure on me to win’

The teenager grabbed fans’ attention when he upset Daniil Medvedev at this year’s Australian Open. The impact of the win is starting to settle in

As cheers erupt from the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, attendants outside the stadium wonder aloud if it’s Novak Djokovic playing. But it’s two teens battling it out in the first round of the Miami Open: Learner Tien of the United States at 19 and João Fonseca of Brazil at 18. The Miami crowd, dotted with Brazil’s colors, is raucous for Fonseca.

Tien misses an easy overhead, and the Brazilian fans roar, offering a chant more commonly seen at a soccer stadium, throwing all tennis decorum of not cheering errors out the window. The umpire tries to speak over the crowd for the next point to begin, but Tien is already starting his serve, seemingly unfazed.

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