Tien is relishing her new status: "Receiving so much support can only be good for me.
Learner Tien has been one of the great revelations of the ATP circuit for several months now. The American, a finalist at the Next Gen ATP Finals at the end of December, also beat Daniil Medvedev in his second round match at the Australian Open.
At this tournament in Melbourne, he also reached the last 16 before being beaten by Lorenzo Sonego.
Currently ranked 82nd in the world, the 19-year-old left-hander is currently competing at the ATP 250 tournament in Delray Beach. After his first-round victory over Adam Walton (6-4, 6-3), Tien, who will face Matteo Arnaldi for a place in the quarter-finals, is trying to digest his new status.
"It's all new to me. It's true that I didn't think so many people would come to see me play. I've never played on center court before, but it's fun and I enjoy it.
The more people there are, the more I can enjoy myself. Receiving so much support can only be positive for me.
To be honest, I haven't really set myself any goals for this season. This is my first real full season on the ATP circuit, so I don't have a lot of medium-term expectations.
At the beginning of the year, I said to myself that what I wanted to do was break into the top 100, and that's something I've already achieved fairly early in the season.
It's great to have achieved it in my first two tournaments of the year. Of course, I hope to do even better in the coming months, but I don't have any precise figures in mind", Tien assures us.
