Andrea Petkovic points out what Joao Fonseca, Jakub Mensik and Learner Tien all have in common after their impressive runs at the Australian Open

Follow us on Google Discover

It was the youngsters on the ATP Tour that impressed during the first week of the 2025 Australian Open.

The 2025 Australian Open has come to a close, as fans now look back on an incredible Grand Slam tournament.

Perhaps more than any other year, the young stars of the ATP Tour stole the show in Melbourne, pulling off several shock wins during the early rounds.

Joao Fonseca beat Andrey Rublev in the first round to kick off proceedings, as the young Brazilian stunned the top-ten star in straight sets.

Next up was Jakub Mensik, who shocked Casper Ruud in the second round with a fantastic four-set win on Margaret Court Arena.

Learner Tien was arguably the most impressive of the three breakout stars in Melbourne, as he beat Daniil Medvedev on his way to the last 16.

All three players are now ranked inside the world’s top 100, and look set to enjoy further success in 2025, as one former WTA star has recently revealed what she thinks they all have in common.

Andrea Petkovic says Joao Fonseca, Jakub Mensik and Learner Tien all have the same ‘hunger’ to win

Appearing on the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, former French Open semi-finalist Andrea Petkovic gave her thoughts on Fonseca and Mensik’s Australian Open performances.

“The next generation is here,” she said.

“Joao Fonseca played an incredible match against Andrey Rublev and he lost to Lorenzo Sonego who played a great tournament, he didn’t lose to a dud.

“Jakob Mensik, very impressive, he beat Casper Ruud in the second round and had match points in the third round to go to the fourth.

“They are very good and they will just become better.”

Petkovic then explained what the three players all have in common, that will serve them well in the future.

“What I really loved, because I watched [Joao] Fonseca, [Jakub] Mensik and [Learner] Tien match back to back,” she said.

“It was all on Margaret Court [Arena] and what I loved seeing with them was that they are hungry.

“They are so hungry, they so want it, like they would rip their arm off to win this match, it was fun.”

Rennae Stubbs agreed as she made a prediction as to which Grand Slam tournament, the two young American stars will perform best at in 2025.

“That was a nice surprise to see the young Americans like [Alex] Michelsen and Tien really step up to the plate,” she said.

“Those guys are good, they are going to really be good.

“I expect them to have big US Opens.”

Where will Joao Fonseca, Jakub Mensik, Learner Tien, and Alex Michelsen play next?

Petkovic and Stubbs were full of praise for the stars who broke out in Australia, but where can fans expect to see them play over the next month or so?

20-year-old Michelsen will play the busiest schedule in February, taking part in three North American tour-level tournaments.

Michelsen lost to Alex de Minaur in the fourth round of the Australian Open, having produced several big shocks along the way.

• 1R – Beat [11] Stefanos Tsitsipas, 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
• 2R -Beat [WC] James Mccabe, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6
• 3R – Beat [19] Karen Khachanov, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2

The American’s first round victory over former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas was arguably his most impressive, as he took down the Greek star in four sets.

Michelsen’s performances in Melbourne saw him rise to 36th in the world rankings, further establishing himself as one of the top young players on tour.

France’s Arthur Fils is the only player under the age of 21 ranked higher than Michelsen, as he currently resides in 20th.

It remains to be seen how the young stars of Melbourne perform throughout the remainder of 2025, but it’ll most certainly be worth watching.