Daniil Medvedev admits he was ‘surprised’ by what Learner Tien did after beating him at the Australian Open

Follow us on Google Discover

Daniil Medvedev has endured a tough start to his 2025 campaign, losing four of his 11 matches.

Arriving in Melbourne later than expected following the birth of his second child, Medvedev fell to a shock defeat in the second round.

Looking to bounce back, the Russian star traveled to the Netherlands for the Rotterdam Open, where he once again came unstuck in his second-round match.

Medvedev lost to qualifier Mattia Bellucci, 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, as the Italian star left him stunned on Centre Court.

In Marseille, Medvedev was beaten by Hamad Medjedovic before taking a trip to the Middle East for the two ATP 500 events in Doha and Dubai.

Medvedev shockingly retired against Felix Auger-Aliassime mid-way through their Qatar Open quarter-final match, later revealing that he was struggling with ‘food poisoning.’

Now looking to bounce back at the Dubai Tennis Championships, the 29-year-old has reflected on his first loss of the season, in Melbourne.

Daniil Medvedev was ‘surprised’ to see Learner Tien reach the fourth round after losing to him in Australia

Speaking after his first-round victory over Jan-Lennard Struff in Dubai, 6-4, 7-6, Medvedev revealed what surprised him about the ATP star who beat him in Melbourne.

“I was surprised in a good way that he won the next match, because it is tough when you are 19 years old and you beat a top player,” he said.

“The next match is usually tough.

“That shows that he has huge potential to be able to pull this off.”

American qualifier Learner Tien beat Medvedev, 6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 1-6, 7-6, before embarking on an impressive run to the Australian Open last 16.

• 1R – Beat Camilo Ugo Carabelli, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
• 2R – Beat Daniil Medvedev, 6-3, 7-6, 6-7, 1-6, 7-6
• 3R – Beat Corentin Moutet, 7-6, 6-3, 6-3
• 4R – Lost to Lorenzo Sonego, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 1-6

Medvedev then explained how he felt after experiencing such a tough defeat.

“Mentally you are destroyed, you lose second-round and you are not used to it,” he said.

“Tough match served for the match. What else?

“A lot of negative things but you come back to your beautiful family and have a good time and then you come back to the practice court.

“The first few days are horrible, because you have zero confidence in yourself but then you start working again and try to do your best and things are going to get better.”

Daniil Medvedev’s struggles against lower-ranked opponents in 2025

Just two months into the 2025 season, Medvedev has already handed out three ATP youngsters their first top-ten wins.

Of his four defeats this year, just one has come against a player ranked inside the world’s top 90, as the 2021 US Open champion continues to struggle in matches he is favored to win.

His defeat to Canada’s Auger-Aliassime was arguably his ‘best’ of 2025, retiring after one set against the world number 23.

Learner Tien’s performances since beating Daniil Medvedev at the 2025 Australian Open

Tien waited a few weeks to return to action after his Australian Open exploits, next competing at the Delray Beach Open, in Florida.

Tien won his opener against Australia’s Adam Walton, 6-4, 6-3 before falling to defeat against top 40 star Matteo Arnaldi in three sets.

Advancing through the qualifying tournament just as he did in Melbourne, Tien has looked impressive during the early stages of the Mexican Open, in Acapulco.

• Qualifying 1R – Beat Federico Gomez, 6-1, 6-3
• Qualifying 2R – Beat Dusan Lajovic, 7-5, 7-6
• 1R – Beat Cameron Norrie, 7-6, 6-3

Tien’s win over Norrie was one of the biggest of his career to date, as he advanced to the second round without dropping a set.

He’ll face a much tougher test there, as he faces off against world number two Alexander Zverev, who reached the final in Melbourne last month.

Tien will take on Zverev for a place in the Mexican Open quarter-finals on Thursday, February 27.