There is a new face in Australian tennis, and he is quickly making waves. Yes, it is Tristan Schoolkate. Born in Perth, the 23-year-old has become the one to watch this year’s Australian Open for. Making his debut at his home Slam, he has already advanced to the second round, where he is set to take on World No. 1 Jannik Sinner on January 16. Who is this young tennis star?

Well, Tristan Schoolkate’s love for tennis began early. He picked up a racket at the age of four and was coached by his father, a tennis coach at Claremont Lawn Tennis Club. Growing up in Perth, Schoolkate honed his skills on grass courts, a surface he still considers his favorite. Initially, sports were all about just getting the opportunity to play. As per his own confession:

“It was all about the enjoyment, though. I was just playing. I was playing a bit of soccer, football as well, up until probably the age of 14,” Schoolkate said. “Tennis was always probably more enjoyable, or I think I was having a bit more success. Kept playing and stayed in normal school, played tennis throughout and played the junior Grand Slams after finishing school, and then it’s just been continually getting a bit better.”

However, by the time he was a teenager, Schoolkate was already grabbing eyeballs in junior tennis. In 2015, he represented Australia at the World Junior Tennis Finals in Prostejov, Czech Republic. Later that year, he reached the final of the 14/u Australian Championships at Melbourne Park, a venue he is now competing at as a professional.

The young Australian starlet’s junior career continued to flourish. In December 2018, he claimed the Australian Championships 18/u doubles title alongside Dane Sweeny. By 2019, he had cracked the top 40 in the ITF junior rankings and reached the third round of the Wimbledon boys’ singles. He continued to train with some of Australia’s best players, often hitting with doubles Grand Slam champion John Peers when they were both in Perth.

Interesting Fact: Growing up, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was Schoolkate’s favorite tennis player.

As a professional, the 23-year-old has shown promise on both singles and doubles courts. He currently holds a singles ranking of 237 and a doubles ranking of 144.

His talent earned him the opportunity to be a hitting partner at the Hopman Cup. He trained with top players like Alexander Zverev and Lucas Pouille.

But it was another practice session that left him starstruck. Speaking to Tennis.com in March 2024, the Aussie tennis star shared his nerves before hitting with Novak Djokovic at Rod Laver Arena. “I trained with Novak Djokovic at Rod Laver Arena a couple of years ago. For me, that was like ‘okay, this is obviously the best player in the world, hopefully I can hold my level for a practice session’, and it was great. It turned out to be one of the better sessions I’ve had. I thought it was fantastic to be around the best player in the world, so that was good.”

Interesting Fact: The 23-year-old trains regularly with Adam Walton in Brisbane as well as with James Duckworth.

Now, he is preparing for the biggest match of his career on his home turf. But where did this Grand Slam journey begin?

Tristan Schoolkate’s Grand Slam journey

Schoolkate made his Grand Slam debut at the 2024 US Open, where he faced Taro Daniel in the first round. In a thrilling five-setter, the 23-year-old came from two sets down to win 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-4. However, his run ended in the second round after a dramatic loss to Jakub Mensik. The five-set battle saw Mensik stage an incredible comeback, defeating Schoolkate 6-7(4), 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(5), 7-6(10-3).

This year, Schoolkate has returned to the Grand Slam stage, making his Australian Open debut. In the first round, he once again faced Taro Daniel, defeating him 6-7(6), 7-6(4), 6-1, 6-4.

When he was previously asked about players he’d like to practice with, Schoolkate named two of the sport’s brightest stars. “I think the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz would be fantastic. I think they are young guys coming through who are showing a very high physical level and their level of tennis is phenomenal,” he said in March 2024.

And as luck would have it, the Perth native prepares for his toughest challenge yet: a second-round showdown against Jannik Sinner, the current World No. 1. It’s a big moment for Schoolkate, but he remains focused on improving and competing against the best.

Tristan Schoolkate is making his mark on the tennis world. Will he rise to the occasion against Sinner and continue his Australian Open journey?

Interesting Fact: Schoolkate loves a good cup of coffee and enjoys playing on his Nintendo Switch and PlayStation. “It gets me switched off of what I’m doing on the court, and lets me just be a normal person for a bit.”