Tjen's coach explains his success in 2025: from 578th to 53rd in twelve months

Andrés Tomás Rico | 7 Dec 2025 | 15.00

Tjen's coach explains his success in 2025: from 578th to 53rd in twelve months. Photo: Gettyimages

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Janice Tjen has been one of the revelations of the season. The Indonesian tennis player was a total unknown at the beginning of the season but ends up being one of the biggest surprises, making her one to watch for 2026.

The 23-year-old started the season ranked 578th in the world and finishes it as number 53 with a record of 77 wins, 15 losses, and her first WTA title in Chennai. She also won a WTA 125 title and reached the final of the WTA Sao Paulo. All this success was thanks to a brilliant end to the season. In fact, she made her official WTA debut at the US Open, reaching the second round after coming through the qualifiers, where she was defeated by Emma Raducanu.

The surge in performance over the past few months and her rise in the upper echelons of the WTA ranking is also credited to her coach, Chris Blint. The New Zealander reviewed the year and explained the reasons behind his pupil's breakthrough in an interview with Ubitennis.

Coach Chris Blint explains the reasons for Janice Tjen's good game

"From a results point of view, Janice has had some fantastic last few months. She is very pleased with that, but we do not measure success only by results. My coaching philosophy is very clear: enjoy the work, respect the challenge, be disciplined in the task, and instill confidence. That is what measures success. Janice is very clear on how I like to work."

"That is what we try to do day by day. So, in terms of results, it has been fantastic and now it gives her the opportunity to participate in more important tournaments against better players. That has always been one of her goals."

Downplaying her position in the WTA ranking

"We never talk about that or make it an objective. It will sort itself out. Rankings go up and down. They can fluctuate a lot. So that is not what motivates us daily. I know that does not motivate Janice daily. The accumulation of habits is most important."

"Every tennis player believes they always have opportunities to improve in virtually all aspects of their game. If they are where they are, it's because they are tireless in their desire to improve and progress."

Blint dissects Tjen's tennis

"If you observe Tjen's game, you can clearly see what she likes to do on the court. What pattern she likes to try and what style of play. So we will continue developing what she does well. It is more important to focus on what a tennis player does well. Try to execute and implement it as best as possible. We will continue trying to incorporate a lot of variety in her game. She is a very skillful, dynamic, and powerful player, so perfecting that will be a major priority."

Goals for 2026

"The first thing is to stay fit and healthy. Try to take care of the body as best as possible. It will be very important for her that we incorporate someone with fitness experience to travel with us full-time. This way, we will have many opportunities throughout the year to work on and maintain Tjen's physical condition. The second goal is to complete her full schedule on the WTA Tour. She has only played a few WTA tournaments. For her, having the visibility and the opportunity to do it week after week in 2026 will be crucial for her development."

Her interest in data and technology in tennis

"I believe that as coaches, we have the opportunity to use a lot of technology and a lot of data. I spend a lot of time watching tennis and talking to data analysts. That is what motivates me and drives our training court. I rely heavily on data," says Chris Blint, who prefers to progress with caution with Janice Tjen, although he is aware that many eyes will be on her in 2026.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El entrenador de Tjen explica su éxito en 2025: del 578º al 53º en doce meses