At the age of 9, breaking into the world's top eight, making peers cry—Lin Dan's son's progress reveals how intense European junior tennis is.

A year ago, when news broke that Lin Dan’s son, Xiao Yu, was training in a tennis academy in Spain, the public only knew he was talented. But a year later, when he reappeared in the spotlight, everyone was amazed by the progress he had made in tennis.

Previously, when the media revealed that Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang sent their son to Spain to study tennis, many were puzzled. They argued that since both parents are well-known figures in badminton, if their son wanted a sports career, following badminton with Lin Dan’s fame and resources might be easier. Choosing tennis, a completely unfamiliar path, relying just on money and watching helplessly in other aspects, raised doubts about future regrets.

Moreover, Xiao Yu is still very young. Sending such a small child abroad to study tennis is understandable from parents’ hopes for success, but can Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang’s expectations really be met?

Based on current information, many believe that Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang made the right choice for their son Xiao Yu.

Earlier, the media only mentioned Xiao Yu’s tennis talent without concrete data, leaving people uncertain. When insiders revealed that he had already ranked sixth in the world for the 9-year-old category, many were genuinely shocked.

Such a rapid rise in rankings proves this child’s tennis talent is exceptional; no matter how much money is spent, rankings wouldn’t improve so fast otherwise.

Even more surprisingly, in the Spanish Tennis Association’s junior rankings, Lin Dan’s son is the only Asian among the top eight. In terms of UTR (Universal Tennis Rating), Xiao Yu’s score is 5.7, just 0.12 behind the leader.

The tennis academy coach praised Xiao Yu highly, saying his wrist control is rare among peers. This praise came after Xiao Yu’s backhand rating improved by 0.12 in a short time.

As public discussion heats up about Xiao Yu’s remarkable progress, some netizens asked how well this pride of the family performs in matches—anyone who knows, please share!

Recently, at a youth tournament in Valencia, Spain, Lin Dan’s son made his opponent with a UTR rating of 6.0 cry, winning three matches in a row.

Of course, Xiao Yu’s huge progress is also due to his parents abandoning the “silver spoon” mindset and applying their own athlete perseverance to him. For example, he trains six hours daily at the tennis school, followed by an hour of mental training.

To ensure their son doesn’t fall behind peers, Lin Dan also adapted his badminton footwork techniques from his athlete days into Xiao Yu’s tennis training.

It can be said that Xiao Yu’s progress at the age of 9 is not only due to talent but also personal hard work and meticulous parental guidance.

Some ask, given Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang’s wealth, fame, and status, how can they let such a young child endure so much hardship on the path to becoming a professional athlete? It’s hard to understand these strict parents—because European junior tennis is extremely competitive.

Many have long said tennis is a European strength; their players, both juniors and adults, are clearly far ahead of domestic peers. Talents like Alcaraz, Sinner, and Swiatek emerge frequently. Yet few realize that this level is driven by fierce competition.

For example, Spanish tennis academy juniors not only train intensely every day but also play 50 matches annually. Compared to domestic players, this is three times the amount, which is the core reason their rankings improve so quickly.

Placed in such a competitive tennis environment, Lin Dan’s son must keep pace or risk losing all previous efforts and becoming just a runner-up.

Now that Lin Dan’s 9-year-old son Xiao Yu has established himself in the European junior scene, many hope he grows up soon to see how this child, raised in such a competitive and high-level training environment, will amaze the world when he enters the adult tennis circuit, representing mainland China.(Source: Tennis Home; Author: Moonlight River’s Starry Sky)