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He may be young, but Jeremy Jin knows the eyes of the world are about to be on him.
The 12-year-old from the Sydney suburb of Kogarah has been selected to represent Australia at a junior tournament in Paris, to be played during the French Open in early June.
"I'm really excited," Jeremy said.
The Future Tennis Aces competition will bring together the world's top young players.
Jeremy, who is the Australian number one in his age group, knows not to underestimate his opponents.
"They're going to be really good, they're the best kids in the country, so it's going to be tough" he said.
While on-court tantrums from high-profile Australian players like Nick Kyrgios have recently made headlines, Jeremy is keen to put the best Australian sportsmanship on show.
"I do get frustrated quite a lot, but I try to control my temper, especially around lots of people," he said.
Final hit with former Pro
Before packing his bags for Paris, Jeremy had a training session with former professional Wally Masur, who said he was impressed by what he saw.
"He's calm, which at 12 years old is not always easy. He controls his emotions well and he's a tough little guy to beat," he said.
Masur, who is Tennis Australia's head of performance, said it could be difficult for young players to cope with high expectations, particularly in the media spotlight.
"We place even more pressure and anxiety on them, even more sets of eyes, playing on the world stage, it's not always the easiest of journeys," he said.
'I can't beat him now'
Jeremy's parents, who both play tennis, gave their son at racquet when he was four.
His father Michael Jin said within a few years, Jeremy was showing promising results.
"I can't beat him now, he's too strong," Mr Jin said.
Jeremy's coach, Simon Ede, and his parents will travel with him to Paris.
Mr Jin said he tries not to let Jeremy put too much pressure on himself.
"I always ask him, when you're on the court, just relax," he said.
Topics: tennis, sport, sydney-2000
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