TIEBREAK Media

Exclusive DAZN Interview with IMylo Ren

11.02.2025


Interviewer: So we are here with the undefeated World No.1, Mylo Ren, fresh off his Australian Open victory and winner of 1 WTSL Finals and 1 Masters title to add to his burgeoning list of accomplishments

IMylo Ren: Thanks for having me, happy to be here!

Interviewer: Thanks for coming to chat with us. So you have been competing on tour for the past few months and are yet to lose a match, however what would you say some of your highlights have been?

IMylo Ren: Thanks for pointing that out but don’t jinx it! While it is true I’m yet to lose a match I’ve lost a couple of sets in past tournaments and I’d probably say the most satisfying wins were those against Machine in my first tournament where I was down 1 set and then a final against Davilico26. In both of those matches I wasn’t the favorite and managed to come out on top so I feel like those were definitely two key moments that kind of set the tone for my journey so far! Another honorable mention would have to be the AO we played last month, not only because it was the first ever Grand Slam tournament we got to play on this awesome game but because I’m pretty sure I didn’t concede a single break point throughout the whole tournament. Overall it simply felt great to bring it home!

Interviewer: Wow so you have had to overcome some challenging opponents and moments during this run. Yes I would say winning a slam and the inaugural slam would trump other achievements and winning it in such a dominant fashion must’ve been an incredible feeling. Even though you are yet to lose, who do you think your biggest rivals or challengers are?

IMylo Ren: I think there are quite a few great players that could end my positive streak at some point, maybe even in this Rotterdam tournament we’re playing right now! I think a few names I simply HAVE to mention are for sure Carlitos, Davilico, Jachtyy and Henzla who have always been consistently good throughout the past season, but on top of that there are also quite a few new players on tour that definitely have the potential to make great accomplishments in this game and have already made great first impressions in their early appearances! So I guess we’ll wait and see but it’s great to have more people playing the game at a high level and more competition for future tournaments!

Interviewer: Yes these are some of the names regularly appearing at the business end of tournaments, I’m sure your streak will end some day and maybe by one of them but who knows, it could be a new player. We saw a stunning upset at AO, where rising start Greatvalueanakin upset Henzla and guess what, he’s just done it again in Rotterdam so he could be a name to watch for sure. Have you seen him play or played him? It’s always good for the tour to have healthy competition and strong players, and hopefully in the future more can come to challenge you. But don’t let them take your throne easy! Have you been able to establish relationships with any players, or is it all business for you?

IMylo Ren: Yeah I was kind of shocked myself when I first read the results because Henzla played phenomenal tennis in the wtsl finals and he didn’t lose a single match until we met in the final, so I was naturally expecting him to make great runs in future tournaments! Anakin definitely seems like a player to watch out for going forward. I haven’t seen him play and I also haven’t been able to play him yet, but considering I’m a pretty huge Star Wars fan I’m pretty sure we’ll get along just fine!! Also yeah I would say I’ve been a pretty active member of the Tiebreak community and in so doing I’ve been training and also chatting with some of the best players around as well as some of the newcomers we’re seeing on tour right now. To name a few of those newcomers (on top of the rivals from last season) I’ve been playing quite a bit with Rafa22, Baloo and Horatio, and I can confidently say all of them will be tough competition going forward! In conclusion, as much as I’m growing fond of this no.1 seed on tour and I’m extremely competitive in everything I do it’s still a game and it should be treated as such. It’s definitely not all business and I believe we’re primarily here to find people who also enjoy this wonderful sport and play it together to have some fun matches!!

Interviewer: Ohhh yes both you and Anakin have Star Wars related usernames so I’m sure you’ll get along! It’s always nice to have some compadres on the tour, life on tour can be lonely sometimes. And you can learn from each other, (if you’re willing to share your secrets) and having practice partners keeps you in shape and primed for competition. Are there areas you still think you can improve and attributes from some of your rivals you would like to have in your game?

IMylo Ren: I’d say I’m pretty happy with how I’m playing at the moment but there’s always something that can be improved and I always try to be mindful of my mistakes and make sure I correct them asap. Like I said there are a lot of promising new players on tour and some of them have already been able to perform really well against me and had serious chances to beat me. Going forward I’ll have to try to keep improving to stay in front because I know for a fact the competition is coming for me!

Interviewer: Yes the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement! Getting to the top is hard but staying at the top is even harder. So how are you finding the tour generally? And what is it about Tiebreak that appeals to you the most?

IMylo Ren: It’s nice to meet so many great players and play them in tournaments! The level has been steadily increasing and it seems like the free trial weekend from last month brought quite a few new names over from other games so it’s good to see that the game population is also growing. To answer the question about what about tiebreak appeals to me the most I think that it’s quite possibly the most realistic tennis game out there right now. It’s also the first and only game where real tennis experience plays a part in how effective your shot selection and strategy is! I’ve been playing tennis on and off for the past 20ish years and I’ve been consistently watching it for the same amount of time so I think one of the advantages I have right now is that I’m able to apply real tennis knowledge into the game. Topspin felt incredibly repetitive and arcade-ish and I grew bored of it after only a couple of months. Tennis elbow I did try and I must admit the learning curve is definitely appealing because it’s definitely the most complex to master out of the three games, but I simply couldn’t stand the graphics and animations… On tiebreak I have the best roster ever seen on a tennis game (like 170 players from both atp and wta), literally perfect animations (down to the last minute detail to quote homelander from “the boys”) and like I said before the gameplay feels like it’s the closest I’ve ever experienced to real life tennis!

Interviewer: Ohh that's interesting, yeah each of the games have their pros and cons. Tiebreak seems to not be that popular so far, but it seems like the numbers of players are steadily growing and the game has had improvements since launch. Yes what's great about tiebreak is the roster and graphics. As for gameplay, yeah tiebreak is somewhat of a simcade but its nice to be able to apply tennis strategy. So outside dominating the Tiebreak scene, what are some other things you enjoy to do?

IMylo Ren: Well I just love gaming in general and I also play other videogames, my current favorites whenever I’m not playing Tiebreak are Diablo 4, Overwatch 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3. Other than gaming I cherish every moment I get to spend with my long distance girlfriend and I love going out to eat with her and even just hanging out with her. She’s my world and I’m very lucky to have her by my side. She’s also a gamer and she likes to watch me play, for example she just watched me win the Rotterdam SF and was rooting for me!!

Interviewer: Ohhh that’s great, do you think your gaming experience helps you when playing Tiebreak? And that’s great! It’s great to have a lovely partner who shares similar hobbies and supports you on the tour. So who is your favourite player in real life?

IMylo Ren: Honestly I don’t think so, like I mentioned earlier I think having real tennis experience (not necessarily playing it but at least watching it) is what really helps and gives you an advantage over your opponents on Tiebreak. As for the other question there are quite a few active players I really enjoy watching and rooting for. Sinner, Alcaraz and Shelton are my favorite players to watch right now. Sinner is simply a machine and it’s so consistent and relentless it’s unbelievable. On top of that he’s also incredibly humble and his sportsmanship is a pleasure to witness and really captures the essence of this sport. Also he’s the very first Italian player to reach the n.1 seed and it’s a privilege to be able to see it happen. Alcaraz is simply a joy to watch and one of the most talented players to ever play this beautiful sport. I really hope him and Sinner give us and long and healthy rivalry much like Roger and Rafa did for almost 2 decades. As for Shelton I simply love the attitude, the bomb serves and the fact he’s so entertaining to watch. He goes all out every time and he produces some stunners that are absolutely unbelievable. If we’re instead talking about all time favorites my answer will always and forever be Roger Federer. His elegance, his brilliance, his effortless style and his mastery of everything you can possibly do on a tennis court is simply unmatched. Rafa is a close second for his tenacity and determination on top of an impeccable attitude and sportsmanship.

Interviewer: Yeah Roger Federer’s impact on tennis and legacy will live on for a long time, so will Rafa’s they were idols for millions worldwide and current pro tennis players and exemplary on and off the court. It’s nice to see this new generation continue to elevate the sports to new heights and extol the honourable values of this sport. Do you think you’re similar in any way to your favourite players and do you try to play like them whenever you’re on the court?

IMylo Ren: Not really tbh, I simply try my best every point of every match. If I could pick a player to play like I would certainly like to take a page from Sinner’s game tho. His smart approach to every single match and his ability to keep his focus no matter the circumstances I think are his best features and one of the reasons he’s so dominant right now. That’s exactly the approach I try to bring to every match I play, I don’t necessarily always succeed in doing so but if I had to pick a player to imitate it would definitely have to be Sinner for that reason.

Interviewer: Okay I see, yeah Sinner has a perfectly balanced game, similar to Djokovic and a game which seems easier to imitate than maybe Alcaraz, Nadal or Federer, whose groundstrokes and approach to the game is very unique, with Alcaraz somehow develop in into a hybrid of Rafa and Federer. Do you do anything particular to prepare for matches, do you have a coach?

IMylo Ren: No, if anything I act as a coach for a couple of other players on tour A couple of guys on tour transitioned from TopSpin and I’ve been giving them some pointers to help them improve their gameplay more quickly. And as far as preparation goes I don’t really have anything in particular I do. I always try to have a couple of quick matches to warm up a little but I don’t always have the time to do so. Believe it or not I usually get quite nervous before every single match, especially if I know it’s gonna be a tough one, but thankfully whenever I start playing it kind of goes away.

Interviewer: Ahhh that’s comforting for your opponents to know that you get nervous sometimes ????. Even the big 3 got nervous for most of their matches on tour so it’s normal. That’s nice that you are coaching some other players, just make sure you’re not coaching them on how to beat you! Yeah I wouldn’t say too much preparation is required for an online match, but you’d be surprised, some players have rituals and take things very seriously. Are you a superstitious person, on or off the court?

IMylo Ren: I don’t think I am now tbh. I used to be a little superstitious back when I played tennis regularly at my tennis club but definitely nothing crazy, and it’s been long enough that I don’t even remember if I had any rituals or not.

Interviewer: Ahhh I see, well I wonder how many of your peers on tour are superstitious! So what are your goals for the rest of the season?

IMylo Ren: Well the obvious one is to try and keep my n.1 seed for as long as possible! More specifically I’d like to try and win tournaments using different players. There are a few players I enjoy using and I might give some of them a go in future tournaments. For example for this Rotterdam tournament I’m playing right now I wanted to try a little experiment. I chose Medvedev who is a great player for sure but one that I had barely used before the start of the tournament. I’m in the final waiting to know who my opponent will be between Horatio and Anakin so all things considered I’m happy with how I performed so far, the final is gonna be tough because both those guys seem to be playing exceptionally well but hopefully I can bring it home. One of the main goals is definitely gonna be to try and also win other slams so hopefully I’ll be able to perform well in those tournaments when the time comes. We’re now approaching clay season and out of the surfaces I’d say it’s probably my least favorite so we’ll see what happens! Obviously I’d like to also remain undefeated for as long as possible but I don’t know how long that will last tbh, I’m bound to lose at some point for sure and the clay season seems a likely time as any hahah

Interviewer: These are some lofty goals you’ve set, it’s good to have goals to keep you focused and to help you improve. Hopefully you’re able to accomplish them, but I’m sure others are gonna try and stop you! So before we go, a few quick questions Favourite tennis shot?

IMylo Ren: topspin forehand

Interviewer: Favourite tournament?

IMylo Ren: Wimbledon

Interviewer: Of course! I'm sure its everyone's dream to win Wimbledon. Favourite surface?

IMylo Ren: Hard

Interviewer: Interesting, even though Wimbledon is played on grass. Finally I'm not sure if I asked but where are you from?

IMylo Ren: Italy, born and raised

Interviewer: It’s really a golden generation of Italian tennis! Thanks for coming to chat with us Mylo Ren, and all the best in Rotterdam and the rest of your season!

IMylo Ren: My pleasure! Thank you for having me!