Breaking through: Get to know Learner Tien, one of the rising stars of men’s tennis
An in-depth look at some of the hottest young players on the ATP Tour. No 5: Learner Tien
Learner Tien, Australian Open, 2025 Vincent Thian/AP/SIPA
Learner Tien made headlines at this year’s Australian Open with a stunning run through qualifying and into the fourth round, taking out Daniil Medvedev in the process.
Over the last six months, tennis fans have been given a glimpse of what the men’s game might look like in another 10 to 15 years, as a crop of future stars have surfaced to pique the imagination of fans everywhere. Yes, we know Jannik Sinner is just 23, and Carlos Alcaraz is still 21, but what about the fresh-faced youngsters who are already starting to surface as potential rivals to them?
Over the next few weeks, Tennis Majors will be shining a light on the new wave of young talent that could one day rise to prominence.
See them all here
Today we will look at Learner Tien, a young American who surged into the spotlight at this year’s Australian Open.
Who is Learner Tien?
Hailing from Southern California, Learner Tien was a top junior, but he had to go through some mental rough patches before he reached his full potential. At Roland-Garros in 2023, Tien talked about his relationship with his game, and his struggle to find motivation.
“I didn’t know for a long time if it was going to be a career I wanted to pursue,” he said. “There were some ups and downs, and my love for tennis waivered at some points in my life. My will to play wasn’t there sometimes. But over the past few years, I really feel like my enjoyment and my love for tennis has spiked, so it’s been great.”
Tien said he wasn’t sure he wanted to choose the career path of professional tennis, but eventually he flipped the switch. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do that any longer,” he said. “But sudden enjoyment came to me and also I thought, ‘I’ve come so far, I can’t just stop’. Then I started dedicating myself more and the results started to show more.”
Now fully committed, the former junior No 4 is thriving on the ATP Tour.
What Defines Tien’s Game?
Tien is a crafty left-hander who plays an intelligent brand of tennis. He relies on composure, tenacity and a fluency in all corners of the court. He’s only 5ft11in so he’s not able to rely on sheer power like some of his peers, such as Jakub Mensik or Joao Fonseca, but Tien is a fantastic mover and an aggressive player who uses his speed to cut off corners and keep him on the attack.
He also packs exceptional power from both wings. His backhand is the more dependable side, it’s difficult to break down and he can use it to set up points. His forehand can be a weapon, but it can be exposed at this stage of his career, when he is rushed.
Tien has a good lefty serve that befuddles opponents. As he matures and adds power the serve should become more of a weapon. His return is a real strength as well, which makes him a frustrating player to play against, because of his ability to work return points and then lure servers into long, physical points.
Most of all, Tien is well-rounded with no glaring exploitable weaknesses. These qualities help explain why he has been able to translate his junior success into victories on the challenger and ATP Tour.
What are Tien’s best achievements to date?
Tien won the USTA’s annual 18 and under competition in successive years, in 2022 and 2023, which earned him main draw wildcards into the US Open.
Last year he won the Bloomfield Hills Challenger title to become the 10th-youngest American to ever win a Challenger title.
At the Australian Open this year, Tien upset three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev in the second round. With his third-round win over Corentin Moutet, the American became the youngest player to reach the fourth round in Melbourne since Rafael Nadal in 2005. He is also the second-youngest American man to advance to the last 16 at the Australian Open after American legend Pete Sampras, who reached the fourth round in Melbourne aged 18.
Tien made his top 100 debut after the Australian Open, rising to No 80 from No 121.
What are others saying about Tien?
“Learner Tien is playing some serious ball,” super-coach Brad Gilbert tweeted during Tien’s victory over Medvedev in Melbourne. “Most impressive how he’s holding the baseline and dictating play.
“The kid’s a winner and he just finds different ways,” his coach Eric Diaz said. “A lot of guys, I think, when they have that type of day and you’re just double faulting, I think a lot of guys would probably let it get the best of them. He just stays really calm and just finds a way.”
Tien’s good friend, fellow rising star Alex Michelsen, spent the off-season working out with Tien. He says that the southpaw was extremely gifted from a young age.
“We did pretty much every single day of off-season together. Really good to see the hard work is paying off,” Michelsen told the press. “We must have first met when we were like 9 or 10 because we were playing at the same tournaments in So Cal. He was always better than everyone else. I remember my whole friend group, we were like, ‘Oh, my God, it’s Learner. He was always way better. He was 10, playing like 14 and 16 unders and doing just fine.”
How far can he go?
At 5ft11in, Tien might be a bit undersized as a prospect, in terms of his potential for power. It’s definitely something to consider when we look at his upside. Not a single player in the ATP’s top-20 is below the 6′ mark at the moment, but that doesn’t mean Tien can’t get that high. Michael Chang won a Slam at 5’9″. Diego Schwartzman was an absolute force on tour at 5ft7in, reaching No 8 in the world.
Tien packs a surprising amount of power into his frame, and he certainly isn’t power deficient. He’ll just have to make up for his size with his quickness and his intelligence, and he has plenty of them.
Already at No 83 in the world and well shy of his 20th birthday, there’s no reason to believe that the American can’t be a top-20 player.
watch him at indian wells
Tien will next compete at the prestigious Indian Wells tournament this week. He will face Mariano Navone in the first round.
