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The never-ending evolution of Learner Tien

Exclusive insight from Tien and his trainer Eric Diaz

January 15, 2025

Eric Diaz remembers seeing Learner Tien for the first time when the left-hander was 14 years old. From a young age, there was an “aura” around him that later helped Tien win the USTA Boys’ 18s National Hard Court Championships twice, at ages 16 and 17.

“Everyone expected big things from him, but he was just a quiet kid, so it was always one of those where I always thought, ‘He’s young, you never know,'” Diaz said. “But the more I got to know him, the more I realized the aura was there for a reason.”

Some players are known for their forehand or backhand, others for their serve. Tien, who reached the final of the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF last month, hasn’t based his brand on one shot or one trait. He is simply a winner.

Case in point: Tien’s first-round match at the Australian Open. It was a high-pressure environment for the 19-year-old, who was playing his first major tournament outside of the US Open and aiming for his first main draw win at a Grand Slam tournament.

Tien, a qualifier, faced Camilo Ugo Carabelli, who has never won a tour-level match on hard courts. But the American made 16 double faults, forcing him to dig deep in a five-set battle that lasted nearly four hours. According to Infosys Stats, he converted just seven of 20 break points but managed to secure a second-round showdown with former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, which will take place at Margaret Court Arena on Thursday evening.

“The kid is a winner and just finds other ways,” Diaz said. “I think a lot of guys, if they have a day like that and you just make a double fault, I think they would probably allow it to get the best of them. He just stays calm and just finds a way.”

Tien told ATPTour.com: “It definitely feels good to know that you found a way, even in not the most ideal circumstances that you would want. But honestly, it’s a good feeling to problem-solve and find your way through a game where you might not feel good and know something is going wrong. I get a lot of self-confidence from that. I enjoy it.”

A year ago, Tien was No. 473 in the PIF ATP rankings and hit a dead end when a seventh rib fracture left him out for more than three months.

The Californian won the first 28 games after his comeback at the end of May and never looked back. He qualified for Jeddah, the under-20 first-class season finale, and is now No. 107 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

“I think it’s great. I was doing better than I would have hoped if you had told me this would happen a year ago. I try to take everything into account because obviously the wins are much better than the losses,” Tien said. “I try to enjoy it as much as possible. If you win, it’s great. Personally, I don’t appreciate winning so much until I lose, and then I think, “Wow, this is definitely a lot worse than two days ago when I won.”

“I think it’s important to just accept it and be grateful for the success that I’ve had, and I think that I’m not happy with what I’ve had. And of course I push for more, but I’m taking it all in and enjoying it as much as I can.”

Tien, Diaz and the rest of the team are not satisfied with the success. They know that he is only a teenager with a long way to go and that rising to the top of the sport requires constant improvement and development. Because of this, the group has continued to refine Tien’s game despite all the victories he has achieved over the last seven months.

“I think sometimes when you’re winning and having success, it can be difficult to optimize things. Just because you feel like it works right now, why should I change it? But I’ve always had a pretty good attitude about it,” Tien said. “I like the fact that I still feel like I have things I can work on and improve because if I didn’t that would mean I’m at my limit now.

“Honestly, it’s nice for me to know that there are a lot of things I can improve on and that I’m succeeding despite some shortcomings that could be fixed.”

Diaz explained that they changed “a few things” in Tien’s game, including working on his serve and forehand.

“It’s one of those things where some days it’s great, other days it’s not. In his second qualifying round, he scored 16 aces and two double faults. So completely different than today. But for him to be able to win without having a very good serving day, I think says a lot about his mentality and everything else,” Diaz said.

“It’s just a constant evolution. So he tries to do different things with his feet and other things with his hands. Some days it’s good. Some days that’s not the case. Today’s throw was a little off. But that’s what happens when you’re playing one of the biggest games of your life, things don’t go perfectly, and you still find a way to win. That’s a good thing.”

According to Tien, he is hitting his serve better now than ever before. Part of that has to do with the small changes he’s made to his movement, timing and pace.

“I’ve tweaked my serve a little bit… But there’s still a lot of room for improvement and a lot of things that could be better,” Tien said. “So it’s nice to have a few good days of action and know that there’s still a lot of room for improvement. I think that’s probably been the biggest focus for me for a while, and that’s progressing.”

Tien is aware that he doesn’t have much of an ego and lets his successes stop him from working on his game. And as Diaz said, “You’re never where you want to be.”

“I think even when you’re doing well, there are always bigger dreams or bigger hopes or bigger tournaments and stuff like that,” Diaz said. “So I think he’s done a good job of having a really long-term vision. There was never really a moment of, ‘Oh, I’m too good to work on anything,’ which is great.”