Tien on rising expectations: 'I don't feel a weight on my shoulder by any means'
With each passing week, expectations continue to rise for 20-year-old Learner Tien. The American first announced himself on the Tour at last year’s Australian Open, where he became the youngest man to reach the fourth round of a major since Rafael Nadal in 2006.
Tien built on that breakthrough throughout 2025. The lefty claimed his maiden tour-level title in Metz, captured the Next Gen ATP Finals crown and surged into the Top 30 of the PIF ATP Rankings. Just three weeks into 2026, he once again showcased his rapid ascent in Melbourne. This fortnight, Tien went one step further at the Australian Open, becoming the youngest American to reach the quarter-finals of a major since 2002, before his run was halted by Alexander Zverev on Tuesday.
So, does heightened expectation bring added pressure?
“I don’t think about it too much,” Tien said when addressing that question in his post-match presser following his four-set loss to Zverev. “I don’t feel like a weight on my shoulder by any means. I’m very fortunate to be in the position that I’m in and I think I lead a pretty special life that a lot of people don’t get to live. I think it’s great just to go around and travel and play tennis. I just enjoy that as much as I can.”
Tien’s Melbourne campaign was marked by resilience and quality. The No. 25 seed rallied from two sets to one down, and from a break deficit in the fourth set, during his opening-round clash against Marcos Giron. He then moved confidently past Alexander Shevchenko and Nuno Borges to reach the second week.
The highlight came in the fourth round, where Tien delivered a statement performance against Daniil Medvedev, dismissing the three-time finalist for the loss of just seven games. The victory improved Tien’s record to 3-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, having also beaten the former World No. 1 in Melbourne last year.
“I am super happy with how I played all week,” Tien said. “I think match by match I just got a little bit better. So super happy with how I was kind of progressing through the tournament. I was down a break in the fourth first round, so to be in the quarters, it’s amazing.
“The fact that I was able to make it to the quarters, that was a goal of mine coming into the year. So happy to check that box in the first Slam of the year.”
[NO 1 CLUB]Working closely with Tien in Australia was coach Michael Chang, who joined forces with the American last August. The 20-year-old is pleased with how his partnership is developing with the former Roland Garros champion.
“I think he’s always a very calming presence. Offers me a lot of stuff mid-match, especially stuff that maybe I’m not picking up on. A lot of it was encouragement, telling me to stick with him as best as I could,” Tien said on the advice Chang was giving during his match against Zverev.
“Obviously [Zverev] played a good match. He was playing pretty well from start to finish, so for portions of the match, I was just trying to stay with him and not let him kind of run away with things. So it’s more of that. He was just giving me little bits of encouragement here and there.”
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