Learner Tien on the #NextGenATP surge: 'Everyone wants to catch the top guy'
By the time Learner Tien steps onto court in Jeddah for his second straight appearance at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, he will no longer be the fresh-faced teenager who surprised the field as last year’s finalist.
Instead, the American arrives as one of the breakout revelations of 2025. Tien’s surge into the World’s Top 30, deep runs across all surfaces, and first ATP Tour trophy in Metz in the final week of the regular season have shifted expectations from ‘promising prospect’ to ‘future fixture’. Yet if there’s one thing that remains the same after his meteoric rise, it’s that he refuses to shrink under the spotlight.
“I do a good job of keeping expectations off myself,” Tien told ATPTour.com in Paris in October. “I try not to put too much pressure on myself, I just try to come in and enjoy because I am playing all these tournaments for the first time. I’m just enjoying my experience and that takes a lot of weight off my shoulders: I’m able to go out there freely and that helps me a lot.
“I like to keep my routines pretty similar, but usually playing from place to place it’s a little tough. I do my best to try and keep most things the same when I can.”
That freedom translates into fearlessness on court — especially against the sport’s heavyweights — and it was on full display at the Australian Open in January. As a qualifier ranked World No. 121, Tien stunned fifth seed and three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev after four hours and 49 minutes of gruelling second-round action.
It didn’t stop in Melbourne, where he reached the fourth round, however. Time and time again, he walked into marquee stadiums and swung with nothing to lose, compiling a 5-3 record against Top 10 players, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, across the 2025 season.
“I really enjoy those matches, I see them as great opportunities. I don’t think there is a lot of expectation on me to win, especially coming out at the beginning of the year,” said Tien, who also defeated Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, Andrey Rublev and Lorenzo Musetti. “I just go out, play free, and play well, and I’ve been fortunate enough to come through a lot of them.”
Tien is part of a generational surge powered by the same young talents who shared the stage with him last year in Jeddah. Joao Fonseca — who beat Tien in the title match — and Miami champion Jakub Mensik have joined him in turning the 2025 season into a statement year for their age group.
Together, they are leading the next wave of men’s tennis, aiming to follow the path carved out by former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champions Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, now the World No. 1 and World No. 2.
“I think a lot of the younger guys are doing well,” said Tien. “Sometimes it’s tough, and people come out a little better than others during the first year as they don’t really know how a lot of the new stuff can go. But the young guys do a good job of pushing each other. Everyone wants to catch the ‘top guy’. It’s been great all the young guys pushing each other this year.”
Former World No. 2 Michael Chang, who joined Tien’s team in July, has been played a key role in accelerating the 19-year-old’s rapid growth. Chang’s impact was immediate, providing the 19-year-old with the road map of someone who’s lived the pressures he is only beginning to encounter.
“He brings a lot of experience, a lot of tennis knowledge,” Tien said of Chang, the 34-time tour-level champion. “I don’t have much experience myself as it’s my first time around, so having someone on my team who really knows how things go, and having that many years, just really helps me a lot.”
Returning to Jeddah this year with unfinished business, Tien will bring the confidence of a Top 30 breakthrough, the fearless mentality that helped him topple multiple Top 10 stars, and the poise of a young star learning to thrive under pressure.
The 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 17-21 December.
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