Tien and his evolution: "Confidence was one of the most important factors"

Learner Tien continues to take giant steps forward in terms of his evolution and growth on the circuit. Besides winning his first ATP trophy just over a month ago at the ATP Metz 2025, the young American is pushing his limits in terms of rankings, a result of remarkable progress in his performance.

The 20-year-old tennis player keeps adding victories this 2025 season at the ATP Next Gen ATP Finals 2025, where he secured a spot in the semifinals by defeating Nikolai Budkov Kjaer in four sets, a match that knocked out the Spaniard Rafael Jódar from the semis.

"It's easy to say that I feel I have improved overall; I think I have improved my week-to-week management," said Learner Tien in statements to Arab News. "That is one of the most important aspects: managing wins and losses. Obviously, my game has improved on the court, but I would say that mentally, off the court, managing matches and things like that, is probably what has improved the most."

A year full of growth

"Things got a bit tough, but I am very happy with how I recovered from some of the toughest moments of the year, and despite the ups and downs, I remained quite consistent. Sometimes it was a bit overwhelming. On the other hand, it was also very exciting, just because I was going to those places for the first time this year.

I tried to enjoy it to the fullest. Some weeks were challenging, simply because I had some losses and then went to another place that I didn't know so well, and maybe I would lose again. I wasn't used to being away from home for so long. I also wasn't used to losing so much at certain times of the year."

Confidence, key for Tien

"I always believed I could finish the year strong, especially during the summer when I was going through a rough patch. I always thought I could definitely finish the year very well, and it wouldn't surprise me if I did. Confidence was one of the most important factors when attending some of those tournaments. Playing on hard courts is very natural for me, and I feel quite comfortable with it.

I always felt I would have good chances of doing well at the end of the year, especially on indoor courts, which is a surface I like. So, partly that and partly just not letting the downs affect me so much, simply, I guess, keeping hope, keeping the belief that I could end the year on a high note."

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