The incredible family story of Learner Tien: "We saw people die"

Pedro de Pablos | 26 Dec 2025 | 16.11

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Behind a great champion, there is a great family, and that is the case of Learner Tien. The American tennis player, recent winner of the ATP Next Gen Finals, had just experienced the best year of his professional career. The year of his consecration, of his first ATP 250 in Metz, and of his rise in the rankings to the 28th position. However, to understand his success, one must first understand the suffering his parents went through, and the story of overcoming that they carry on their shoulders.

In a documentary published by Tennis Channel, Khuong and Huyen Tien recount the life they had as young people and how they had to flee from Vietnam to the United States because of the war. It was in Irvine (California) where they met thanks to tennis, and a tradition began that they passed on to their children.

"We were more fortunate than most because we just got on a plane from Vietnam and landed in the U.S.," Khuong affirmed. Huyen, on the other hand, was not so lucky and had to experience the other side of the coin. "He's fortunate because he came by plane, I arrived in a boat. We sailed at sea for 10 days and encountered several pirates, so we had quite dramatic experiences during the journey. We saw people die," she confessed.

Once they settled and went to college, fate did the rest. "I got a job as a tennis coach, and I was teaching an adult class at night. That's where I met Huyen. At that time, she was working on an article and needed to interview a man of a certain age, she asked me if I minded doing it, and I accepted. We had many things in common, and we met on a tennis court. That's the only reason why our kids play tennis," Khuong acknowledges.

Tien's parents were his coaches during his youth

Since he was young, Tien grew up with a racket in hand, so it was "normal for him. It's something that has always accompanied us in our lives. Despite progressing, he didn't think much about professional tennis at first. My goal was always to see how far I could go," he mentioned.

During the early years, Learner's parents themselves took charge of his career for a simple reason: "I always say that the best coach for your child is the one who stays awake at night thinking about him, but when they are young, that person is usually the parents. I wanted to make sure not only to teach him the right things but also to do it in a way that he wouldn't hate it."

There were always expectations placed on Tien, but he was cautious when asked, to the point that his father began to doubt his motivation. "My son's famous phrase was, 'well, we'll see how far I can go.' Even if you asked him if he liked tennis, that was his response. It was strange, but he said it completely seriously," he confessed.

His coach compared him to Roger Federer

In lower categories, Tien stood out above the rest, but it was at 16 years old when he had to take the next step in his career. "He has always been the best in his category. He ended up number one at 12, at 14, at 16... and by the time he was number one at 16, he was also number one in the 18 category simultaneously," revealed Jay Leavitt, his coach, for whom "Learner's game is special, it's like Federer's. He has a natural ability to play elegantly."

Indeed, there were doubts about whether he should go to college or make the direct jump to the professional circuit, but it was Tien himself who wanted to stay grounded. "I thought it was a good idea to go to college even if it was just for a semester and give myself some time to physically and mentally mature."

The American tennis player trained, evolved as he wanted, and eventually made the transition to the circuit where he is now one of the most promising futures. "I really enjoy what I'm doing right now, and that's the key to how well things are going for me. I like to look back and see how I started and where I am now. I've always been one to go gradually, but obviously, winning Grand Slams and being number one is every kid's dream," Tien affirmed.

His parents can't help but admire what he has become, with the incentive of knowing all they had to go through for that to happen. "I feel proud after all. Since we emigrated, we have never returned to Vietnam, but we have always talked about going back one day, so our children can also see where we came from and what we fought for to give them the life they have today." A story of overcoming with a happy ending, and another chapter still to be written.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La increíble historia familiar de Learner Tien: "Vimos gente morir"