After stunning the world of tennis at the 2025 Australian Open, 19-year-old Learner Tien continues to raise eyebrows. The rising young prodigy rose to fame when he pulled off the biggest upset of this season’s first Major down under. Facing 2024’s AO finalist Daniil Medvedev, Tien showed no signs of weakness. He went on to clinch victory in a near-five-hour battle. He beat Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-7(8), 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) while announcing his arrival on the biggest stage. Well, it looks like the 82-ranked ATP pro has already gained quite a following among notable tennis figures. Take, for example, Coco Gauff’s ex-coach!

Participating in his first event since the Australian Open, Tien entered the Delray Beach Open earlier this week. In the R32, he managed to beat Australia’s Adam Walton 6-4, 6-3. However, the American faced a formidable opponent in the next round on Friday. Playing Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi, Tien showed his on-court dominance, pushing the match to a tie-break on two occasions. Unfortunately, he couldn’t win as Arnaldi advanced further with a score line of 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(1).

Despite his performance coming in a losing cause, Coco Gauff’s former trainer and ex-ATP pro-Brad Gilbert had some impressive words to share regarding Tien. When the encounter between Arnaldi and Tien was still going on, Gilbert took to X and wrote, “Watching fast Learner vs Arnaldi good match so far.” While admiring Tien’s forehand skills, he wrote that he’s “got a very sneaky 😈 big fearhand” and “the way he hugs the baseline” is quite commendable.

While Gilbert may have become a fan of the teenager’s forehand and baseline talent, Tien’s not just someone who relies on certain shots or abilities. In fact, his constant rise across tours is because of an all-round improvement. And who knows it better than the American’s trusted coach, Eric Diaz.

Learner Tien’s coach emphasizes on making him “a winner” on the court

After he won his first-round match at the Australian Open, against Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Learner Tien’s trainer Eric Diaz shared some intriguing details on his playing style. Unlike pros who generally rely on the forehand, backhand, or serve, the 19-year-old focuses on a complete package.

“The kid’s a winner and he just finds different ways,” said Diaz, as reported by ATP’s website on January 15. Highlighting Tien’s ability to hold nerves, even in crunch moments, Diaz added, “He just stays really calm and just finds a way.”

In his encounter against Carabelli, Tien found it tough to win. Not to mention he made 16 double faults against his Argentinian rival. But the American finally managed to snatch the match with a score line of 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

Reflecting on this result, his coach said, “It’s one of those things where some days it’s great, other days it’s not. His second round of qualies, he hit 16 aces, two double faults. So pretty different than today.” Diaz was impressed to see that Tien won despite “not having a very good serve day, I think says a lot about his mentality and everything else”

After an early exit at the Delray Beach Open on Friday, Tien will look to have more deep runs this season. When he started 2025 in Melbourne, he was ranked 121st. But thanks to his fourth-round campaign down under, he entered the top 90. Currently, he’s sitting at the 82nd spot. It will intriguing, to see if he will shoot into the top 50 sooner.

What are your thoughts on Tien’s prospects in 2025? Let us know in the comments below.