From California community courts to opening Arthur Ashe stadium vs Djokovic on historic US Open Sunday night start: Learner Tien's incredible story

Learner Tien will face-off against Novak Djokovic in the iconic Arthur Ashe stadium on a historic US Open Sunday night start on August 24. His rise to the big stage and battles with top players took shape from humble beginnings.

Tien was born to Vietnamese parents, Huyen and Khuong, in California in December 2005. He started playing tennis at a young age of five. Playing in the community courts of California, the American achieved great success in the early stages, reaching a junior world ranking of No. 4 in singles.

Learner Tien finished runner-up at the 2023 Australian Open and the US Open at the junior level. The American's transition to the pro-level majorly shaped up in 2024, when he clinched three ATP Challenger titles. He also reached the final of the Next Gen ATP Finals, as he rose to the World No. 114 by November.

Tien's breakthrough event on the main tour was the 2025 Australian Open, where he defeated former Grand Slam champion Daniil Medvedev. He also registered wins over Camilo Ugo Carabelli and Corentin Moutet to reach the fourth round. In an interview with the ATP, Tien reflected on finding his path to success even when situations were not completely aligned.

"It definitely feels good to know that you found a way, even in not the most ideal circumstances that you would want. But it's a good feeling, honestly, to problem solve and find a way through a match where you don't feel your best, maybe, and you know things are going wrong. So I take a good bit of confidence from it. I enjoy it," Tien said.

Learner Tien went through a struggling phase in 2024, as a fractured seventh-rib got him sidelined for three months. However, he won the first 28 matches on his return, bagging three Challenger titles and playing impressively on the ITF circuit. Reflecting on his fightback, the American admitted that the progress he made since the injury was better than he expected.

"I think it's been amazing. I've been doing better than I could have hoped for if you told me this would happen a year ago. I try to take it all in because obviously the wins are so much better than the losses," Learner Tien stated.

"I try to enjoy them as much as I can. When you're winning, it's great. I personally don't really appreciate the winning as much until I lose, and it's like, Wow, this is definitely a lot worse than two days ago, when I was winning," he added.

The American maintained that it was important to be "grateful" but not content with whatever success that came his way, as it pushed him to achieve greater heights.

"I think just taking it in and being grateful for the success that I've had, and I guess not being satisfied with what I've had. And obviously pushing for more, but taking it all in and enjoying it as much as I can," Tien said.

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Learner Tien believes that changes are essential even when having success

Learner Tien at the 2025 ATP Masters 1000 Canadian Open (Image Source: Getty)

Tien acknowledged that change is a constant need in the sport. He stated that while the obvious choice might be to stick with the same formula that brings success, it is better to keep improving for continuous growth.

"I think sometimes when you're winning and having success, it can be hard to tweak things, just because you feel like it's working right now, why would I change it? But I've always had a pretty good mindset about it. I like the fact that I still feel like I have stuff to work on and improve, just because if I didn't, that means I'd be at my ceiling right now," Learner Tien told the ATP.

Tien must be keen to incorporate such changes to his game as he eyes for his first US Open main-draw win in four years. It will be exciting to witness how the youngster would compete against Djokovic, one of the greatest to ever play the sport, in front of his home fans on the historic opening night.

Learner Tien most recently played at the Cincinnati Open, where he defeated Leandro Riedi, 6-3, 6-4, before falling to Andrey Rublev, 6-7(4), 3-6, in the second round.