Andre Agassi is full of praise for Learner Tien as the former eight-time Grand Slam champion says the 19-year-old rising star has what it takes mentally and physically to compete against the best and succeed on the Tour.
Tien, who started the year ranked at No. 122 in the world, is one of the top candidates to win the Most Improved Player of the Year award.
After winning seven titles on the lower-tier last year and gradually establishing himself as an ATP player in the first part of 2025, Tien elevated his game to a new level this fall. At the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing, the American upset Daniil Medvedev to reach his maiden ATP final. There, he clashed against world No. 2 Jannik Sinner and suffered a 2-6 2-6 loss.
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In his Shanghai debut, Tien did solidly as well, winning four matches before falling just short in a round-of-16 three-set thriller to Medvedev. Now, he is sitting at No. 38 in the world.
Agassi: Tien is incredibly gifted with his game and mind
"He (Learner) has learned the game phenomenally well. He is incredibly gifted, not just with his game, but with his mind. He has to overcome certain physical limitations versus other guys, as far as size and strength (goes), but he's still so young. When I really look at him from a tennis player execution standpoint, he's one of the few guys I say to myself, (I don't know) how would I help him get better -- he does everything," Agassi told AFP.
Standing at 5' 11'' (180cm) and 160 lbs (73kg), Tien is not the most dominant player physically out there. But his game style is pretty similar to Alex de Minaur as the 19-year-old does everything a bit on the court and makes his rivals earn every single point.
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"Mentally he absolutely has what it takes," Agassi added of Tien.
Before his breakout 2025, Tien won the NextGen ATP Finals in Jeddah in 2024 December.
