Learner Tien has shown himself as a real threat on the ATP Tour this year and someone who has a lot of potential.
Tien reached the China Open final last week, which was the first time he had reached the championship match on the ATP Tour.
Despite being beaten by Jannik Sinner, the teenager was rewarded with a career-high ranking and Tien has been predicted to continue climbing the rankings.
Even after being beaten in Wuhan, Tien received a lot of praise from Daniil Medvedev, but there is still something holding him back from reaching his true potential.
Learner Tien needs to improve his serve if he is to reach his potential
Tien is clearly very talented and has showcased that throughout the 2025 season, having risen from world number 120 to a career-high of world number 36.
His breakthrough to the top 40 in the ATP rankings has been helped by Tien’s record that only Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner can better.
However, there is still something holding Tien back, which is one of the most important shots in tennis, the serve.
Tien ranks far below his current ATP ranking in all of the serving stats this year, with a service rating from the ATPTour.com placing him in 72nd this year.
What is particularly alarming is the number of double faults, which stands at over four per match.
Tien has not hit the most double faults on tour this year, but all the other players who have hit the top 10 most double faults have also hit more aces per match than he has.
While his stature is always going to be somewhat of a barrier, with Tien under six foot tall, he could still work on his accuracy to lower the number of double faults and increase the first serve percentage.
| Learner Tien’s Serve in 2025 | Statistic | Where that ranks him on the ATP Tour this year? |
| Average Aces per match | 4.1 | 68th |
| Double Faults per match | 4.3 | 9th worst |
| First Serve % | 61.1% | 48th |
| First Serve Win % | 68.2% | 71st |
| Second Serve Win % | 50.2% | 57th |
| Service Games Win % | 75.9% | 71st |
| Service rating | 255.2 | 72nd |
What is next for Learner Tien?
While the serve may be holding Tien back somewhat, there is much more positive to say about the 19-year-old than negative at the moment.
As Tien looks to continue his rise up the rankings and seek out a seeded ranking at the Australian Open, he still has three tournaments on his schedule for the coming weeks.
The American will now head back to Europe for the Vienna Open, where Tien is currently the fifth alternate, but will at least be in the qualifying draw.
Tien will also make his debut at the Paris Masters, before remaining in France for the ATP 250 tournament in Metz.
After this week, Tien will only have 66 ranking points to defend until the Australian Open and could very feasibly make his top 30 debut in the coming weeks.
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