"Mentally he absolutely has what it takes" - Andre Agassi gushes over rising American star Learner Tien
ATPThursday, 23 October 2025 at 02:08
American tennis player Learner Tien has been touted as one of the future stars on the ATP Tour, and tennis legend Andre Agassi believes the youngster is on his way to fulfilling that potential.
Agassi was in Hong Kong for the Prudential NextGen Aces event, where he gave advice to young and aspiring tennis players. The former US Open champion was accompanied by WTA World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and Russian tennis star Anna Kalinskaya, who took part in an exhibition match at the event.
Having won eight Grand Slam singles titles and even dipped his toes in the coaching pool, Agassi has an eye for talent. The 55-year old had high praise for Tien, who has experienced tremendous growth on the ATP Tour this season in addition to reaching a career-high ranking of World No.36 last month.
Tien reached the biggest final of his career at the China Open in September, defeating former World No.1 Daniil Medvedev and World No.8 Lorenzo Musetti en route to a date with Jannik Sinner. However, the Italian superstar proved to be too strong for Tien, recording a 6-2 6-2 victory despite the youngster's best efforts.
Agassi believes Tien has the physical and mental tools to succeed
After an impressive round of 16 run at the Shanghai Masters two weeks ago, where Tien lost to Medvedev in three exhausting sets; Agassi had nothing but praise for the 19-year old.
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"He has learned the game phenomenally well," said Agassi. "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."
"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."
Furthermore, Agassi would compare Tien to Australian tennis star Alex De Minaur, stating his admiration for their calm demeanor in the heat of battle.
"My gosh, the thing I respect the most, it's like you look at him, you look at De Minaur, they're guys that just find a way to always show up, blood pressure never changes," added Agassi. "They deliver the fact that they're going to make you beat them, and they have a level where they can raise their game and challenge the top 10 in the world. Mentally he absolutely has what it takes."
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