ATP Tour

Tien now working with Chang, who will make box debut for Djokovic showdown

#NextGenATP star Learner Tien began his 2025 season in Hong Kong. One day, the lefty was enjoying a typical practice at the ATP 250 event when he met former World No. 2 Michael Chang, a three-time winner of the tournament, for the first time. That day the pair only shared a brief hello.

Tien’s coach at the time, Eric Diaz, reached out about the potential of Chang helping the 19-year-old, which was convenient given they live 20 minutes from each other in California. Tien, who now travels with his junior coach, Erik Kortland, began working with Chang the week before Washington and the 34-time tour-level titlist will be in the teen’s box for the first time Sunday evening when he takes on 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic in the first round of the US Open.

“I'm trying to help him as best as I can,” Chang told ATPTour.com. “This is not always an easy year for players when they come out, and they're playing the main Tour, the first year out, which is really kind of what it is for him. Last year, he played a lot of Challengers and did really, really well at the end of the year. But this whole year has been new for him.

“He's been handling it well, and obviously is doing great.”

When Chang met Tien at the start of the season, he was the No. 122 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. Now he is at a career-high World No. 48 and on the rise. He will try to hand Djokovic his first opening-round loss at a major since the 2006 Australian Open.

“I like his draw. Obviously Novak is one of the greatest players to play tennis, if not the G.O.A.T. himself. Learner has nothing to lose. He has everything to gain,” Chang said. “Certainly, growing up, Novak would have been one of the great champions he has watched growing up and he is the last of his group of unbelievable players: Rafa and Roger and Andy, all part of that.

“For [Learner] to get an opportunity to play one of them is very special and let's not deny the fact that Novak is still playing unbelievable tennis. If Sinner and Alcaraz are not in his way, he could have very easily added more Grand Slams to his resume. But at the same time, Learner has nothing to lose tomorrow night.”

Chang pointed out that Tien is playing his home Grand Slam tournament and will have the crowd behind him, while Djokovic has not competed since Wimbledon.

“I don't know how he's necessarily going to be coming out. We’ll obviously expect him to play his best, as he always does, in Grand Slam events,” Chang said. “But Learner showed throughout this season that he can give the best players a lot of trouble. And he's beating some guys that had beaten Novak in past Grand Slams and he should draw confidence from that.”

Notably, Tien shocked former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in a final-set tie-break in the second round of this year’s Australian Open en route to the fourth round. The lefty is competing in his fourth US Open and pursuing his first victory at the event. Tien learned of his draw while in the car back to his hotel with Kortland.

“For a moment, we were laughing because I think he's gotten a seed or a top player every year that he's played here so far. He was like, ‘Yeah, well, maybe one year we'll get a draw that I can ease into’,” Kortland said. “But the way that we looked at it is, ‘Hey, this is an unbelievable opportunity. You're playing, may I dare say, the G.O.A.T, maybe one of the greatest of all time. But this is an unbelievable opportunity to play someone, maybe towards the end of their career. You get to play on Ashe, you get to play a night match, have fun. Just really enjoy the moment’.

“I think that eased him up a little bit to understand that there's no more importance on this match than any other match that we're playing and take it for the opportunity that it is and see what happens.”

Kortland is a former national coach with USTA Player Development who has been mentored by coaching legends including Jose Higueras, Jay Berger, Ola Malmqvist and Andy Brandi. Now he is enjoying the experience of working alongside Chang.

“I was never a highly ranked ATP player, so to be able to get what that type of player is feeling in these certain moments, some tactical stuff [is great]. He's coached Kei Nishikori as well, who's played all these top guys, [reached the] final of a Grand Slam, played on Ashe,” Kortland said. “So there are a lot of things that Michael's going to bring as far as being a player and what he sees and feels and may have experienced. But also, he's an unbelievable coach.”

Chang has studied Tien’s game extensively. But even before going through that process, the former World No. 2 noticed while watching tennis that Tien would spin his serve in.

“I think he's serving a lot bigger now, for sure. Obviously, he has the capability of doing that. Now he's starting to incorporate that into his game,” Chang said. “I don't think that's been a difficult transition for him. I do actually think that he has the capability of playing very aggressively off the ground, and he's able to finish points off at the net. He's got a good net game, and there's no reason why, in a very short period of time, he can become really more of an all-court player in every regard.”

Chang was one of the best defenders of his era, but he believes it is difficult to play a purely defensive game today because of the firepower and spin the stars of the ATP Tour possess in their games. He hopes to work with Tien on developing those skills and continuing his rise.

The winner of 662 tour-level matches, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, does not have a tonne of time to travel with Tien given other commitments, largely spending time with family and traveling with his older daughter, Lani, a 14-year-old who will be competing in the US Open girls’ event later in the fortnight. But Chang is happy to be helping Tien for several reasons.

“I have always had a heart for Asian tennis, for Asian-American tennis, and I've enjoyed my time that I've worked with him. I feel like he's got a good head on his shoulders,” Chang said. “To be able to see another fellow Asian American have the opportunity to do well on Tour, and for me to impart some of the experiences that I've had, in helping him to achieve his goals, I feel like it's a rewarding thing to do. I'm excited about the opportunity.”