Q&A: Coach Michael Chen discusses Learner Tien’s potential, passion for the game and more

When Learner Tien began working with Michael Chang midway through last season, the partnership immediately drew buzz.

Chang, the Hall of Famer who won the 1989 French Open at age 17 and later rose to No. 2 in the world, has rarely taken on coaching roles since retiring from the tour. But the opportunity to mentor Tien — a rising 20-year-old American with a brainy game and similar background — proved intriguing.

On the heels of his breakout 2025 season and Australian Open quarterfinal showing, Tien enters the BNP Paribas Open as the youngest player in the top 30 and seeded No. 25.

He defeated ailing 8th-ranked American Ben Shelton in the third round on Sunday to improve his record against top-10 players to 6-5 — an impressive stat for someone so green.

Read more:How Michael Chang is molding Learner Tien into a contender at Indian Wells

Chang, 54, and Tien share plenty of surface synergies. 

Both hail from Southern California and are products of the same tennis ecosystem. Both are Asian-American. Both are analytical tennis thinkers. That proximity, along with a shared outlook on the game, helped lay the foundation for a collaboration that has already produced strong results.

The Los Angeles Times spoke with Chang by phone on Monday before Tien faced No. 18 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain on Tuesday in the fourth round.

The conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity:

How did the coaching partnership with Learner Tien come together last year?

Chang: I happened to be in Macau the week before Hong Kong for an event that was kind of like an Asian version of the Laver Cup. I was one of the captains and Li Na was the other captain. The following week I was in Hong Kong, and Learner was hitting on the court next to my daughter and me. We met briefly there and just said hello.

Later, after Wimbledon, I got a phone call from his team about the possibility of working together. It was basically a cold call [from his agent, Mats Merkel].

At the time, I wasn’t looking for a coaching position. I had been traveling a lot with my daughter, Lani [a junior tennis player].

But this opportunity was intriguing. Learner is Asian American, and he only lives about 20 minutes away from me. From a location standpoint, that made things pretty easy. And I heard some good things about him.

What parallels do you see between your own background and Learner’s?

Chang: Besides the obvious facts, we also had a similar junior path. He won [the Boys 18s Nationals] at Kalamazoo when he was very young, at 16 and 17. I won it when I was 15. He played the U.S. Open early and had success right away.

I was teasing him toward the end of last year because my first professional title came in the last tournament of my rookie year in 1988. Metz [France] was the last tournament of his season last year, and he ended up winning his first ATP title there.

Closer to home, there’s a lot of great Asian food near us. We know all the Asian places. So when we go out together, we’re like, ‘Oh, go here, go there.’ And I don’t need to give him directions.

On top of that, we share the same faith. We’re both believers in the Lord, which creates a different but very exciting dynamic. We’re looking at it, obviously, from a tennis perspective, but we look at it from why we’ve been given this talent. We have that parallel as well.

Read more:Tennis pros quickly learn picturesque Indian Wells can bite back with weather shifts

How does that shared faith influence your approach to tennis?

Chang: I think looking at it from that aspect, we’re trying to go out there and win tournaments, but we realize, like, ‘Hey, we’ve been given this talent to go and touch lives too.’ That is a greater purpose.

How has the coach-player relationship developed over the past several months?

Chang: Honestly, it’s pretty smooth because Learner is easygoing. There’s nothing difficult about him. I don’t feel like he’s somebody that’s high-strung or high-maintenance. It’s not like, ‘Hey, I’ve got to have this, I’ve got to have that.’ I just don’t get that sense.

My son Micah has been traveling to most of the tournaments with me, and some of my other family members have come in as well. That’s been a great dynamic. He gets along great with my kids and with my wife when they come on the road.

So yeah, it’s been good. It’s been a lot of fun. I’m certainly looking forward to this coming year and the opportunities we’ll have going forward.

What’s changed most in the game since you were playing, both on and off the court?

Chang: Even coming from coaching Kei [Nishikori], a lot has changed. When I coached Kei on tour there was no on-court coaching. So that’s probably been the biggest change, because it changes the whole dynamic of how some matches are played.

Some of the strategic and analytical things that pertain to matches weren’t really available. When I was scouting for Kei, I had to do it old school — go back and watch matches and learn different things about different players. Now it’s a whole different ball game.

Is that something you’d have welcomed when you competed?

Chang: I would have liked to have had that as a player because back in our day we didn’t have any taped matches. You couldn’t go to tennis TV or YouTube and watch points or matches of your opponents.

What areas of his game have you focused on improving?

Chang: One of the first things we worked on was the serve. We wanted to make it more of a weapon, with more power and more variety.

Before, it was sometimes just about starting the point. Now it’s something he can use more aggressively. In his match against Ben Shelton, he had 15 aces, which obviously helps when it comes to holding serve.

We’ve also worked on patterns and making him less predictable. The goal is to give him more options so he can hit different shots depending on the situation.

In his last match, he out aced one of the tour’s biggest servers in Shelton, but also had 10 double faults.

Chang: The double faults were a little higher than normal, so we’ll address that. But yes, sometimes he is going for more on the second serve. That’s part of becoming a more aggressive server. I didn’t really have that luxury when I played because I didn’t have the height or pace to do that [Chang is 5-foot-9]. My serve relied more on variety. Otherwise guys would attack it. But today everyone on tour has to develop their serve as a weapon.

What are your memories of Indian Wells when you were playing? This place has changed a lot.

Chang: I’ve had some great memories in Indian Wells. It’s been such a good tournament for me. And for Learner it’s the same because we’re basically playing in our backyard. We’re playing in front of family and friends and people who grew up watching us play in the area.

For me, I usually try to come down earlier just to enjoy being in the desert, get used to the conditions, relax a little, do a little fishing, and then be ready for the tournament. That’s what we’ve done on this trip.

Most of my Indian Wells tournaments were when it was at the Hyatt. I have played at the Tennis Garden facility, but not as many years there. My three titles came when it was at the Hyatt so it was a different venue.

Did you expect to return to tennis as a coach after you retired?

Chang: No, no, no, I did not! Back then not a whole lot of former pros were coaching, at least not in this type of capacity. And to be honest with you, I traveled so much in my in my tennis career that I was looking forward to staying home more. Obviously things didn’t necessarily happen that way, but I’ve enjoyed the process and I enjoyed coaching Kei.

Is Learner a quick learner? What are you concentrating on in his game?

Chang: Well, I think his name speaks for itself. He does pick things up very quickly. One of the first things we worked on was the serve. The serve has definitely become a lot more powerful, more of a weapon, with more variety. That’s been a good addition.

What are your biggest hopes for him this season?

Chang: A big goal for me is trying to get him comfortable on clay. He didn’t have a good clay-court season last year. Growing up in California, not a lot of players see clay very often. I think he has the speed to do well on it. He just needs enough time on the surface to feel comfortable with the movement and the structure of the points. That’s something I’m hoping he can pick up quickly because it’s going to be an important part of the season.

Lastly, what has impressed you most about him?

His passion for the game, and his desire to be out there and play. Just to give you an idea: Toward the end of last year in Metz when most guys were like, ‘I just can’t wait for the season to be done so I can have an offseason,’ Learner said to me, ‘This is my first full season, and I kind of wish it wouldn’t end because I’m having so much fun. I’m so excited to be out here.’ That just gives you a taste of his mentality.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.