Alex Michelsen vs. Learner Tien: Friends become foes in Toronto

Fierce Feuds

Michelsen vs. Tien: From Fortnite to tennis, friends become foes in Toronto

American stars provide exclusive insight into their rivalry

Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour Alex Michelsen and Learner Tien are meeting in an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time. By Andrew Eichenholz

Alex Michelsen and Learner Tien both cooled down from matches at the same time on Thursday at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers. The longtime friends knew they will be competing against one another on Saturday for a place in the Toronto ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final, but tennis was not the first thing on their mind.

“He’d just got off the doubles court when I was walking back to the gym. We talked,” Tien told ATPTour.com. “He’s been trying to get me to buy a gaming laptop, so we can play games on the road, because he has one. I asked him, ‘If you beat me, can you buy me a laptop?’ He’s not down for that!”

This will be the pair’s third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting after Michelsen beat Tien in straight sets earlier this year on Houston’s clay. They also met in the semi-finals of last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF — a match Tien won — and have clashed well into their junior days.

“It’s very surreal, I think, especially from where we’ve come as juniors. This is going to be our third time playing [as pros], so it’s nothing super new, and we played a good bit in juniors,” Tien said. “But it’s really cool. It’s really cool to see him do well. I’m always rooting for him, except when we play. So I think it’s cool. We both love to go out there and compete, especially against each other. I think it adds another element, so I’m excited.”

Friends become foes on the court, and they also are often opponents off it. Michelsen and Tien play games like ping pong and Fortnite with each other.

“I’m better at Fortnite for sure. You can ask him, he won’t deny that,” Tien said, cracking a laugh. “Ping pong it depends on the location. We just happen to stay at the same hotel every year at the [US] Open and there’s a ping pong table in there, so on our days off we go down there and we play some games. Last year he started bringing his own paddle, so he’s into it. I’d say we’re fairly even.”

They are the two youngest Americans in the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings — with Michelsen No. 34 and Tien No. 61 — and both are still on the rise. The Jeddah alumni have also reshaped their teams in recent months.

Craig Boynton, who most recently mentored Hubert Hurkacz, has joined Robby Ginepri and strength and conditioning coach Rodney Marshall on Michelsen’s team. Jay Leavitt, who had previously worked with the American, is no longer able to travel because of a growing family, so Michelsen needed a traveling coach.

“They both have a lot of experience. Robby was a very good player on Tour. ‘CB’ has coached God knows how many guys, a lot of Americans, so he knows the drill for coaching. They both know the drill and they get along very well,” Michelsen said. “They’re very close off the court and that dynamic has helped me out a tonne.

“CB was the perfect fit. The timing worked out: He was looking to come back to the Tour and I needed someone else to travel with and I found out that Robby and CB go back a long time and they’re really tight, so it just worked out.”

After Wimbledon, Tien reunited with one of his key coaches from the juniors: Erik Kortland. They first met when Tien was around 10, and Kortland knows his game inside and out, and is able to spot the smallest of things in his game.

“I worked with him for a long time, he was really big in my development. I worked with him for years,” Tien said. “The relationship dynamic is a little different because I’m not a little kid running around anymore, but it’s been great. It’s not weird. Sometimes when you have a new coach, maybe it’s a little weird at first. But it’s not like that just because we’ve spent a lot of time on court together and it’s been working great so far. I’m really enjoying it.”

There will be a lot on the line Saturday, because both men seek a maiden Masters 1000 quarter-final. But win or lose, the friends will take in the moment when they stand across the net from one another on a massive stage.

“It’s really special. We’ve played on a big stage in the semis of Next Gen and we’re going to get to play Round of 16 match at a Masters 1000,” Michelsen said. “It’ll be both of our first times in that match, so it’s going to be a lot of fun and one of us will get to the quarters. I know whoever loses will be happy for the winner.”

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