Learner Tien

Learner Tien lived up to his billing as top seed at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF by claiming the coveted trophy in front of a lively crowd, which included all-time great Rafael Nadal.

Tien, a finalist on debut in 2024, defeated second seed Alexander Blockx 4-3 (7-4), 4-2, 4-1 to cap an impressive breakthrough year and set himself up perfectly for 2026. This season, the 20-year-old American won his first ATP Tour title and ended the year at a career-high Number 28 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

In a match that pitted power again precision, it was the guile, consistency, and ball control of Tien that proved too good on the night against the big-hitting Blockx, who became a crowd favourite throughout the week for his exciting game style and fine form.

Tien said: “I’ve loved it here. I’ve played very well both years. This year maybe I didn’t play as well in some matches as I wanted, but the crowd got me through a lot of them. The support, especially tonight, has been amazing, and I’m very thankful to everyone.”

Despite defeat in the final, Blockx can look back on his tournament with plenty of positives; the 20-year-old Belgian was unstoppable for his first four matches and entered the title match as the last remaining unbeaten player in the competition.

Blockx said: “I enjoyed it here very much. I really had fun on court, even today. When I was losing, I told myself to enjoy the moment because it might be the last time I experience a match like that. I wasn’t disappointed or angry. I was just having fun and looking for opportunities. It’s been a really fun 10 or 11 days here, and I’m really excited for the next weeks.”

It was an exciting final that capped off a spectacular week of tennis in Jeddah, both on the court at King Abdullah Sports City and around the city. While the flagship tournament for the eight leading ATP Tour players aged 20-and-under delivered five days of top-class tennis, numerous activities took place across Jeddah to promote tennis – much of it led by sports icon Nadal.

As part of a three-day visit to Jeddah, the Saudi Tennis Federation (STF) Ambassador spent the afternoon on Friday at The Professional Tennis Academy – Vamos, where he led a mentoring discussion and oversaw a coaching session with more than 20 of Saudi Arabia’s elite tennis talents. On Saturday, Nadal visited Dunes Racquet Club to lead two coaching clinics: for athletes from the Saudi Special Olympics team and for young children.

Sunday morning was spent at the stunning Silver Sands Beach, where Nadal played beach tennis with Saudi players, before making his way to King Abdullah Sports City to meet juniors competing in an Under-14 Asian Tennis Federation tournament and to attend the final. There were also meet-and-greets with fans on both evenings over the weekend.

The 22-time major champion then completed his visit to Jeddah by congratulating Tien in the locker room following his impressive victory in the final.

Nadal said: “It’s been a great experience. I was able to, of course, visit the tournament, but at the same time, and most important for me, visit different places and spend time with kids. I wanted to send them the right messages in terms of values, of how to see their future and the way that I consider the proper way to proceed when you are a kid and how you want to keep growing as a tennis player and as a human. So, it was a great experience and I’ve had a lot of fun.”

Since the Next Gen ATP Finals made its historic debut in 2023 as the first ever professional tennis event to be staged in Saudi Arabia, the sport has made remarkable strides thanks to an ambitious strategy led by the STF.

More elite-level professional events, including the WTA Finals Riyadh presented by PIF and from 2028 a new ATP Masters 1000, play a key role in generating interest in tennis, while community programs are putting racquets in the hands of children across the Kingdom. For instance, ‘Tennis for All’, in collaboration with ‘Sports for All’, introduced tennis to more than 53,000 kids this year.

Meanwhile, female participation has increased by 24% in just one year since the 2024 WTA Finals Riyadh, while the progress in elite player development has resulted in a record 82 Saudi players currently holding an international ranking.

Nadal said: “It’s great news that the country has such important events like the WTA Finals, the Next Gen, and the Six Kings Slams. These events encourage parents and kids to play more tennis. Of course, there is still a lot to do, but these events attract people and engage people in our beautiful sport.

“Now there is a follow-up that we need to work on. We need to create the right facilities and engage families, because the families are the ones who make the decision where their kids are going. So, it’s important to make the right decisions to help them choose tennis.”

As the Next Gen ATP Finals complete their transformative three-year stay in Jeddah, and Nadal departs from his latest visit, the future of tennis in Saudi is brighter than ever.