Michael Te-Pei Chang is an American tennis player. He became the youngest male player
to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of
17 years and 4 months. Known for his on-court speed and fighting
spirit, Chang is considered by many observers to have been one of the best defensive baseliners
of all time. He also introduced the jumping two-handed backhand. He remained in the top
10 of the ATP world rankings for several years in the 1990s, peaking at World No. 2 in September
1996. Chang was inducted into the International
Tennis Hall of Fame in 2008. As of January 2014, Chang is coaching Kei
Nishikori.
Early life Chang was born in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1972
to Joe and Betty. Betty and Joe moved from Taiwan to the US in 1959 and 1966 respectively.
The parents met in the United States after being introduced by a mutual friend. Betty
was born in Delhi, India as the daughter of Michael Tung, then serving as diplomat of
The Republic of China to India. Michael then served in the Legislative Yuan and was an
Ambassador to Cambodia and Dominic Republic/Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, among other diplomatic
posts in 1960s to 1980s. Joe was born in Chaozhou, China, and moved to Taiwan at age seven. Michael's
Chinese name was chosen by Joe, and his English name by Betty.
After moving from Hoboken, New Jersey, to St. Paul, Minnesota, where Michael learned
tennis, the Changs moved to first Placentia, California, and then Encinitas, California,
to increase the tennis opportunities for Michael and his older brother, Carl. After rising
to #163 in the world as a 15-year-old amateur, Chang dropped out of tenth grade at San Dieguito
High School in Encinitas after passing his GED in February 1988 in order to pursue a
professional tennis career. Chang also attended the master's in ministry
program at Biola University in La Mirada, California, for a year and half. He serves
on Biola's Board of Trustees. Tennis career
Chang first came to the tennis world's attention as an outstanding junior player who set numerous
"youngest-ever" records. He won his first national title, the USTA Junior Hard Court
singles, at the age of 12. Aged 13, he won the Fiesta Bowl 16s. Two years later, aged
15, Chang won the USTA Boys 18s Hardcourts and the Boys 18s Nationals, and became the
youngest player to win a main draw match at the US Open when he defeated Paul McNamee
in four sets in the first round. A month later he reached the semifinals at Scottsdale, Arizona
to become the youngest player to reach the semifinal stage of a top-level professional
tournament. He won his first top-level singles title in 1988 at San Francisco, aged 16 years
and 7 months. Chang's most significant youngest-ever record
came in 1989 when he won the French Open at the age of 700117000000000000017 years, 7002110000000000000110 days,
to become the youngest male player ever to win a Grand Slam title. He defeated Stefan
Edberg in a five-set final, 6–1, 3–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–2. His victory is equally
remembered for an epic five-set encounter with Ivan Lendl in the fourth round. Chang
became the first American man to win the French Open since 1955, and the first American man
to win a Grand Slam since 1984. And in August 1989, Chang became the youngest player to
be ranked in the world's top 5. Chang met Edberg in the semifinals of the
US Open in 1992, this time Edberg winning in a five-set encounter, 6–7, 7–5, 7–6,
5–7, 6–4. The 5-hour, 26-minute match was the longest in US Open history. Chang
reached three further Grand Slam finals after his 1989 French Open triumph, losing the 1995
French Open final to Thomas Muster, the 1996 Australian Open final to Boris Becker, and
the 1996 US Open final to Pete Sampras. In the 1995 French Open, he defeated Michael
Stich and then two-time defending champion Sergi Bruguera in the semifinals in straight
sets, eventually losing to Muster. In both the 1996 Australian and U.S. Opens, he defeated
Andre Agassi in the semifinals in straight sets; a win over Sampras at the U.S. Open
would have made Chang the no. 1 player in the world. In the 1997 U.S. Open, he was the
odds-on favorite to win after Sampras was upset by Petr Korda; however, Chang lost to
eventual champion Patrick Rafter in the semifinals in straight sets.
Chang was a key member of the US team which won the Davis Cup in 1990. In the semifinals
at Austria, his dramatic comeback from two-sets down against Horst Skoff, 3–6, 6–7, 6–4,
6–4, 6–3, led the US into its first Davis Cup final since 1984. Chang went on to defeat
Darren Cahill in straight sets, as the US defeated Australia in the final. He was also
on the US team which won the World Team Cup in 1993. His best performance in the year-end
singles championship came in 1995, when he defeated Muster, Jim Courier, and then dominated
Pete Sampras in the semifinals, before losing in the final to Boris Becker.
Chang represented the US in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, reaching the second
round before being eliminated by Jaime Oncins. He chose to skip the 1996 Summer Olympics
despite the fact that the event was held in Atlanta and that he would have been the tournament's
number-one seed. Chang participated in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he was
eliminated in the first round. Chang was introduced to tennis by his father
Joe, who was his first coach. During his rise in 1989, he was coached by José Higueras.
For much of his professional career, he was coached by his older brother Carl Chang, who
also played in several doubles tournaments with him in the early-1990s. He was the first
player to be beaten by Roger Federer in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament, at the
2000 Australian Open. He was also the second player to be beaten by Andy Roddick in the
main draw of a Grand Slam tournament, in the second round of the French Open in 2001.
Chang retired from the professional tour in 2003. During his career, he won a total of
34 top-level professional singles titles. His final top-level title was won in 2000
at Los Angeles. His total career prize-money earnings was US$19,145,632. His career-high
singles ranking was world no. 2 in 1996, following his US Open finals performance. He was a year-end
top-ten player for six consecutive years in the 1990s, a feat matched in the decade only
by Pete Sampras. He is one of a few players to win ATP titles in three different decades.
His three Indian Wells Masters titles was an ATP record which stood for 15 years, before
being eclipsed by Roger Federer in 2012. Since retiring from the top-level game, Chang
has joined Jim Courier's senior tour, which began on March 10, 2006 in Naples, Florida.
Chang became Kei Nishikori's coach in 2014. 1989 French Open match vs Ivan Lendl
Chang's most famous match took place at the 1989 French Open. In the fourth round, he
faced World No. 1, reigning Australian Open champion, and three-time former French Open
champion Ivan Lendl. Conventional wisdom made Lendl the heavy favorite to win the match
against the 15th-seeded 17-year-old Chang. Lendl appeared to be on the way to victory
after taking the first two sets 6–4, 6–4, and then breaking Chang's serve in his opening
service game of the third set. However, Chang broke back immediately and went on to claim
the third set, 6–3. During the fourth set, Chang experienced a severe attack of leg cramps,
and though he won the set to level the match, he considered retiring from the match while
up 2–1 in the fifth set. He later said that he felt "an unbelievable conviction in my
heart" not to give up, and decided to finish the match.
Chang adopted some unusual tactics in an attempt to overcome his cramps. He hit the ball high
into the air on many points to slow the game down, and also began to go for more winners
in order to shorten the points. Chang also ate bananas and drank water at every opportunity.
The success of these tactics caused Lendl, known to be one of the least easily fazed
players, to lose his rhythm, and also prompted him to swear at the umpire and the crowd,
especially after losing a key point in the fifth set when Chang shocked him by delivering
an under-arm serve. Chang continued to suffer from cramps, but
managed to take a 5–3 lead in the fifth set with two match points on Lendl's serve.
Aiming to break Lendl's concentration one more time, Chang stood well inside the baseline,
almost at the T-line in the centre of the court while waiting to receive Lendl's serve.
The crowd started laughing at the bizarre situation, and Lendl seemed to think everyone
was mocking him. The tactic worked, as Lendl produced a double-fault to give Chang the
victory, 4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–3, in 4 hours and 37 minutes. Chang sank to his
knees and broke down in tears at the conclusion of the match. Seven days later, he went on
to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires, becoming the youngest male champion in Grand Slam history.
The match was played on June 5, 1989, just one day after the height of the Tiananmen
Square Massacre. Chang has frequently noted the impact of the massacre when recalling
his French Open victory:
"A lot of people forget that Tiananmen Square was going on. The crackdown that happened
was on the middle Sunday at the French Open, so if I was not practicing or playing a match,
I was glued to the television, watching the events unfold...I often tell people I think
it was God's purpose for me to be able to win the French Open the way it was won because
I was able to put a smile on Chinese people's faces around the world at a time when there
wasn't much to smile about."
(Note: Chang and Lendl played a similar match in a semifinal of the 1991 Grand Slam Cup,
where Chang again came back from two sets down and won 2–6, 4–6, 6–4, 7–6, 9–7.)
Charity work Chang served as Chairman of ATP Tour Charities
in 1994. He has supported grassroots tennis development in Asia through his Stars of the
Future program in Hong Kong and the Reebok Challenge across Asia. He was one of five
athletes named in the second annual "Most Caring Athlete" list by USA Today Weekend
in 1995. In 1997, he was given one of seven Asian-American leadership awards by A Magazine
for his status as a role model for Asian-American youth. He has also served as a national spokesman
for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in the US.
In 2001, Chang served as a goodwill ambassador for the 2008 Beijing Olympic bid committee.
In 2002, Chang published a book about his career, Holding Serve: Persevering On and
Off the Court. Awards and recognition
On May 3, 2009, Chang was honored by the Los Angeles Chinese Historical Society of Southern
California in "Celebrating Taiwanese Americans in Sports".
Personal life A devout Christian, Chang first spotlit his
faith upon winning the 1989 French Open, declaring "I thank the Lord Jesus Christ, because without
Him, I am nothing." In 1999 Chang and his family established the Chang Family Foundation,
dedicated to integrating tennis, family, and Christian faith. The Foundation is now based
in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. Chang lives in Orange County, California.
He is an avid fisherman who often takes fishing trips while traveling. He also has a passion
for breeding African cichlids in several large freshwater aquariums at his home.
On October 18, 2008, Chang married Amber Liu, also a professional tennis player, who is
12 years younger than him. They have one daughter, Lani.
Records These records were attained in the Open Era
of tennis. Major finals
Grand Slam finals Singles: 4
Year-End Championships finals Singles: 1
Masters Series finals Singles: 9
Grand Slam, Grand Prix, and ATP Tour career finals
Singles: 58 Singles performance timeline
References
Further reading Michael Chang: Tennis Champion by Pamela Dell
ISBN 0-516-04185-1 Holding Serve Persevering On And Off The Court
by Michael Chang, Mike Yorkey ISBN 0-7852-6656-9 External links
Official website Michael Chang at the Association of Tennis
Professionals Michael Chang at the Davis Cup
Michael Chang at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
bio – file interview with Michael Chang A Chinese interview
Text and Audio of Michael Chang's Tennis Hall of Fame Induction Speech