Still my favorite tennis player

17 years old when he won the French Open

The first round of the US Open began yesterday in Flushing Meadows, New York. For the next two weeks, these tennis players will be battling their asses off in an effort to become crowned champion. We all know who it will probably be. It most likely will be either Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, or the man with the best name on tour: Andy Roddick (haha he said "rod" and "dick"). These are the top 5 ranked players in the world for a reason. It's because they're fuckin nasty. After that, there's a pretty big dropoff in talent.

So I'm sure some of you are wondering "who the fuck is that Chinese guy in the picture?" Well, that Chinese guy is Michael Chang, winner of the French Open in 1989 and also my favorite tennis player of all time. Note: he is not my favorite tennis player solely because he is Chinese, although that is a similarity that cannot be missed. He's my favorite tennis player because his game was very similar to the style I played in high school. In case you didn't know, I played tennis for one year at Stoneham High (senior year) and managed to land the #2 singles spot in the rotation. Just like Michael Chang, I was quick, not that powerful, focused, never gave up on a point no matter how badly the rally was going, and oh yeah, I was Chinese too.

From wikipedia.com regarding his famous 4th round match against Ivan Lendl:

Chang's most famous match took place at the 1989 French Open, which was Chang's only Grand Slam singles title. In the fourth round, he faced the 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 and 17-year-old Chang.

Everything seemed to be going to form when Lendl comfortably took the first two sets 6–4, 6–4 and then broke Chang's serve in the opening game of the third set. But Chang broke back immediately and went on to claim the third set 6–3. Part way through the fourth set, Chang experienced a severe attack of leg cramps, and was on the verge of retiring from the match. Up 2-1 in the fifth set, Chang walked towards the chair umpire to concede the match, reaching the service line when he felt "an unbelievable conviction in my heart" to not give up, and subsequently made it his goal to finish the match win or lose. Fighting to stay in the match, Chang resorted to some novel tactics. For a period, he began taking all speed out of the match by playing "moon balls", and also began to go for more winners in order to shorten the points.

The success of these tactics caused Lendl, who was known to be one of the calmest players, to lose his rhythm. He began 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 later explained, "I was trying to break his concentration. I would do anything to stay out there." (That underhanded serve achieved cult status among amateurs and, at least in Chang's hometown area of Southern California, it was not unheard of to see juniors emulate the swing in desperation while trying to come back from behind in a match during the 1990s.)

Barely able to stand, and screaming with pain after many of his shots, Chang continued to battle on. Despite being on the verge of physical breakdown, he fought his way to 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 (an almost suicidal position when facing an opponent's serve). 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 four hours and 37 minutes. Chang sank to his knees and broke down in tears at the conclusion of the match. Seven days later, he became the youngest male champion in Grand Slam history, a victory that inspired fellow American peers Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, and Andre Agassi to subsequently win Grand Slams.

Now I'm sure some of you are now wondering "well if he won the French Open, then why the hell are you posting a picture of him when the US Open just started?" Well, my friends, today is the 22nd anniversary of Michael Chang winning his first US Open match. Yup, this day 22 years ago, a 15 year old chink walked into Flushing Meadows and beat a guy by the name of Paul McNamee in 4 sets to become the youngest player ever to win a US Open match. I'm not sure if that record still stands, but regardless, it's still pretty damn impressive. Despite the odds, this guy managed to win a bunch of tennis matches based on heart and determination. That's the kind of guy we can all root for.

I can't wait to see this live.

So I guess my question is: who's going to win the US Open this year? Do you think it will be one of the top 5 players, someone else in the top 25, or a relative no name who will come out of nowhere to shock the world like Michael Chang? As always, poll on the right.

By the way: I'm going to Super Saturday baby! We're going to see both men's semifinal matches. I am pumped.