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Home » Supplement » Tennis Masters Cup

Chang, now a coach, sees Asian hope

By Ma Yue | October 6, 2014, Monday | Print Edition

THE crowd at Roland Garros was watching history being made when the Asian-American Chang took on the heavily favored Ivan Lendl in the final of the French Open in 1989.

From the outset it looked like it was going to be an uneven match.

The 1.75-meter-tall Chang watched as the 1.87-meter world No. 1 Lendl raced to a 2-0 lead after the first two sets. But Chang wasn’t about to let the “Iron Man” simply tower over him on his big day out.

He dug deep, tirelessly and breathlessly, and managed to take the next two sets to tie it at 2-2.

But by that time he was cramping. And then in the final set Chang did the unthinkable — he played a shot that still divides opinion among purists and fans. Chang served underhand. Lendl put it back in play but Chang eventually won the point.

Moments later, he had pulled off one of the greatest upset wins of all time.

He was only 17 years and 110 days old then — the youngest male singles champion in grand slam history. It is a record that still stands. Chang also became the first American player to win a French Open title since 1955.

Just a year earlier, Lendl had crushed the young Chang in an exhibition match.

It is reported that “Ivan The Terrible” had told Chang that he would never be able to beat him.

“You’ve got nothing that can hurt me. You’ve got no serve; your second serve is not very strong. So, pretty much, whenever I play you, I can do whatever I want, however I want, and I’m going to beat you pretty comfortably like I did today.”

A year later, Chang, whose parents hailed from Taiwan, had not only proved Lendl and his doubters wrong but also put an Asian face on the tennis map.

Now a coach, Chang has been trying to instill the same fighting spirit and perseverance into the up-and-coming Asian hope Kei Nishikori of Japan, who reached the US Open final last month, the first Asian to do so in Flushing Meadows.

En route to the final, where he lost to Croatia’s Marin Cilic, the Japanese sensation beat top-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia.

His exploits in New York vaulted him to his highest-ever ranking of eighth in the world.

Chang and Nishikori started working together in December. Nishikori said Chang played an important role in improving his mental side of the game.

Ahead of the Shanghai Rolex Masters, Chang spoke exclusively with Shanghai Daily.

 

Q: How is Kei Nishikori different from other Japanese or Asian male players?

A: I think one of the biggest differences is that Nishikori has trained in the US from the age of 14. While staying and training in Asia has some advantages, I do think the coaching is a big reason why Nishikori was able to excel and consistently improve. If you look at almost all of the Asians who have done well, they have often received coaching from outside Asia. On top of that, Nishikori has had the opportunity to play tennis all around the world. This has helped him to be exposed to tennis from all different parts of the world and not just one region. With this kind of experience, one is bound to improve while being challenged to become better and more successful.

 

 

Q: Have you even been reached by any Chinese player who wants to hire you as a coach? Have you ever spotted any young Chinese talent?

A: I did work with Peng Shuai for about nine months in 2007 but outside of that, I have not been asked to work with other Chinese players from China specifically. I have been asked to start tennis academies on multiple occasions but they have never materialized into anything. Of course, I have seen many talented young Chinese players but my stays in China have never been that long since they were mostly ATP tournament-related.

 

 

Q: Have you watched Zhang Ze or Wu Di play? They are the top-ranked Chinese male players.

A: Yes, I have on a few occasions. Nishikori has also practiced with both of them so I am familiar with them.

 

 

Q: Compared to your era, has tennis as a sport changed in any aspect ... in terms of techniques, physical requirements, etc?

A: I think the biggest changes to tennis have been the rackets and strings. The newer technology now allows players to generate more power and spin than when I was playing. If you talk to many of the former players, they will agree and most have switched to newer technology. In fact, many are serving even bigger now than when they were on tour! I know I am able to even hit some shots now that I was not able to years ago. Besides that, I do think the level of physical fitness has also improved.

 

 

Q: Becker, Ivanovic, Edberg, Chang ... Are we seeing a change in the coaching scene with so many former legends passing on their ideas and skills to the current crop of players?

A: I think players are certainly realizing that having a former top player as a coach does have its advantages. I don’t think any or at least very few were looking to getting into the coaching scene but I know for me personally, I felt like it was a unique opportunity to work with a young talented Asian male player and help him get to the next level. I was not seeking a coaching position, but to share a lot of my experiences and knowledge from the game to help Nishikori sounded exciting and now, to see good results from this has been rewarding.

 

 

Q: How long until Asia gets a grand slam winner?

A: Well, Li Na has done a pretty good job of answering that question the past few years. On the men’s side, I’m hoping it won’t be too long!

 

 

Q: Any other Asian player other than Nishikori that you see has the potential?

A: On the men’s side, it’s been difficult but there are certainly very good players. Nishikori obviously stands out and I have often reminded him that he no longer has a standard to try and live up to because he is the new standard! I remind him also to not be satisfied with where he is because he still has much to improve upon. And it’s easy for me to say these things and not be so “in awe” of his success as an Asian because I have been there and he recognizes that. It takes a while to start believing but I think he is starting to come around now!

Tennis Masters Cup


 

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