Michael Chang

Michael Te-Pei Chang was born to Joe and Betty Chang on February 22, 1972, in Hoboken, New Jersey. Chang's parents had emigrated to the United States from Taiwan. His father, Joe Chang, had come to the United States to attend graduate school at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken.

After moving from Hoboken to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he learned tennis, Chang and his family moved first to Placentia, California, and then to Encinitas, California, to increase the tennis opportunities for him and his older brother, Carl. Growing up, Chang learned some Chinese from his Taiwanese parents and can speak Mandarin. Betty quit her job as a chemist to travel with Chang on tour. 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 to pursue a professional tennis career. He received his GED in February 1988.

Junior

Chang first came to the tennis world's attention at age 12 as an outstanding junior player who set numerous "youngest-ever" records. At age 12 he also won his first national title, the USTA Junior Hard Court singles. At age 13, he won the Fiesta Bowl 16s. In July 1987, at the age of 15, Chang won another USTA Junior Hard Court singles, beating Pete Sampras in the final, and a month later, in Kalamazoo, he won America’s most prestigious junior event, the United States Nationals U18s tournament, beating Jim Courier in the final. This victory earned him a wildcard for the U.S. Open.

Chang was introduced to tennis by his father Joe, who was his first coach. During his rise in 1989 (including his French Open title), 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.

Chang's success marked the start of an era in which a new generation of American players, which also included Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, and Andre Agassi, would come to dominate the game.

Professional

On 1 September 1987, at age 15, Chang became the youngest player to win a main draw match at the US Open when he defeated Paul McNamee in four sets (6-3, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4) in the first round. A month later, he reached the semifinals at the Scottsdale Open, to become the youngest player to reach the semifinal stage of a top-level professional tournament.

In 1988, aged 16 years and seven months, he won his first top-level singles title at the Transamerica Open, defeating Johan Kriek in the final. During his title run, Chang registered a 6-4, 6-0 win over Mikael Pernfors, the 1986 French Open finalist who just the previous week had beaten Andre Agassi in the finals of the Los Angeles Open.

1989 French Open

Chang's most significant "youngest-ever" record came in 1989 when he won the French Open at the age of 17 years, 110 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. Chang thus became the first American man to win the French Open since Tony Trabert in 1955, and the first American man to win a Grand Slam since 1984. Chang's 1989 French Open tournament performance is equally remembered for overcoming significant cramps during an epic fourth-round encounter with Ivan Lendl, who was then the world's No. 1-ranked player, reigning Australian Open champion, and a three-time former French Open champion.

In 1988, Chang had been easily beaten by Lendl in an exhibition match held in Des Moines, Iowa. After the match, Lendl advised Chang, "First off, you've got no serve. And you've certainly got no second serve. You can't hurt me. You can run but you better develop a weapon to survive out here", all weaknesses that Chang worked to improve on.

At the 1989 French Open, Lendl appeared to be on the way to beating Chang after taking the first two sets 6-4, 6-4 and 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. Those tactics included hitting shots high into the air (known as "moon balls") to slow the match down and going for more winners in order to shorten the points. The success of these tactics caused the normally unfazed Lendl 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. On match point, Chang stood just behind the service line while waiting to receive Lendl's second serve, a move that was considered suicidal. The tactic worked as the crowd became bemused which in turn caused Lendl to lose his cool and produce a double-fault on his second serve, giving Chang the victory, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, in 4 hours and 37 minutes.

Chang subsequently defeated Ronald Agénor in the quarter-final and Andrei Chesnokov in the semi-final. Then seven days after his match against Lendl, after beating Stefan Edberg in five sets, Chang went on to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires, becoming the youngest Grand Slam men's singles champion history. Chang became the first American man to win the French Open since Tony Trabert in 1955, and the first American man to win a Grand Slam since 1984. In August 1989, Chang became the youngest player to be ranked in the world's top 5.

Chang's match against Lendl 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.

Chang would defeat Lendl again in near-duplicate fashion, 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 9-7 in a 4-hour, 42-minute semi-final match at the Grand Slam Cup on December 14, 1991.

Top five ranked player

Chang met Edberg in the semifinals of the US Open in 1992; this time, Edberg won in five sets, 6-7, 7-5, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4. The five-hour, 26-minute match is the second 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 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 (1992-1997), 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.

International play

Chang was a key member of the US team which won the Davis Cup in 1990. In the semifinals in 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 (the singles' gold medal was won by Andre Agassi). Chang participated in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he was eliminated in the first round by Sébastien Lareau.

Awards and recognition

• Chang won the ATP Newcomer of the Year award in 1988.
• Chang was awarded ATP Most Improved Player in 1989.
• In 2008, Chang was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
• On May 3, 2009, Chang was honored by the Los Angeles Chinese Historical Society of Southern California in "Celebrating Taiwanese Americans in Sports".

Equipment and endorsements

Chang signed a multimillion-dollar endorsement deal with Reebok in 1988; he wore Reebok apparel and Reebok Court Victory Pumps shoes during his tennis career and used Prince rackets on court. He started using the Prince "Precision Michael Chang Graphite" 28-inch signature racket in 1994, which was an inch longer than the standard model.

Chang signed endorsement deals with Nissin Foods noodles in 1989, Panasonic and Longines in the 1990s, Cathay Pacific Airlines in 1990, Bristol-Myers Squibb promoting Nuprin in 1991, Stelux watches in 1993, Discover Card in 1996, Tiger Balm, Procter & Gamble (endorsing P&G's Rejoice Shampoo), Eveready Battery Company (endorsing Eveready Alkaline batteries), and Yale locks. In 1997, he signed a multi-year contract to endorse Watch Reebok, a collection of sports watches. A limited edition Michael Chang signature watch was released at Christmas.

Coaching

Chang began coaching Kei Nishikori in 2014. He now coaches Learner Tien as of 2025.

Business ventures

Chang and his family established CMCB Enterprises, which has real estate holdings including shopping malls, in California, Texas, Arizona and Colorado. In 2003, they bought Dunton Realty Co., a retail brokerage and property management company, and changed its name to Dunton Commercial Real Estate Co. In 2004, they bought SullivanHayes Cos., a retail real estate company in Denver. It was chosen by Denver International Airport to develop a new 17-acre retail project along Peña Boulevard, the airport's main artery.

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.

Hobbies

Chang is an avid fisherman, and often took fishing trips while traveling for tournaments. In his home in Mercer Island, Washington, he set up several fresh-water aquariums, his largest being 240 gallons, eight-feet long by two feet high, which he uses to breed African cichlids among other things.

Book

In 2002, Chang published a book about his career entitled Holding Serve: Persevering On and Off the Court.

Education

Chang attended the master's in ministry program at Biola University in La Mirada, California, for a year and a half. He served on Biola's Board of Trustees.

On October 18, 2008, Chang married Amber Liu, also a professional tennis player. They have three children, including two daughters. He is a devout Christian.

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 4 (1-3)

Year-end championships finals

Singles: 1 (0-1)

Grand Slam Cup finals

Singles: 2 (0-2)

Masters Series finals

Singles: 9 (7-2)

Singles: 58 (34 wins / 24 runners-up)

¹ Held as Stockholm Masters until 1994, Stuttgart Masters from 1995 to 2001.

• Youngest Grand Slam champion, winning French Open, at 17 years, 3 months old (1989).
• Youngest Grand Slam finalist, playing French Open final, at 17 years, 3 months old (1989).
• Youngest ever male player to be ranked ATP top-5, at 17 years, 5 months old (1989).
• Youngest ever male player to be ranked ATP top-5 at the end of the season, at 17 years, 10 months old (1989).
• Youngest ever male player to be ranked ATP top-10 at the end of the season, at 17 years, 10 months old (1989).