Michael Chang - USA 
| Birth Date:
| 2/22/1972 |
Age:
| 40 |
| Birth Place:
| Hoboken, New Jersey |
Residence:
| Mercer Island, Washington |
| Height:
| 5'9" (175 cm) |
Weight:
| 160 lbs (73 kg) |
| Year Turned Pro:
| 1988 (24 years on tour) |
Plays:
| Right-handed |
| Official Website:
| http://www.mchang.com |
Twitter:
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Michael Chang is an American tennis player who became a phenomenon in the late 1980s, setting several records for winning titles at a young age.
He racked up 34 career singles titles on the ATP Tour in all, including one Grand Slam single. With the exception of five weeks spent at No. 11 in 1993, he was ranked among the Top 10 singles players in the world from March of 1992 until March of 1998, peaking at No. 2 on several occasions.
Success came early for Chang, a native of New Jersey. In 1987, he became the youngest player in history (15 years, 6 months) to win a main draw match at the US Open. A month later he became the youngest player to reach a tour event semifinal, doing so at Scottsdale.
A year later, he won his first Tour title at San Francisco then sprung into the spotlight in 1989, becoming the youngest player to win any Grand Slam event, claiming the French Open title at 17 years, three months. He became a bit of an urban legend during the tournament’s fourth round, at one point serving underhanded because of cramping, ultimately stunning No. 1 ranked Ivan Lendl in a 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 match that lasted four hours and 37 minutes. He was the first American man to win at Roland Garros since Tony Trabert in 1955. He moved up from 19th to 6th in the world rankings after the win, and hit No. 5 in August, making him the youngest player ever in the top five.
He slipped out of the Top 10 in the next two years, winning just two titles. He missed a big chunk of the 1990 with a fractured hip, but won at the Canadian Open, defeating fellow young Americans Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras in the process. In 1992 he won two tournaments (Indian Wells and Miami), and reached the semifinals of the US Open, falling to Stefan Edberg in the longest match in the tournament’s history (5 hours, 26 minutes). By the end of 1992, he was back in the Top 10 (No. 6) and would finish no lower than eighth over the next five years.
Chang won five titles in seven finals in 1993, including four crowns in Asia. He won six more in 1994, repeating three crowns (Jakarta, Cincinnati and Beijing) and winning for the first time in Philadelphia, Hong Kong and Atlanta. He reached the finals of the ATP Tour World Championship for the first time in 1995, defeating Sampras in the semifinals before falling to Boris Becker for the title. He repeated in Hong Kong, Atlanta (defeating No. 1 Agassi) and Beijing and went 18-1 in Asia. He also reached the final at the French Open. In 1996, he joined Sampras and Goran Ivanisevic as the only players with five straight top 10 season finishes, winning three titles. He just missed twice on his second Grand Slam crown, reaching the final of the Australian Open (lost to Becker) and the US Open (lost to Sampras).
He reached the No. 2 spot in the world for the first time after the US Open. He kept that ranking for most of 1997, winning five titles and starting the year a blazing hot 28-4 with win streaks of both 11 and 10 matches. He reached the semifinals of the Australian and US Opens. He finished the year ranked No. 3 in the world. He fell to 29th by the end of 1998, although he kept his streak of winning at least one Tour title alive at 11 straight.
He fell to the cusp of the Top 50 (48th) in 1999 then fought back to 32nd in 2000, winning the crown at Washington and joining Agassi as one of the only two active players to win a title in three different decades. In 2001, he slipped out the Top 50 for the first time since his rookie year of 1987, finishing 94th. In Hong Kong, he was forced to retire from a match with back spasms, the first retirement of his career (spanning 937 matches at that point).
He fell out of the Top 100 in 2002 (124th), going just 7-18, his first time with a losing record. He reached the second round of Wimbledon, but lost in the first round of eight of nine tournaments from February to June.
Grand Slam Titles
Singles (1): French Open (1998).
Year-End Singles Rankings: 1987 – 163rd; 1988 – 30th; 1989 – 5th; 1990 – 15th; 1991 – 15th; 1992 – 6th; 1993 – 8th; 1994 – 6th; 1995 – 5th; 1996 – 2nd; 1997 – 3rd; 1998 – 29th; 1999 – 48th; 2000 – 32nd; 2001 – 94th; 2002 – 124th; 2003 – 383rd; 2004 – 1,039th.
Personal
At age 12, he won the USTA Junior Hard Court singles title. Is an avid fisherman, but also breeds freshwater fish, notably African cichilds. His largest aquarium is 240 gallons and eight feet long. His parents, Joe and Betty Chang, are both research chemists. In 2002, he released an autobiography “Holding Serve: Persevering On and Off the Court.” Was coached by his older brother Carl beginning in 1991.
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