|
|
||||
ArticlesBioCharitiesChildhoodEndorsementsFun StuffHis FaithHobbies & InterestsInterviewsLive ReportsMeet the Chang GangMerchandiseNews ArchivesOther Michael Chang LinksPicture ArchivesQuotesTimelineTV TranscriptsVideo & Audio ClipsSign | View the guestbookJapanese version |
Chang
hoping for an Agassi-style revival BYLINE: SANDERS Andrew EDITION: A SECTION: SPORT:INTERNATIONAL CLASS act Michael
Chang has unfinished business
in world tennis and he's chasing an Andre Agassi-type revival to his
career. In Auckland for
this week's $673,000 Heineken Open, Chang (27)
is determined to arrest a rankings plunge which has seen the tournament'
s headline act bungy from No 3 in the world at the end of 1997 to
No 50 at the end of last year. The drop leaves
him unseeded for the Open, where he will play Zimbabwe' s Byron Black
in the first round at the ASB Tennis Centre. Ironically, Chang
and Black were practise rivals yesterday. Chang's
rankings drop ate into his confidence last year. For the first time
in a professional career of more than a decade, he failed to win a
ATP tournament. He suffered a series of early-round exits and in July
was forced to play a Challenger tournament. Yesterday, after
an impressive practice session, Chang was
hoping the Heineken and other upcoming tournaments could give him
a surging start to the new millennium. The American with
the spotless image wasn't talking like someone winding down his career.
He craves a second Grand Slam title, after winning the French Open
in 1989, but also wants to end his career on his terms. He doesn't
want to drift out the back door. "I would like
another good few years on the tour," Chang told
a media conference at Auckland's Merton Rd tennis complex. "I would
like to finish my career on a high note and use it as a stepping stone
to other things." He is hungry for
success. And he indicated Agassi's great comeback had helped inspire
him. By the end of 1997, Agassi's world ranking had plummeted to 122
but by the end of the century he was No 1 and again one of the most
feared forces in the game. "I think Andre
has done some great things in the past couple of years, " said Chang.
"It is definitely a confidence booster for me." However, he knows
mirroring Agassi's return to the top 10 will not be easy. "What Andre
has accomplished throughout this past year very few people in the
tennis world achieve." Chang
concedes his career is still at the crossroads. Another
slip could bring the unappetising prospect of playing Challengers.
For a man who has known tennis success from an early age, struggling
for results is a new experience. And he has found it tough. "The last couple
of years have been a time of adjustment. I have never really had to
deal with serious injuries and I am not used to losing in the first
and second rounds quite so often. "Before, when
I lost a first round, I would be able to bounce back and have a good
week or go two weeks at the most. Last year, I had so many weeks where
I had early-round losses. "I was training
and working hard but I didn't know what to do with the rest of the
time (while the tournaments were on) because it was something I just
wasn't used to. I have learned a lot. It has been a time of reflection
and growth." His confidence
received a boost from his finish to 1999 -- he was a semifinal loser
to Magnus Norman in China in October and a month later was a last-four
player indoors in France. He did not reach a final but had semifinal
appearances in February and July. Late last year,
Chang, who is coached by his brother Carl,
tweaked his training regime. "I had made a few changes and maybe they
weren' t as good as I thought. "My training methods
were a bit different as I worked on trying to get a little bit stronger.
It hurt me in my movement and agility. I have changed that
around and hopefully it will help me to be a little bit more fluid.
Hopefully, they will be key things to getting back on track." The winner of
33 singles titles, whose career-high ranking of No 2 came just four
years ago, Chang also has another ally. "One thing which
is helping me out is that having been in the top 10 I know what it
feels like to be there and what it takes to get there. Hopefully,
those things haven't changed over the last
couple of years." Meanwhile, Chang
respects the chances of Heineken top seed Tommy Haas
(ranked world No 11) but he also warned of other dangers. "Tommy has been
having an exceptional couple of years. I am sure he is hungry and
eager to break into the top 10 and really establish his mark. "But there are
also a lot of dangerous players who have been in top 10 and who have
beaten some of the best players in the world. Jonas Bjorkman (who
was given a wildcard into the tournament) has been ranked as high
as four." Chang's
charm, SPORT B3 --------------------
CAPTION: FRASER NEWMAN
CHANG . . . rankings challenge © Copyright, News Media (Auckland) 2000, All rights reserved. SANDERS Andrew, Chang hoping for an Agassi-style revival. , Sunday Star Times (New Zealand), 01-09-2000, pp 1.
Copyright ©
1999 Infonautics Corporation. All rights reserved.
- Terms and Conditions
© 1997-2002 The Man MC |
|
||
