Michael's News: July 1999

IN L.A.: Michael reached the quarterfinals of the Mercedes-Benz Cup in Los Angeles. Although he lost, he was able to advance beyond the second round of a tour event for the second time this year. Continue to pray for Michael as he continues to come back from his injuries.

EARLIER THIS MONTH: Surprise, surprise. Michael entered the USTA Safeway Challenger tournament in Aptos, California, his first since 1987. He is believed to be the highest-ranked player ever to enter a challenger. As you may recall, Andre Agassi entered challenger tournaments--tournaments ranked below the ATP Tour main events--when his ranking slipped to triple digits. Although Michael was ranked #59 at the time, he felt that he needed the extra matches; however, he was upset in the semifinals by a player who is ranked below #200.

MICHAEL AS A QUESTION: A CNN/SI reader asked sportswriter Jon Wurtheim about Michael's chances of returning to the top. Here's the transcript:
I recently read that Michael Chang is playing Challenger tournaments. Do you think we have seen the last of his greatness, and if so, what kind of legacy do you think he will leave to the game? —Phil O'Donoghue, Florence, Mass.
Wurtheim: Good question. First, you're right: While his contemporaries and former teammates were playing the Australians in Boston, Chang was somewhere in California, making like Agassi and trying to improve his ranking by swooping up Challenger points. He'll be able to snatch up wild cards for a while, but it's hard to imagine a return to the top.
It'll be interesting to see how history remembers him. First, he may finally get credit for being one of the U.S.'s first pro athletes -- and a damn good one -- of Asian descent. Sure, we'll remember the underhand-serving kid who won the French as a teenager and never again claimed another Slam. But, ultimately, his legacy ought to be one not of disappointments, but of fulfilled potential. Standing about 5'8" and weighing around 150, it is testament to his will, his discipline -- and, he would say, his faith -- that he has won nearly $20 million in prize money and almost became the world's No. 1 player.

News & pictures from this month:
July 17: Comeback derailed
July 16: Chang wins again in challenger
July 14: At a crossroads
July 13: Struggling Chang's up to the Challenger
July 7: Loyalty aside, who you gonna cheer for?

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Michael's News: July 1999