【4/16/2021】CAPA-NoVA Distinguished Chinese American Project
张德培（Michael Te-Pei Chang）is a renowned American retired professional tennis. Born on February 22, 1972 in New Jersey to immigrant parents from Taiwan and raised in Southern California, Chang showed interest in tennis from early on and his father was his first tennis coach. At age 12, Chang claimed his first national title and started to pursue a professional tennis career at age 15.
Chang is the youngest male player in history to win a Grand Slam tournament and he won the 1989 French Open at 17 years old. Throughout his pro tennis player career, Chang won a total of 34 top-level professional singles titles and was a three-time Grand Slam runner-up, and in 1996 reached a career-best ranking of world No. 2.
Chang’s most memorable match took place at the 1989 French Open. He defeated Eduardo Masso, Pete Sampras and Francisco Roig in reaching the fourth round. There Chang faced World No. 1, three-time former French Open champion Ivan Lendl from Australia. During the 4th set, Change suffered severe attacks of leg cramps. He later shared that he “felt unbelievable conviction in my heart” not to give up and in the end defeated Lendl.
Chang retired in 2003 and currently is coaching Japanese professional tennis player Kei Nishikori. More information about Chang: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Chang
To watch Chang’s Grand Slam highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnJbXg8Wd6Y
【Not only do we live among the stars, the stars live within us! 】
