How Good Was Michael Chang Actually?

How Good Was Michael Chang Actually?
Michael Chang was a great fascinating player of the modern era. One of the most remarkable achievements in tennis history was his victory at the French Open as a seventeen-year-old.
At times, he went toe-to-toe with one of the world's best. Let's see how good Michael Chang truly was.
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Inspired by How Good Was Andre Agassi Actually?
Inspired by How Good Was Pete Sampras Actually?
Inspired by How Good Was Boris Becker Actually?
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[@TealRubyy]

Chang was one of the reasons I got into tennis. My parents saw a young Chinese/Taiwanese player win the French Open and decided to see if I could do the same. Sadly for them, I'm nowhere near as skilled as Chang. But I still love tennis and will continue to play until I'm old and confined to a wheelchair.

[@dichtran8337]

Albert Yu / me too, inspired by Micheal , I was 30 years old in 1989 French open the year Micheal Chang won his grand slam championship, I picked up tennis game, still playing tennis since then.

[@harrison3910]

Taiwanese American, he isn’t Chinese

[@socalstr]

Why can’t people just get inspired by a great player and not make up some racial reason to like something. The whole concept it so exhausting.

[@k1r1024]

@@socalstr your name sounds white so you wouldn't know.

[@superstudlyhunk]

@@harrison3910 which is just Chinese-American at the end of the day

[@ME-nk2og]

Chang was a massive overachiever. He had no quit in him and is very well respected not just as a tennis player but as a human being.

[@captainspirou]

Chang was basically the first significant Asian athlete I remember seeing in any sport, not just tennis. He led the way for a lot of people outside of tennis too

[@haisay8674]

God loves you, seek him and if you want forgiven of your sins and want to be certain that your sins are forgiven believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved

[@bball3048mm]

I remember people saying that when the Jeremy Lin Linsanity craze in 2012 that no one could understand what Jeremy was going through. I think one Asian American athlete who could was Michael Chang. I wonder if those 2 have ever met and talked about their experiences to each other.

[@sh0ck815]

Michael Chang was an inspiration for generations of Asian Americans and continues to be even today! I never really enjoyed his grind it out style when compared to beautiful strikers like Pistol Pete or Andre, but his grit, determination, and chess skills on the court always garnered a ton of respect. An absolute legend and unique players to come out of the greatest era of American tennis players in the sport's history.

[@haisay8674]

God loves you, seek him and if you want forgiven of your sins and want to be certain that your sins are forgiven believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved

[@jrkool1]

Not just for Asian Americans but for all of us vertically challenged players. I am 58 started playing when I was 11 and I am still playing three to four times a week. Definitely inspired this African Caribbean. Kudos to Michael Chang an American icon and Christian 🙏🏾

[@areezzy]

It's incredible how much Chang got given his lack of a big weapon - but his speed was breathtaking. I watched him live a few times and often his opponent dropshots or killer shots that looks impossible to retrieve, but then he retrieved it and counterpunched to a winner. When I met him in person, I saw his thighs were otherworldly huge and muscular, that gave him that speed.

[@streetcar6080]

The bad hips got to him and he was done towards the 1990s.

[@juandixonformvp]

There were two phases to Chang's career, first was the 17 year old who won the French Open by running everything down, surprising his opponents with his incredible acceleration and change of direction. In the second phase of Chang's career, he was no longer a baseline grinder, but an attacking all court player. Chang was a fixture in the top-10 in an extremely tough era of tennis, and made it to 3 other Grand Slam finals, against Sampras, Becker, and Muster, who are also all-time greats.

[@haisay8674]

God loves you, seek him and if you want forgiven of your sins and want to be certain that your sins are forgiven believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved

[@theprogressivemichigander6588]

To me, Chang's 1989 French Open run and Ivanisevic's 2001 Wimbledon run are the two best runs to a grand slam title in the modern history of men's tennis.

[@miketokles9451]

He was my favorite player, he would run everything down and I loved that about him and tried to do the same when I played.

[@paulc7804]

Chang was the first one to break through in winning a major title during the early Sampras, Agassi, Courier, Chang generation of tennis. I think his early achievement was a major push for the other Americans to believe they could do the same or better.

[@chengyman]

Sampras credits Chang for giving him confidence to win the 91 US Open

[@kennguyen2994]

Chang absolutely maximize his talent and imo was an overachiever. There were so many great players in his era he had to do battle with. Unfortunately, he was just an undersized player going against all the heavyweights. He had that mentality of never giving up on a ball similar to that of Nadal and Joker.

[@gawnbawngkurz]

Chang was the Spud Webb of tennis--under 6' and dominated like a beast. Can't touch that! 👊

[@chengyman]

Pound for pound the best tennis player ever :) Gilbert said there will never be another champion under 6ft tall again. If you grew up playing tennis, you know it's difficult being short in this game. He was able to compete at a huge disadvantage of being only 5'8. Thanks for all the memories Chang.

[@minavamp2811]

he is 5'8" on a good day. he's more 5'7" to be honest. he and Diego Schwartzman are about the same height.

[@TheJhtlag]

I understand Gilbert's comment, back in the 70's when i was growing up there was an interesting dynamic there: big games versus grinders, the Cliff Richeys, Harold Soloman etc. Going for it shots/mistakes versus getting the ball back/not making mistakes. Now, not so much technology has eliminated that sort of specialization. There does seem to be a sweet spot though if Federer and Djokovic and Nadal are examples right around 6' 1".

[@jahlu90]

Hewitt won 2 slams and was the youngest no 1 (until alcaraz recently) and was only 5'9

[@sharifs649]

​@@jahlu90nishoki got close at the same height someone in the 5'9 to 5'10 range could win a major but he would have to have extreme athleticism think nfl wr genetics

[@lucu01]

i watched him play in London, as short as me around 1.7m but super fast, could generate good power and really good hands. His mentality was second to none, doggedly dogged and a very quick thinker

[@silvere36]

He's one of the hardest working tennis professionals. He never left anything on the court. It eventually to a toll on his body. He was never the same after his injury. He lost his speed and power but was ever bit as cerebral as before. I often wondered how he'd be if he didn't get injured.

[@hangarby10]

Agreed. That’s why the serve is such a valued weapon in men’s tennis. You need to be able to win a percentage of quick points without having to grind through a best of five set match over a two week tournament.

[@ericnekli7631]

​@@hangarby10Agreed. Big groundstrokes to finish points as well. Of course the serve sets you up for those, but I'm talking about easy power on the forehand, injecting pace at will and a solid backhand, that can consistently fire a surprising down the line shot. Of course solid returns will also keep the points less taxing, physically speaking. I think that's why counterpunchers have generally more career longevity than "pure" grinders. I have long been wondering why David Ferrer had such a long career, when his major weapon was countering opponents dropshots. But then again, his basline game was solid, he made incredible gets, but his rallies were probably not the longest on average by far.

[@BurnsTennis]

The Chang v Edberg 1992 US Open semifinal is still the longest match in US Open history, at 5 hrs and 26 minutes. I think that is important info to mention.

[@mrbenjinow]

Every child picking up tennis MUST watch Chang. Period. Otherwise, they're missing out on some extremely key lessons in sports, and worse yet, in life.

[@dkruljac]

Oh I loved watching Chang play. He was my favourite male player.

[@davidcook680]

He was the first tennis player. I was a fan of.

[@jasonhorita5912]

Albert Yu, Michael Chang is one my inspirations too!!!

[@christophercasey7388]

He ran everything down; he was a counter puncher. That was his game; no more, no less. Often good enough, but sometimes not enough.

[@michaellee888]

The accomplishment of Michael Chang was huge! 15th seed and defeated legendary players, Lendl and Edberg. And they were on form and were not hampered with any injury, etc. Chang's use of stamina, speed and strategy gave inspiration to future players like Hingis, Hewitt, Nadal, David Goffin, Olivier Rochus, etc. And the wave of female East Asian players, maybe even Western Asian players like Russia and Ukraine. Hingis definitely known for her strategic play and overall court smarts. Coincidentally, Hingis enjoyed success early on much like Chang. Players who are not athletically gifted like Nadal, but gifted in other areas are more likely than not to enjoy success early on as teenagers as opposed to their mid twenties. But, if you take the gifts of Chang and put in the body of an athletically gifted player like Nadal...14 grand slam singles titles at the French Open and counting! If I'm not mistaken, players like Nadal and Hewitt have credited Chang as their inspiration as speed is one of their core weapons. Hingis used her smarts and anticipation to mimic a speedy tennis player like a Chang. What hurt Chang was the hip injury that he never really rebounded from. Chang has some very close matches with top contenders, but unforced errors at crucial moments which Chang did not make when he was 17 years old without the hip injury, had lead Chang not to win more grand slam singles titles. I wonder because Chang has to use so much energy to win matches in his 20s, that Chang was not able to play doubles and win grand slam doubles and/or mixed titles? Hmmm...and Hingis never really rebounded from her ligament injury. Hingis should have won 1997, 1999 French Open Finals, and especially, 2002 Australian Open Final.

[@ex0duzz]

Nadals not athletically gifted? Lol.

[@m3tek44]

Another legend... miss seeing Chang on TV.

[@balbin0329]

My favorite player of all-time❤ Greatest footwork tennis has ever seen💯

[@streetcar6080]

Elite player who was top-10 for many years. He had recurring hip injuries and grand slam bad lucks after 1989. He did put together a good run in 1996 when was ranked 2rd.

[@MuvoTX]

Golden era of tennis... chang, agassi, sampras, courier, edberg... prince graphite versus wilson pro staff.

[@stormyandcold]

There's so much respect here, so refreshing to see

[@Holy_Moley]

Michael Chang was to tennis, what Ayrton Senna was to F1. Senna went after every opportunity, after every gap, fighting tooth and nail for every corner. Likewise, Chang never gave up a point, chasing every ball until it was impossible to get to. Their belief in God, drove them both to do their absolute best. It was said of Senna, that he was a danger to the other drivers, because he drove like death didn't matter. Michael Chang was a joy to watch on court. God bless him and his family.

[@wsurfer2147]

Considered his small size, he has accomplished a lot in tennis.

[@mtube620]

yes, in tennis, height does give a player some advantages. A shorter player has to run more, hence harder to win long match as it is energy sapping.

[@str33tspirit]

People say Chang was a pusher but 1996 till the end of his career, his game consisted more of all out attack with his forehand. He was doing very well on slower hard court like Indian Wells where he had time to run around his backhand to hit inside out forehands. It was actually sometimes frustrating to see him commit way more unforced errors during that time of his career especially after he missed out on the number 1 ranking for a passing shot he missed during match point.

[@jasonleetaiwan]

Chang had a good backhand and was very good at rallying. If he was better at anything over others, it was his speed. You don’t get to his level on will alone though. He was still very talented. Just never got to number one.

[@rampar77]

Change was an inspiration for many Asians in the eite sport of tennis. I aman Asian and followed him for most of his career. I also followed NBA because of Jeremy LIn.

[@jjonwards]

I love MC, remembered cheering for him whenever he played. But tennis has become a power game, he would have a tough time competing in the current sport

[@rajagopalanprash]

As a kid growing up Chang was the real deal. He did not have a big serve, was not tall but his counterpunching game appealed to me. Similar was the case of Lleyton Hewitt. Chang gave us a tutorial on how to maximize your potential. If not for Sampras would have added to his Grand Slam tally.

[@Phat-rj3jo]

Wow, 8-12 vs Sampras head to head, that’s pretty impressive.

[@mecontadmanboy7959]

He was not only very good but excellent....one of best of the great era of the late 80's to the 90's. If court was as slow like they are today, he would have won 3 or 4 more Grand Slam...at least! I was a big fan !

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Thank you for sharing. A great guy!!😊😊

[@nodrama490]

Will always be my hero!

[@jimmytam4600]

Most underrated player in history bar none.

[@pfv1247]

Michael Chang is world class good.

[@garyk2629]

He won over 30 ATP events. He was really good, that's all you need to know.

[@bousemaster3989]

Underrated player

[@hussTennis]

ahahah great name "bouse master" 😁

[@codyross1000]

Michael Chan was a great player like the way he played because he gave you 100%. Just like Connor's they gave you 100% on every shot

[@caroleastmond9064]

Wonderful Tennis Player!!!💐💐💐💐💫

[@gavlatennis2824]

All of those guys from that era could still be Top 10 today.

[@Cletus_the_Elder]

He was a scrappy player. Hustled for every ball. Played well enough to knock off a high-seeded player on that player's way to the semi-finals. Shorter players have to play that much harder and their bodies wear out earlier in their careers. Still, a formidable opponent. I watched him play tough matches where he prevailed, but it still amazes me that he had such stats against the greats.

[@marklarson601]

Great ground strokes. Solid baseline play. Counter puncher extraordinaire. If he had a better serve, it would’ve helped his game more.

[@gameplayer1980]

A trailblazer for sure.

[@raywill8638]

How do you play each other 31 times but hold a 12-8 lead ??

[@michailchytiroglou287]

Hahaha just looked on the comments to see if anyone noticed. He meant to say 12-9 for Edberg, for a total of 21 matches

[@areezzy]

They draw 11 times Reference: I'm a chess player

[@Beploziu]

I felt like there could be some technical analysis as to why Chang was able to win against those big names.

[@6thwatergateplumber]

The one thing that made it very difficult for him was his physical stature. It seems the sweet spot for male players is something like 5'10" to 6'3". There's taller and shorter of course, and success can be had as he proved, but the dominators all or mostly seem to be in that range

[@edgarross9955]

People dont appreciate how hard it is to compete at that level being only 5ft 8.

[@wongjefx980]

Totally inspirational to people, especially Asians, b\c tennis you think is dominated by really tall Europeans (and Americans). Mike Chang, Li Na, (Bruce Lee, ...maybe Jeremy Lin.. he he). Back in the day I kicked an oversized Prince racket, an aluminum one, b\c Michael Chang used Prince. A group of kids in my neighborhood got into tennis around this same time, played until the sun went down or they turn the lights out.

[@invictuz4803]

3:58 now we know who Carlos learned that trick from.

[@running2standstill685]

i wish i had half the competitiveness of mcenroe and the graciousness of chang.

[@pauldj6]

"they would go on to play 31 times", "with Edberg leading 12-8", ...

[@Mikacool]

Will you do a video covering Andy Murray when he has retired going through his career?

[@Stiffjab71]

During his 1989 Roland Garros winning run he left just 3 games to Sampras in the second round. All commentators stated that "this american (Sampras) plays a far too beautiful Tennis to win anything in his career" 😂😂😂😂

[@contrnsmagnificndjoobngtaint]

can you do a marat safin video

[@harrison3910]

Wasn’t that Lendl quote said to Agassi? Maybe I’m remembering wrong

[@jeremy4ags]

He was super famous in Hong Kong and starred in a head and shoulders ad “dandruff? No way!” (頭皮 no way！)

[@batmangsxr300]

My math is bad. How did he face edberg 30 times and be down 12-8?

[@toastedcupcake1052]

Please do McEnroe next

[@minavamp2811]

the only thing that limits Michael Chang is his height. has he been 15 cm (6 inches taller), he would have won more grand slams for sure.

[@wanderingsoul2909]

Anyone know how fast Michael was in the 100 yard / meter dash ? It appears he had world class speed !

[@roylee8114]

Wow...I'm today years old when I learned his name is Michael Chang and not Chan. My parents would pronounce his name with an accent so I legit thought it was Chan lol.

[@manoharman4425]

Generally Asians are small ,but they ASIANS HAVE GREAT REFLEXES AND SPEED and that why they dominate badminton ,table tennis , kabaddi sports

[@lucidlagomorph5809]

Michael Chang was 5' 9 so he was hardly short. I can hit a 120+ MPH serve and I am same height

[@frankojudoka]

Unfortunately, After Chang, Sampras, Agassi, Courier, the US would see no dominant men players yet.

[@contrnsmagnificndjoobngtaint]

who else had that black and green Prince Graphite ??

[@omniexistus]

Rod Laver 5'7" and Ashleigh Barty 5'5" both legendary players.

[@kingnole4237]

Accept Islam

[@captainspirou]

Nadal is basically the 2.0 version of Michael Chang.

[@user-jv9qz2bu1r]

he was fast, had a great lob, fun to watch played Lendl and Edberg tough - Chang was down 12- 8 to Sampras and 12 - 9 to Edberg that's pretty good

[@soonaikyap4395]

How I wish he could win more than one grand slam .

[@user-jv9qz2bu1r]

yeah well Marcelos Rios, Nalbandian, and Mark Philippousis Zero

[@hussTennis]

Wasn't he among the first to use extended racket ? Thanks for the great job you have done here. Really good to find this interesting topic here

[@areezzy]

That's right! I remember how the extended racket really helped his serve.

[@Caffeinatedcobus]

OG Pusher

[@eastcoastsailingcenter7768]

Does he still hood the record? Youngest winner in a grab slam event?

[@al1976-v7m]

Yes he does on the men's side.

[@vivahernando1]

If you could give Chang Agassi’s power or Agassi Chang’s speed that would have been the dominant player of the 90s. Chang didn’t have the pop on his shots vs Sampras and Agassi wasn’t athletic enough vs Sampras

[@MyChevySonic]

Diego Schwartzmann still one of the best players in the game. Ash Barty retired at number one with one of the best serves on WTA's tour. Size isn't completely irrelevant, but if you can't move well on the court, size and serve doesn't matter.

[@Flippyfloppy007]

Edberg and Chang played 31 times and the head to head was 12-8? How does that work

[@guyredares]

there are very few short players these days, Schwarzman is the only one in the top 20

[@alemagjoh]

He played atp tour finals so must have been in top 10 at least…

[@ericy3918]

Chang faced Edberg 31 times and Edberg led the head to head 12-8. I feel like you’re trolling Asian watchers with your math!

[@carseye1219]

Amazing what he accomplished. I think he gave away some productive career time at the end by trying too hard to make his serve a weapon. His first serve % cratered and he became a victim to his second serve. But remarkable career nonetheless.

[@jjmah7]

Chang and Edberg okayed 31 times, with Edberg leading 12-8? I’m no mathematician, but that doesn’t sound right lol

[@leechang289]

How did they play 31 times with Edberg leading 12-8? The math doesn't make sense. Also, to say Chang grew up playing on hard court but only exceled in clay is not accurate. Sure, it is the only grand slam he won, but his best surface is on hard court.

[@donkeykong516]

Good enough to be no 2 ranking and has one grand slam

[@donw3861]

31 ATP titles

[@Dreamdancer11]

Well he played at the highest level and won titles and a slam....is that really a question?

[@BurnsTennis]

Eh? Does 12+8 = 31??

[@khmak9387]

The next generation of tennis players has not arrived yet?

[@geoffreywon1706]

👍

[@DORAEMON-bw8jk]

He's the best from Taiwan.

[@tonyrollman3991]

He won one major.....

[@islandcactus1508]

He’s got his own YT channel: kzbin.info

[@crsantin]

Chang was fast but I never enjoyed watching him play. He was a pusher. He returned everything to his opponent but had no weapons other than his legs.

[@jchan810]

Chang had great return of serve. One of the best according to ATP statistics. The return of serve is the second most important shot in the game.

[@gaara8217]

Wat u expect when he's undersized

[@JH-bb8in]

Chang was about a modern day USTA 5.5

[@FluxMD]

Can't be a top player with that size anymore.

[@diegoacevedo1478]

He was the Bruce Lee of tennis! 🤣🤣🤣

[@mapayapalutoatkain9044]

he Lost against ENERGIZER battery.

[@anthonytran8569]

Is the voice over done by AI?

[@Courtside_Tennis]

Nope

[@joeadamides3433]

Beautiful dim sim eater

[@jw999]

He was a one-hit wonder... After the French Open, he never won another Grand Slam, despite getting into several finals and trying out giant rackets.

[@kweizi5712]

That is actually better than most of the tour. How many well known tennis players have never won one? He may not be a great but he is an overachiever given his disadvantage in height and reach.

[@jw999]

@@kweizi5712 Those "well-known but slamless players" will soon be forgotten. Chang is only remembered because of his lucky slam at the French.

[@kweizi5712]

@@jw999 Better lucky than never.