ATP TOUR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

November 15, 1993

Michael Chang

MICHAEL CHANG: I think over the years tennis is really starting to boom. I think that looking at the tournaments on the ATP Tour; especially this year, quite a few popping up that are new to my region. Actually Osaka, Beijing, I think that tennis in this region is great. Over the last few years for so long they haven't been really exposed to tennis. I think that --

MICHAEL CHANG: I think that probably has to do with it. I think being Asian in a sport where there are just so few Asians, I think it is something that is kind of unique. Probably that is the reason why I try to take advantage of going to Asia whether it is playing exhibition (inaudible)--

MICHAEL CHANG: I think that is part of it. It is important to be a positive influence to people. I think that that is part of the world that I can relate to quite well and --

MICHAEL CHANG: Play for China, you mean like in Davis Cup?

MICHAEL CHANG: I don't think so. I don't think that is a possibility. I am sure that is something where even (inaudible)--

MICHAEL CHANG: No, not particularly, but I am little familiar with one particular Chinese player, I eventually played him in Hong Kong, I run into him here and there sometimes. He is a pretty good player.

MICHAEL CHANG: I think that players, in general, I think over in Asia really have to kind of go out and give tennis a try, because you look at some of the greats ping pong players, they are all Asian. Swedes started to pick it up more and more, but past few years, champions are from the Asian region, so it is such a similar game to them, those two, something that can work for them and I think that in a sense that being of the same stature, maybe a little bit smaller and tennis is still quite possible to play even if you are small. I mean, I think it is a positive influence for them and that is part of what I like to do.

MICHAEL CHANG: I think that there aren't too many places that tennis hasn't hit yet in the world. I think the next one quite possibly will come through from Asia. I am sure that they all definitely in the process of working on it.

MICHAEL CHANG: I have only got one way to go. My record here and the past has not been that great, but from my standpoint I can only improve on it.

MICHAEL CHANG: I think you have to make a few minor adjustments, but coming here couple of days early, I thinks helped me out. Getting used to the court. Getting used to the single line tennis courts, and I figure it will be not much of a problem. It is a little bit slower than last year. I think the players were complaining. It was too fast last year were the complaints. Medium, fast pace surface and I think it is going to be -- it will be good for the tournament.

MICHAEL CHANG: Yeah, not too much, just here and there, only serve and volley I have really done this year would have been -- other than that, just trying to concentrate on certain things in my game.

MICHAEL CHANG: I think-- tomorrow I play against Jim. Jim always tends to gear up for the big events. I am sure that he is out playing real well. Playing some very good tennis and really -- you have the top eight players in the world. You have got to come out and be ready to play. That is about it. There are going to be a lot of tight matches and a lot of tight points. You have to expect that from these players.

MICHAEL CHANG: I think Michael is going to be actually quite an experience to play. I think that it is great to -- I feel whenever I can play someone in their home country that they can feel, more or less, they have a certain amount of enthusiasm, certain amount of form coming in and sensitive to the crowd and the players, obviously Michael has done very, very well in Germany and tournaments and I look forward to playing him this week and, you know, I expect most of the crowd to be on his side for the whole tournament, whoever he plays, but he is going to be a tough player to beat.

MICHAEL CHANG: I think Andrei has made his mark this year. He is not so much as a clay court player and I think that being -- I think it is going to be very interesting throughout the whole week; see if I can play my best tennis day in day out.

MICHAEL CHANG: Crowd plays a really important role. Carl has done a great job. I think we started to work together after Carl graduated from college. It has been working well. I feel that my game is improving and I feel that I am gradually making progress and Carl knows that I am heading in the right direction, as far as my game is concerned, the main thing is to -- Carl has enabled me to accomplish that. It has been working well.

MICHAEL CHANG: Not particularly. I think there are a lot of shops around the hotel. I think-- it is-- walked around; taken a look.

MICHAEL CHANG: I like anything that has to do with animals. I enjoy watching shows about animals and their particular behavior and stuff, and that is really about it. I more or less like to interest in animals.

MICHAEL CHANG: I think it is-- obviously, it has been very, very positive for me and I hope for tennis and in Asia. This year actually was the first year I have won a tournament in Asia, so I think that to have somebody -- it has been very, very positive for me and I hope for tennis in Asia. This year actually was the first year that I have won a tournament in Asia. I think that to have so many tournaments pop out this year in the Asian region was -- I hope that it will better the sport.

MICHAEL CHANG: It is quite possible, but there are a lot of players out there, I think, who are capable of doing that. I think that tennis, when there is a lot of competition and a lot of tough matches, that makes the sport more interesting and that makes the sport -- I think it is better for the sport. So I think that -- I think that-- I think I have been good for a particular reason. I want to take advantage of that.

MICHAEL CHANG: I am okay. I am all right.

MICHAEL CHANG: I think I have made an adjustment this year. Last year everybody, I think including Goran, was saying that the court was too fast. The only person that didn't say it was fast was Boris. Boris won the tournament saying it was slow. So this particular week I would say it is more a medium fast surface. I think, you know, being indoor-- I think indoors, it's a little bit easier to serve and volley, but I think at this particular time of year, you are not going to find anyplace in the world that you are going to play outdoors, but I think that Frankfurt is still a very good place to play the finals - a lot of great crowds and a lot of good coverage and I think they do a very good job here in Frankfurt. The surface is something-- you get to this point, you can't say well, go change the surface or something. You just have to make the adjustments.

MICHAEL CHANG: It is something that you just have to deal with. For me, I looked at it more as I have had success on indoor surfaces, you know, the previous years, and by no means am I afraid to play against the big boys here on any kind of fast surface. It is something that you kind of got to go out and stand up and fight. I think it would probably make a little bit of a dent.

MICHAEL CHANG: The schedule, because you have certain particular events, certain particular parts of times of the year where you have indoor, hard court, clay and stuff, and I think the clay courters really don't mind if they -- there are so many clay court tournaments throughout the whole year just about, so you know, I don't think that that really should -- is too much of an option. I think it was very difficult to maintain an indoor clay court. It did, in fact, in the finals, Davis Cup in St. Petersburg, I know that they had a few difficulties in smoothing the court surface down and without getting a lot of holes and guys digging in with their feet, so I think overall, just a matter of finding the right indoor surface. There have been a lot of indoors surfaces that have been medium surfaces that have been good for all players. I am not complaining this week. I think it is a good surface and you know, I think it is -- you have got to have a positive attitude toward the whole thing. Not that anybody is at a disadvantage, but look at the advantages that you have in your own game.

MICHAEL CHANG: My clothes are too big. Didn't fit.

MICHAEL CHANG: Last year they got everyone else -- the clothes mixed up, but mine was just right. I am only five foot nine. I am the smallest guy. Normally -- (inaudible).

MICHAEL CHANG: Lucky?

MICHAEL CHANG: I think there is a reason for everything, but I don't feel --I think in order to qualify for this particular event, you have to play well throughout the whole year. I don't think that you can get in by just having a good result at a Grand Slam. I think Pioline is a good example getting in the final of the U.S. Open and not making it here in Frankfurt. You have got to be very consistent throughout the year and you have to be able to play well against all the players, and I don't feel that it is, by all means, luck. I don't think that any players are here because they were lucky. I think as far as the last few spots, I think few points here and there could have made a difference, but I think all those players were still very, very capable of coming here to Frankfurt and doing some damage.

MICHAEL CHANG: I'd say looking at points wise and results wise probably was-- probably was Cincinnati. I think to be -- to beat Agassi and Edberg in the semis and finals, I think as far as players and points and level of tournament, that was probably one of my best result.

MICHAEL CHANG: I think my best result this year for a Grand Slam has been the U.S. Open. I enjoy each particular Grand Slam -- I enjoy playing Wimbledon. I haven't done as well last couple of years, but I still enjoy playing it. I think overall, I'd say that the U.S. Open has been working well last couple of years.

MICHAEL CHANG: No.

MICHAEL CHANG: I like Wimbledon. I think that I just have to continue to work on my game and I think that Courier and Agassi have shown the last couple of years that you can play some good grasscourt tennis from the back. I think that was very encouraging, and this particular year, I spent Wimbledon serve and volleying throughout the whole tournament. A little bit unfortunate in the third round there; I had a tough match, but I think that it can only help me to improve my game.

MICHAEL CHANG: Come back in two weeks and play the Grand Slam Cup and we will take the rest of the year off. Starting next year, I think my first tournament is Jakarta.

MICHAEL CHANG: I think Jim obviously plays very well in the big events and this year in the Grand Slams I think that is pretty evident. I think that tomorrow it is going to be a tough match. I don't think there are any easy matches here this week, and, you know, I think the last time I played Jim was in Rome on clay. I lost to him in three sets, but I think that all the matches will be tough here and all the matches will be close.

MICHAEL CHANG: Medium, fast, speed wise. It will do.

MICHAEL CHANG: I have never played Goran in the semis. I think of another-- whenever you can play against someone that has got a lot of flare, a lot of personality, character, I think it is fun and it is good and I think that, you know, I have had a lot of tough matches with Goran over the last couple of years and I have had a lot of tough matches. If I were to play Goran in the semis, that will be great.

MICHAEL CHANG: Well, I'd like to -- I'd like to reach No. 1 before my career is over. As far as a timetable, I think it is tough to say a timetable if it is going to be next year or the following year or when or if ever, so my concern at the moment is just to concentrate; constantly improve my game; concentrate; try to become the best that I can be, and from there, everything else is taken care of.

MICHAEL CHANG: I think it will be faster. The reason being is that I think the level of tennis now compared to ten years ago is much greater, the depth of men's tennis is much deeper and I think that now you have so many players who are capable of going out and winning the big tournaments; capable of winning the Grand Slam tournaments. I think maybe ten years ago maybe you only had maybe like a handful. Now you have got two handfuls, and I think it will change much more often than maybe ten years ago.

MICHAEL CHANG: As far as going out and seeing things, anything like that, no. I think that when you come to this point of the year, really -- (inaudible).

MICHAEL CHANG: I don't think so. Maybe some of the other players, maybe, but I think if you ask yourself you will be all right (inaudible). This week, I think when you come to this level in the year, and you have only got one week to come out and play against the best players in the world, concentrate, you know, to me, at least, I come out here and concentrate.

MICHAEL CHANG: For me I am so busy anyways. It is tough to find time to go out and do so many things. You have got to play a match that particular day, or if you don't play that particular day, you are getting and you practice and you go eat lunch; then you come back and practice again. All the rest of the day is gone already. Not a whole lot of time. I think that there is a chance to come to Frankfurt to just come and see the sites. I think there is plenty of time to do that back at the tournaments.

MICHAEL CHANG: I don't endorse anything I don't believe in.

MICHAEL CHANG: I am not that informed about particular companies. Maybe I don't know if you are referring to this event or not, but I am not too familiar with that and as far as sponsorship goes for a particular tournament, the players have no say as far as sponsorship for a particular tournament, you know, they only have a say if they want to be endorsed by that particular company or product. But the players-- other players may think differently. For me, I don't endorse anything I don't believe in, and that is me as-- it is very important to me, and probably because I am a devoted Christian, so I like to keep my -- I like to keep certain values and certain morals. So --

MICHAEL CHANG: She hasn't been travelling as much as she did the last two years. Hopefully we will find a good enough Chinese restaurant and eat there. We played so many tournaments in Asia this year that Chinese food and Japanese food was pretty good, so --

MICHAEL CHANG: I try to play what I can. It has worked out well.

MICHAEL CHANG: I have played a few doubles. We haven't done that great.

MICHAEL CHANG: I hope so. I think that tennis in China particularly is starting to, I think, grow little by little. I think a tournament like Beijing, I think, it will only help to encourage that growth. I think most of the tennis that they have received over the past years have more or less been through TV and I think to have a tournament in Beijing is a good start. Hopefully, we will see a few more coming into China in the fairly near future.

MICHAEL CHANG: I think it is nice to have a very good reception there. I think for me, in particular, I think it is nice to be able to come back and to see kind of where your roots are and to go into to mingle with people and I think it is something special, I think to go back and see what life is like there and try to relate to them as much as you can, and know though, try to be an influence in their lives. I think it is very good.

MICHAEL CHANG: We play periodically. We also played in a few tournaments here and there, but more or less just for fun and doubles for me is not a major concern. A lot of it for me is just to get practice; a little bit serve and volley returns, and get used to the court. It is not going to be a thing that I have been trying to do every tournament. Here and there I think it is okay.

MICHAEL CHANG: I hope so. Clay is not one of my favorite surface. I think when I won Roland Garros in 89, winning it was a very positive experience for me. I always would like to go back and win it again. Before my year is over, I'd like to be able to hopefully win each Grand Slam at least once. So it is something that I am working on and all I can do is try to improve my game and come back each time a better player.

MICHAEL CHANG: Give myself a little bit more time to rest. Last year it was a little bit hectic for me. Schedule wise I played-- actually I was on the road for quite sometime before coming here to Frankfurt. This year I have changed it up a little bit. I have taken a few more weeks off. Hopefully that will help me out. (inaudible) So coming here this year I can only improve on it. I think that I will put the necessary practice and preparations in to be able to come out and do well here. It is -- pretty much this week is all business and trying to concentrate on doing what I know I can do best.

MICHAEL CHANG: For me going to Asia is more comfortable than going to Europe. For me, in Asia, it is very easy to get used to the culture, custom and the food. Here in Europe, it is a little bit different for me. Europe tends to be, for me at least, a little bit -- everything is a lot closer than other parts of the world, and it takes a little bit of getting used to. I still think that no place really compares to home; at least on the face of this earth, but Asia is a good stop for me. It is a fun place. It is easy for me to go and play tennis there.

MICHAEL CHANG: As part of the -- I don't feel that it is-- for me, I don't feel that it is good to alienate the press or the people. In fact --

MICHAEL CHANG: I don't feel that it is necessary to alienate them at all. I feel that tennis, at least for me, is a great way to touch people. Being a devoted Christian, part of my job is to go and reach out to people; spread the word. So for me, I want people to more or less, you know, kind of be attracted in a sense, but I think that there is still a necessary balance that each person needs to have in their life, you know, partly to themselves and partly go out and do your thing. Go out and play tennis which is what I do. But it needs to be a good balance where you can do both. Because I think that tennis you know, it is something that more or less you are always in the spotlight, so there is different ways of looking at it. I try to look at the positive side of it; allows me to reach a lot of people whether it is people watching me on the side of the court or watching the television. I think that the press is part of that. The press is part of being able to reach people. I think particularly Asia, for me, it works out well that not everybody might get to see me in Beijing play in person, but you know, a billion people can watch me through the TV, so it works well. But I think that there still needs to be a balance.

MICHAEL CHANG: I think that Beijing-- actually, I have been there twice before to play exhibitions, but to go out and to play tournaments is a little bit different. Beijing, I have always received a very warm reception from them, and from all the countries over in Asia and that makes it all easier for me to go out and play and to go out and concentrate and to go out and to play my best tennis and it has worked out well this year. Four of my five titles have come from Asia. Really no complaining about that, so Beijing is a good place, I think, this particular time around. I think that they have actually kind of loosened things up a little bit, and I think it was good for the people and I think it was good for the press; for the players.

MICHAEL CHANG: I have in the past. Chance to look around a little bit. I got to see the Summer Palace, but I think when the tournament came around, really more or less wasn't time to do much, much else than to practice; work out; play my match and prepare for the next match, so I want to be able to come out and to give my best tennis. Obviously, tennis was my first priority in Beijing to go out and to do well.

MICHAEL CHANG: Three, four years. Yeah, it is a little bit difficult. I don't get as good a response as I normally would get if I was home. I think a lot of things that need to be, you know, concerned about as far as when keeping them is one thing; when you are breeding them is another, because you have to watch them - level of nitrate, ph level, the water quality. You have to watch what they eat. If there are any sicknesses, some fish, if you feed them a particular kind of food they get sick and die. My fish are a little bit difficult because a lot of them don't have common names, so you have to go by the scientific name for them. They are fresh water fish, all my fish, except for one. They come from three lakes in Africa. They are the most colorful in the fresh water world.

MICHAEL CHANG: I like the science of it. I like the biology of it. Most of my fish are what they call mouth breeders, so the females, they hold their eggs in their mouth until they become a baby fish, and it releases it. What I do in order to save more young, what I do is take the eggs out after five days, after five days depending on the species and the size of the egg they hatch. They are about five days; then you gradually see two eyes on top of the egg and little head and little tail and little fish and sooner or later it grows up little by little. I enjoy it. I think it is fun. I got a few fish that the parents take care of their babies. Other fish, you have to separate the young from them, otherwise they eat them. So I feel like it is pretty interesting. They regard particular territory as their home, kind of any intruders they kick out and the male courts the female and sometimes she rejects them and sometimes she respond. Depends on her mood.

MICHAEL CHANG: I have before. I have been burned before and I have come out okay at other times, so --

MICHAEL CHANG: I brought them as frye and they were supposed to come out a certain-- you don't know until they reached adult, so they are supposed to come out a particular color and they didn't come out that way. So you got to be careful.

MICHAEL CHANG: You would know. If you get into the hobby enough, you would know where they are from.

MICHAEL CHANG: I wouldn't go down there. Malaria, hippos, crocodiles, a lot of things down there. Got a lot of war down there too, like for instance in Burundi, they got a place, they can't get fish out of there at the moment because the war is going on.

MICHAEL CHANG: No. Not--(inaudible).

MICHAEL CHANG: I don't think there are any tennis tournaments down there.

MICHAEL CHANG: That is true, that is true. I wouldn't go down there just to visit the fish. I know people who collect them. I can get wild specimens, so --

MICHAEL CHANG: Well, I think it is easier to calculate how many points you have coming off because if you have won a tournament, say, like for instance, if Boris knows that if he doesn't do well in Paris he has got at least somewhere around 500 points coming off because I won last year because of the bonus point and each year really changes as far as how many points you can gain because sometimes the money differs. The points are all based on money in the tournaments, so --

MICHAEL CHANG: You think about it. I don't think there is a particular strategy going in as far as if you have points to defend or not. You still go out, at least for me, I still go out with the same attitude of going out and giving my best. If you are able to defend the title, great. If you have lost it the previous year and you are able to do well, great. So you are going to have tournaments where you are going to do well and some tournaments where you are not going to do so well, and you just have to schedule yourself well.

MICHAEL CHANG: Most of the players know where they are at. They know where their points are coming from.

MICHAEL CHANG: Yeah.

MICHAEL CHANG: No. More or less they don't look at the points. They just look at the rankings. The thing is sometimes the rankings bounce around a little bit, so it is tough. It is a little complicated.

MICHAEL CHANG: To be honest with you, I don't know how deep the public gets as far as points and bonus points and that type of thing. I think more or less what they hear is what they know through the press. Newspaper might say, well, this person doesn't do well in this tournament; then he is going to drop to this ranking and, you know, I think that they still-- they look at the number more than the points. They don't look-- they look at who is 1, 2, 3 down the line; not who is close. At least that is what I think.

MICHAEL CHANG: I may be wrong but I don't think the tennis public follows it that closely, to be honest with you. I don't think that they would follow it that closely. I don't think the players follow it that closely until it gets down to the nitty gritty - like last week where you get a few points here and there and it will determine who is in it. I am sure if Thomas was playing last week, they probably -- things would have gotten even more complicated because Thomas is only how many points away from Goran, so --

MICHAEL CHANG: 21. So if he played last week and did better than his 15th last tournament, 14th last tournament, things could have been switched around.

MICHAEL CHANG: I think it is easier to follow basketball and football than tennis. Because tennis you have got tournaments, so many tournaments throughout the year and you have got so many tournaments coming out, coming up, you know, the following year, it is a little bit more difficult to follow. I mean, basketball and football, more or less, just you win, it goes in your win column and you lose; it goes into your loss column. That is about it. Just take the best teams and they are off to the playoffs.

MICHAEL CHANG: I don't know a way that could be simpler. I think it is kind of like maybe like golf. Golf is just based on points, right?

MICHAEL CHANG: So you couldn't do that with tennis, because if you did that, you know, take a guy like Andrei who is got like 13 tournaments, he would be ranked somewhere like 150, versus a guy who is playing some guy that I think somewhere around there, maybe like 32 tournaments; if you just took the total points, just wouldn't work, so you need to have a balance somewhere and it is tough to find that balance. So I think they are making a few adjustments in the ranking systems that they have talked to the players. Top players got together in Cincinnati and were talking with Miles and Weller, about what they can do with the ranking system. All the players felt that last year, you know, was a little bit unfair to Jim, in particular, he won two Grand Slams last year and his No. 1 spot was still in jeopardy, so I think that they are going to make that change.

MICHAEL CHANG: I wouldn't change a single thing to make it better for myself.

MICHAEL CHANG: Goran served aces.

MICHAEL CHANG: See, what is kind of funny is that before awhile ago, I know people were saying that tennis was boring because the points were too long, now it is kind of the opposite, points are too fast. You know, serve an ace and that is it. So you know, all I can say is really to try to find a surface that is very fair for all of the players because obviously there are so many different styles and I think that will be good for the general public. If they slow down this surface here from last year, everybody, including Goran, I think said it was too fast last year except for Boris who won the tournament and said it was too slow, so I think that they made that effort and it is slower this year.

MICHAEL CHANG: Medium fast court, I would say.

MICHAEL CHANG: Fast fast. When you are playing Goran and Krajicek in one group, it is fast fast.

MICHAEL CHANG: About?

MICHAEL CHANG: In the match?

MICHAEL CHANG: You mean have a cheer leader for tennis?

MICHAEL CHANG: I think in Davis Cup that is evident. I think in Davis Cup you do have cheer leaders, so to speak. I think that-- I think it might be more of a distraction for the players than anything else. I think a good example of this year is like Andrei Medvedev who won the French Open; went to toss the ball; saw a good looking girl and had to stop and look at her. So you know, if you were to have something like that, I think it would be a little bit distracting because tennis players, you know, sometimes things are in a very tense situation and sometimes the easiest thing will distract them either someone walking behind or someone flash the light on the camera or somebody whistles or somebody talks, things like that, and sometimes in that particular time, it is very tense, but I think that you do have that-- you do have that when you go to certain countries. Players have the support from the people, so I think I don't think that it is not necessary to have special cheer leading section for each player, so I like Japan also just the way it is, you know, the way --

MICHAEL CHANG: You would be surprised because I think some people when they go to Japan, they appreciate that it is very modest, very polite. Because they might go to someplace else and think it is too loud and too crazy.

MICHAEL CHANG: Well --

MICHAEL CHANG: I think it is-- you just go and cheer for who you want to cheer for as long as it is not particularly bothersome or annoying to the other player. I don't think that that is -- I don't think that is wrong. Someone is clapping and yelling because the other person doublefaults, then that is just not knowing proper tennis etiquette. But I think when someone makes a great shot and people are clapping because he made a great shot, I think that is fine. If they scream and yell during the point, a little bit of a problem.

MICHAEL CHANG: Tom came down to Paris. In fact, I think he visited all the guys that he could, whoever was there, I think that-- I think he was-- I heard something that the team is going to be chosen sometime in December if I am not mistaken, I thought. Don't quote me on that. But other than that, I think he is just basically trying to find a good solid team to go down to India.

MICHAEL CHANG: I told Tom that probably to be honest; probably not. Reason being is that India would mostly choose grass and I know that there are-- my position stands the same as far as like Australia, same situation. You take the best you have got on grass.

MICHAEL CHANG: I think it is-- I think it is a good group for me. Obviously a lot of tough players in there, but I feel that it is a good group. Obviously I think there is no easy matches, period. So you have got to play well in order to come out on top. And obviously, to do well this week -- to do well I have to play my best tennis. That is what I am trying to concentrate on; what I am trying to hopefully do.

MICHAEL CHANG: I say every match is key. Every match is key because last year I know that I lost my first two matches and if I had beaten Courier in the third match I would have been 1 and 2 and I would have gotten to the semifinals, so every match is key.

A. ' When did I start thinking about coming here? Probably last year after I lost.

MICHAEL CHANG: No. No. They were holding the wildcard for me. I didn't play. I didn't go.

MICHAEL CHANG: No. I have had very good experience with ECC tournament director and the people are very nice. I know that they were holding a wildcard for any of the players who needed them. Everyone, I think, went to play who wanted to play, except for Boris who took a wildcard and I believe they were holding one more for me - if I wanted to play. And I felt that I'd rather take the week off and train.

MICHAEL CHANG: Yeah, I was. But you know, I feel like in that situation I felt that I needed more of rest than matches and it was in God's hands. He wants me here, I am here, so it worked out well, and I will try to make the most out of this opportunity here in Frankfurt.