Moose Malloy
G.O.A.T.
Old competitive juices are flowing
Published March 1, 2006
This isn't going to be like the old Jimmy Connors seniors tour, where it was essential that Jimmy, the No. 1 ticket attraction, got through to the final day. This is going to be derriere-kicking tennis.
"Don't you think I know that?" said Michael Chang. "I'm sure there are people who think it's a bunch of retired guys going out there to hit some balls and have a few laughs. I know the truth. I know Jim Courier and John McEnroe well enough. Since when have they played a match just for fun?"
You could hear the light laughter in Chang's voice over the telephone. "Those guys don't even play pro-ams for fun."
Chang then recalled that he and Courier were practicing a few days before the start of a tournament in Cincinnati in 1995. "Jim says, `You want to play a set or two?' I said, `Let's just play some points.' And he said, `Why don't you want to play?''' And Chang explained that they were on a collision course to play in the quarters, and he didn't want to give Courier any sort of psychological edge.
They did play in the quarters, and Chang won. In fact, they played 24 times between 1989 and 1999 and split them right down the middle -- a dozen each.
Number 25 could come next week when Chang, Courier, McEnroe, Pat Cash, Mats Wilander, Petr Korda, Mikael Pernfors and Aaron Krickstein converge on Naples to play the first of four seniors events being promoted by Inside Out Sports in what could be the resurrection of a seniors tour in the United States.
McEnroe and Courier have been highly visible since retirement from the ATP Tour, and now it will be good to see Chang on court again, 21/2 years after his final match.
He still has his home on Mercer Island, a short boat ride from Seattle, but he's living more or less permanently in Los Angeles, where he's attending Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada.
"The first few weeks were kind of a shock to the system," he explained. "I hadn't been in school since I was 15."
It's not surprising that Chang is studying ministry. For years when he was a top-10 player he would insist that this is what he had in mind when he retired and, regardless of your religious commitment in life, you had to respect Chang's devotion.
What is surprising is that he's back to play. I could see that with Courier and even Pete Sampras, when he gets tired of golfing every day and watching SportsCenter. But not Chang, who seemed to have a higher calling in life than sports.
Still, he's evidently found there's room for both.
"I miss the competition," he said. "I can't say I miss the day-in and day-out training, the sprints, long-distance running. But being in the tournaments ... that was the easiest part. It was never difficult for me to get up for matches."
One Grand Slam title (1989 French Open), three other Grand Slam finals, 34 titles overall and 662 victories and Chang will be back on court, probably looking as fit as he did during his 16-year career.
"I haven't allowed myself to balloon out of shape," he said. And he's been training with American juniors at the USTA facility in Carson, Calif.
There were so many memorable matches for Chang, but he seemed fixed a bit during our conversation on his one win, in five tries, over Roger Federer -- at Halle in 2000, on grass.
"I was playing serve-and-volley tennis, and I beat him pretty badly," said Chang. "I was just returning everything, and he couldn't get a return in. A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with Eliot Teltscher [USTA coach]. We had grown up watching Pete and we were wondering, if Pete and Roger played at their best, who would win?
"One of the things Roger has going for him is that nowadays he never faces a true serve-and-volleyer."
Chang will arrive in Naples a few days early to get some practice in. Courier will be waiting and asking, no doubt, if he'd like to play a couple of sets.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/sfl-brickten01mar01,0,4882244.column
Published March 1, 2006
This isn't going to be like the old Jimmy Connors seniors tour, where it was essential that Jimmy, the No. 1 ticket attraction, got through to the final day. This is going to be derriere-kicking tennis.
"Don't you think I know that?" said Michael Chang. "I'm sure there are people who think it's a bunch of retired guys going out there to hit some balls and have a few laughs. I know the truth. I know Jim Courier and John McEnroe well enough. Since when have they played a match just for fun?"
You could hear the light laughter in Chang's voice over the telephone. "Those guys don't even play pro-ams for fun."
Chang then recalled that he and Courier were practicing a few days before the start of a tournament in Cincinnati in 1995. "Jim says, `You want to play a set or two?' I said, `Let's just play some points.' And he said, `Why don't you want to play?''' And Chang explained that they were on a collision course to play in the quarters, and he didn't want to give Courier any sort of psychological edge.
They did play in the quarters, and Chang won. In fact, they played 24 times between 1989 and 1999 and split them right down the middle -- a dozen each.
Number 25 could come next week when Chang, Courier, McEnroe, Pat Cash, Mats Wilander, Petr Korda, Mikael Pernfors and Aaron Krickstein converge on Naples to play the first of four seniors events being promoted by Inside Out Sports in what could be the resurrection of a seniors tour in the United States.
McEnroe and Courier have been highly visible since retirement from the ATP Tour, and now it will be good to see Chang on court again, 21/2 years after his final match.
He still has his home on Mercer Island, a short boat ride from Seattle, but he's living more or less permanently in Los Angeles, where he's attending Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada.
"The first few weeks were kind of a shock to the system," he explained. "I hadn't been in school since I was 15."
It's not surprising that Chang is studying ministry. For years when he was a top-10 player he would insist that this is what he had in mind when he retired and, regardless of your religious commitment in life, you had to respect Chang's devotion.
What is surprising is that he's back to play. I could see that with Courier and even Pete Sampras, when he gets tired of golfing every day and watching SportsCenter. But not Chang, who seemed to have a higher calling in life than sports.
Still, he's evidently found there's room for both.
"I miss the competition," he said. "I can't say I miss the day-in and day-out training, the sprints, long-distance running. But being in the tournaments ... that was the easiest part. It was never difficult for me to get up for matches."
One Grand Slam title (1989 French Open), three other Grand Slam finals, 34 titles overall and 662 victories and Chang will be back on court, probably looking as fit as he did during his 16-year career.
"I haven't allowed myself to balloon out of shape," he said. And he's been training with American juniors at the USTA facility in Carson, Calif.
There were so many memorable matches for Chang, but he seemed fixed a bit during our conversation on his one win, in five tries, over Roger Federer -- at Halle in 2000, on grass.
"I was playing serve-and-volley tennis, and I beat him pretty badly," said Chang. "I was just returning everything, and he couldn't get a return in. A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with Eliot Teltscher [USTA coach]. We had grown up watching Pete and we were wondering, if Pete and Roger played at their best, who would win?
"One of the things Roger has going for him is that nowadays he never faces a true serve-and-volleyer."
Chang will arrive in Naples a few days early to get some practice in. Courier will be waiting and asking, no doubt, if he'd like to play a couple of sets.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/sfl-brickten01mar01,0,4882244.column
) and he's a really down-to-earth, great guy. I'm sure he'll do great on the senior tour.
