Old & New; Red, White & Blue: Chang on grass courts and U.S. tennis

Michael Chang, who is coaching world No. 5 Kei Nishikori, assessed how grass courts are playing today, compared to his playing days, in a chat with TENNIS.com. The American, who won his lone Grand Slam title as a 17-year-old in 1989 at Roland Garros, last played Wimbledon in 2002. His career-best result at the All England Club came in 1994, when he reached the quarterfinals.

“The mentality is very different,” Chang says. “I think when I was out playing, the big servers, the super volleyers, the super chargers had a little bit more of an edge because of the way grass worked for playing back then. But nowadays guys are playing from the back of the court on grass as if it's a hard court or clay court sometimes, and the ball's bouncing a lot higher and bouncing very true. The courts are not as fast as they used to be so no one's serving and volleying that much. So everyone's is in the same boat.”

Chang continued: “For somebody who plays from the back…they have to come in on a decent ball. You can't get away with a slice and a chip and a bluff kind of tennis. If you hit that kind of shot now and the ball sits up, you're toast at the net. It doesn't matter if it's on grass.”

Regarding U.S. tennis, Chang thinks the young crop of American players is particularly impressive. John Isner has been playing better since Indian Wells and 22-year-old Jack Sock was impressive at Roland Garros, Chang says, but the teenagers are who he is focusing on.

“They're got probably 5-7 really good young boys coming up,” Chang said. “Like [Jared] Donaldson, Francis Tiafoe, Michael Mmoh, there's a good group of them out playing on the tour and doing really well. We haven't had that kind of situation for a number of years, and I know they all get along pretty well, and they're all encouraging each other, so I think it's going to be an exciting time for American tennis at the U.S. Open.”  

Chand believes this group of talented youngsters is pushing each other, like he did with Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, and Jim Courier during the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. The four Americans combined to win 27 Grand Slam singles titles. Since they retired, only one American man has won a major, Andy Roddick, at the 2003 U.S. Open.  

“The one difference now is that these guys are practicing and training with each other,” Chang said. “Once we got to playing professionally, after the first or second year, we weren't practicing with each other any more because we were competing against each other, so it was a different ball game.

“I think this is something American tennis has been needing for quite a while, because for so long all of the juniors would not play against each other for one reason or another and not practice with each other. I think now they recognize the great benefit in doing that, because you're encouraging and helping each other. The tour can be a very lonely place out there, and you're able to do it and share it with guys that are at your level. Everyone's continuing to push each other and root each other on. It's been helping everybody along the way and that's been pretty evident.”

Chang will be unable to go to coach Nishikori at Wimbledon because his wife, Amber Liu, is due with their third child in early July. Chang says that he will talk with Nishikori, who is also coached by Dante Bottini, every day.