39 years ago, in Miami, Florida, the destiny of a young American was fortuitously linked to a tennis tournament, then in its infancy, at the foot of the Pyrenees, during an innocuous discussion between two women. Bluffing, Claudine Knaebel, founder of Petits As three years earlier, suggested to the mother of a certain Michael Chang to invite her son to play in his tournament in Bigorre, and history did the rest: a title in Tarbes in 1986, then, three years later, an exploit at Roland-Garros by becoming, at 17 years and three months, the youngest…
39 years ago, in Miami, Florida, the destiny of a young American was fortuitously linked to a tennis tournament, then in its infancy, at the foot of the Pyrenees, during an innocuous discussion between two women. Bluffing, Claudine Knaebel, founder of Petits As three years earlier, suggested to the mother of a certain Michael Chang to invite her son to play in his tournament in Bigorre, and history did the rest: a title in Tarbes in 1986, then, three years later, an exploit at Roland-Garros by becoming, at 17 years and three months, the youngest winner in the history of the Parisian Grand Slam.
This story could have ended there, but it took a new turn this week, when little Lani Chang pushed open the door of the Tarbais exhibition center, alongside her five-star coach and member of the Tennis Hall of Fame world, his dad Michael. 38 years after her father, 27 years after her mother Amber Liu (ex-241st in the world), it is Lani’s turn to follow the path traced by her parents. At 13, she has already done as well as her mother by reaching the round of 16 of the 42nd edition of the unofficial world championship in the junior category (13-14 years), before falling to the Chinese Xinran Sun.
Whirlwind of emotions
Sitting in the front row at each of his matches, his dad is impassive, but a whirlwind of emotions swirls under his white cap. “It’s really special to see my daughter playing here. I am certainly the first former player to experience this, confides Michael Chang. It’s fascinating to follow her on this path that both of her parents took. Les Petits As is a wonderful family story for us. Every day, I meet familiar faces, the founders, volunteers…”.
And he finds these faces as the first supporters of his daughter, who had already come to Tarbes before even walking, during an exhibition between her father and Fabrice Santoro in 2012. Beneficiary of a wild card to participate in the Petits As , we should definitely not imagine that Lani benefited from any favoritism, due to her last name. “Oh no, assure Claudine and Jean-Claude Knaebel, she got this invitation because she is the third best player of her generation in the United States. If we had given her an advantage because of her name and she had taken 6-1, 6-1, we would have looked smart…”
Selfies, autographs and media
At the Tarbes exhibition center, where the smells of pancakes and waffles mix with that of the huge candy stand, there is an air of a funfair, the main attraction of which is none other than Lani. After her hard-fought victory in the second round (6-7, 6-4, 7-5) against the Slovak Viktoria Novakova, the little girl with the mischievous smile took the time to sign autographs and take selfies with a few fans, before answering questions from journalists… at only 13 years old.
“She knows what it’s like to live in the spotlight of the media,” explains her dad. She experienced it with my career and the trips she made with the player I coach Kei Nishikori (ex-4th in the world) and me. She followed us in all the Grand Slam tournaments, she saw Kei respond at press conferences and to requests from fans. So I don’t think it’s that brutal for her.” Her daughter adds: “I was used to it and today I am discovering it myself. It’s a new experience in my career.”
Lani went to a good school. On the court, the dad’s style shines through: dynamic footwork, iron defense and unfailing determination. “The first thing my father taught me was to never run away from a challenge, to always hold on to seize the slightest opportunity,” she says. Trailing by a set and a break in the second round, she was faithful to her fighting values. What to make the dad proud? “I’m proud of her whether she wins or loses, as long as she gives everything she has on the court.” Now all that remains is to teach him the legendary spoon service. ” I do not need. Today, more and more players are doing it on TV,” he smiles.
Borg et Kafelnikov
Before Lani Chang, the Tarbes tournament saw the young Leo Borg, son of the legendary Bjorn, six-time Grand Slam winner. With his blonde hair and headband, his presence in 2017 did not go unnoticed despite his defeat in the second round. He is now 334th in the world at 20 years old. Besides Michael Chang’s daughter, another name catches the eye this year at Les Petits As, that of Evgeni Kafelnikov, nephew of the former Russian world No. 1 and winner of Roland-Garros in 1996. “In the five or Six years to come, I think you will see more children of tennis greats,” predicts Michael Chang.
2024-01-25 10:57:01
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