In 1989, very few, if any, believed that 17 year-old Michael Chang would have a chance to defeat #1 ranked player Ivan Lendl at the French Open. It's been 25 years since Chang shocked the world, so the New York Times sat down with the former champ to reflect and look back at possibly the greatest upset in tennis history.
Lendl was a three-time French Open champion going into the 1989 final, so just about everyone penciled him in to breeze past Chang and go on to win his fourth title. Weighing in at just 135 lbs, 17 year-old Michael Chang faced the task of a lifetime going up against the #1 ranked player in the world, and found himself in an early hole, down 2 sets. With his body giving out on him, Chang realized he needed to switch things up to throw off Lendl if he had any opportunity of pulling off the upset. In the interview with Chang, he relives the match and details his strategy that ultimatley let to his winning of the 1989 French Open.
The 2014 French Open is currently underway with the field narrowing down and the championship rounds scheduled for this weekend. Check out the full video above, and see how a 17 year-old kid defeated the top ranked player in the world 25 years ago to bring home his only Grand Slam title.
[NYTimes]
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