Michael Chang reminisces about '89 French Open win, Tiananmen Square
By Kristin Green Morse, Si.com. (五月 21, 2004)
It's hard to believe it has been nearly 15 years since Chinese army tanks rolled through a student protest in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. The photograph of the lone man standing defiantly as military tanks crept toward him is ingrained on our collective memories. As the events progressed in China, one 17-year-old Chinese-American kid from Southern California was playing tennis in Paris and doing his best to give hope -- even just a little -- to Chinese citizens throughout the world.
The events in Beijing weighed heavily upon Michael Chang and his parents, Joe and Betty. After a day of tennis at the French Open they would return to their hotel and watch events unfold in China on CNN. "My heart was breaking," says Chang, 32. "I wanted to put a smile upon Chinese faces. Anything to take their minds off what was happening, was a good thing."
Tanks entered Tiananmen Square on Saturday, June 3, 1989. Two days later, 15th-seeded Chang took on top-seeded Ivan Lendl, a three-time French Open champion, on Center Court at Roland Garros. It was the round of 16 at the French, and no one gave Chang much of a chance. Those who did believe in him certainly lost hope once Lendl, 29 at the time, won the first two sets 6-4, 6-4. Suddenly, the momentum shifted. Chang won the next two sets by resorting to the dreaded moonball, topspin lob strategy to disrupt Lendl's rhythm.
At the outset of the fifth, though, the kid's legs started to cramp. Looking back, Chang remembers he was thisclose to retiring at 2-2 in the fifth. He even started to walk to the service box to tell Lendl and the umpire that he could not go on. "But for some reason, my heart said, 'Don't do it,'" says Chang. "The Lord was telling me that this match was not about winning or losing. My goal was to finish the race."
A deeply religious person, Chang believes that a higher power helped him persevere through the cramps and dehydration and willed him to victory over Lendl. After a four-hour, 38-minute match, Lendl -- visibly distracted by his opponent's decision to stand within a few feet of the service line to return serve -- double-faulted on match point. Chang fell to the dirt and cried. It would be the first of only two times in his career that he shed tears on a tennis court. (The other time was his final French Open match last year after he lost to Frenchman Fabrice Santoro in the first round.)
When Chang reminisces about his lone Grand Slam victory, his first instinct is to talk about the Lendl match, not the final against Stefan Edberg. " Lendl set the tone, for sure," says Chang. "That match taught me to fight to the end."
Chang went on to beat Ronald Agenor and Andre Chesnokov before finally eliminating Edberg in five sets in the final.
In much the same way a nominated actor arrives to an awards ceremony with prepared words, Chang showed up to the final with notes for his post-match stadium interview. "I didn't want to be thinking about my speech during the match," says Chang. "I planned to share a little about China regardless of whether I won or lost." And although some in the French crowd booed as Chang credited the Lord for leading him to victory, the determined teen said what he wanted to say: "God bless each and every one of you, especially China."
Chang retired from tennis last year at the U.S. Open, an event overshadowed by the retirement extravaganza for Pete Sampras. The U.S. Open was important to Chang -- it was where he started his career at age 15 and it was where he wanted to end it. "It was special for me to address the crowd one last time," he says. "And to say thank you to Pete, Andre [Agassi] and Jim [Courier]."
政局筆記 HKEJ 5th June 2010 江麗芬
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張德培 法網六四
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一九八九年六月十二日，六四後的八天，美籍華裔網球手張德培贏了法國網球公開賽。當時年僅十七歲的他，成為歷來最年輕的法國公開賽冠軍。當年的張德培對於奪魁感到高興，而得獎於他而言，還有深一層的意義，那就是透過這一個獎項，透過流中國人血統的他取得這個錦標賽大獎，希望能撫慰遠在他方、剛被坦克車輾碎了的幾許中國民主夢。
六四鎮壓，雖然事過二十一年，但對於不少中國人，不論是親歷過還是只是遙遠地看見的，對於當天的事件還是歷歷在目。今年年初，張德培來香港時，談起他當年得獎的所感所想，便說當年他參加法網，由初賽至決賽的那兩個星期內，透過電視看到了八九年五月底至六月初那翻天覆地的一場學生運動，讓他更明白到他為什麼是中國人，為什麼他在這兩個星期可以一直打下去，直至決賽、直至贏得這項大滿貫。
他說：「我經常對朋友說，上帝是要我贏得一九八九年的法國網球錦標賽……希望可以讓世界上不同角落的中國人臉上再展露一點微笑，因為那時候的中國民族實在難展歡顏。（… and be able to put a smile upon the Chinese people's face around the world during a time where there's not a whole lot of smile for Chinese race.）」像張德培那樣對六四未忘的有多少人？答案該是很多、很多。至少在香港，從昨晚維園那十五萬點燭光可以見到，六四距今二十一年，還有不少人是未敢忘記、不會忘記。翻看中國民主運動資料中心編印的《八九中國民運報章廣告專輯》，從那一個又一個悲憤廣告可以見到當時香港人對於內地參與民運學生的同情以至對北京當局鎮壓的憤怒。
