He is the youngest Grand Slam champion in men's tennis, he is the coach of Asian star Kei Nishikori, and he is also the 2018 Global Ambassador of the Tennis Hall of Fame, he is Zhang Depei. Today (February 22, 2018) is Zhang Depei's 46th birthday and I wish him a happy birthday. The following is a review of his achievements as a player and his contributions to tennis since his retirement.
Soaring – 1989 French Open
At the 1989 French Open, 17-year-old Zhang Depei defeated Marceau, Sampras and Logue in the first three rounds, and only lost one set on the way to advancement. In the fourth round, he faced world number one and three-time French Open champion Rendall, and it was widely believed that the 17-year-old's dark horse journey would come to an abrupt end.
The first two sets of the game did not surprise everyone, Lendl won the first two sets 6:4/6:4, and the third set took the lead to break the opponent's serve, at which time Zhang Depei launched a counterattack to break the 6:3 to win back a city. The cramps in his feet in the fourth set had caused Zhang Depei to retreat, especially when he was leading 2-1 in the 5th set, but he persevered due to his desire to win. Through a series of tactical changes: picking high balls, increasing offensiveness and shortening the round, Zhang Depei disrupted the rhythm of his opponents and won in a 6:3 reversal.
Zhang Depei became more and more courageous, and in the final against Edberg, he also experienced 5 sets of battles, and he became the youngest singles Grand Slam champion in history.
A little regret - 1996 US Open
In the 1996 US Open, Zhang Depei eliminated Agassi in the semi-finals and met Sampras in the final. The winner will not only capture the US Open, but also sit on the first place in the world. 1:6/4:6/6:7, Zhang Depei lost in three sets and also missed the world number one.
Career statistics:
Grand Slam champion: 1 (1989 French Open)
Grand Slam Runner-up: 3 (1995 French Open, 1996 Australian Open, 1996 US Open)
Masters: 7 Total number of winners: 34
Retired and inducted into the Hall of Fame
In 2003, Zhang Depei, who was out of the first round of the US Open, announced his retirement, ending his 16-year career. Five years later, Zhang Washipei was officially inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Coached Kei Nishikori
In 2014, Zhang Depei cooperated with Kei Nishikori. At that year's US Open, Kei Nishikori defeated world number one Djokovic 3:1 to reach the men's singles final of the Grand Slam for the first time.
Served as a Tennis Hall of Fame 2018 Global Ambassador
On October 3, 2017, Zhang Depei appeared at the Diamond Stadium of the China Open. This time he had one more title: Tennis Hall of Fame Global Ambassador. There is no doubt that he will play a huge role in the social activities of the Tennis Hall of Fame to promote the development of tennis.
China trip
As a global promotion ambassador of an international tennis academy, Zhang Depei continued a week-long tennis trip to China from Guangdong to Shanghai, carefully guiding the youth's tennis and conducting two interviews.
From a 17-year-old dancing teenager to a middle-aged man with a slightly sparse hairline, Zhang Depei's love for tennis has never changed, and he is bound to make greater contributions to the development of tennis in the future! (Source: House of Tennis Author: mr Bean)