Women's tennis has gradually diversified, and after entering the twenty-first century, white, black and yellow players have all achieved success in Grand Slam competitions. But in the men's tennis world, due to the long-term domination of the big three and other reasons, there has not been a Grand Slam champion other than white for many years. The last black men's singles Grand Slam champion was France's Noah. The last yellow Grand Slam singles champion was Zhang Depei, who is well known to Chinese fans. In terms of career resume, Zhang Depei can be said to be the "male version of Li Na" in the last century, and he also holds the record of the youngest Grand Slam champion in history. With his help, Kei Nishikori also completed the feat of asian players reaching the grand slam finals. If it were not for the fact that the top ten in history were too fierce, Zhang Depei would have achieved better results. However, Zhang Depei is ranked second in the world at the highest level, and has also defeated the world number one many times in his career, no less than a one-slam player like Ferrero and Moya. Let's take stock of the world number ones that Zhang Depei has defeated.
The first world number one zhang depei defeated was Lendl. In 1989, 17-year-old Zhang Depei, ranked 19th in the world, played in the French Open. No one thought that the Chinese teenager would be able to create a miracle until he defeated the world number one Lendl in the fourth round. Although Lendl had already won the Australian Open and Miami that year, as a former champion of the French Open, it was the time when the Sword of the French Open was in full swing. However, the Chinese-American young player Zhang Depei, who was behind in two sets, chased three sets in a row with 6-3 6-3 6-3, and the total score was 3-2 to pick out the world's first place. After that, Zhang Depei picked down another king, Edberg, in the final, and lifted his first and only Grand Slam championship trophy.
Zhang Depei's second victory over world number one was in the first round in Munich in 1990. Before the match, the then world number one Edberg had already completed his three-game winning streak against him. Although Zhang Depei defeated Sampras and Agassi in this year, he only won one championship in Toronto, and the world ranking once fell to 24th, which was not in good shape. However, in the final game of the year, Munich, Zhang Depei defeated world number one Edberg 6-4, 4-6 7-5, but he lost to Sampras in the semifinals and missed the championship.
Zhang depei in 1991 suffered a six-game losing streak against the world number one, including a loss to Becker in the quarter-finals in Brussels and four consecutive games to Edberg. However, at the 1991 Paris Masters, Zhang Depei defeated Edberg, ending a six-game losing streak against the world number one. At the 1992 Miami Masters, Zhang Depei defeated world number one Correll 6-2 6-4 in the semifinals, which was also the third world number one he won. He then won the Miami Masters in the final against Mancic of Argentina.
Zhang Depei did not beat the world number one in 1993 or 1994, although he was able to stabilize the world ranking in the top ten, but for Correll and Sampras, who alternately held the world number one, he has always lost more than he won less. Until the 1995 Atlanta Competition, Zhang Depei won the championship by defeating Agassi 6-4, 6-7 6-4, which was also the fourth world number one he defeated. However, Agassi soon defeated Zhang Depei in two straight sets in the Cincinnati final, and also in color.
Sampras can be said to be the bitter master of Zhang Depei's career, although the two have close record of fighting, but the finals of many major competitions and the key matches to reach the first place in the world are the key matches that Sangshen ruthlessly blocked Zhang Depei's possibility of creating history. After six consecutive defeats against Sampras from 1993 to 1995, Zhang depei defeated world number one Sampras in the 1995 year-end finals. Sampras also became the fifth world number one he defeated. At the 1998 Masters in Rome, Zhang Depei once again defeated world number one Sampras, which was the last victory in his career against world number one.
Although he is not tall and his strength is not outstanding enough, Zhang Depei relies on his strong psychological quality and the spirit of "running undead" to occupy a place in the atp list of European and American gods. Even the champions like Sampras, Agassi and Lendl, Zhang Depei can beat them. Although there is no greater miracle, Zhang Depei's achievements are unprecedented among Asians and Asians, and there is no one who has come at present. (Source: Tennis House Author: Hedgehog Fairy)