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Chang May Return to D.C. for Davis Cup

It's more than a little muggy in Washington this time of year, which makes it an extremely tough month to have a tennis tournament. But all things considered, Michael Chang likes playing here.

After Chang defended his title at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic on Sunday by beating Petr Korda, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1, he said he might be back in town soon — real soon.

The William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Northwest Washington, which hosted the Legg Mason Classic, also will be the site when the United States hosts Australia in Davis Cup competition from Sept.19-21. And Chang said he's interested in representing his country.

"I hope so," Chang said when asked if he would play Davis Cup here. "I have made myself available, so I'll have to see how [team captain Tom Gullickson] goes about choosing the team, and I'm sure he's going to wait and see how the rest of the guys are playing this summer."

Of course, if Sunday's result is any indication, Chang should have a solid enough summer to merit being named one of the United States' two singles competitors in September.

Last year, Chang — currently ranked No. 2 in the world behind Pete Sampras — used a victory here to start a summer that culminated in his reaching the finals of the U.S. Open.

Winning Sunday "was a really good confidence booster for me," said Chang, whose difficult spring included a first-round departure at Wimbledon despite being the No. 5 seed. "The past couple of months, I was struggling a little bit on the clay and the grass. For me, it's really great to get off to a really good start this summer.

"This was a good stepping stone for me last year, and I hope it will be a good start for me this year."

While Sampras is chasing history by trying to surpass Rod Laver's record of 12 career Grand Slam titles, Chang has a bit more modest goal in mind. Since shocking the tennis world with his 1989 French Open title at 17, Chang has not won another major. But he has made progress in the past two years, as he reached the 1995 French Open final and the final of the 1996 Australian Open in addition to last year's U.S. Open success.

But the day-to-day details of playing on the tour are what dominates Chang's approach to his game these days.

"I don't think about it much," Chang said. "It's always kind of in the back of my mind when the next one is going to come. But I feel that God has a purpose for everything.

"I feel like I just have to be patient then if it comes, then great. In the meantime, I'll just continue to do what I need to do, give it my hardest and play the best tennis I can play."

© Copyright 1997 WashingtonPost.com

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