Chang to Serve by Not Serving in Davis Cup

Sixteen-year-old Michael Chang of Placentia, Calif., says he can best serve his country by not serving for his country in the next round of Davis Cup.

Chang, subbing for John McEnroe, won two matches to help the United States sweep Paraguay 5-0 in the first round last weekend. U.S. captain Tom Gorman said McEnroe will return against France April 7-9 in San Diego, and Chang declined to lobby to stay in the lineup.

“I don’t deserve that right now, I don’t think,” Chang said. “I’m not a good enough player to play Davis Cup against France. It definitely deserves a much better player.”

McEnroe, who missed the first-round match because of his heavy schedule, is expected to play Davis Cup the rest of the year. Even if an opening on the team develops, Gorman said, he would hesitate to use Chang against competition tougher than Paraguay.

“Maybe he’s too young,” Gorman said. “If John broke his ankle, I’d have to think a long time about that.”

Gorman, anticipating the easy win over Paraguay, used Chang to groom him for future U.S. Davis Cup teams. Chang, ranked 30th in the world, lost the first set in both of his matches but rallied to beat Victor Pecci and Hugo Chapacu.

The poised Chang, who last fall became the second-youngest male to win a Grand Prix event, seemed slow to let the significance of his first two Davis Cup wins sink in. He thought long and hard when asked where they ranked on his list of thrills.

“I’d say it’s up there--up, up, up. What would I put ahead of it? Nothing, really.”

Then the youngster became more animated.

“You go out there and the crowd cheers, and it’s a feeling you just can’t describe. It’s unlike anything else in the tennis world. It makes you feel good inside, and yet it makes you feel more nervous. There’s that extra pressure. This country is such a winning country, and nobody likes to lose.”