PARIS—Writing has never been the strong suit of Michael Zhao, a sixth-grader from Princeton Junction, N.J. He pulls excellent grades in math and science, but it was his prose that started him on a journey that eventually landed him in Paris, France, to hit tennis balls on the same court as some of the greatest stars in the game.
Zhao was one of 16 “Longines Future Tennis Aces,” all promising junior players who came from around the world to take part in a tournament sponsored by the Swiss watchmaker. Earning the right to represent his nation (only one child from each country made the cut) was a two-part process.
First, numerous kids like Zhao each wrote and submitted an essay describing the importance of philanthropy and “giving back to the community.” Representatives of Longines—including Andre Agassi, both a spokesperson and partner with the company—read the essays and selected the most convincing ones. In the U.S., 16 boys then took part in a tournament, with the trip to Paris on the line. Zhao won it. (See below video.)
“I’m not a good writer,” the shy but poised youngster told me as we sat in the bleachers at Court No. 7 at Roland Garros, close to where Agassi and fellow Longines representative Jim Courier were cooling off at the end of an exhibition hit with some of the kids. “But I think my essay was one of the best things I’ve written. It was about the Down the Line and Beyond Foundation, an organization that promotes good sportsmanship and character. I’m an ambassador for them, so I kind of knew what I wanted to write.”
Zhao, who was accompanied on the trip by his father, John, who works for a Manhattan-based hedge fund, won his first match (the competition uses a quick-scoring format), but lost in the second round to the delegate from Great Britain. “I was feeling a little pressure, I lost badly,” Michael admitted. “But I’m not very disappointed. This entire experience has been so great and here I am. . . in Paris.”
What’s not to like?
Michael was ranked in the Top 10 nationally in the 12-and-under division, but he’s 13 now and moved up to the 14s. Presently, he’s ranked just outside the Top 10. His main asset, in the eyes of John Zhao, is Michael’s ability to focus. “When he’s into it, his focus is really, really good. But sometimes it’s hard to get him into that rhythm. He’s not an aggressive kid from the get-go; it takes him some time to get into a rhythm. But if he’s still there on the last day I expect him to play good tennis.”
Like most juniors, Michael fantasizes about being a pro (his favorite is Novak Djokovic, because of his overall strength, speed and consistency at the baseline), but as his father John says, “Michael doesn’t have powerful ambitions in tennis, and neither do we. He’s a very good student (at Princeton Day School) and a very conscientious kid. His time for tennis is limited.”
John reckons that Michael plays about 12 hours a week, which includes practice, group lessons and clinics, and individual lessons with two local pros (including former ATP tour player Glenn Michibata, who’s also the head coach at Princeton University). He will play a number of tournaments this summer, but only ones that are within driving distance of his home.
Low key as the Zhaos’ approach has been, the drain on their time is significant, especially because Michael also has two sisters, one of them older and not especially interested in tennis. “We have to balance things,” John says. “It’s harder now to do other things with the family, tennis just takes a big chunk of time.”
John and his wife, Ruozhan, a former computer programmer, came to the U.S. in the 1990s to do graduate work at Cornell and never left. They knew as little about tennis as Li Na, the newly-crowned Chinese women’s singles champion at Roland Garros. Michael hit balls now and then with his father, but more or less found the sport on his own.
By then, though, Michael was advanced in his first love, chess. He was ranked No. 4 nationally when he was in second grade. But his interest in chess (and, eventually, soccer) petered out as tennis began to play a larger and larger role in his young life.
It’s unlikely that writing will overtake tennis the way tennis overtook chess in Michael’s life, but it was his ticket to Paris—perhaps it will give him ideas.
An interview with Michael Zhao after winning the play-in tournament in New York: