ATP Tour

Michael Zheng: From training as a kid at the US Open to shining at the event

When Michael Zheng did a lap around Court 12 Thursday evening to thank the fans who had cheered him into the third round of the US Open, it very much felt like a home match and atmosphere for the recent Columbia University graduate. Calling it a home match would be an understatement, though.

The American trained at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center from ages nine through 12, developing his game at the home of the season’s final Grand Slam tournament.

“I didn't get many chances to hit on the outdoor courts; only a few because a lot of the programme was on the indoor [courts],” Zheng told ATPTour.com. “But still just amazing to get the opportunity to see Court 17 and and when you walk in the building, you can see all the stadiums and just getting the opportunity to come back and play here, I think makes it super special.”

Zheng grew up in New Jersey and, despite his young age, would often take public transportation to Flushing Meadows for his tennis classes. He took part in the Feeder programme, which was meant to help develop young, high-level players. Although they did not train together, other players who grew up at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center included US Open 29th seed Ann Li and Eliot Spizzirri.

“From a young age, he was a very disciplined, focused kid,” Jay Devashetty, a former national coach for the USTA, who led the programme, said of Zheng. “He was motivated in the sense that him and his friend would travel from New Jersey from their house, take a bus to the train station, take a train from there to Penn Station and then take the subway all the way to Flushing.

“That was a hell of a ride for them and they would do that. The parents would pick them up in the evening. Sometimes they would go back on their own. So those two boys, they were traveling together a lot, and Michael was one of them.”

Devashetty explained that when Zheng was younger, he was always “pretty calm”, had a good demeanour and was “a little bit more focused than maybe some of the other kids around him”. The former Columbia star was never too high and never too low.

“But the best thing about him now, and even back then, is his decision making. He was a very, very good decision maker. He rarely makes bad decisions on the court, doesn't attempt wild shots, doesn't attempt shots he knows that he can’t really make,” Devashetty said. “So he's pretty disciplined with that. I think the shot selection is probably his biggest strength.

“When he was younger, he didn't really have a lot of weapons, I would say. And over the years, he's developed his forehand into more of a weapon and all of his shots are obviously higher quality, better quality. But more importantly, his forehand has become more of a weapon, where he's going after it more. You need that to play in the pros and he's been able to add that part to his already great skill of making good decisions consistently.”

Zheng said of Devashetty and his time training at Flushing Meadows: “He's helped me a lot. I think he developed a great programme, putting together a bunch of kids. I was with him maybe from nine to 11, 12 around that time. I think he just fostered a great culture where everyone was pushing each other to get better.

“Everyone was very close in level, and then I always wanted to beat the guy I was across the net from and he was very good with the technical and tactical development I think at a young age like that. I think just making sure you had a lot of fun and enjoyed the sport, which is super important.”

At 15 years old, Devashetty called Zheng’s father to offer him an opportunity to serve as a hitting partner at the New York Open, which has since moved to Dallas and become an ATP 500 event. Zheng trained with the likes of John Isner and Ivo Karlovic on Long Island, valuable early experience with ATP Tour stars.

“That, I think, helped change his mindset and motivated him even more,” Devashetty said. “He wasn't necessarily the best player nationally, I would say, at that point. He was getting there, but he wasn't there. Most people wouldn't pick him out and say he was going to be the best one. But I thought the kid — as focused as he was and he kept improving — I thought he deserved a chance. And I'm glad he's using that opportunity.”

In 2022, Zheng made the Wimbledon boys’ singles final, and then he embarked on a standout career at Columbia, where he won the NCAA singles title twice.

Now, more than a decade after he first began taking the bus and the train to the home of the US Open for the training, he is the one competing under the bright lights. Up to a career-high No. 88 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, Zheng will try to continue his surge in the third round against Arthur Gea with a spot in his first major fourth round on the line.