"I Knew I Was Going Pro" - MICHAEL YANI Full Interview

Описание: Tennis Ninja TV Interview

Special Guest:
Michael Yani


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From growing up as a young boy in Singapore to battling on the courts of the Grand Slams around the world, this is the story of Michael Yani!

At the age of 2 1/2 years old, Michael Yani was introduced to the sport of tennis while still sporting diapers. His parents had a tennis court in their front yard in Singapore, which is where they would play almost on the daily. One faithful day, Michael was taken to that tennis court & soon enough, he found a miniature-sized racquet & was given balls to hit & play around with. From there, he was hooked on the game! As he got older, Michael could not get enough of tennis as he would play against his closet in his parent's house. At the age of 10 years old, Michael & his family moved to Florida, which is where he began to enter junior tennis tournaments. This is the environment he would grow up in for the rest of his childhood! Michael eventually became a strong enough junior player, he ended up earning a qualifier spot into the infamous Kalamazoo event, one of the biggest junior tournaments in the United States. Is was there that Michael performed well enough to catch the eye of a few collegiate coaches, leading him to an eventual opportunity to play college tennis! In his college years, Michael played for the Blue Devils of Duke University, where he claims he learned the most as a growing tennis player & athlete. However, this again was only a stepping stone to what he is known for now: Pro tennis!

In 2003, Michael Yani decided to turn pro & enter into the world of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour! From there, he learned that fulfilling his boyhood dream was gonna be a long process but an incredible journey nonetheless. Soon after he left the college arena, Michael earned his first ATP Ranking point, playing in a California pro circuit event. This would be one of the biggest confidence boosts he would experience early on his his pro career. From there, Michael got rolling as he accumulated more points playing multiple pro events in the Futures & Challenger Tour tournaments around the world, including the former Honolulu Challenger event in Hawaii. He eventually earned enough ranking points to make him eligible to play in a Wimbledon qualifier event. And yes, you guessed it, he won three matches & qualified for Wimbledon, which became his first Grand Slam experience! You can bet that his confidence level was through the roof from there on out! Michael would continue to ride the tennis wave & went on to qualify for both the US Open & French Open (Roland Garros) as well. Seven years after his pro debut, Michael would end up playing one of the most memorable matches of his pro career. In 2010, Michael battled valiantly but ultimately fell short to Lukas Lacko in the 1st round of the French Open: 6 - 4, 6 - 7 (5), 6 - 7 (4), 7 - 6 (5), 12 - 10. With that match, he tied the record for Longest Match in French Open Open Era History in terms of games played: 71. The match also lasted around 5 hours! After 10 years of playing professionally on the tour, Michael achieved a career high ranking of 143 in the world. He has scored victories over the likes of Tommy Haas, Bernard Tomic, James Blake, & many other famous pros. He attributes his success on tour to his parents who always encouraged him & his college coaches who taught him that personal sacrifices & hours of reps hitting balls in practice would eventually pay off!

Today, Michael Yani resides in the state of Hawaii, an excellent choice after a long but fabulous career in the pros. He currently works & resides with his family in Honolulu. He also has played in multiple Kailua Men's Night Doubles events over the years, claiming two championships with partners Dennis Lajola & Hendrik Bode along the way. Michael also helps junior tennis players who are looking to aspire to things he's done as well.

Check out this exclusive interview with Michael Yani to learn from his tennis journey!
#TennisNinja #MichaelYani #ATPWorldTour #ProTennis #GoDuke #HardWorkPaysOff


What Michael Yani has been a part of:

Michael Yani ATP World Tour Player Bio:
https://www.atptour.com/en/players/mi...

Michael Yani 2010 French Open ESPN Article: https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/fr...

Michael Yani College Tennis Resume at Duke University: http://www.collegetennisonline.com/Du...

Michael Yani in Action at the 2013 Kailua Men's Night Doubles:
   • Lajola/Yani vs. Jobe/Shubert SF HIGHLIGHTS...  

Michael Yani 2017 Kailua Men's Night Doubles SportsCenter Top 10 Appearance:
   • SC Top Ten Play - Michael Yani @Kailua men...  

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