Former French Open champion Michael Chang said yesterday that China would probably win more Olympic tennis medals in Beijing if they adopted his training methods.
Chang, until recently the coach of Chinese women's player Peng Shuai, said he would do things differently if he was involved in the Olympic set-up.
"I think that if I was more heavily involved with the Olympic team it could be an opportunity for them to do well and possibly win multiple medals," said the 1989 French Open winner. "It is no easy task for any country or any athlete to go out and win a bronze medal, silver medal or gold medal."
"When it comes down to it, you prepare yourself as best you can so you are 100 percent off the court and when you go out there you play 100 percent on the court," he said.
Chang said there was no magic potion to turn Chinese players into top 10 performers but several "little things" could be introduced, such as improved physical training methods, tennis style and, in the women's game, strategy.
"Peng sometimes thought I was too strict putting in more time than she was used to. A combination of all these little things can make a difference. I would need to say this does not apply to every player," he said. "You have to look at it on a case-to-case basis. My experience this last year is that there are things that could be improved on [in Chinese tennis]. I do not have any specific ties with the Olympic tennis team. This last year I have just been helping Peng Shuai."
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