'It's different from what came before': Michael Chang highlights how Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal changed the game

Michael Chang believes that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are responsible for changing the culture in the locker room. Both players are among the greatest to have ever played the game. Federer retired from the sport in 2022, having won 20 Grand Slam titles during his illustrious career. He was the first player in the history of men’s tennis in the Open era to achieve that feat.

On the other hand, Nadal, who is also known as the ‘King of Clay’, hung up his racket last year after winning 22 major titles. Chang, a former world number two who won the French Open in 1989, spoke to Claytennis, explaining how both Federer and Nadal changed the locker room forever.

The 53-year-old stated that before the dominance of Federer and Nadal in men’s tennis, players were far more competitive, but that changed in the era of the 'Big Three'. Chang was also of the opinion that friendliness among players has now been transferred to the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who have a great deal of respect for each other.

"Federer and Nadal changed the culture in the locker room, to be honest,” said Chang. “The generation that came before me was very competitive and didn't really talk to each other. On the court, it's business: you want to play your best and beat your opponent. Off the court, they were kind to everyone, whether you were world No. 2 or No. 100 in the doubles rankings. Roger, Rafa, and even Novak are responsible for that transformation. They treated you equally and were kind. I think that has carried over to the current generation, because they have respect for everyone. [Alcaraz and Sinner] have a very healthy respect for each other. It's different from what came before, like between McEnroe and Connors or McEnroe and Lendl. There was no friendship there. The generation before mine was very competitive; they didn't really talk to each other.”