Junior Player Spotlight: Blake Chang, Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training Center

At last year’s U.S. Open, local junior Blake Chang had the experience of a lifetime. The 12- year-old from Manhasset had the honor of presenting the trophy after the U.S. Open women’s singles final, and was on stage with champion Coco Gauff and runner-up Aryna Sabalenka.

“It was incredible being on that court,” Chang recalls. “Being there didn’t even feel real, it was crazy. I was like, ‘Is this actually happening?’ It was just so cool to have the opportunity to be on stage with Coco and Aryna.”

As she stood on that stage with two of the world’s best players and looked out at the massive crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, Chang felt more motivated than ever and began to imagine herself being the one on the other end of the trophy presentation.

“When I walked off the stage after placing the trophy on the stand, I actually imagined being there again in the future,” she said. “I could see myself winning the U.S. Open one day. That day gave me so much confidence and motivation to work really, really hard so I could reach my potential.”

It’s her work ethic and early successes as a junior tennis player that led to the opportunity in the first place. Chang was selected to take part in the ceremony because she is one of the top players in her age group, ranked No.1 on Long Island in the Girls’ 12s division.

Her tennis journey began back when she was four-years-old and growing up in Brooklyn Heights. As the daughter of a former Division I tennis player, tennis has been a part of Chang’s life since she can remember. Her dad, who played at Penn State, introduced her to the sport and the two of them would play in the living room of their apartment, and those times are some of her earliest tennis memories.

“It was always fun, and it was definitely a bonding experience for us as a father-daughter,” says Chang. “I also remember as soon as I’d come back home from school, I would grab my racquet and hit a spongey ball against a wall.”

While she participated in other sports including gymnastics, dance and ballet, there was something about tennis that stuck with Chang. That became even more evident as she continued to improve, and was punctuated by her winning the “Little Mo” Internationals when she was eight. At the time she was only playing tennis once a week, but her dad entered her into the tournament.

“I ended up winning the whole thing, and I realized I could be a good player.” That win provided Chang with the confidence to pursue tennis even further, and when her and her family moved from Brooklyn to Manhasset, she began training at Robbie Wagner’s Tournament Training (RWTT) Center. She already had a connection there as Wagner actually coached her father, Christopher, when he was a junior, and traveled with him to some of the bigger junior events including the Easter Bowl, an event that Blake participated in this spring. Christopher and Robbie sat and watched Blake compete there in what was a full circle moment.

Chang has been at RWTT for nearly three years now, and she has seen her game improve in all aspects during that time period. When she first started there, she was coached by Viktor Marinkovic, and now works primarily with Greg Lumpkin and Stonar Coleman.

“I think it is such an amazing environment for junior players to practice and develop,” says Chang. “We have great coaches here who care about the kids, both as players and as people. They have really helped me develop my overall game and keep me focused on improving.”

Chang is currently focusing on trying to get more match experience, as she says she hasn’t played as many matches as other players her age. With that in mind, she wants to keep improving her all-around game, but primarily work on getting better in terms of her tennis strategy and mental toughness.

“I can definitely improve a lot tactically and emotionally as well,” Chang admits. “I continue to work on improving as an all-court player that likes to play offensively, finishing points at net and adding some variety to my game like slices and drop shots. My goals going forward are to keep improving my overall game and focus on development, and not so much on rankings or ratings. I’m working hard to become physically and mentally stronger as well.”

While she continues to work hard on and off the court, and pursues her tennis dreams, Chang is making sure to enjoy the journey, and using tennis as a vehicle to enjoy her life.

“I really enjoy competing on the court individually, having only myself to rely on. I believe that tennis has made me more mature and disciplined,” said Chang. “I’ve met a lot of people through tennis and have made some great friendships. I also really enjoy traveling for tournaments. I’ve been able to see many new places across the country and my mom always makes sure we have fun and cool experiences.”

Sharing those experiences with her family is one of the best parts of Chang’s tennis journey. She is able to create wonderful memories traveling, and also has a younger brother, Chase, and a younger sister, Chloe, who also play tennis, and Blake serves as a great inspiration for both of them.

Chang is excited for the months ahead and is looking forward to gaining more match experience and working hard to achieve her goals. She will continue to work hard and dream big, and as she does so, who knows, we may see her on stage at the U.S. Open in the future, and this time be the one accepting the winning trophy.