"Chinese tennis has always been very close to my heart. There is always bright spot," three-time China Open champion and 1989 French Open winner Michael Chang told CGTN in an exclusive interview.

The 45-year-old has been presented as the ambassador for the China Open, the highest-profile tennis tournament in China and a prestigious event on the tennis calendar.

“It’s been an exciting week, being back to Beijing after ten years,” he said.

Speaking about the development of Chinese tennis, Chang noted that “Li Na is always been a great role model, a Grand Slam champion. If you look at the generations coming after her, Zhang Shuai is doing very well. Wu Yibing just won the US Open junior title, not only the singles, but also the doubles. With talents like that, tapping into professionals like that, it’s going to be very exciting for Chinese tennis."

Chang, who coaches Japanese player Kei Nishikori, also spoke about Asia’s top male player.

“Nishikori is able to utilize both offensive and defensive positioning on the court. Kei and I both are on the reserved side in term of personalities. That trait tends to stay with him on the court. I’m trying to work on to get him more pumped up,” he said.