#1 College Tennis Player in America: Behind the Scenes

Quick-Hit Bio

• Name: Michael Zheng

• Age: 21

• Hometown: Montville, NJ

• College: Columbia University (’22–’25)

• Career-High ATP Ranking: No. 498 (June 2025)

• Awards: Division I NCAA Men’s Singles Champion 2024, Wimbledon Juniors Finalist, #1 in the ITA National Rankings

• In His Free Time: Fishing and poker. 

• Advice to a younger self: “Tennis really is a grind… Enjoy the process and just work hard and then see how far it takes you.”

Top 3 Tips from Michael Zheng

1. Match Journaling: “Things that you notice during the match…what your opponent did well, what you did well, what you can do better. And going forward, goal setting as well. What you want to achieve, long-term goals and some short-term goals” 

2. Maintaining composure after lost points: “I’m always focusing on trying to win two points in a row. And after you've won those two points, try to go for that third, and then you kind of just reset.”

3. Towel Strategy: “I usually play pretty fast. I slow it down a little bit more when I'm serving because that's a little bit more important trying to hold every time on your serve. I usually go to the towel after almost every point. If my opponent is in a rhythm, you could try to slow them down. You take a little more time in between changeovers and you take a little more time between points.”

From Gold Ball to Grand Slam Ambitions

Early Breakthrough
Born into a family new to tennis, his father, an engineer from China, had only picked up the racket in his late twenties. Michael first swung a racquet at age six on his local high school courts. Through U12 and U14, he wasn’t the nation’s standout; he stayed with the pack, often shadowed by peers like Samir Banerjee and Evan Wen. Everything changed at 16 when he captured his first U16 National Indoors “gold ball.” That win sparked a breakthrough: Michael began consistently outlasting his early exits, and after switching to online school in his senior year, he reached the Junior Wimbledon final, seizing the chance to travel and compete without academic constraints .

College Routine
Despite the lure of the pro tour, Michael chose Columbia University over an immediate jump to the professional circuit. He knew the relentless grind demanded greater physical maturity. On campus, he effectively balances his tennis demands with an ivy-league courseload.  Three mornings a week he’s up at 6:30 am for strength training followed by morning and afternoon class. Then he hops a bus to an off-campus facility for court work and conditioning before settling in for study and sleep .

Training Evolution
Michael made significant sacrifices to get where he is today. In middle school, he left school early to commute two hours via subway from New Jersey to the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, fitting in an hour of fitness and two hours of on-court work three afternoons a week. That foundation evolved in Orlando, where daily routines swelled to four or five hours of tennis plus fitness sessions—“pretty simple,” he says humbly, albeit amplified by unique tweaks from each coach he’s worked with.

Mental Edge
Watching Michael play, you’ll notice his incredible composure throughout the match. As he recalls from childhood, “If it’s not going to help you, don’t do it. I'm trying to do my best to win. So I don't wanna also play against myself on top of my opponent.” a rational lesson from his father that is often hard to follow for many athletes. 

This was further enforced by meticulous journaling on what he noticed during the match. What he did well, what his opponents did well and, what he can do better in the future while also setting clear short- and long-term goals that guide every training session and match.

He also leans on sports psychologists to sharpen his routines under pressure. At each changeover he zeroes in on winning two points in a row; once he does, he reaches for a third before resetting. This micro-goal approach breaks matches into manageable chunks and locks his focus on the next rally rather than what just went wrong.

Looking ahead
Michael’s grateful for his health and excited for the long summer ahead. He’s determined to push Columbia deeper into the NCAA tournament than the past two years. After narrowly missing a US Open wild-card, he’ll contest summer challengers and chase the remaining opportunities to earn one.

On your Journey to Greatness,
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