It's hard to believe it has been nearly 15 years since Chinese army tanks rolled through a student protest in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. The photograph of the lone man standing defiantly as military tanks crept toward him is ingrained on our collective memories. As the events progressed in China, one 17-year-old Chinese-American kid from Southern California was playing tennis in Paris and doing his best to give hope -- even just a little -- to Chinese citizens throughout the world.

The events in Beijing weighed heavily upon Michael Chang and his parents, Joe and Betty. After a day of tennis at the French Open they would return to their hotel and watch events unfold in China on CNN. "My heart was breaking," says Chang, 32. "I wanted to put a smile upon Chinese faces. Anything to take their minds off what was happening, was a good thing."

Tanks entered Tiananmen Square on Saturday, June 3, 1989. Two days later, 15th-seeded Chang took on top-seeded Ivan Lendl, a three-time French Open champion, on Center Court at Roland Garros. It was the round of 16 at the French, and no one gave Chang much of a chance. Those who did believe in him certainly lost hope once Lendl, 29 at the time, won the first two sets 6-4, 6-4. Suddenly, the momentum shifted. Chang won the next two sets by resorting to the dreaded moonball, topspin lob strategy to disrupt Lendl's rhythm.

At the outset of the fifth, though, the kid's legs started to cramp. Looking back, Chang remembers he was thisclose to retiring at 2-2 in the fifth. He even started to walk to the service box to tell Lendl and the umpire that he could not go on. "But for some reason, my heart said, 'Don't do it,'" says Chang. "The Lord was telling me that this match was not about winning or losing. My goal was to finish the race."

A deeply religious person, Chang believes that a higher power helped him persevere through the cramps and dehydration and willed him to victory over Lendl. After a four-hour, 38-minute match, Lendl -- visibly distracted by his opponent's decision to stand within a few feet of the service line to return serve -- double-faulted on match point. Chang fell to the dirt and cried. It would be the first of only two times in his career that he shed tears on a tennis court. (The other time was his final French Open match last year after he lost to Frenchman Fabrice Santoro in the first round.)

When Chang reminisces about his lone Grand Slam victory, his first instinct is to talk about the Lendl match, not the final against Stefan Edberg. "Lendl set the tone, for sure," says Chang. "That match taught me to fight to the end."

Chang went on to beat Ronald Agenor and Andre Chesnokov before finally eliminating Edberg in five sets in the final.

In much the same way a nominated actor arrives to an awards ceremony with prepared words, Chang showed up to the final with notes for his post-match stadium interview. "I didn't want to be thinking about my speech during the match," says Chang. "I planned to share a little about China regardless of whether I won or lost." And although some in the French crowd booed as Chang credited the Lord for leading him to victory, the determined teen said what he wanted to say: "God bless each and every one of you, especially China."

Chang retired from tennis last year at the U.S. Open, an event overshadowed by the retirement extravaganza for Pete Sampras. The U.S. Open was important to Chang -- it was where he started his career at age 15 and it was where he wanted to end it. "It was special for me to address the crowd one last time," he says. "And to say thank you to Pete, Andre [Agassi] and Jim [Courier]."

Today, Chang lives in Mercer Island, Wash. and is active in his Chang Family Foundation. He and his older brother, Carl, have developed a Christian sports league in the Seattle-Bellevue area in which a dozen or so churches participate in basketball and volleyball leagues. The younger Chang is active in organizing the leagues and is a regular on the speaking tour. He's also testing his patience on the golf course and has seen his handicap drop to a five.

Chang is looking forward to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He served as a Goodwill Ambassador for China, helping the nation get the bid. "It's very exciting," says Chang, who has traveled to China at least once a year every year since 1990. "It will be great for China to show the world what it can do."

It will certainly be a far cry from those dark days 15 years ago in Tiananmen Square.