Mario Ancic to Michael Zheng: ‘It’s amazing what he’s doing’ | ATP Tour

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Mario Ancic to Michael Zheng: ‘It’s amazing what he’s doing’

The former World No. 7 provides a unique insight into Zheng’s game, his mindset and his success

January 20, 2026

One of the best stories of the Australian Open was the success of Michael Zheng, a senior from Columbia University who qualified for his first major draw before upsetting Sebastian Korda to reach the second round.

The 21-year-old is not the only person with connections to Columbia and the ATP Tour. Mario Ancic, the former No. 7 player in the PIF ATP Rankings who stunned Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2002 and reached the semifinals two years later, attended Columbia Law School and graduated in 2015.

The Croatian remains based in New York as a Principal at private equity firm One Equity Partners. The 41-year-old has followed the Columbia tennis team closely over the years and already knows its players, including Zheng.

“I think it’s amazing what he’s doing, and he’s a humble person, a humble kid,” Ancic told ATPTour.com. “What all these guys are doing: Going to classes – it’s very intense – competing among the best and brightest players in the country and abroad, and then committing to being part of a Top 10 program in the country is not inspiring.”

Ancic is close with head coach Howard Endelman and heard about Zheng before he started playing for the Ivy League center. In 2022, Zheng reached the Wimbledon boys’ singles final.

“He came out with a lot of attention. I believe that he already had good results in the junior Grand Slams and I am very happy to see someone who has already been very successful in the ITF. [level] he committed to come and play for Columbia,” said Ancic. “Actually, I miss him since he started studying. We talked, I met his family. He’s got a great family behind him and obviously it’s been a lot of fun talking to him and playing with him and seeing his success since then. ”

Ancic always thought that the two-time NCAA singles champion had a great game when he entered college, and he got the idea that Zheng was a hard worker who was very dedicated.

“He didn’t rush anything. I see a lot of young players like, ‘I have to be in the ATP, I have to do this, I have to do that’. He took time to develop his game,” Ancic said. “I think he grew physically, which is always very important.”

The Croatian player pointed out that Zheng’s work on getting stronger and adding muscle with the help of Columbia’s coaching staff was important to his development as a player.

“I think that helped him build a bigger gun and more weapons. His questions were always, ‘What do I need to do to be able to compete with the pros?'” Ancic said. “I’ve seen him develop this game, develop big shots, a big game that can help him ‘hurt’ other players with big weapons. And I think that’s a testament to him, his family and the program.”

Not only does Ancic understand the tennis side of what Zheng is going through, but he is one of the few who can step into the academic shoes of his hometown Lion. Not only did Zheng train hard to improve on the tennis court, but he did so while shining in the classroom.

“It’s a commitment. You live in New York. They have classes, they live on campus. It’s on 116th Street, and the tennis courts are on 218th Street. So it’s not like everything is there. You have to go,” said Ancic. “New York is not an easy city to navigate [in]so the days are long. I know the boys… the team will be studying after midnight, early in the morning, preparing for classes, but they are still fully committed to doing their best on the tennis court.

“Going back and forth between the tennis center and campus, and going through a strong academic program is amazing and what Michael was able to accomplish to play at that level through this program and represent the Lions in the best possible way, just makes us very proud.”

Ancic understands what it takes to be successful on and off the court. When a player who has beaten Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray shines with someone as he does with Zheng – who will face Corentin Moutet in Melbourne – it is talked about.

“He always behaved himself, believed in himself and always gave his best, fighting. You always knew with Michael that he would give everything on the court. That’s just something that always touched me when I watched,” said Ancic. “This kid is a true example of a student-athlete, he is committed to the program, dedicated to classes and dedicated to the team in such a way that every time I watch him play, he always gives 100%.”

“Yes, if you have that mentality, there are many times in the game of tennis where you get this chance to win them. If you are stable, if you are mentally strong, opportunities come in the game of tennis. He always had that talent inside him.”

Did you know?

Another Croatian, former World No. 3 Marin Cilic, watched 30 minutes of Zheng’s opening win against Korda. Cilic said of the college star: “Actually, it’s really interesting. The player.” [who] he has a very different game. He does many things well. He still sees that it is a work in progress, that if he works on himself in the next two, three, four years, he can definitely develop into a great player. What I loved about it [him] it was [he was] making his Grand Slam debut, playing a guy, Sebastian, who is a top player, and has incredible composure as well as the physical ability and mental ability to sit and win in five.”