Player Profile

Michael Yani

 

Home Town : Durham, NC, USA
Age: 28 (31.12.1980)
Height :  6'1" (185 cm)
Weight : 165 lbs (75 kg)
Plays:    Right-handed
Turned Pro: 2003
Color Eyes/ Hair: Brown / Brown
Nickname: "Yani" 
Coach Edward Yani
College Highlights/Achievement (Years Played) 2 time All American.  2002 ACC tournament MVP.  2003 Duke "Male Athlete of the Year"
Languages Spoken:  English
Hobbies Surfing, Football, Baseball
Age started playing 2.5
School Graduated from Duke University in 2003
Idols Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer
Favorite surface Hard or Grass
Favorite sho Serve/Forehand
ATP Ranking 145

 

Background


Family
Parents names - Edward/Nancy Yani
What are their jobs?  Both retired now.  Father was a Developer.  Mother was a school teacher.
Brothers? Names? Age? - Terry is 37 and Andy is 34
Sisters? Names? Ages?
What are their careers/special interests? Terry works for Cisco Systems, and Andy is a retired TV producer, and now runs a solar company.
How would you describe your relationship with them? - Very close with my brothers.  Talk to them almost everyday on the phone or by text or email. Do you have any nephews and nieces? - Have a few nephews and nieces. 
Sporting History
Do you have any family members with prominent sports background? Terry was a 4 year letterman swimmer at the University of North Carolina and Andy played tennis for the University of Michigan for two years before transferring to University of Hawaii.
Good/interesting family sports history stories?  My oldest brother, Terry went to UNC, and I chose to go to Duke.  The Duke/UNC rivalry is probably the biggest rivalry in college sports.  There is always a good amount of trash talking during basketball season!!
Interesting family story/fact?  My dad, in his younger days, looked like Bruce Lee.  Often times, people were scared of him !!

Personal


Who is the most inspirational person in your life?  I would say my dad for sure. 
Do you help with a particular charity?  Not yet, but I will one day
If you weren’t a tennis player, what would you be and why?  I would be a rockstar because I absolutely love music. 
Who is your favorite player when growing up?  When growing up, Sampras.  Now, Federer.
What do you like to do in your free time?  I like to mess around on the guitar, although I'm terrible at it.  I like to go surfing, if I'm back in Hawaii.  I like to hang out with friends and see new places, and make good memories!!