Table tennis: Swinging the racket billions of times, achieving a grand slam

Chapter 192 Malone, one more goal!
——Win?
--Won.

——I defeated Ma Taki, the man known as the “GOAT of Table Tennis”?

--Yes.

……

The last ball fell and continued to roll and spin on the ground.

Chen Jin stood there in a daze, feeling something was unreal.

A moment seemed like eternity.

Just like dreaming.

"Whoo~"

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Jin let out a long sigh.

The originally tense nerves finally relaxed at this moment.

As relieved.

The whole person feels light, like a kite, and seems to be blown away by the wind.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous facing Ma Taki.

As the GOAT of today's table tennis world, Ma Taki seems to have an aura of kingly dominance.

No matter who stands opposite him, there will be an invisible pressure.

Chen Jin is no exception.

The battle with Ma Taki was not only a calculation and fight of techniques and tactics, but also a big competition of mentality, spirit and physical strength.

During the competition, I didn't even notice it.

Wait until the game is over.

Only then did Chen Jin truly feel what it meant to be exhausted and what it meant to have a hollowed-out body.

however.

No matter what, he is the final winner of this game.

The champion is also him.

The youngest WTT Grand Slam champion in history!

Chen Jin did not shout to celebrate.

Instead, he clenched his fists and his eyes became more determined.

Look up.

The lights from the dome of the stadium shine down, extremely dazzling.

Countless cheers and applause, like a tide, came from all directions and lasted for a long time.

in the audience.

Liu Guoliang, Wang Hao and others stood up, smiling and applauding Chen Jin.

For them, this game is not just a Grand Slam final.

It is also a crucial battle for the transition from old to new players in the national table tennis team.

The end of one era also heralds the beginning of another!
"Three games, three championships, no defeat since debut..."

Wang Hao's eyes were a little cloudy. A big man from Northeast China, he almost cried with joy, "China's table tennis team really has a successor."

According to the Chinese national table tennis tradition of "two veterans leading one newcomer", if there were no problems with the echelon construction, how could a thirty-year-old veteran be allowed to compete in the Paris Olympics?

In this situation, the person who is under the most pressure is Wang Hao, the head coach of the men's team.

The tasks from above, the doubts from fans, the expectations from fans...all of them are like mountains pressing down on me.

Since the Paris Olympics, we have entered a new Olympic cycle and the pressure has increased rather than decreased.

“Can the young players of the national table tennis team take up the banner of the future?”

Even Wang Hao sometimes doubted in his heart, “Do we really want to let Ma Long continue to fight in Los Angeles?”

If this is true, wouldn't the Chinese national table tennis team's decades of glory be ruined in its own hands?
The nightmare of the Athens Olympics still occasionally pops up in Wang Hao's mind.

No one wants to experience that feeling of being an unforgivable sinner a second time.

There is no doubt that Ma Taki is like a mountain.

A huge mountain stands in front of the young players and also weighs on the coaching staff.

If this generation of young players cannot even surpass Ma Taki, and needs Ma Taki to give up his position, then what’s the point of talking about echelon building?
Originally, Wang Hao and the coaching team placed their hopes on Lin Shidong.

But no one expected that Chen Jin would appear out of nowhere like a star descending from the sky.

In this game, the strength displayed by Chen Jin is obviously more reassuring than that of Lin Shidong.

Although Ma Taki is no longer at his peak.

But, the god who came down from the mountain is still a god, and not everyone can mess with him.

"Stable."

Liu Guoliang looked at Chen Jin, his eyes slightly narrowed, and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Congratulations."

Ma Long smiled with relief, walked towards Chen Jin, and extended his hand.

At this moment, he had already gotten rid of all the murderous aura in his body.

It's a teammate.

And he is a senior.

The eager look he gave Chen Jin was full of appreciation and expectation.

"Thank you."

Chen Jin smiled.

Handshake.

embrace.

At this moment, it seems as if two eras have merged together.

Then, shake hands with the referee.

Ma Long and Chen Jin separated, holding their rackets and towels, and walked in their respective directions.

However, Ma Taki left very slowly.

With a smile on his face, he waved to the audience continuously.

His expression showed three parts of tiredness and three parts of relaxation.

But more importantly, I am reluctant to leave the arena.

This is the arena where I have fought for more than 20 years and it carries my youth!

The frustration and disappointment of being blocked from the World Table Tennis Championships by Wang Hao three times...

The release and passion of jumping onto the table to celebrate after defeating Fang Bo in 15...

At the Rio Olympics, he defeated Zhang Jike and completed the Grand Slam...

The pain and persistence of going overseas for surgery...

The roar of "He can't beat me" at the Tokyo Olympics...

The Paris Olympics' circling fistfight...

There are too many memories and too much reluctance to let go. How can we say goodbye so easily?

"Ma Taki!"

"Ma Taki!"

"Ma Taki!"

……

All of a sudden.

The audience cheered in unison.

Although Ma Taki's steps were slow, he eventually reached the rest area on the sidelines.

He gently put down the racket in his hand, wiped the sweat off his face and drank some water.

But his eyes were fixed on the table in the center of the stadium, and he was reluctant to move away for a long time.

Silence for a long time.

Until the host reminded me.

Only then did he come to his senses, composed himself, and walked towards the interview area with brisk steps.

Logically speaking, the subjects of post-match interviews are all winners.

Especially the finals.

But, this game is too special for Ma Taki.

Therefore, after communicating with Chen Jin, the host interviewed Ma Taki first.

"Team Long, first of all, thank you and Chen Jin for giving us a wonderful game."

The host asked, "You said before that this BJ Grand Slam may be your last time to participate in an international competition. Can you talk about your thoughts on this?"

"First of all, I want to congratulate Chen Jin. Whether it is today's game or the previous games, Chen Jin's strength is obvious to all. It is my honor to compete with such a young player."

Ma Long paused, looking relaxed, "Although I lost, I am happy from the bottom of my heart."

"Secondly, for me personally, I did not fail in this competition."

"If I were in my twenties, I would want to win every game and every championship."

"But now, just being able to stand on this playing field is success for me."

"Of course, I was lucky enough to make it to the finals this time and play against Chen Jin, which has exceeded my expectations and imagination."

Speaking of which.

Ma Long was just about to put down the phone.

Before the host could speak, he suddenly seemed to remember something and quickly added: "Can I make a small request?"

"any request?"

The host was stunned for a moment.

“I hope to do an interview with Chen Jin.”

Ma Taki laughed.

After saying this, he turned around and waved to Chen Jin in the distance.

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole place was in an uproar.

"Since it is Team Long's request, we must satisfy it." The host's ability to respond was quite quick, and he shouted loudly, "Please welcome Chen Jin."

Amidst cheers and applause.

Chen Jin walked forward, shook hands with Ma Long and gave him a gentle hug.

Bright smiles and mutual appreciation.

"Chen Jin, congratulations on winning this Grand Slam championship."

The host looked at Chen Jin and asked, "In this game, your opponent is Team Long. What do you think of Team Long?"

"I don't think I am qualified to comment on a super grand slam, double grand slam, or table tennis GOAT at this moment."

Chen Jin spoke every word with great emphasis, speaking from the bottom of his heart.

“I hope that in the future you can surpass me and become a three-lap grand slam champion.”

Ma Taki laughed.

These words were not all jokes.

But expectations and blessings.

In today's match, he witnessed Chen Jin's strength with his own eyes.

At such a young age, there is a bright future ahead.

Before he was sixteen, he had already won two world championships: the Macau Championship and the BJ Grand Slam.

If this momentum continues, perhaps a Grand Slam can be completed during the Los Angeles Olympic cycle.

Of course, the road to becoming a Grand Slam winner is by no means smooth.

In front of Chen Jin, there are still big mountains like Fan Zhendong, Zhang Benzhihe and Hugo, and he needs to overcome them one by one.

"Thank you for the encouragement, Team Dragon."

Chen Jin said seriously, "I will aim to join the Dragon Team and work harder."

"I was on the sidelines just now, and I heard that this game might be your last international competition, Team Dragon."

"I want to say a few words to you, Dragon Captain, as a fan, is that okay?"

Speaking of which.

Chen Jin paused and looked at Ma Long.

"of course can."

Ma Taki smiled slightly.

He was also very curious about what Chen Jin wanted to say to him.

Chen Jin took the microphone, took a deep breath, and thought for a while before speaking loudly, "Ma Long, one more goal."

Every word is sonorous and powerful.

Hear the sound.

Ma Taki was stunned at that time.

It's just a simple sentence and sounds ordinary.

But for some reason, my nose felt sore and I felt like my soul was rushing straight to my forehead.

Without waiting for Ma Taki to react.

"Ma Long, one more goal!"

Chen Jin shouted again.

This sound was like a stone that caused a thousand waves.

Thousands of fans and spectators at the scene were all infected and cheered loudly.

"Malon!"

"One more goal!"

……

"Malon!"

"One more goal!"

……

The passionate shouts shook the entire stadium.
With the shouts of the crowd filling his ears, Ma Taki looked around.

Suddenly, I felt like something was blocking my throat and I wanted to vomit but couldn't.

There seemed to be something hot flowing in the eye sockets.

Take a deep breath.

Ma Long pinched his nose, smiling but choking, and repeatedly said: "Thank you, thank you, thank you..."

Wait until the noise at the scene quiets down a bit.

Then he said: "For this Grand Slam, I invited my family to come to the scene to watch me play."

"I even put on some hairspray today, just to leave this place in the most handsome way with a smile..."

Take another deep breath.

Ma Long turned and looked at Chen Jin: "No matter what, today's championship belongs to you, Chen Jin!"

"I hope that you can carry the banner of the future of the national table tennis team, carry the expectations of all the national table tennis players, continue to move forward, and climb to unprecedented peaks!"

That’s all.

Ma Long held Chen Jin's hand and raised it high.

At this moment, the old and the new are replaced!
The applause at the scene lasted for a long time.

The interview ended immediately.

Followed by.

It's the award ceremony.

Runner-up, Ma Taki.

Champion, Chen Jin.

When Chen Jin returned to the backstage holding the heavy trophy.

Liu Guoliang, Wang Hao and others had been waiting for a long time.

"I really didn't see the wrong person."

Liu Guoliang smiled and patted Chen Jin on the shoulder, "Keep up the good work in the next games."

Although Ma Taki is no longer at his peak, who in today's world table tennis world dares to pat his chest and guarantee that he can definitely beat Ma Taki?
Even if Fan Zhendong came, he might not be able to do it.

This time, Chen Jin was able to win so cleanly in his first fight with Ma Taki.

The performance is remarkable.

Strength, beyond doubt.

Taking over Ma Taki's job is no problem.

Since the Paris Olympics, echelon building has been put on the agenda.

Same as Wang Hao.

Liu Guoliang was originally worried that the young players would not be able to handle such a big task.

But now, Chen Jin's sudden appearance has completely dispelled his inner worries.

"At such a young age, he has such strength. With time and careful training, it may be possible to create another Ma Taki."

Liu Guoliang already has a plan in mind.

"Chen Jin, thank you for your hard work in participating in the competitions continuously."

Liu Guoliang smiled and said, "You should take a rest first and conserve your energy for this Asian Championship."

"I'm still waiting for you to win another championship at the Montpellier Championship later this month."

For winning the Grand Slam, Chen Jin received a prize of $100,000 - although the prize money from the Lima station and the Macau Championship has not yet been received.

And 2000 world ranking points.

Add to that the previous 1400 points, and it will be more than enough to enter the top ten in the world.

This is probably the fastest player to enter the top ten in the world in history, and also the youngest player to enter the top ten in the world!
According to the rules of the Montpellier Championship, Chen Jin will automatically qualify.

Now, after listening to Liu Guoliang's words, participating in the Montpellier Championship is a foregone conclusion.

"Yes!"

Chen Jin said firmly, "No matter what competition it is, as long as I participate, I have only one goal, and that is to win the championship."

"very good."

Liu Guoliang nodded with satisfaction, "But you can't be careless."

"Unlike the Macau Championship and this Grand Slam, the Montpellier Championship is an away game, so you have to be mentally prepared."

The implication couldn't be more obvious.

Chen Jin smiled indifferently.

In the Macau Championship, when he played against Wang Chuqin, he had already experienced the feeling of playing away from home.

In fact, it didn't seem to have much impact on him.

Once you step onto the field, no other sound can distract you except the flashing lights.

"clear."

Chen Jin nodded.

Next.

Liu Guoliang encouraged him a few more words and then left.

"Chen Jin, I won't say anything else."

Wang Hao smiled and said, "I'm leaving for the Asian Championships tomorrow. I promised to treat you to orange juice, but I can only wait until I come back to fulfill my promise."

"Although I still feel it is a pity that you failed to participate in the Asian Championships, it is also good to participate in the National Championships. Pay attention to rest, don't try too hard, and never let yourself get injured, so as not to affect the Montpellier Championships."

After all, the Montpellier Championship and the National Championships are only three days apart.

If Chen Jin gets injured in the National Championships, it would be a loss.

"I have already greeted your provincial team."

Wang Hao continued, "In this national championship, you will not be paired with doubles except for singles."

"..."

Chen Jin could only smile bitterly, "Thank you for your care, Coach Wang."

(End of this chapter)