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

Chapter 301 Li Qian: Is this going to throw my army into disarray?
Although Liu Guoliang did not say it explicitly, Wang Hao could easily understand the implied meaning.

"Tattoo..."

Wang Hao frowned, tapping his fingers on the chair armrests more and more frequently.

The conference room fell silent instantly.

The silence was heavy with solemnity.

Liu Guoliang looked at Wang Hao and saw the troubled look on the latter's face. He sighed and said, "I understand. This might be a little unfair to Chen Jin."

"But I believe Chen Jin can understand, and as the future leader who will carry the banner of the Chinese table tennis team, he must also understand."

Speaking of which.

Liu Guoliang slowly stood up, walked over to Wang Hao's side, and gently patted Wang Hao's shoulder.

"We both went through this, and I believe you understand."

Liu Guoliang said in a deep voice.

Wang Hao raised an eyebrow slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

I wanted to say something, but I held back in the end.

"clear."

Wang Hao nodded.

"That's good."

Liu Guoliang slammed his hand down again, "I'm leaving this matter to you. If Chen Jin and Xie Mingyang both make it to the finals, then you should do some serious ideological work on Chen Jin."

Having finished speaking.

He left the meeting room on his own.

Wang Hao was left alone, slumped in a chair, looking utterly exhausted.

For some reason, he suddenly felt so tired, so very tired, that he wished he could close his eyes and never wake up again.

How could she possibly tell Chen Jin about such a sordid thing?
Should we just tell Chen Jin: Coach Liu gave the order that if Xie Mingyang makes it to the men's singles final, you have to lose to Xie Mingyang?
Don't ask why or on what grounds; the answer is that it's for the greater good.

How cruel it is to subject a fifteen-year-old boy to such unfair treatment!
however.

If they didn't say anything, how could they explain it to Liu Guoliang?
Wang Hao felt like a mouse that had wandered into a bellows, caught in the middle, torn between two options.

"Ah~"

The helplessness and weariness in my heart can only turn into a long sigh.

Wang Hao took his things, turned off the light, and dragged his tired body back to his hotel room.

All the way there, he kept thinking about how to tell Chen Jin about this.

Let's hold off for now.

Wang Hao glanced at the time. "The World Youth Championships team final is coming up soon. We can't let this affect the players' mentality."

I was too lazy to wash up, so I sat on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

I was jolted awake when my phone alarm went off.

I picked up my phone, opened the app, and started watching the U19 Men's Team World Championship final.

Their opponent in the final is Poland.

Chen Jin returns to the singles, facing Milos Redzimski.

In this match, Chen Jin adopted a blitzkrieg tactic.

In less than twenty minutes, they easily won with a score of 3-0.

Looking at the crushing scores in each game and the dejected look on his opponent's face, Wang Hao curled up his lips: "No wonder Li Qian said that Chen Jin is a max-level master who refreshes the village of beginners. In the mere World Youth Championship, no one is indeed his match."

Next.

The second match.

Xie Mingyang vs. Matthäus Zalevskiy

While both Xie Mingyang and Chen Jin won by a score of 3-0, Xie Mingyang's victory was noticeably less easy than Chen Jin's.

In fact, the second game was a tough battle, with the score reaching 12-10 before a winner was decided.

"It has to be said that Xie Mingyang has indeed improved a lot compared to the qualifiers. His talent, strength, awareness, and mentality far surpass those of his peers. He is a rare talent."

Wang Hao nodded to himself, "With his strength, making it to the singles final shouldn't be a problem."

"But to defeat Chen Jin based on sheer strength is as difficult as climbing to the sky."

Then came the third match.

Zhang Jiahao vs. Marcel Blaszczyk.

After losing the first game 14-16, Zhang Jiahao gradually found his rhythm.

Running all over the table, hitting mid-to-long-range topspin shots, Wang Hao couldn't help but think of an old friend: "Looks like Zhang Jiahao is pretty good at finding his rhythm."

"Once you get into a rhythm, you'll hit any ball, no matter what it is."

"However, Zhang Jiahao's backhand was much more decisive than Xu Xin's."

"It's a good seedling."

"In addition, he is left-handed, which is suitable for doubles. It just so happens that Luo Ao is returning to the court for doubles, so there will be plenty of opportunities for Zhang Jiahao to perform in the future."

"I also hope that his singles results can be better than those of Chen Qi and Xu Xin."

In the end, Zhang Jiahao defeated his opponent with a score of 3:1.

He helped the Chinese team defeat Poland 3-0 and win the U19 Men's Team World Championship.

Seeing Li Qian, Chen Jin, and the other two hugging tightly to celebrate their victory, Wang Hao couldn't help but smile slightly.

I glanced at the time; it was almost 2 a.m.

But Wang Hao was not asleep.

Instead, they continued watching the U15 men's team final next door.

"Ding!"

Sudden.

Mobile phone vibration.

A WeChat message pops up.

Li Qian: "Coach Wang, we've won the U19 Men's Team Championship!"

Several group photos appeared before my eyes.

Four teenagers, their smiles radiant.

Chen Jin was surrounded by people, and beneath his sweat-dampened bangs, his eyes were bright and clear.

Looking at the smiling faces in the photos, Wang Hao fell silent for a moment.

"Congratulations!"

Wang Hao replied, "Are you with Chen Jin and the others right now?"

Li Qian: "I'm here."

After a slight hesitation, Wang Hao dialed Li Qian's video call.

Apart from Li Qian, Chen Jin and the others all appeared in the video.

"Coach Wang!" A cacophony of voices rang out as everyone greeted him warmly with smiles on their faces as they faced the phone camera.

Even Xie Mingyang, who was usually aloof, had a warm smile on his face at this moment.

"Coach Wang, it's already two or three in the morning back home, isn't it?"

Li Qian asked curiously, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I just finished watching your match."

Wang Hao forced a smile, "Everyone, you've worked hard. When you get back, I'll treat you to dinner and karaoke."

“We’re not the ones who have worked the hardest. The one who has worked the hardest is Brother Jin.”

Zhang Jiahao, with a fawning smile, leaned closer and said, "Besides the men's team final today, Brother Jin also played two mixed doubles matches at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m...."

Hear the words.

Wang Hao felt as if something had violently squeezed his heart.

The schedule for this World Youth Championship was already tight.

Chen Jin alone holds four positions.

For the sake of team honor, they pushed themselves to the limit without uttering a single complaint.

This is similar to Yue Fei's campaign to conquer the enemy's capital. While he was fighting fiercely on the front lines, his own people were stabbing him in the back.

Wang Hao almost lost his composure and hung up the video call immediately.

Take a deep breath and calm yourself.

Wang Hao then asked, "When does the singles competition start?"

"The day after tomorrow, the 3rd."

Li Qian answered.

"Well, now, there's this situation, it's like this, well..."

Wang Hao hesitated for a long time before finally making up his mind. His voice was a little dry as he said, "Everyone should know about the World Cup next April, right?"

"know."

Everyone said in unison.

As one of the three major competitions, the World Cup is not as prestigious as the World Table Tennis Championships and the Olympics.

However, for countless professional athletes, winning a World Cup title is already the greatest honor.

“Starting next year, the World Cup selection method will change. The U19 World Youth Championship singles champion will qualify directly for the World Cup.”

Wang Hao's voice was deep.

Upon hearing this, Li Qian, Zhang Jiahao, and Huang Youzheng all turned their gazes toward Chen Jin and Xie Mingyang.

Zhang Jiahao exclaimed excitedly, "Then wouldn't my brother Jin qualify directly for next year's World Cup?"

"Do not."

Wang Hao said in a low voice, "Even if Chen Jin doesn't win the men's singles title at this World Junior Championships, he can still participate in the World Cup based on his world ranking."

"In addition, if we reach the semi-finals of the Asian Cup, we will also be selected."

The Asian Cup will be held next February.

Since it concerns qualification for the World Cup, the competition is bound to be particularly fierce.

Securing a spot in the semifinals is easier said than done.

After listening to Wang Hao's words.

Chen Jin thought to himself, "Why would Coach Wang suddenly bring up the World Cup for no reason?"

"Is this meant to motivate me and Lao Xie?"

"wrong!"

"According to Coach Wang, with my current world ranking, I am already qualified to participate in the World Cup. Whether I win the World Junior Championships men's singles title or not is irrelevant."

"So, the World Junior Championships men's singles title was said to Lao Xie (Old Xie)..."

He was an extremely intelligent man; with a thought, he had already guessed seven or eight parts of the truth.

Just as he was pondering this.

Just now.

Wang Hao continued, "Chen Jin, Xie Mingyang, good luck in the singles competition, try your best to meet in the finals..."

"Also, uh... Chen Jin, you just finished the Fukuoka Finals, and now you're competing in four events all by yourself. Coach Liu is very concerned about you."

"Coach Liu said that if Xie Mingyang also makes it to the men's singles final, you can relax a bit..."

Wang Hao hadn't finished speaking.

The people present weren't stupid; they immediately sensed that something was amiss.

Is this a suggestion to have Chen Jin throw the game in the men's singles final?
Li Qian was even more startled: "Holy crap, what are Coach Liu and Coach Wang up to? The men's singles competition hasn't even started yet, are they trying to demoralize our team?"

It should be noted that Chen Jin holds four positions.

In addition to men's team events, there are also men's doubles, mixed doubles, and singles events.

If he were to give up because of this, it would be a bad thing for this World Youth Championship.

As the team leader and coach, I also bear the responsibility.

"Coach Wang, this..."

Li Qian scratched his head, not quite understanding for a moment.

Before Zhang Jiahao could even shout it out, he didn't even wait for him to yell it out.

Suddenly, Xie Mingyang snatched the phone away, facing the camera with a grim expression and a frighteningly dark look: "Coach Wang, what did you mean by that just now?"

"It was Coach Liu's idea."

Wang Hao spoke calmly.

"Then please ask Coach Wang to pass on a message to Coach Liu."

Xie Mingyang said seriously, "I will do my best to secure a spot in the World Cup."

"If I can't get it, it means I'm not good enough. I'll go back and practice more. But I will never accept someone deliberately letting me win."

His words were forceful and resounding, as if they were delivered with absolute authority.

Their heartfelt feelings were completely genuine.

This World Junior Championships may be his first chance to face Chen Jin on the international stage.

He wouldn't allow even the slightest bit of compromise to be involved.

Hear the words.

Wang Hao showed no anger whatsoever; instead, his expression relaxed: "Very well, I wanted to hear you say these words yourself."

"Chen Jin, Xie Mingyang, you two listen up, put aside all distractions and focus on the game."

"As for Coach Liu, I will explain it to him myself."

Wang Hao's voice suddenly became more powerful, "Xie Mingyang, just because of what you said today, I will definitely find a way to reserve a spot for you in next year's Asian Cup."

"Whether you can qualify for the World Cup or not will depend on your own ability."

(End of this chapter)