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

Chapter 401 Post-match Conversation: Taking Pride in Defeat?
11: 2.

11: 5.

11: 5.

11: 4.

The score is 4-0.

Chen Jin swept Lin Shidong once again to advance to the final.

The moment the ball hit the ground, the noise in the stadium instantly decreased by more than half.
Lin Shidong also lost a large number of limited-time fans.

Throughout the match, Lin Shidong's mid-to-long-range counter-attack ability, whether forehand or backhand, was top-notch.

However, the interior is somewhat rough.

more importantly.

The backhand smash is indeed powerful, but the error rate remains high.

Especially in the last game, he made several backhand errors in a row, either flicking the ball into the net or tearing it out of bounds.

Handshake after the match.

Lin Shidong, drenched in sweat, said, "Congratulations."

The voice was slightly hoarse and dry, like sandpaper rubbing against a rough wooden surface.

My palms were damp and cold, still damp with sweat, and trembling slightly; they felt slippery to the touch.

"Concession."

Chen Jin's voice was as calm as ever as he said in a low voice, "There were a lot of backhand mistakes in the last two games."

It wasn't mockery, but rather a reminder.

Hear the words.

The muscles on Lin Shidong's face twitched almost imperceptibly.

Then, he forced a smile.

"Ah."

Lin Shidong nodded vaguely.

With their heads down and without saying a word, they brushed past each other and walked away silently.

After glancing at Lin Shidong's retreating figure, Chen Jin said nothing more, shook hands with the referee, and walked to the sidelines.

The on-site interview has ended.

He walked alone to the lounge, carrying his backpack.

As soon as the door was opened, Xie Mingyang was seen sitting on the bench, already dressed in clean clothes, holding his phone with his eyes glued to it.

Hearing the creaking sound, I looked up.

"Finished?"

Xie Mingyang took off his Bluetooth headset.

"Ah."

Chen Jin nodded.

"They've made it to the finals?"

Xie Mingyang asked again.

"Ah."

Chen Jin smiled slightly, "I'll help you get revenge."

"Need not."

Xie Mingyang raised his chin slightly, "I can handle revenge myself."

He won one and lost one of his two matches against Wang Chuqin.

Moreover, they all drove Wang Chuqin into a desperate situation.

This time, if it weren't for my own mistake, the outcome of the match would have been uncertain.

"It's a pity I couldn't stop Wang Chuqin and meet you in the finals."

Xie Mingyang ultimately felt some regret.

"You played very well."

Chen Jin said, "When we were behind, we pushed Wang Chuqin to the brink and almost won. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

"Would it have been better if I had served that last ball with a forehand short corner?"

Xie Mingyang looked at Chen Jin.

"not necessarily."

Chen Jin shook his head. "The tactic of stealing the long distance is not the problem in itself. It's your execution that went wrong."

"Moreover, the most crucial point is that it wasn't the last point, or even the last game, that caused the problem, but rather that we didn't play well in the second and third games."

"You failed to contain Wang Chuqin's first three shots, and you also made some mistakes yourself..."

Hearing Chen Jin's words, Xie Mingyang nodded slightly, seemingly lost in thought.

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something.

He looked up again and gazed at Chen Jin.

"what?"

Xie Mingyang asked in confusion, "Shouldn't you be warming up with Lin Shidong when I was competing against Wang Chuqin?"

"How do you know so much about my match?"

Chen Jin smiled.

Just about to speak.

Just then, the door to the lounge was pushed open again.

Liu Guoliang and Wang Hao walked in one after the other.

"Coach Liu, Coach Wang."

Chen and Xie greeted each other in unison.

"You had a tough time in today's match."

Liu Guoliang smiled and said, "Xie Mingyang, wasn't your match over a long time ago? Why are you still in the locker room?"

Upon hearing this.

Xie Mingyang was an extremely intelligent man, and he immediately understood the implied meaning.

There is no doubt that Liu Guoliang came here to have a private talk with Chen Jin.

These words were nothing more than an attempt to get him out of the way.

"Then I'll head back to the hotel now."

Xie Mingyang stood up.

I picked up my backpack and walked out of the lounge.

As he passed Chen Jin, he turned and glanced at Chen Jin before quickly leaving.

With a soft click, the door lock clicked shut.

Only Chen Jin, Liu Guoliang, and Wang Hao remained in the lounge. The air seemed to suddenly become heavy.

Liu Guoliang stepped forward and sat down next to Chen Jin.

Wang Hao, on the other hand, dragged over a chair and stood a short distance away, arms crossed, his gaze calmly fixed on Chen Jin.

"Played well."

Liu Guoliang smiled and interrupted Chen Jin, saying with a hint of approval, "Seeing how steady you are in the game makes me feel even more at ease."

"Ah."

Chen Jin didn't say much, but waited for Liu Guoliang to speak.

He knew that Liu Guoliang must have something to discuss if he sought him out alone.

Unsurprisingly.

There was a pause.

Liu Guoliang's gaze deepened and became more distant: "Chen Jin, how old were you in 12?"

Three years old.

Chen Jin answered quickly.

"Only three years old, so young."

Liu Guoliang laughed and said, "That year, it was also the London Olympics, did you watch it?"

"Seen."

Chen Jin nodded.

That year, Zhang Jike, in an invincible manner, defeated Wang Hao in the men's singles final to win the gold medal, becoming the fastest Grand Slam winner in history.

But no one knew why Liu Guoliang suddenly brought it up.

"I have a very vivid memory of the 12 London Olympics. Do you know why?"

Before Chen Jin could answer, Liu Guoliang continued, "Because the competition format changed that year; it started with singles, then team events."

"At that time, the top laners were Wang Hao and Zhang Jike, and Ma Long was also in the team competition."

"This setup means that Wang Hao, as the senior athlete, is leading two young athletes to participate in the Olympics, which puts a lot of pressure on him."

"At that time, Zhang Jike and Ma Long had already emerged, but they were still very young and were extremely nervous because it was their first time participating in the Olympics."

"Especially Zhang Jike, in addition to singles, also has to cooperate with Wang Hao in the doubles of the team competition."

"I had already calculated that if someone loses a singles match and is in a state of collapse, who could possibly participate in the subsequent team competition?"

"Can the young Zhang Jike do it? Can Ma Long do it? They might not be able to."

"In that case, let's have Wang Hao, who has done it twice before, come instead."

"I gave Wang Hao a strict order. I said, Hao, you must be proud of losing to Zhang Jike in the final. You must adjust your mindset for Wang Hao to be of any use."

"So in the final, Wang Hao lost to Zhang Jike, but in the team competition, he played a pivotal role..." (Note: This is almost exactly what Liu said on "Open Lecture", which was later disputed.)
Wang Hao sat beside him, listening silently, his expression calm and composed.

However, the fingers resting on her knee curled up slightly.

Taking pride in losing...

These four words, like a chilling force, suddenly plunged into Chen Jin's heart.

He suddenly looked up at Liu Guoliang, then quickly glanced at Wang Hao, who remained silent beside him.

In the end, he couldn't utter a single word.

An indescribable chill crept up my spine.

Chen Jin suddenly understood Liu Guoliang's intention in bringing up this past event.

This is not idle chatter, but an extremely clear signal.

But he didn't say anything.

He simply stared intently at Liu Guoliang, waiting for him to finally reveal his trump card.

Taking in Chen Jin's expression, Liu Guoliang knew that the young man before him understood.

Therefore, there is no need for further detours.

Let’s get straight to the point.

"Of course, this is not the Olympics, it's just the final of a championship match."

Liu Guoliang lowered his voice, "More importantly, there are the upcoming World Cup and World Table Tennis Championships."

"Our national table tennis team is a unified whole, a team. What's the best way to ensure victory and guarantee the gold medal?"

"We need to have our strongest and most consistent players in both the upper and lower brackets to make it to the finals and meet in the finals. This way, we can minimize the risks and firmly grasp the initiative in our own hands."

Speaking of which.

Liu Guoliang looked at Chen Jin, his gaze sharp as a knife. "We have absolute confidence in your side, but what about the other half?"

"Although Wang Chuqin is very strong, his recent performance and form have been quite unstable. Lin Shidong is a newcomer with insufficient experience on the field, as are Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan..."

“Right now, they need confidence more than ever… Chen Jin, do you understand?”

Chen Jin remained silent.

"Of course, I'm not telling you to lose."

Liu Guoliang, observing the situation, immediately added, "The championship is yours, and you don't need to worry about that at all, nor will you allow it."

"However, in some specific aspects of the process, we can be a little more lenient."

Chen Jin finally spoke: "Be gentler?"

"Correct."

Liu Guoliang relaxed slightly, but his eyes remained fixed on Chen Jin. "For example, when we have a significant lead and have reached match point, we don't need to be extremely aggressive for every point, nor do we need to put that suffocating or even destructive pressure on our teammates."

"We can play some relatively stable shots, giving our teammates some space to adjust, fight, and even make them feel more valuable in some points that are not important to the overall situation."

"Let them feel that they are capable of competing with you, but they are just a little lacking in handling crucial points or in consistency."

"This 'feeling' is very important for building their confidence and for the overall morale of the team."

He doesn't need to lose; he just needs to be a little more "gentle" in certain details during the winning process, leaving his teammates with some dignity and confidence.

This sounds easier to accept, but...

The lounge was unusually quiet, with only the faint sound of airflow from the air conditioner vents.

Liu Guoliang and Wang Hao remained silent, simply watching Chen Jin and waiting.

There was no coercion in their eyes, only knowing anticipation.

They knew that Chen Jin would come to his senses, and he had to come to his senses.

Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Chen Jin took a deep breath.

The cool air rushed into my lungs, trying to suppress my turbulent thoughts.

Raising her eyes, she met Liu Guoliang's deep gaze, where the complex emotions finally settled into an almost transparent calm.

After a while.

He nodded slightly, and finally squeezed out a clear and concise syllable from his throat.

"clear."

(End of this chapter)