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

Chapter 453: The incident is over; focus on the competition.

lounge.

The air is dull.

Zhang Jiahao leaned against the locker, his body slightly forward, his eyes fixed on his phone screen.

"I've known Brother Jin for so long, and I've never seen him so angry before."

Zhang Jiahao frowned. "The fact that these people can make my brother Jin so angry shows how blind they are."

In his memory, whether interacting with people or facing the interview camera, Chen Jin always had a smile on his face, as warm as a spring breeze.

However, during the live interview, Chen Jin's tone and expression carried a chilling coldness.

Xie Mingyang sat on the bench next to him, legs slightly apart, back straight, arms crossed, wearing headphones, eyes closed, resting.

“Talking so much in an interview is not like Chen Jin’s usual style.”

Xie Mingyang didn't even lift his eyelids, and said calmly, "It's probably at someone's behest."

"Was this instructed by someone?"

Zhang Jiahao was stunned for a moment.

Upon closer examination, it makes sense.

Otherwise, how can we explain Chen Jin's unusual behavior?

The person who gave the instruction was most likely Wang Hao or Wang Liqin.

"Right."

Zhang Jiahao nodded. "Whether it was authorized or not, my brother Jin has been wronged."

"Luckily, my brother Jin is highly skilled; otherwise, if someone had done that to him, he probably would have been finished long ago."

"I wonder how the communication went?"

Logically speaking, after more than half an hour, such an obvious problem should have been resolved through communication.

"The outlook is not optimistic."

Xie Mingyang remained calm.

at this time.

The door to the lounge creaked open.

Chen Jin walked in, carrying a backpack.

"Brother Jin!"

Zhang Jiahao immediately stood up straight, his face beaming with joy, and quickly stepped forward to greet him.

Upon hearing the door open, Xie Mingyang opened his eyes wide. Seeing that it was Chen Jin, he immediately took off his Bluetooth earphones and put them back in the charging case.

“They’re all here.”

Chen Jin casually closed the door, shutting out the noise from the outside corridor.

"Brother Jin, you..."

Zhang Jiahao asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

"What can happen to me?"

Chen Jin smiled.

"You seemed quite angry during your interview just now."

Zhang Jiahao said cautiously.

"Fortunately."

Chen Jin gently placed his backpack on the bench and shrugged. "I'm not angry, I'm just stating the facts."

"Has the investigation yielded any results regarding the racket incident?"

Xie Mingyang asked in a deep voice.

The racket was deliberately damaged during the pre-match inspection, but the staff did not inform the player in advance, and instead allowed the referee to bring it onto the court.

Such behavior, occurring at a top-level competition like the World Table Tennis Championships, is simply inconceivable.

If no explanation is given, how can the public be convinced?
"Disaster."

Chen Jin shook his head. "I guess it will be dealt with quietly in the end and the matter will be dropped."

"Let it go unresolved?"

Zhang Jiahao frowned deeply. "Is this something a human being could do?"

"No wonder you were so angry during the interview, Brother Jin."

"Brother Jin, you're lucky you have a good temper. If it were me, I'd curse his ancestors for eighteen generations back to death, or I'd be unworthy of the surname Zhang!"

Although his words were somewhat exaggerated, given Zhang Jiahao's personality, a sarcastic tone was inevitable.

Am I angry?

Chen Jin spread his hands, "I'm just stating the facts to get it off my chest."

"Was it at Chairman Wang's behest?"

Xie Mingyang said.

"Ah."

Chen Jin didn't hide anything and admitted it directly, saying, "They probably wanted to use my words to pressure the ITTF through public opinion."

As we all know, China is the largest market, the largest source of sponsorship, and the biggest guarantee of viewership for table tennis.

When dealing with people at the International Table Tennis Federation, simply talking about principles and rules is useless.

Only by offering them benefits can we get them to change their minds.

This commotion serves to quell public opinion, maintain the credibility of the International Table Tennis Federation, and, more importantly, to avoid impacting its substantial revenue and prevent similar incidents from recurring.

At least, there shouldn't be any more problems during the Doha World Table Tennis Championships.

"Brother Jin."

Zhang Jiahao was somewhat worried, "If you go so hard against the ITTF, will they deliberately make things difficult for you when testing your spare racket?"

If the spare racket fails the test, the result of the match against Pitchford will be void.

Although the competition can be replayed, the impact on mentality will be far from ordinary.

"rest assured."

Chen Jin said, "The backup camera has passed the test and there are no problems."

"That's good."

Zhang Jiahao breathed a sigh of relief.

"All right."

Chen Jin took out a set of clean clothes from his backpack. "Let's put this behind us and focus on the competition."

Having finished speaking.

He turned and walked towards the shower room.

……

The schedule was relatively easy for the next two days.

Nothing particularly strange happened.

Doubles match on the 19th.

They will face the Hong Kong Island pair of Kwan Man-ho and Yiu Kwan-tao.

Chen Jin was completely unaffected by the previous day's events, and his cooperation with Zhang Jiahao became even more seamless.

The game begins.

Chen Jin and Zhang Jiahao quickly got into the zone.

Zhang Jiahao's control of the table constantly created opportunities for Chen Jin to make explosive runs.

It's important to know that Chen Jin's forehand smash is like a heavy cannon, a perfect combination of power and spin, speed and arc, with a tricky landing point that makes it impossible for opponents to defend against.

Moreover, Chen Jin and Zhang Jiahao's positioning and coverage were seamless and coordinated.

They can work together seamlessly, without needing to make eye contact, relying solely on their intuition and habits.

Guan Wenhao and Yao Juntao fought with all their might, trying to go head-to-head and show their strength.

Unfortunately, the results were minimal.

First game, 11:4.

Chen Jin and Zhang Jiahao won easily.

In the second game, the Hong Kong Island duo showed some improvement.

The key point is that Chen Jin and Zhang Jiahao adjusted their tactics, making Zhang Jiahao the main attacker.

Therefore, the score was close at one point.

The score was tied at 8-8.

Seeing that the stalemate was not resolved, Wang Hao decisively called a pause and redeployed his forces.

Back on the court, Chen Jin unleashed his full power.

The final score was 11:9.

The Chen-Zhang duo has won another game.

The score is 2-0.

In the third game, the Hong Kong team, knowing that the situation was hopeless, intensified their efforts.

However, their fight seemed somewhat pale and powerless in the face of Chen Jin, a murderous scoundrel.

11: 4.

The score is 3-0.

As expected, Chen Jin and Zhang Jiahao quickly defeated their opponents and advanced to the men's doubles round of 16.

Post-match interview.

Facing the camera, Zhang Jiahao was incredibly smug: "This match, there's nothing to say."

"Like I said before, as long as Brother Jin is standing next to me, I'm not afraid of anyone."

“People like Hu Shang and Leburen are stretching their necks to their deaths.”

The next day, the singles match. Local time, 12:30 PM.

Xie Mingyang was the first to take the stage.

Opponent: Kirill Glasmenko, a player from Kazakhstan.

Glasmenco is tall and has a powerful forehand, but his technique is relatively rough and his rhythm is not varied.

Xie Mingyang remained unusually calm during the match.

Instead of engaging in a direct power struggle with his opponent, he focused on controlling the game from the table, quickly switching between forehand and backhand near the table, and constantly maneuvering against Glasmenko.

Once an opportunity arises, immediately use speed to suppress the opponent and force them to run left and right.

Glasmenco had a lot of strength, but nowhere to use it, making his fight both awkward and frustrating.

11: 7.

11: 5.

11:8.
11:7.
Xie Mingyang won in straight sets, defeating his opponent and advancing to the men's singles round of 32.

Shortly after.

This was Chen Jin's second singles match.

He will face off against Hong Kong Island player Lam Siu-hang.

Before his first match against Chen Jin, Lin Zhaoheng kept praying that a miracle would happen.

Unfortunately, Chen Jin remained ruthless and decisive, leaving no suspense in the match.

The four games can only be described as a "one-sided massacre".

In just twenty minutes, Lin Zhaoheng was defeated by Chen Jin's violent attack.

"Is this the true value of being the youngest champion in the three major tournaments and the youngest world number one in history?"

Looking at the huge score difference, Lin Zhaoheng fell into deep doubt.

In that instant, he even considered breaking the racket in his hand and shouting desperately to the sky, "Screw your table tennis dream!"

Chen Jin advanced strongly to the men's singles round of 32, but he didn't feel much joy.

Without stopping, he and Zhang Jiahao headed to the secondary venue to prepare for the men's doubles match against the Singapore team.

……

There are no matches tonight.

However, Chen Jin, Xie Mingyang, and Zhang Jiahao did not stay at the hotel to rest.

Instead, he appeared at the training hall for extra evening training.

The training hall was brightly lit.

Zhang Jiahao stood on one side of the table, responsible for feeding the balls, bowl after bowl, with a steady rhythm and precise placement.

Chen Jin and Xie Mingyang are engaged in high-intensity attacking practice, stalemate in mid-to-long range.

Sweat quickly soaked their hair and clothes, and their breathing became heavy.

"Don't retreat, push forward!"

Chen Jinshen was in the mid-to-long range, continuously ralliing with his forehand, when he suddenly shouted a reminder, "Put your weight down!"

Xie Mingyang gritted his teeth and did as he was told.

Move quickly with your feet, shifting your body weight forward.

Swing your racket, trying to get on the rise and quickly counter-attack.

However, Chen Jin's strength and spin were too great; he would fly away at the slightest touch and couldn't be held down at all.

"Center of gravity!"

Chen Jin shouted, "Use your body weight to control the arc, don't rely on your hands."

"Use the opponent's force against them, and adjust the landing point."

"Come again!"

The words have not yet fallen.

It's another stalemate.

Faced with Chen Jin's unreasonable forehand and backhand heavy attacks, Xie Mingyang instinctively wanted to retreat from the table to deflect the force.

However, once they retreat from the stage, creating a mid-to-long-range tug-of-war, they will be completely at a disadvantage.

"Snapped!"

Chen Jin suddenly leaped forward, blocking the mid-to-close range of the table, and unleashed a powerful forehand smash down the diagonal line, like a thunderbolt, piercing through Xie Mingyang's right side of the table in one stroke.

"Lao Xie."

Chen Jin looked at Xie Mingyang and said earnestly, "When your opponent exerts force, you rush back from the stage. This is a bad habit."

"Especially against a power-type fighter like Hugo."

"Hugo's mid-to-long-range counter-attack is very powerful. If you retreat to the table and try to counter-attack him, you're completely at a disadvantage."

"To beat him, we must defend the mid-to-close range, use his strength against him, use speed against slowness, and control him with rhythm and placement."

Xie Mingyang's opponent tomorrow is none other than Hugo Calderano, who just won the runner-up title in the World Cup.

Hugo possesses explosive physical attributes, extremely high quality forehand and backhand topspin shots, and exceptional ability to sustain rallies from mid to long distances.

For Xie Mingyang, confronting him head-on is definitely not the best strategy.

The only way to survive is to "use someone else's strength against them, and to use speed to defeat slowness."

"Chen Jin is right."

Li Qian stood on the sidelines, arms crossed, supervising the three's training. "Xie Mingyang, listen to Chen Jin, you can't go wrong."

After all, Chen Jin had fought against Hugo before.

They also defeated Hugo by a score of 4-0.

"clear."

Xie Mingyang wiped his sweat, his gaze firm. "Continue."

Training is in full swing.

Li Qian stared intently when he suddenly heard footsteps approaching.

He turned his head and looked on with a surprised expression.

"Instructor Liu?"

Li Qian was taken aback. "Why is he here?"

Liu Guoliang, accompanied by Wang Liqin, Qin Zhijian, Wang Hao, and others, walked towards them.

Startled, he hurried forward to greet them.

The group did not interrupt Chen Jin and Xie Mingyang's training, but stood on the sidelines and watched quietly.

Liu Guoliang crossed his arms, his eyes blazing as he carefully watched every technical move of Chen Jin and Xie Mingyang, occasionally nodding slightly or exchanging a few words in hushed tones with Wang Liqin beside him.

After the two finished training.

Taking advantage of the moment, Wang Hao beckoned to Chen Jin: "Chen Jin, come here."

Chen Jin wiped his sweat as he approached and greeted everyone.

I haven't seen Liu Guoliang since he stepped down.

After a long absence, he returns as the same chubby official who can't play ball.

"Chen Jin, I am here today in my capacity as the First Vice President of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) to apologize to you on behalf of the ITTF regarding the racket testing issue."

Liu Guoliang said with a serious expression, "After investigation, we have confirmed that there was indeed a problem with improper operation in the testing process, which was our mistake."

"On behalf of the International Table Tennis Federation, I solemnly promise that we will improve the testing process and strengthen personnel management to ensure that similar incidents never happen again."

"In the future, our Table Tennis Association can send dedicated personnel to supervise the entire testing process to ensure transparency and fairness."

Just finished speaking.

Wang Liqin, who was standing next to him, immediately chimed in: "Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, let's leave it at that."

"Chen Jin, stay focused and concentrate on the competition."

Chen Jin felt the gazes directed at him by the people present. He nodded: "Yes."

He knew that this was the best outcome he could achieve at the moment.

At the very least, they put on a good show.

It's much better than letting it "go nowhere."

Qin Zhijian suddenly thought of something and suggested, "Should we issue a statement in the name of the Table Tennis Association to explain to the public and give an explanation to the fans?"

Liu Guoliang and Wang Liqin exchanged a glance and a look.

"Need not."

Wang Liqin shook his head slightly.

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhijian was puzzled, but wisely refrained from asking further questions on the spot.

Followed by.

Liu Guoliang offered Chen Jin a few more words of encouragement, urging him to let go of his burdens and focus on the competition.

The group then left the training hall.

Just walked out of the gate.

Qin Zhijian finally couldn't suppress his doubts and looked at Wang Liqin: "I still don't quite understand why we didn't issue an announcement?"

In his view, this was clearly the best opportunity to quell public opinion.

It can also demonstrate to the outside world the results of the Table Tennis Association's efforts in this matter.

"First of all, the root cause of this racket incident lies in the fact that the ITTF's testing rules and procedures themselves have ambiguities and room for manipulation."

Wang Liqin explained, "If our Table Tennis Association issues an announcement now, it would be tantamount to us endorsing them and indirectly acknowledging that their existing rules system is not problematic."

He paused briefly at this point.

He exchanged glances with Liu Guoliang.

He then continued, "Secondly, by 'not explaining' and 'not making an announcement,' the matter appears to be resolved, but in reality, it remains unresolved, and external doubts will continue to exist, constantly putting pressure on the ITTF."

"In this way, Coach Liu's election campaign will have more topics and more bargaining chips."

(End of this chapter)