Tennis: He's so obedient!

Chapter 164 The First Battle of the Masters Tournament: A Gamble! (Please Subscribe)

October 16, 2007, 10:19 PM!
Jiang Hong and Del Potro were summoned to the net by the referee for a pre-match rule explanation and the allocation of possession in their respective halves of the court.

While the referee was giving his long speech, Del Potro suddenly looked up and winked at Jiang Hong: "Hey bro, I just got a girlfriend, so you better aim carefully when you're playing!"

Seeing the other person's funny expression, Jiang Hong helplessly refuted the rumor.

"That was just a misunderstanding; he simply misjudged the landing point of the tennis ball!"

Upon hearing this, Del Potro nodded and said solemnly, "It seems I won't be able to do the between-the-legs shot in this match!"

Before Jiang Hong could react, the other party spoke again: "You've been fooled. Let me show you my between-the-legs shot!"

In his past life, Jiang Hong knew that the other party would do some things to make the audience laugh, so it seems that his personality is really unconventional.

Jiang Hong nodded and joked, "Then you must make sure you're sure before you jump!"

"Thank you for reminding me!" Del Potro nodded, as if he had taken Jiang Hong's advice to heart.

While the two were chatting, the referee checked the suit of the coin.

"Del Potro, you have the serve!"

He stood up and pronounced the verdict.

"Dude, looks like I'm in luck!" Del Potro shrugged.

Just as Jiang Hong was about to turn and head to the baseline, the other player said again, "Good luck in the game!"

"Good luck in the game!"

Jiang Hong replied before realizing he was cheering on his opponent?

After returning to the baseline, Del Potro stretched his body.

He took the tennis ball from the caddie and bounced it on the ground.

The smile on his face was gradually replaced by seriousness.

Players may have a lot of fun chatting off the field, but on the field, they are enemies.

Del Potro values ​​Jiang Hong highly, since the two are quite evenly matched in terms of points and honors.

Moreover, he also hopes to improve his performance.

They can't be eliminated in the first round!
……

"CCTV, CCTV!"

"This is a live broadcast of the first round of the 2007 Madrid Masters!"

"my country's renowned player Jiang Hong will face off against Argentina's Del Potro."

"The two have no previous head-to-head record, but Jiang Hong currently has the better tour results, while Del Potro has a higher ATP ranking!"

"Both players are ready."

"Del Potro has the first serve, and Jiang Hong will receive the serve."

"Alright," the referee announced.

"The game officially begins!"

Zhang Sheng, who was sitting in the broadcasting position, naturally favored Jiang Hong more during the broadcast.

"sorry!"

Del Potro stood behind the baseline, leaning back slightly, his eyes instantly sharpening.

Throw the tennis ball into the air, using your arm to twist your body and generate power.

boom!
A tennis ball traveling at 200 kilometers per hour, served from the inside corner, lands just grazing the center line.

"Pretty!"

Del Potro was very satisfied with the landing point of his serve.

As a powerful server, his first serve success rate is not particularly high!

Such a well-placed serve is extremely rare!
Serving is not just a contest of skills, but also a battle of tactics and psychology.

"Inner corner!"

The moment the opponent served, Jiang Hong had already made a mental prediction about the serve.

The body immediately began to move sideways rapidly.

Jiang Hong has lost count of how many times he has received such powerful shots and how many times he has practiced with them.

Position yourself, turn to the side, and prepare to shoot!
boom!
Complete the shot.

With a crisp sound, Jiang Hong quickly swung his racket and hit the ball in a small diagonal line.

Del Potro had already reached the center line position the moment he served the ball.

To counter Jiang Hong's small diagonal shot, you only need to make small, quick adjustments.

He shifts his body to the side and unleashes a signature forehand powerhouse.

The angle was extremely tricky, and the return shot was like a cannonball.

Jiang Hong pushed off with his feet and sprinted quickly to the right.

Jiang Hong's most vital attribute for survival, speed, was unleashed at this moment.

Slide and turn, then swing with your forehand.

"Snapped!"

When the racket struck the tennis ball, Jiang Hong finally understood why the opponent's name was Thor's Hammer.

The moment I caught the ball, I felt my racket handle tremble slightly.

No hesitation.

Jiang Hong lightly tapped the ball with the sole of his foot and used the power of his turn to swing his racket.

"Corner kick!"

Del Potro looked at the trajectory of the tennis ball and made his judgment in his mind immediately.

Suddenly taking two steps forward, he swung his racket with his forehand and smashed the ball directly into Jiang Hong's left corner.

15: 0!

The scoreboard on the field jumped up and down in an instant, and the score changed.

"Ouch! Del Potro's forehand was too heavy, it opened up Jiang Hong's position and hit directly to the back corner."

"But don't worry, this is only the first ball. Let's see how Xiao Jiang handles it!"

Although I've seen some video clips of Del Potro, it's completely different from the feeling of actually playing on the field.

Jiang Hong returned to the baseline of Zone 2.

Del Potro continues serving.

The serve went straight to the outside corner, and the ball was very fast.

The tennis ball bounces very steeply upon landing and travels forward at a fast speed.

"Long ball!"

Jiang Hong moved immediately and hastily blocked the ball back.

However, the quality is not high; it's both high and shallow.

Del Potro's eyes lit up, and he immediately took two quick steps forward, delivering another "Thor's Hammer" strike.

In the first game.

Del Potro used his serve to create space for Jiang Hong, and then followed up with a forehand attack, which was very effective!

"You served well today!"

He was very satisfied with his performance in the first game. The two players switched sides, and Jiang Hong had the right to serve.

After taking the tennis ball from the caddie and returning to the baseline, Jiang Hong didn't hesitate at all.

Toss the ball, push off the ground, swing the racket!
With a "snap," the tennis ball shot out like a yellow-green lightning bolt.

It flew over the network cable and headed straight for the outer corner.

Facing Jiang Hong's serve, Del Potro's expression tightened, and he quickly moved to the side.

He stepped out with his right foot, his body stretched out like a fully drawn bow, trying to block the serve from the baseline.

Although Del Potro had used his fastest reaction time.

Ultimately, it was too late; the tennis ball went straight through the racket and hit the wall below the stands.

A short image flashed across the screen.

Ace!
15: 0.

The first ace of the match instantly ignited the emotions of the spectators in the stands.

"Pretty!"

"One more shot!"

"Three more, and we'll secure the serve!"

Other spectators glanced at him and said, "You think you can just have three more like that? Do you think ace balls are sold in bulk?"

boom!
It's like the tennis ball was equipped with a positioning device, hitting the T-zone with pinpoint accuracy.

When Del Potro took two steps forward, he already knew that the ball was beyond saving.

"Another ace!"

"As expected, the serve is Xiao Jiang's killer move!"

"Has anyone ever tallied Xiao Jiang's first-shot success rate? It's definitely very high!"

The audience in the stands started discussing excitedly.

We usually only count the first shot success rate and the first shot score rate; the first shot direct hit rate is actually not very high.

"Phew..." Del Potro exhaled and turned to look at Jiang Hong opposite him.

He knew that a player who could win a tour championship was no ordinary person.

Moreover, Jiang Hong's tour championship victory came after defeating several top 10 players.

Del Potro looked up at Jiang Hong across from him.

His eyes were incredibly sharp.

On his third serve, Jiang Hong chose to serve and volley, hitting an inside-spin shot.

Del Potro hurriedly returned the ball, and Jiang Hong intercepted it at the net, hitting a passing shot.

40: 0.

*Slap slap slap*, Jiang Hong hit the ball with his racket.

His gaze sharpened, and he caught the bouncing tennis ball.

Toss the ball, push off the ground, swing the racket!
With a crisp sound of the ball being struck, the tennis ball flew out instantly.

The tennis ball, spinning intensely, landed at high speed in the outer corner.

"It really is the outer corner!"

This time, Del Potro chose to anticipate the move.

Run, position yourself, adjust.

He turned sideways, drew back his racket, and slammed the tennis ball down with a powerful, heavy stroke.

The tennis ball, spinning rapidly, flew toward the sideline at an exaggerated speed.

The sound of footsteps echoed across the field. With a twist of the ankle, a white mark was drawn across the sideline.

Hold the racket with both hands and rotate your waist.

"Go back!"

With a "bang," the tennis ball instantly hurtled towards the opposite baseline.

The ball is deep and the current is rapid.

Del Potro also moved quickly, launching a forehand attack and striking the ball directly towards the opposite baseline from Jiang Hong.

Without stopping for a moment, they ran in the opposite direction.

To become a top player, you need to think about how to play the next ball and the tactics.

Jiang Hong was not surprised when the ball was returned in the opposite direction.

After all, if the ball is positioned in the middle, any player would choose to shoot in the opposite direction if given the option.

Looking up at the trajectory of the tennis ball, Jiang Hong started moving again, moving quickly.

He was already thinking quickly in his mind.

We can't keep fighting like this; this style of play will only keep draining our energy.

Jiang Hong has never been one to sit idly by and wait for death.

Slide into position, maximizing your sideways movement, and use your abdomen and legs to generate power.

At the moment of backswing, Jiang Hong changed the angle of the racket face and directly hit the ball towards Del Potro's bottom edge.

In an instant, the tennis ball, like a shooting star, flew along the sideline and crashed into Del Potro's bottom corner.

"Diagonal lines and straight lines!"

Upon seeing the trajectory of the tennis ball, Del Potro suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"madman!"

Even though my forehand shot is powerful and fast, some people still choose to change to a straight shot.

Moreover, the choice of landing point is so extreme.

If this type of ball is misplaced, it will go out of bounds and result in a point being lost.

However, Del Potro didn't want to gamble on whether the ball would go out of bounds, so he quickly turned back to the left!

"Not out of bounds."

As the yellowish-green light grew lower and lower, Del Potro found his answer in his heart.

"That's too late……"

Suddenly, Del Potro gritted his teeth, pushed off the ground with his feet, and lunged towards the ball!

"boom!"

The tennis ball lands, bounces...

Swing the racket!

"Hit."

Feeling the vibration from the handle of the racket, Del Potro felt a surge of joy.

He turned his head and stared intently at the trajectory of the tennis ball.

The tennis ball soared high into the air and flew over the net.

Suddenly, a figure leaped high from in front of the net, racket pulled out from behind his head!
boom!
High-voltage interception in the air.

(End of this chapter)