Tennis: He's so obedient!

Chapter 167 There's a Master in the Forum, Facing the Enemy on the Away (Please Subscribe)

Jiang Hong raised an eyebrow as he looked at the message displayed on the computer screen.

ha?
So you're all night owls, never sleeping?
"Little Jiang finally posted! Do you know how long we've been waiting for you? I think there's a thick barrier between us. I opened my mouth, and all I could say was, 'Jiang Shen is awesome!'"

"From a guy who listened to advice on Tieba to the number one tennis player in China, and then to his first tour title and first Masters victory, it's only been a short time, less than half a year. I suggest that future athletes come to Tieba to be baptized, it will help them grow!"

Jiang Hong doesn't know if his skills will improve, but his mentality should improve a lot.

Most of the comments were praising Jiang Hong, and the occasional hater was immediately dealt with by the moderator by having their comments deleted and being banned.

However, Jiang Hong still found some posts that offered advice for his game tomorrow.

"Jiang Shen will be facing Luo Bo in the next round. He is a baseline player, and Jiang Shen can disrupt his opponent's rhythm by using variations in his gameplay!"

"Jiang Shen, pay attention to your energy management during the match, because Robredo has come back from behind to win many games. Avoid expending too much energy in the early stages, or you might get overturned by Robredo!"

"I suggest that Xiao Jiang successfully defeat Robredo in tomorrow's match to advance to the round of 16."

Jiang Hong nodded in satisfaction. "I knew it! You can learn a lot from Tieba (Baidu's online forum)."

[Ding! During the match, you disrupted Robredo's rhythm ten times by using a change of direction. Reward: Baseline Training Acceleration Card *1]

[Ding! At the end of the match, maintain at least 30% of your stamina. Reward: Stamina Training Card *1]

[Ding! Successfully defeated Robredo and advanced to the round of 16 of the 2007 Madrid Masters.]

The system is written in such detail, are they worried about you getting bugs?

Jiang Hong had already witnessed the effects of these training enhancement cards; they were definitely good stuff.

However, the most important thing for Jiang Hong is to defeat Robredo.

Although Jiang Hong successfully defeated his opponent last time, it doesn't mean he's guaranteed to win.

If you're not in a good state, or the other person is in a good state.

So his chances of being eliminated are not small, after all, Robredo is the No. 8 seed in this tournament.

We can't let a few words of praise from the media make us complacent.

……

The next morning, Jiang Hong did some simple training.

However, the intensity is not very high; it's mainly for physical activity and maintaining fitness.

The match between Jiang Hong and Robredo was scheduled for 8 p.m. that evening.

Today's match wasn't scheduled at the auxiliary stadium, but rather at the center stadium.

It wasn't because of Jiang Hong, but mainly because of Robredo.

After all, the opposing team consists of Spanish players, so it's practically like playing on home soil.

When Jiang Hong entered the stadium before the match, he saw a lot of Chinese spectators outside the stadium.

They came from elsewhere, but were unable to get in.

Yesterday, after Jiang Hong won the match, I immediately tried to buy tickets, only to find that there weren't many left.

Before entering the venue, Jiang Hong bumped into his own support group and stopped to chat for a while.

"The organizing committee didn't even bother to arrange more seats for the event!" Li Bobing, the head of Jiang Hong's fan club in Europe, complained with a disappointed look.

To be honest, the Madrid stadium is not small; it can accommodate more than 10,000 spectators.

But there are just too many Chinese people.

"Brother Jiang, we can't go in to watch the game today. Good luck in your match!"

"It's alright, I'm already very happy that you all came to support me!" Jiang Hong waved his hand and comforted him with a smile.

Another member of the group said with a smug look, "Luckily, I had already bet on the next match before the first round. I always believed in Jiang Shen's strength!"

However, the spectators who didn't get tickets weren't in a hurry to leave. Instead, they booked an entire pub and decided to watch the game there.

Jiang Hong walked into the stadium's locker room, where he was clearly treated much better, with his own locker and various facilities.

As expected, lower-ranked players have no prestige!
Jiang Hong was stretching in the locker room, thinking about the game.

Mark Jie helped Jiang Hong check off all the things he needed to bring.

Iced towels, energy drinks, rackets...

Although Jiang Hong always believed that players should fight with an unwavering belief in victory, he was not incapable of accepting defeat.

However, he cannot accept losing a match even if he wins it, due to insufficient pre-match preparation or other reasons.

So far, his butterfly effect hasn't caused any surprises for Nalbandian in the match; the opponent has already passed the second round and successfully entered the round of 16.

His opponent defeated the 9th seed Berdych in the second round, and both of Berdych's matches went to the third set before a winner was decided.

Jiang Hong's opponent is the No. 8 seed Robredo, which is quite a coincidence.

This time, Jiang Hong's biggest goal is to replace Nalbandian and complete the feat of crossing the Big Three.

After all, it's rare to encounter a schedule where you happen to be facing the Big Three in a single game.

This might even be Jiang Hong's only chance.

When you encounter the Big Three in a Grand Slam, especially in that exaggerated best-of-five-sets match, putting aside technical issues, physical fitness is the biggest problem.

As for regular tour events, it's quite difficult to gather all three of the Big Three.

The Masters tournament does offer a chance to bring together the Big Three, but once Jiang Hong's ranking rises, the seed protection principle will make it difficult to completely defeat the Big Three.

Having been reborn, of course I'm going to stir up some storms!
Don't worry about the future, seize the day!
Jiang Hong clenched his fist. He was determined to win this match!
Following the notification from the organizing committee staff, Jiang Hong entered the players' tunnel.

"Now, let's welcome our Chinese player, Jiang Hong!"

The host shouted in a very strange tone. Jiang Hong carried his ball bag into the stadium of the Madrid Arena. Looking at the three-tiered, protruding stands, he felt a sense of oppression.

"Go for it, Jiang Hong!"

"Go Jiang Shen!"

Although there weren't many Chinese fans at the stadium, they still cheered and encouraged Jiang Hong when he came on.

Jiang Hong raised his hand and waved towards the area in the stands where the Chinese fans were gathered, then placed his bag in the rest area.

The host's voice rang out again!
"Let's welcome the Spanish legend, Tommy Robredo!"

The moment Robredo stepped onto the pitch in his blue jersey, a deafening roar erupted from the stands.

Robredo blew a few kisses to the stands with a smile on his face!
Carrying his tennis bag, he went to the rest area, took out his racket, and looked at Jiang Hong on the other side.

His eyes showed no sign of disdain, but rather a very serious expression.

Before the match, some viewers asked Robredo if he felt pressured about facing Nadal in the quarterfinals!
Although Robredo is a top-ten player in the world, he should be very popular in his home country.

However, he is preceded by the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. Compared to him, Robredo is relatively inferior.

Oh, eleven of the twelve tour titles Robredo won in his career were on clay.

Spanish and Latin American players tend to prefer clay court tournaments.

So they are like Safin and Davydenko in Russia in Spain, except that because Spain's economy is more developed, they are not as unable to get endorsements as their counterparts.

He was used to the reporter's questions, and Barracuda answered them very calmly.

"The competition is full of variables. It's only the second round, and no one can predict the outcome."

It's unclear whether this answer refers to the result of his match against Nadal or is an expression of modesty.

Robredo had previously faced Jiang Hong in the semifinals of the China Open.

They realized that the young man in front of them had already entered the ranks of top-tier players.

Although Robredo felt he wasn't in good form at the time, Jiang Hong must have performed exceptionally well.

After all, young athletes often perform exceptionally well or poorly.

This time, I definitely can't be eliminated in the second round in front of my hometown folks.

This is also my chance for revenge!
The referee came to the center of the net, called over the two players, and began explaining the rules...

“We meet again!” Robredo said first.

"Yes, we meet again!" Jiang Hong nodded with a relaxed expression.

"This time, you won't be so lucky," Robredo said with a confident smile.

"Whether my good luck will continue or not, we'll only know after the competition," Jiang Hong shrugged.

At this point, the referee tossed the coin into the air and checked it.

"Jiang Hong has the right to serve!" he announced, standing up.

Jiang Hong looked up at Robredo and smiled.

"It seems my good luck is still intact!"

Robredo didn't speak, but gave Jiang Hong a deep look.

The two turned around and returned to their respective baseline positions in their half of the court.

Both sides first warmed up by serving and rallies to get into their rhythm.

"China Media Group, China Media Group!"

"Good evening, viewers. Welcome to Madrid, Spain, through our camera lens..."

Today, the opening remarks on CCTV-5 were not read by Zhang Sheng, but by a unique voice.

Today, the station found Zhang Sheng a partner, Aunt Tong.

"Teacher Zhang, which contestant do you think has the best chance of winning the competition today?" Aunt Tong suddenly asked.

Zhang Sheng was stunned for a moment. How was he supposed to answer such a question at the beginning? He could say that he was optimistic about Jiang Hong, but the pressure would be too great if Jiang Hong performed poorly and lost the game.

But to say that I'm optimistic about Robredo would make me a traitor.

Zhang Sheng's eyes darted around, and he replied using the same words Jiang Hong had once said.

"Tennis is all about spin, and no one can predict the outcome until the end of the match. Let's look forward to the performance of both players."

“Um…” Teacher Tong paused, opening her mouth as if to ask another question.

Before he could even finish speaking, Zhang Sheng interrupted him.

"The match begins! Jiang Hong, prepare to serve!"

Jiang Hong's eyes were fixed on the opponent's half of the court, and he was thinking about the tactics for this ball.

The entire process of tossing the ball, pushing off the ground, and swinging the racket was fluid and seamless.

The tennis ball, like a cannonball, slammed into the outer corner of the first court, hitting the sideline. Before Robredo could even react, the ball bounced off the court as soon as he moved.

“ACE!”

The referee announced loudly, and the score on the screen changed.

15: 0!
They hit an ace on the first ball, getting off to a winning start.

The cheers from the Chinese fans at the stadium instantly drowned out the cheers of the tens of thousands of home spectators.

(End of this chapter)