Tennis: He's so obedient!

Chapter 171 Should we have a fan meeting? The light stick is fully charged!
"This is the scene of the round of 16 match at the 2007 Madrid Masters!"

"The next match will be between my country's Jiang Hong and Argentina's Nalbandian."

"Fans watching on TV will surely be familiar with Nalbandian. In the 2005 Masters Cup final held in Shanghai, my country, he came back from two sets down to win three straight sets and defeat Federer to win the championship!"

"We can see from the broadcast that there are a lot of fans at the stadium, with Chinese fans making up about a third of them. It seems that Spanish fans are very enthusiastic!"

Zhang Sheng joked that he knew most of these Spanish fans were actually haters.

The organizing committee also specially arranged an opening host for this competition.

The main reason is that the attendance rate is too high. Capitalism can't go against anything, but it can't go against money!

Jiang Hong: Who else can get haters to spend money for me?

"Let's welcome Nalbandian to the stage first!"

I don't know if the host was borrowed from the football side, but he instantly heated up the atmosphere.

Nalbandian, who was standing in the players' tunnel, suddenly came out carrying his bag.

Upon appearing on the field, he was immediately greeted with enthusiastic applause.

"I hope you can keep your word and defeat Jiang Hong!"

"Kill that kid!"

"Sweep him away, two straight sets!"

Nalbandian was momentarily stunned by the cheers from the stands.

'When did I become so popular in Spain?'

However, he still happily raised his hand and waved it towards the audience.

However, Nalbandian was still somewhat unhappy.

He has been famous for a long time and is ranked higher than that kid.

Why did I go out first, while Jiang Hong went out later?

In popular matches, especially when there's a host, players with lower rankings and less popularity usually go first.

What's going on with the organizing committee?
underestimate me?

"Just wait and see if I win the championship!"

Nalbandian clenched his fist, then picked up his golf bag and headed towards the rest area.

"Next, let's welcome Jiang Hong, who defeated Robredo yesterday!"

The host even deliberately pronounced Jiang Hong's name with a non-standard accent, drawing out the sound.

Jiang Hong, dressed in a white jersey and carrying a basketball bag, walked confidently into the court with a calm smile on his face.

He was clearly much more handsome than Nalbandian on the other side.

Some Spanish female fans had doubts after seeing this.

'He doesn't seem like what the newspapers say.'

'How could someone so handsome be a bad guy?'

'It must be a misunderstanding!'

However, the moment Jiang Hong entered the room, the place immediately erupted in excitement.

Besides the cheers and encouragement from the Chinese fans, the group of burly Spanish men were not to be outdone.

"Jiang, today is your death day!"

"Nalbandian has already said he'll beat you to a pulp!"

"This is your end!"

The noise level was several decibels higher than when Nalbandian entered.

"Why do I feel like I'm the villain?" Jiang Hong raised an eyebrow, then smiled. "But—I like it!"

Jiang Hong even raised his hand and spun around, seemingly to thank the fans for their support.

This infuriated the Spaniards.

I originally intended to mess with Jiang Hong's mentality, but unexpectedly, I ended up messing with his mentality instead!

"Um...it seems Jiang Hong is very popular in Spain. The fans at the stadium are really excited!"

In the past, Zhang Sheng would have been worried that it would affect Jiang Hong's mental state.

But after commentating on so many of Jiang Hong's matches, I'm certain he has a very strong mentality, so there's nothing to worry about.

Viewers who watched yesterday's game on TV couldn't help but laugh when they heard this.

The tennis forums erupted in a frenzy of discussion.

"Jiang Hong is so popular, he'll probably need bodyguards when he goes shopping in Spain, right?"

"Huh? Why is Jiang Hong so popular in Spain? I don't quite understand."

Some netizens who were unaware of the situation were curious.

"It's probably because Jiang Shen's personality is so likable!"

Spanish fans: Jiang, I'm your fan! When are you going to hold a fan meeting? Our light sticks are fully charged!

"Upstairs, is that light stick you're using for 20 volts?"

Jiang Hong carried his tennis bag to the rest area, tied his shoelaces, and took out his racket from the bag.

As is customary, both sides went to the baseline to warm up.

Jiang Hong took the tennis ball from the caddie and moved to the right side of the baseline.

Toss the ball, rotate your body, swing the racket, and hit the ball!
boom!
With a crisp sound, the tennis ball flew out instantly.

It landed precisely on the outer corner of Nalbandian's first zone.

Jiang Hong nodded, "Over 180 kilometers, not bad!"

After all, he was just warming up and getting a feel for the ball, and Jiang Hong thought the ball speed and landing point were pretty good!
Nalbandian looked up and glanced at Jiang Hong.

"Serving the ball so fast during warm-up, are you declaring war on me?"

Normally, pre-match warm-ups involve serving at a speed of around 160-170 km/h, but Jiang Hong's serve was almost 190 km/h.

Moreover, based on my understanding of the Spanish media, after asking me for their opinions on the match against Jiang Hong that night, they would definitely go to Jiang Hong's side and stir up trouble.

Thinking back to my 18-year-old self, I would definitely be unhappy to hear my opponent say that they don't take me seriously.

So this serve was definitely meant to intimidate.

Nalbandian nodded, finding his theory quite reasonable.

Although Nalbandian knows Spanish journalists, he doesn't know Jiang Hong.

The Spanish journalist did intend to stir up trouble, but unable to find Jiang Hong, he had to give up.

"My serve wasn't always unfavorable!"

So, immediately toss the ball up and swing your racket to hit it.

With a "bang," the tennis ball landed directly on Jiang Hong's first court.

Jiang Hong glanced at the landing point of the tennis ball.

It seems the opponent is in good form too; their practice serve speed is around 170 kilometers per hour!

He didn't dwell on it and switched to the other side to continue practicing his serve.

"190 kilometers!"

The speedometer displayed the ball's speed, and Jiang Hong glanced at it.

However, in Nalbandian's view, this was just Jiang Hong competing with him in serving speed!
Nalbandian then continued to serve with full force.

However, he is not a speed-type server; his average first serve speed is currently only around 180 km/h.

Towards the end of his career, his average speed for a first shot even reached over 160 km/h, while his second shot averaged less than 140 km/h.

Nalbandian realized that he couldn't beat them in serving.

"So what if you serve fast?"

"I'll show you what I'm made of during the match!"

After the warm-up was finally over, Jiang Hong and Nalbandian were called to the net.

Jiang Hong glanced at the other person and noticed that Nalbandian was panting heavily.

Could it be that he had too much fun last night, just like that French guy I met before?

If it's true, that would be great.

Nalbandian stared intently at Jiang Hong, his face filled with murderous intent.

By flipping a coin, Jiang Hong ultimately won the right to serve.

After Nalbandian returned to the baseline, he immediately spread his legs, lowered his body, and locked his eyes on Jiang Hong.

Although he was very confident in himself, it was impossible for him not to study his opponents.

I know that Jiang Hong's serve is one of his killer moves.

Moreover, I witnessed it myself during the pre-match warm-up.

"But if this is all you're capable of, you won't be able to win the match!"

He was like a leopard eyeing its prey, ready to pounce at any moment!

Jiang Hong stood behind the baseline, tossed the ball above his head with his left hand, and his body snapped like a fully drawn bow, quickly drawing back his racket and hitting the tennis ball.

The tennis ball whistled through the air, heading straight for the outer corner of the opposite end of the court.

boom!
The tennis ball hit the ground with a dull thud, and Nalbandian had barely taken a step when the ball flew out of bounds.

"IN!"

The linesman standing in front of the advertising board announced that the serve was valid, and the score changed to 15-0.

The bottom left corner of the scoreboard shows the speed of this serve – 221 kilometers per hour!

"So fast?"

Nalbandian felt a little dizzy.

Although I had anticipated that Jiang Hong's serve would be fast, I didn't expect it to be this fast!
"Ace!"

"221 kilometers?"

"Beautiful! Awesome!"

After a brief silence, the fans in the stadium immediately erupted in cheers.

"That was just luck!"

"That's right, it's absolutely impossible to do it again."

"He'll probably double fault on the next ball."

While Spanish fans sourly remarked that Jiang Hong's serve was just luck, they couldn't deny that it was indeed a beautiful one.

"Good start!"

"They secured a winning start with an incredible 220 km/h outside corner ace!"

Zhang Sheng spoke loudly with a smile on his face.

Commentating on the match must be a wonderful experience for Jiang Hong.

When commentating on other players, Zhang Sheng often worries that he might have a heart attack.

at the same time.

Jiang Hong switched positions and moved to the left baseline.

Nalbandian took a deep breath, his gaze fixed intently on Jiang Hong's movements.

Keep moving your feet, trying to get started as quickly as possible!
With a "bang," the ball was still moving very fast.

However, it does not have a speed of 220 km/h, but rather 205 km/h.

Even at this speed, it can be considered a powerful serve.

This time, Nalbandian won't make a mistake again.

So immediately take two quick diagonal steps, turn sideways to prepare the racket, and swing with your forehand.

With a thud, the tennis ball arced through the air and flew straight into the service area in front of the net.

Jiang Hong's eyes narrowed.

"As expected of a man capable of taking on three giants in a row!"

This return shot was of very high quality.

However, Jiang Hong did not intend to give up. He immediately started his footwork quickly, lowered his center of gravity, fixed his feet parallel, and slid to the front of the net.

With a fixed wrist and a low shot trajectory, the racket brushes the ground and slices into the lower side of the tennis ball.

Reverse cut!

With strong sidespin, the tennis ball flew past the net.

Nalbandian quickly took two steps forward and went to the net to save the ball.

The moment when both hands are gripping the racket tightly, ready to swing and hit the ball.

After the tennis ball landed, it didn't go forward, but instead drew a strange arc and flew to the left.

Nalbandian panicked and quickly took a step to the side.

One-handed backhand, one block in front of the body.

His gaze was fixed on the tennis ball as it flew over the net.

"It crossed the line!"

The next second, Jiang Hong suddenly intercepted.

He hit the ball with a backhand stroke to Nalbandian's left baseline.

Nalbandian is not a speed-oriented player, and he could only watch the ball go.

30: 0.

Despite falling behind, Nalbandian remained remarkably calm and composed, showing no signs of panic.

He silently returned to the baseline, his legs slightly bent, his eyes fixed on Jiang Hong's tossing motion.

"Flat shot!"

As a powerful server, Jiang Hong is unlikely to choose other serves for his first serve.

Under Nalbandian's watchful eye, Jiang Hong tossed the tennis ball into the air.

"Outer corner!"

Based on his research of previous match videos, Nalbandian concluded that Jiang Hong preferred outside corner kicks! Therefore, at the moment Jiang Hong struck the ball, Nalbandian suddenly moved half a step to the right.

He chose to believe in his research!
The racket struck the ball with a crisp sound; it was indeed a high-speed outside corner shot.

Nalbandian had already started his attack, facing Jiang Hong's powerful serve.

Instead of taking the hit head-on, he suddenly flicked his wrist, changed the angle of his racket, and gently sliced ​​the ball from the side.

The tennis ball flew towards Jiang Hong's open forehand space with a strong sidespin!

Jiang Hong's feet moved at high speed.

After the tennis ball landed, it flew to the left with sidespin for a distance.

In response, Jiang Hong suddenly lunged forward with his left foot and abruptly extended his racket.

Although the ball was successfully hit, the return shot was too high.

"Oops!"

Jiang Hong knew that Nalbandian would definitely not let this opportunity pass.

Sure enough, in the next second, Nalbandian was seen quickly going online.

Suddenly, he extended his racket and delivered a tricky short volley.

He hit the ball directly into the corner of the net.

"IN!"

After the linesman spoke, Nalbandian clenched his fist.

"Yes!"

He turned his head and glanced at Jiang Hong.

"Pretty!"

"That's how you fight Nalbandian!"

"Still dare to be arrogant, you Chinese brat?"

Spanish fans, who had been holding back for so long, immediately erupted in excited cheers.

Jiang Hong looked up and glanced at her. She really is easily satisfied!

Aren't I in the lead right now?

30: 15.

"boom!"

With a serve, the court fell silent once again.

The tennis ball flew like a meteor, landing squarely in the outer corner of Nalbandian's first service area.

Nalbandian's eyes narrowed, and he quickly chased after the ball to save it.

Swing the racket.

Whoosh! The racket sliced ​​through the air, and the tennis ball flew out of bounds.

Nalbandian glanced at the ball's speed: 219 kilometers per hour.

This goal was beyond our ability to recover from through tactics and advantages.

However, Nalbandian doesn't believe Jiang Hong can consistently deliver such serves.

Jiang Hong certainly couldn't do that.

"Snapped!"

The next ball was served directly into the net.

"Fault!"

Service error, preparing for second serve.

Jiang Hong made a service error.

Nalbandian did not relax.

Because Jiang Hong has so many options when serving his second serve, he has served flat, sidespin, and topspin.

What serve will he choose?

Jiang Hong tossed the tennis ball into the air, slightly lower than usual.

"It's not a flat serve!"

Nalbandian instantly came to a conclusion in his mind, his eyes fixed on Jiang Hong's movements, ready to act at any moment.

Jiang Hong's body suddenly spun to the right like a top, his racket drawing an arc and slamming into the tennis ball.

In an instant, the tennis ball, leaving afterimages, hurtled towards Nalbandian's half of the court.

Nalbandian immediately took two steps forward, holding his racket horizontally in front of his chest.

The ball traced a strange "S" shape in the air, and bounced off the sideline in a daze the moment it hit the ground.

Although Nalbandian had already guessed that Jiang Hong would choose sidespin serve.

But I didn't expect the spin to be so strong. I staggered and barely managed to save the ball before it flew out of bounds.

The tennis ball flew directly to the midfield.

With a smile on his lips, Jiang Hong had already anticipated the landing point and successfully placed the object in position.

With just a slight adjustment of his footwork, he unleashed a forehand smash that sent the ball flying into the open space across the corner.

The scoreboard immediately changed, 1-0!

Instantly, the Chinese fans in the stadium erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.

"Brilliant!"

"Jiang Shen easily held his serve!"

"Your serve is too consistent."

The reporters and spectators at the scene were very optimistic about Jiang Hong's performance in this match.

The two sides exchanged positions and possession of the ball.

"It's my turn!"

Nalbandian took a deep breath and then tossed the tennis ball into the air.

The racket traced a smooth arc in the air.

Instead of using the flat serve that most players use, the wrist rotates at the moment of impact.

With a "bang," the tennis ball flew out instantly.

The ball speed is not fast, just around 180 kilometers per hour.

Jiang Hong strode forward, ready to hit the ball.

After the tennis ball lands, its sudden spin propels it toward the sideline.

"It's also a sidespin shot!"

That's right, Nalbandian just chose a sidespin serve.

Jiang Hong can do it, and of course he has no problem either.

Therefore, the same hitting technique was chosen for the first ball.

Jiang Hong was slightly surprised, but then quickly adjusted his footing.

He turned his body to the side, swung his hands backhand, and slammed the ball back.

Although Jiang Hong is very fast, he is still unable to produce high-quality returns.

Nalbandian had anticipated Jiang Hong's return shot and skillfully struck the ball into Jiang Hong's backhand opening.

Jiang Hong used his right foot as the center of gravity and turned 180 degrees.

He took big strides and chased after the baseline!

The tennis ball hurtled quickly toward the baseline, and with a "whoosh," Jiang Hong's shoe sole scraped against the ground as he glided into position.

Suddenly, when the tennis ball bounces to hip level, it hits the net.

Jiang Hong suddenly exerted force from his waist and abdomen, causing his arm to draw a smooth arc as he swung his racket with a backhand.

"boom!"

Back-to-the-basket shot!

The tennis ball instantly gained spin and hurtled towards the service area at high speed.

Nalbandian was somewhat surprised that he was able to save Jiang Hong's shot.

However, the movement did not stop at all.

Move quickly to position yourself and assume a hitting stance.

However, at the moment of impact, the movement suddenly slowed down.

"wrong!"

Jiang Hong's eyes widened, and he immediately realized what was happening.

"Place the small ball!"

After all, with thousands of practice sessions every day, Jiang Hong could see through the other party's intentions at a glance.

So he immediately pushed off the ground and rushed towards the net.

Sure enough, Nalbandian lowered his center of gravity and suddenly pulled back his weight the moment he touched the ball.

Then a small ball was sent out, placed close to the net.

At the same time, Jiang Hong shifted his weight forward instantly, lowering his right hand holding the racket to below his knee.

Instead of exerting force, he gently supported the tennis ball with the racket face.

Rotate your wrist slightly to increase the downward rotation force.

This is to allow the tennis ball to fall rapidly in the past instant.

And the ball did not disappoint Jiang Hong's long-term practice, instantly hitting the inside corner of the service area.

The more difficult Jiang Hong became, the more it fueled Nalbandian's fighting spirit.

The opponent suddenly increased his foot speed, and just as the tennis ball was about to bounce a second time, Jiang's racket suddenly cut into the bottom of the tennis ball.

The tennis ball shot diagonally forward, heading straight for Jiang Hong's backhand corner at the net.

Jiang Hong immediately moved quickly, blocking all routes for the ball to return.

As the tennis ball fell to his chest, Jiang Hong suddenly delivered a deft forehand volley, sending the ball directly into Nalbandian's open forehand space.

0: 15.

"A brilliant interception! Nalbandian has been forced out of the tunnel!"

Zhang Sheng shouted excitedly.

Nalbandian glanced at Jiang Hong and returned to the baseline position.

It seems like this ball has regained its form compared to the opponent.

He frantically switched tactics during his service games, employing a variety of feints at the net, changing direction, and from the baseline.

He appeared extremely excited.

He used his forehand to create space from Jiang Hong's position, and then suddenly launched an attack with both backhands!

"boom!"

The tennis ball was smashed directly into the corner of Jiang Hong's backhand.

Jiang Hong only managed to win one point in Nalbandian's service game before his opponent won four consecutive points.

"Game, Nalbandian, 1-1!"

The score was tied, and it was Jiang Hong's turn to serve.

He reached up and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"No wonder he won the championship!" Jiang Hong patted the tennis ball, glanced at Nalbandian on the other side, and said, "He really has some skills."

In the previous game, he had devised tactics for several shots, but his opponent kept hitting unexpected shots, disrupting his rhythm.

In the third game, Jiang Hong's serve holding was not as easy as in the first game.

The score was even 30:30.

Jiang Hong managed to hold serve only by hitting an ace and then taking a risky change of direction during a stalemate.

Jiang Hong didn't find many opportunities in Nalbandian's service games.

The score remained tied at 3-3.

Nalbandian became increasingly excited as the game progressed, and even attempted to attack during Jiang Hong's serve.

Although the success rate wasn't very high, it did put considerable resistance to Jiang Hong's attack.

"I said, victory belongs to me!"

After scoring, Nalbandian wore an excited smile.

30: 40!

"This situation isn't good. Nalbandian is a volatile player. When he gets excited, he can even beat the world number one, Federer. Although he's not ranked in the top ten now, he definitely has the strength to be in the top ten!" Zhang Sheng frowned as he reassured the viewers in front of the TV.

It's not that our side is weak, it's that the enemy is too strong!
Jiang Hong took the tennis ball and closed his eyes to think for a moment.

He then tossed the tennis ball into the air, and with a "bang," the ball flew out instantly.

Nalbandian adopted a semi-open stance, which was a ready position to deal with flat serves.

Looking up and observing the ball's flight characteristics, he decisively abandoned his original blocking and shot, and envisioned the tactics for the next few shots in his mind.

Suddenly, he lightly pressed down on his wrist and returned the ball with a slice shot, sending it directly to Jiang Hong's forehand corner.

Jiang Hong's movements—stepping, sliding, backswinging, and slicing—are fluid and graceful.

The tennis ball rose slowly in front of me, just clearing the net.

"Thump thump thump~" Nalbandian immediately appeared at the net and hit a forehand smash.

The tennis ball slammed into the forehand corner behind Jiang Hong.

"IN!"

"Game, Nalbandian, 4:3!"

Jiang Hong's career has been broken.

(End of this chapter)