Tennis: He's so obedient!

Chapter 177 The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish; attack, adventure!
"how is this possible?"

"How can Jiang be so fast!"

"The angle of the return shot was so tricky, it actually squeezed into Rafa's backhand position!"

After a brief silence, the Spanish fans couldn't help but murmur in surprise.

Nadal was briefly surprised that Jiang Hong was able to return such a high-quality shot, but his excitement quickly turned into surprise.

Another child prodigy!

He gripped his racket tightly, his feet moving lightly, ready to strike at any moment.

After shifting positions, Jiang Hongli stood behind the baseline and glanced at Nadal's location.

He then tossed the tennis ball into the air and swung his racket.

The next second, the driver's voice rang out.

"OUT!"

First attempt failed, preparing for second attempt.

Spanish fans, upon witnessing this scene, immediately cheered in their hearts.

"Double error! Double error!"

Of course, since it was only the first game, it wasn't time to shout.

Jiang Hong's first serve success rate has always been very high. The reason the ball went out of bounds just now was because he was too focused on the angle.

Faced with a failed serve, Jiang Hong made a slight adjustment and prepared for a second serve.

Bang!
This time, Jiang Hong increased the spin on the tennis ball, but slowed down the speed of his serve.

Nadal, now focused, successfully returned the ball.

Although Jiang Hong was well-prepared for the subsequent shots.

However, there's a reason why Nadal's topspin shot became his trademark.

They tore apart Jiang Hong's defense, constantly moving him to the sides of the court, looking for an opportunity to attack.

"Nadal's forehand topspin is incredibly threatening." Zhan Jun stared intently at the court. "The ball bounces extremely high, posing a significant challenge to Jiang Hong's one-handed backhand technique!"

However, ever since Jiang Hong drew Garquist's sparring partner card...

Jiang Hong can improve his DSLR skills at any time in the virtual stadium.

The technology of SLR cameras is vastly different from what it was when I was at EastNet.

The return shot carries a strong topspin and rushes upwards.

Jiang Hong responded very naturally, immediately lifting his left toes and shifting his weight half a step forward from his right foot, his shoulder turning towards the net, his whole body like a drawn bow.

The moment Nadal's return hit the racket, Jiang Hong had only one thought.

"It's so heavy!"

Control your wrist so that it doesn't shake at all, and use the upward rotation force to push your arm forward quickly.

In an instant, a swift DSLR shot found its way into Nadal's backhand opening.

"SLR cameras are this good?"

A jumble of thoughts flashed through Nadal's mind, and his interest grew even stronger.

He moved quickly with his feet, widening his body position again to perform a topspin.

The tennis ball fell straight into the corner of the net, and Jiang Hong, while running, used his one-handed backhand to return the ball.

If it weren't for his previous technique, he definitely wouldn't have been able to complete that return shot.

Nadal had anticipated this and immediately stepped forward, delivering a clean and decisive forehand to end the match.

"30:15!" the referee announced.

"Oh dear, what a pity!" Zhang Sheng shook his head in disappointment. "Nadal is too experienced. He used his high-quality topspin to pressure Jiang Hong's return shots."

In the next two points, Jiang Hong used his serve and decisively moved to the net when the opportunity arose, successfully winning a point.

Nadal, not to be outdone, relied on his defense and baseline rallies to win a point.

"40:30!"

The referee's voice rang out.

"There's still one point to hold onto. Can Jiang Hong seize this opportunity?" Zhan Jun said.

Zhang Sheng added, "It's difficult to find Nadal's weaknesses with conventional shots; you have to play with confidence!"

Jiang Hong stood at the bottom line and took a deep breath.

Although it was only a recent match against Nadal, one could already feel the immense pressure he exerted on his opponent.

When serving, you need to think quickly about tactics, and when facing different situations during the game, you also need to flexibly change your tactics.

But that's what makes it interesting.

The ball is thrown into the air, and its speed remains impressive—197 kilometers per hour.

Nadal instantly moved like a praying mantis, stretching his body and rapidly swinging his racket to hit the ball directly into Jiang Hong's backhand side.

"I can't get into long rallies; my rally technique isn't as good as Nadal's!"

"Quick victory!"

Jiang Hong moved to the side, instead of using a conventional, conservative backhand shot.

Instead, he quickly adjusted his footwork and switched to a forehand shot!
"boom!"

A beautiful inside-out, with an almost straight trajectory.

It slammed hard against the sideline.

"Game, Jiang, 1-0!"

The moment he secured the serve, Jiang Hong clenched his fist.

The progress bar for defeating the three giants has moved forward one step.

Instantly, cheers erupted from the Chinese fans.

Some Spanish fans also gave Jiang Hong a round of applause.

"Beautiful tactics, the transition between the serve and the return was perfect!" Zhan Jun couldn't help but exclaim.

Zhang Sheng chuckled, "This shot shows Jiang Hong's confidence. Even when facing top superstars, Jiang Hong knows that he has to take risks to deal with Nadal!"

Inside a VIP box in the front row of the Madrid stadium, a man couldn't help but mutter a complaint.

"Jiang's serve is very fast, why was he so slow when he played against me yesterday?"

That's right, it's Nalbandian, who played against Jiang Hong yesterday.

Although the Madrid Masters journey has ended, the next tournament hasn't started yet, so there's no rush to leave.

It's a good opportunity to watch Jiang Hong's match against Nadal, given how confident he was yesterday.

When the match ended, Nalbandian went to check on Jiang Hong's expression, a wicked smile spreading across his face.

The coach next to him couldn't help but mutter a curse in his mind upon hearing this.

"It's all because you're too impatient!"

Of course, it wasn't said aloud, since the players are the owners.

I had advised Nalbandian to learn to control his emotions before, and even sought psychological counseling, but it was of little use.

They walked past each other when the two sides switched places.

Nadal's face was expressionless, but his eyes held a fiery intensity.

He knew that for young players, once they built up their confidence and started to gain momentum, the outcome of the match would become unpredictable.

Therefore, I must shatter Jiang Hong's confidence.

In the second game, Nadal serves.

"Now it's Nadal's turn to serve, let's see how Jiang Hong responds!" Zhang Sheng said.

Nadal took the tennis ball from the caddie, tugged at his underwear, then loosened the shoulders of his T-shirt, wiped the sweat from his nose, and tucked his hair behind his ears.

Well, these have become his trademarks.

"Could it be that Nike's clothes are so bad that they stick to my butt when I sweat?" Jiang Hong couldn't help but let his imagination run wild as he watched Nadal's movements.

Finally, Nadal's ceremony ended, and he bounced the ball on the ground.

Grab the tennis ball and start serving.

boom!
Nadal's serve is not as fast as Jiang Hong's, and even after reaching his peak, serve speed is not his strong point.

However, Nadal's serve has always been very consistent in terms of spin and placement.

After the tennis ball landed, it slammed into the service court with strong spin. After bouncing, the tennis ball spun outwards and headed straight for Jiang Hong's backhand.

Because the rotation was too intense, and because Jiang Hong was aiming for the perfect angle, the ball went slightly off the edge.

15: 0.

"Nadal's serve isn't fast, but the spin is amazing. Jiang Hong needs to improve his serve reception!"

In the next two points, Nadal demonstrated his threat on hard courts, outside of clay.

A series of super topspin forehands stretched Jiang Hong's position, creating a stalemate. He waited for the right moment to strike, delivering a fatal blow and scoring the point.

"40-0, Nadal has three game points!"

Chinese fans were also worried for Jiang Hong, who was playing with full force in the first game.

However, Jiang Hong has not yet scored a single point in Nadal's service games.

Was Jiang Hong completely out of form, or was Nadal's serve simply too threatening?
"Hoohoo!"

Jiang Hong exhaled, his eyes fixed on the tennis ball in Nadal's hand.

Being behind in the score doesn't mean Jiang Hong will easily give up this game.

Nadal tossed the tennis ball into the air.

"Right inside, left outside!" Jiang Hong murmured, then suddenly stomped his foot on the ground. "Outer corner!"

He chose to act ahead of time and take a gamble.

Sure enough, the tennis ball flew straight to the outer corner of the service court.

With his heel stepping on the sideline, he simultaneously tucked his forearm in and pulled the racket to his waist, without any unnecessary movements.

"Oh!"

A fast and precise backhand straight shot.

Score immediately!

"what?"

Instantly, a commotion erupted on the field.

"Wait, buddy, is this how you play basketball?"

"They dare to change direction to the straight line when receiving a serve? That's incredibly daring!"

"So that's how you get a Return Ace?"

We'll definitely need to use some extraordinary measures to deal with Nadal.

Jiang Hong had a profound saying in his mind.

“The louder the storm, the more expensive the fish!”

At this moment, the two commentators in the broadcast booth also started discussing excitedly.

"That was such a smart shot! Nadal didn't anticipate that start and that straight shot!"

"That's right, your backhand technique is really excellent."

The score reached 40-15, and Nadal frowned.

However, it wasn't directed at Jiang Hong, but at himself.

I wasn't careful enough; otherwise, I would have had a chance to return the ball.

After all, even Nadal himself couldn't treat Jiang Hong with the same respect as Federer!
After taking the tennis ball from the caddie, he patted it on the ground.

"Snapped!"

The first serve went wrong, but it didn't affect Nadal's mentality at all.

On his second serve, Nadal's spin was even stronger than on his first serve, hurtling through the service court and heading straight for Jiang Hong's forehand.

Jiang Hong countered with a forehand, pulling the ball towards Nadal's backhand.

The rally began with the two players running back and forth along the baseline, each shot executed with utmost care and caution, leaving no room for carelessness.

Otherwise, it would be bullets given to the enemy.

"This rally has already gone on for 20 long rallies, and both sides are still looking for opportunities!" Zhan Jun stared at the court, his speech quickening as he spoke.

Nadal kept attacking Jiang Hong's backhand with his forehand, and the bounce of his topspin forehand return ball got higher and higher.

This significantly increased the challenge for Jiang Hong's SLR camera skills.

After Nadal hit another topspin forehand, Jiang Hong's backhand defense was finally breached.

The backhand return went out of bounds.

"Game, Nadal, 1:1!"

The match continued, and it was Jiang Hong's serve.

However, this time, Nadal improved the quality of his serve returns.

Facing Jiang Hong's serve, Nadal immediately used a forehand topspin serve.

A high-quality return ace sealed the score.

"0:15!"

The referee's voice rang out.

Jiang Hong withdrew his gaze and lowered his head to adjust the string lines slightly with his fingers.

I've moved to Zone 2 and am preparing for my next serve.

"boom!"

The tennis ball slammed into the inner corner of Nadal's first court like a cannonball, and the speedometer behind him displayed a reading of 212 kilometers per hour.

Despite Nadal's quick movement, his racket barely made contact with the ball when facing Jiang Hong's flat serve.

The tennis ball soared high into the air. "A great opportunity!"

Jiang Hong immediately increased his pace and quickly went online.

At the moment of impact, the forearm exerts a short burst of force.

A forehand volley pushes the ball into the deep open space.

"15:15, Jiang Hong has won a game back! His timing for going online was perfect!" Zhang Sheng exclaimed excitedly.

In the next two points, Jiang Hong adjusted his rhythm, relying on the speed and placement of his serves to launch continuous attacks and score two points in a row.

At 40:15, the monitor on the sidelines started flashing.

"Great job! Jiang Shen has secured his serve point!"

"Jiang Shen is awesome!"

"Keep it up! Go for it!"

The Chinese fans immediately cheered excitedly.

I originally thought the match between Jiang Hong and Nadal would be one-sided.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Hong actually gained the upper hand in the score.

At that very moment, the situation changed drastically.

Nadal suddenly displayed his resilience, increasing the aggressiveness of his serve extensions.

After Jiang Hong pressed the baseline for several rallies, he rallied to score two points in a row.

"40-40!" Zhan Jun's voice was tense. "Jiang Hong has already won two game points, and the two sides are now on the same starting line."

The atmosphere at the scene instantly reached a climax as the two sides engaged in a fierce competition.

"LaFerrari, LaFerrari!"

Spanish fans chanted Nadal's name, hoping he could break serve.

Jiang Hong stood on the baseline, listening to the deafening cheers for Nadal.

He felt some pressure, but instead of having a negative impact, this pressure made Jiang Hong even more focused.

My gaze swept lightly over Nadal's position.

"So far from the baseline? Are they preparing for my powerful drop shot?"

Jiang Hong's eyes flickered for a moment, then he chose to trust his own judgment.

Jiang Hong tossed the tennis ball into the air, but this time he did not choose to serve with a flat shot.

boom!
With a crisp sound, he instead hit a tricky sidespin serve.

The tennis ball bounced towards the sideline immediately after landing.

Jiang Hong's serve technique gives his serve a very strong spin.

Even Nadal was caught off guard and struggled to stretch his body before finally managing to catch the ball.

However, due to the rushed movements, the quality of the return was not high.

And this was the opportunity Jiang Hong had been waiting for.

Letting an opportunity slip away will be punished, Jiang Hongqian stepped forward.

Turn sideways to prepare the racket, then unleash a powerful forehand strike.

The tennis ball slammed directly into the corner of Nadal's forehand, bouncing quickly and flying out of bounds.

"what!"

Jiang Hong suddenly clenched his fist and couldn't help but shout.

After all, losing two match points in a row put a lot of pressure on Jiang Hong.

Not only Jiang Hong, but also the audience at the scene and those watching on television couldn't help but cheer.

"AD: 40!"

Jiang Hong has reached his third set point.

There may be a first and a second time, but not a third and a fourth.

Jiang Hong raised his head, revealing a resolute gaze, and looked up at Nadal opposite him.

He chose his most trusted weapon – the powerful flat serve!
With a crisp "snap," the tennis ball flew like lightning towards Nadal's half of the court.

Landing, bouncing, and leaving the area at a speed almost impossible to detect with the naked eye.

In the blink of an eye, it flew to Nadal's side.

Nadal twisted his body, swung his racket backhand to block, and the tennis ball flew into the air instantly.

Jiang Hong came to the net and delivered a powerful smash.

The tennis ball flew towards the left corner at extremely high speed.

All eyes were focused on the ball.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps sounded, "thump thump thump—squeak~".

The moment the tennis ball hit the ground, a figure suddenly appeared behind the baseline.

"what!"

Instantly, a gasp rippled through the audience.

During his slide, Nadal lowered his wrist and slashed with his backhand.

The tennis ball flew at high speed with intense spin.

If you don't kill them the first time, then try again.

The tennis ball had just flown over the net when Jiang Hong turned around and volleyed it with a backhand before it even hit the ground!

In the blink of an eye, the tennis ball flew straight to the back corner behind Nadal.

"boom!"

Kill this round.

After a brief silence, cheers and shouts erupted again.

The fans' tense nerves instantly relaxed at that moment.

They stood up from their seats and cheered loudly.

"Hold serve!" Zhan Jun stood up and shouted excitedly, "Jiang Hong withstood the pressure and held this crucial service game!"

With a score of 2:1, the two players went into the break.

Nadal looked calm, but you could tell from his eyes that he wasn't as relaxed as he was at the start of the match.

His goal has always been to be number one in the world, to win more Grand Slam titles, to accumulate more ranking points, and to challenge Federer for the top spot.

He was very dissatisfied with his performance at the US Open this year.

He was swept out of the competition by his friend Ferrer in the fourth round, the round of 16.

Moreover, with Djokovic chasing behind him, he is determined to win the Madrid Masters and cannot afford to fall in the quarterfinals.

"Time!"

The referee's whistle blew, and the short break between sets ended.

In the following games, both sides fully entered the game and demonstrated a very high level of competition.

Nadal successfully held his serve thanks to his impeccable defense and consistent performance.

Jiang Hong, relying on his sharp and relentless attacks, managed to hold onto his points.

With the score at 4-3, neither side was able to widen the gap.

The eighth game, Nadal's serve.

"It's time to give it a try!"

In the first few of Nadal's service games, Jiang Hong had a hard time putting up an effective attack.

With the game in its mid-stages, Jiang Hong was not going to sit idly by and wait for defeat.

Jiang Hong slightly adjusted his receiving position, moving forward a small step, so he could receive Nadal's ball faster, or even—attack!
However, no tactic is perfect.

A forward position also means that you are more likely to be hit by a body shot.

In the first point, Nadal made a first serve error, hitting the net.

The second serve reduced the threat of the serve, and Jiang Gong decisively chose to step forward and launch a backhand attack.

The return shot was deep and tricky, landing directly on Nadal's backhand.

Nadal's backhand is still a weakness.

Nadal's return shot was slightly shallow.

Jiang Hong immediately turned to the side and swung his racket with his forehand.

One inside-out, and the score is in.

Nadal's usually composed demeanor finally wavered, and he slapped his thigh.

“Focus!”

Jiang Hong's strength should not be underestimated; if he is not careful, his opponent will seize the opportunity.

In the second point, Nadal increased the power and spin of his serve.

Ace! The score is now 15-15.

In the third point, Jiang Hong intensified his defense. Although Nadal's serve was of high quality, Jiang Hong still managed to counterattack and return the point.

Nadal relied on his speed and relentless forehand attacks on Jiang Hong's backhand.

The topspin ball bounced high on the hard court, and Jiang Hong focused intently on adjusting the angle of his shot.

However, prolonged defense will eventually expose weaknesses.

Sure enough, Nadal made a slight adjustment on the seventh shot.

Jiang Hong was caught off guard and hit the ball into the net with his backhand.

30: 15.

"As expected of Nadal, he actually made tactical adjustments based on Jiang Hong's DSLR. Jiang Hong has to find a way to deal with this!" Zhang Sheng said anxiously, frowning.

Jiang Hong returned to the baseline position and lowered his center of gravity.

"Let's change it!"

Having learned from the previous point, Jiang Hong did not intend to play passively on defense.

In the fourth point, Nadal surprisingly chose to go to the net after serving.

To Jiang Hong's surprise, after a slight adjustment, he immediately changed the angle and hit a straight shot.

Nadal at the net was sent flying!

"30:30!" the referee's voice rang out again.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the result of the match.

Nadal continued serving, and after bouncing out of the service box, he went straight for Jiang Hong's forehand.

The ball travels very fast—190 kilometers per hour.

Just in time, Jiang Hong made a slight adjustment and, without moving, immediately countered with a forehand.

The tennis ball hurtled towards the baseline, and Nadal returned it with a backhand while running.

Hit the tennis ball towards the midcourt.

Seeing the ball land, Jiang Hong's eyes lit up; an opportunity!

Jiang Hong immediately stepped forward, sidestepped, and prepared to launch an attack.

Just then, Jiang Hong noticed that Nadal had moved towards his forehand position ahead of time.

In an instant, Jiang Hong's eyes lit up, and he suddenly changed his mind.

With a slight flick of the wrist, a small ball is released at the net.

"A small ball! It's a small ball! Jiang Hong has released a small ball!"

The Spanish commentator on site immediately exclaimed in surprise.

The tennis ball flew over the net and landed quickly.

It was only about 20 centimeters from the net.

Nearly 100,000 practice shots were taken in order to be able to release a higher quality ball in a match.

"Small ball!"

Nadal's eyes narrowed, and he immediately sprinted towards the net.

Just before the tennis ball was about to bounce twice, Nadal finally swung his racket.

Success! The tennis ball is lifted high into the air.

At this moment, Jiang Hong was already waiting in front of the net.

Regardless of whether Nadal can return the ball, Jiang Hong will not relax for a moment until the referee announces the score.

In the blink of an eye, a backhand interception was launched.

He immediately shoved the ball past Nadal and into the deep end of the baseline.

"Winner! Jiang Hong has a break point! He has a break point against Nadal, the world number two, three-time French Open champion!" Zhan Jun's voice suddenly became excited, even a little hoarse from speaking so loudly.

Inside the Madrid stadium, an uproar erupted instantly.

No one expected before the match that Jiang Hong would be able to get a break point against Nadal.

Nadal stood on the baseline, his expression growing increasingly serious. Even if he were to be broken, his winning percentage would plummet.

clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap...

Nadal hit the tennis ball six times before suddenly reaching out and grabbing it.

"Snapped!"

One shot hit the net.

He took another tennis ball out of his pocket, ready to serve the second time.

He started hitting the tennis ball again.

(End of this chapter)