Tennis: He's so obedient!

Chapter 190: The reporter, speechless, tries to persuade Jiang Hong to withdraw from the competition!
The room still smelled strongly of disinfectant.

“Hello, please choose one of these sealed urine collection cups!” One of the ITF doping inspectors pointed to an unopened plastic cup on the table.

Jiang Hong didn't seem to care about this.

"This one will do!" He pointed to a random plastic cup.

However, the urine test process is still very complicated, and it hasn't started yet.

“Before providing a sample, we need to verify your identity.” The doping control officer took a form out of his bag: “Please show me your passport and race pass.”

The event organizers had just reminded Jiang Hong to bring these identification documents.

So there's no need to worry about forgetting to bring it. He took out his ID from the bag next to him and handed it to the other person.

The doping control officer took Jiang Hong's identification and carefully checked his name, photo, and other information.

After confirming that everything was correct, I registered it again on the form.

Registration has ended, but the process hasn't started yet.

The doping control officer looked up and spoke to Jiang Hong with a serious expression.

"Your information has been verified. Now, please empty all your pockets and take off your coat."

"You cannot touch any personal items or drink anything other than the sealed drinking water we provide until the sample collection is complete."

It's quite considerate; they allow contestants to drink water in case they don't need to urinate.

If the water the athletes drank later turns out to have problems, it will be hard to say whether it was taken before or after the competition.

However, Jiang Hong had no objection and put his phone and ID in a basket.

Afterwards, he took a few sips of the sealed drinking water and it took him a while to finally feel the urge to urinate.

Jiang Hong glanced at the three pairs of eyes beside him, but they didn't even blink to avoid the contestants switching samples, which felt strange.

Just close your eyes and look, as long as you're not afraid of feeling inferior.

Finally, after leaving about 90ml of liquid, I walked out of the restroom.

"Hello, please select one set of sample collection bottles as bottles A and B!"

This was also Jiang Hong's first time, and he didn't understand it, so he made his choice directly.

Furthermore, to ensure fairness, the contestants were required to pour the samples into the collection bottles themselves.

There are more bottles A and fewer bottles B.

The purpose of bottle B is basically to prepare for re-inspection.

Generally, unless there are unexpected circumstances, a re-inspection will not be used.

"Please check the collection bottle. If there are no problems, you can unscrew the seal on the collection bottle," the doping control officer said.

Jiang Hong picked it up and glanced at it, confirming that there was nothing wrong with it.

Then, tightening the cap of the collection bottle resulted in a "click" sound as the specially designed safety ring at the bottle opening broke, and the bottle was now completely sealed.

"If you are sure the seal is correct, you can check the sample number. If there are no problems, please sign your name."

After checking the numbering and document records, Jiang Hong wrote his name in the designated location.

A signature signifies responsibility; otherwise, it won't be valid if there are any objections later.

However, the inspection was not over yet. Suddenly, the doping control officer used a dropper to take a drop from the remaining liquid in the cup and put it on the special test strip.

After comparing it with the standard color chart, he nodded.

"The specific gravity and pH value are both within the specified range, so the sample is valid."

At this point, the doping control officer took the A and B samples, placed them in the transport box, and locked them.

Prior to this, the doping control officer had not handled the sample; Jiang Hong essentially completed the entire process.

“These samples will be sent to a laboratory accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for testing.”

"Thank you for your cooperation. Once the results are available, we will notify the ATP and you in accordance with regulations."

"Thank you!" Jiang Hong took his things and put on his coat.

After all, the nights in Spain in October can be quite cool, and it wouldn't be good to catch a cold.

Moreover, Jiang Hong believes that even if the ITF and ATP are doing this for the sake of the Chinese market, they wouldn't resort to underhanded tactics.

Jiang Hong even suspects that even if his urine test is indeed problematic, the ITF will likely raise the issue but then let it go.

After all, the ITF did indeed do something similar later on.

At the same time, Jiang Hong felt somewhat fortunate that he was not a track and field athlete.

For example, Usain Bolt undergoes approximately 200 urine tests every year, averaging less than once every two days.

They might even be dragged out of bed at night for a urine test.

Jiang Hong felt a chill run down his spine just thinking about it.

I estimate that Liu Xiang is probably in a similar situation, needing to undergo checkups quite a few times a year.

Let's observe a moment of silence for him.

Fortunately, projects with a high degree of professionalism do not require frequent inspections.

For example, in the NBA, each player seems to undergo a maximum of four random urine tests per year.

Jiang Hong had a wicked idea: if we tested players according to track and field standards, a large number of NBA stars would probably be unable to play every year.

After Jiang Hong left the doping control station, Fu Yunlong and Mark Jie immediately approached him.

"Old Jiang, are you alright?"

"Brother Jiang, did they say anything inappropriate? We can file a lawsuit against them."

Mark was a novice after all, and he was somewhat at a loss when faced with this situation.

While Jiang Hong was undergoing his urine test, Li Gong in China was immediately contacted.

Li Gong was also shocked to hear this, after all, there are many athletes, both at home and abroad, who have gone from being promising stars to being infamous because of doping.

Jiang Hong waved his hand and chuckled, "It's alright, the whole process was quite reasonable."

Aside from staring at yourself urinating.

Jiang Hong silently complained to himself.

Mark opened his mouth, his expression showing some hesitation, but in the end he didn't say anything.

Jiang Hong glanced at the other person and said, "Alright, Lao Ma, just say what you want to say, don't beat around the bush."

Mark looked around to make sure no one was there before lowering his voice and speaking.

"Brother Jiang, the urine test was normal, right?"

Jiang Hong found this amusing and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you think?"

Instead of answering directly, he asked a question in return.

Mark Jie immediately said with a serious expression, "I have always believed in you, Brother Jiang."

The main reason is that Li Gong asked them to inquire. If something happens, they also need to find a way to prepare for public relations and such, because this money-making tree can't just fall like that.

Even if some people are indeed involved in doping scandals, they can eventually clear their names.

"Then there's no problem!" Jiang Hong shrugged and said with a relaxed expression.

Fu Yunlong, standing to the side, didn't seem too worried.

The main reason is that he and Jiang Hong had already been in contact since the China Open.

For a sport like tennis, which demands a high level of endurance and technique, the requirements for doping are even higher.

Regular stimulants may not be helpful and could even have the opposite effect.

Before playing in the China Open, Jiang Hong was just a fledgling domestic star, and his background made it difficult for him to access any good performance-enhancing drugs.

As for now, he's involved in every competition, and if someone uses performance-enhancing drugs, they definitely won't escape his notice.

Then, he patted Jiang Hong on the shoulder and said, "Alright, hurry up and go, the press conference is waiting for you!"

Jiang Hong nodded. "Okay, let's go!"

……

Zhang Sheng from CCTV is impersonating a reporter again. He peeked out but still couldn't see Jiang Hong.

"Old Wu, why hasn't Jiang Hong arrived yet? It's been almost an hour."

Normally, the press conference will start less than half an hour after the game ends.

"I don't know!" Wu Chen shook his head and said casually, "Maybe something's wrong!"

Zhang Sheng's eyes darted around, he took a breath, and lowered his voice to speak.

"Old Wu, do you think Jiang Hong will be alright?"

Wu Chen immediately turned his head, his eyes wide: "You mean—injured?"

Zhang Sheng shook his head and then said, "It shouldn't be that serious. It's possible that he was just exhausted."

After all, the matches against Nadal and Djokovic were physically demanding battles that Jiang Hong had to endure under immense pressure.

After hearing Zhang Sheng's words, Wu Chen felt that it was indeed possible.

"So, you think Jiang Hong might withdraw from the competition?"

Frankly speaking, withdrawing from a professional tennis match is a very normal thing.

Even during last year's Australian Open women's singles final, Henin chose to withdraw from the match due to physical discomfort.

Although this Masters final represents the pinnacle achieved by Asian players, it's truly unpredictable what might happen.

“No!” Zhang Sheng shook his head, giving a different answer: “I’m worried that Jiang Hong won’t withdraw from the competition!”

"Huh?" Wu Chen was taken aback, seemingly confused: "Isn't it a good thing that Jiang Hong isn't withdrawing from the competition?"

Zhang Sheng shook his head and said with a serious expression, "How many years do you think it will take for a genius like Jiang Hong to appear in Chinese tennis?"

Wu Chen remained silent for a moment. To be honest, he felt that none of them would appear.

Jiang Hong's tennis career is truly legendary.

Zhang Sheng didn't care about Wu Chen's answer and continued, "Our Chinese players always shout about the spirit of fighting and praise playing with injuries."

"But playing with injuries can be devastating to a player's career."

"If Jiang Hong is really injured, I hope he can withdraw from the competition."

"He made it to the Masters final this time, and I believe he still has a chance in the future. He's only eighteen years old!"

After Zhang Sheng said this, Wu Chen also felt that he was right.

However, in this situation, Jiang Hong is basically carrying the hopes of the entire village... no, the entire nation's football fans.

If they choose to withdraw from the competition, the pressure they will face will be immeasurable.

"There's nothing we can do to interfere with Jiang Hong's ideas!" Wu Chen sighed.

Zhang Sheng's eyes were filled with determination: "If Jiang Hong gets injured, I will go and persuade him after the press conference."

Wu Chen looked at Zhang Sheng with some admiration. If it were revealed that Jiang Hong withdrew from the competition because of Zhang Sheng's affair, he would probably be criticized to death.

“I also want to ask you for a favor.” Zhang Sheng suddenly turned his head.

Wu Chen immediately patted his chest without hesitation, "Go ahead!"

"If Jiang Hong really withdraws from the competition, you can explain it for him when you write the article."

"no problem!"

Wu Chen's gaze was firm. He knew he couldn't offer much help, but he was absolutely duty-bound to do this.

Zhang Sheng and Wu Chen had already decided in their hearts that Jiang Hong was injured. "The press conference is about to begin!"

Just then, a staff member from the event organizing committee suddenly spoke up.

As soon as these words were spoken, all the reporters turned around and pointed their cameras at the door.

The moment the door was pushed open, a burst of flashlights shone through.

Jiang Hong pushed up his sunglasses with his fingers, and tears welled up in the eyes of Mark Jie and Fu Yunlong next to him.

I originally wanted to follow Jiang Hong around and show off, but now I feel like I'm going blind.

Jiang Hong strode to the front of the stage in the press conference hall and sat down.

"Gentlemen, thank you for waiting. Let's begin the questions!"

Jiang Hong crossed his arms and said with a smile.

Zhang Sheng and Wu Chen noticed the ice pack on Jiang Hong's wrist and turned to look at each other.

He became even more convinced that Jiang Hong was injured.

Jiang Hong's gaze swept over the sea of ​​people below the stage; he did not call out CCTV first today.

It was another media outlet, Xinhua News Agency.

The Xinhua News Agency reporter stood up, a friendly smile on his face.

"Jiang Hong, first of all, congratulations on this historic victory! We all saw your tenacious will and superb skills in the game, especially your serve on crucial points, which was impressive. What is your feeling that you would like to share the most?"

Jiang Hong replied, looking slightly tired, "Thank you. This match gave me... many feelings, and they're quite complex!"

"What I feel most deeply is a sense of relief, excitement, and pride."

"This match was very tough. Novak put a lot of pressure on me. Winning this match is the greatest reward for my past efforts."

Some of the other reporters in the audience couldn't understand why Jiang Hong seemed more excited about defeating Djokovic than he was about defeating Nadal.

Then, Jiang Hong pointed to Zhang Sheng, after all, he had to give face to CCTV.

"...I noticed you had an ice pack on your wrist earlier. Are you injured?"

After offering his congratulations, Zhang Sheng got straight to the point.

Jiang Hong was taken aback; he had originally thought Zhang Shenghui was valuable.

He was already prepared to say, "I am proud to be a part of Chinese tennis."

Jiang Hong hadn't expected Zhang Sheng to pay such close attention to detail; he glanced at his wrist.

The other reporters' eyes lit up; Jiang Hong was actually injured.

"It's not an injury, it's just that the intensity of this match was quite high, so I'm a bit tired. I'm currently using ice to relieve the fatigue."

However, neither Zhang Sheng nor the other reporters believed Jiang Hong's words.

He immediately began taking pictures of Jiang Hong's wrist with great interest.

Before Jiang Hong could even designate a reporter, the reporter from Marca suddenly stood up.

The other reporters were somewhat dissatisfied and were about to start criticizing him when they heard his question, and they immediately shut their mouths.

"Jiang Hong, you were able to maintain a high serve speed throughout the Madrid Masters tournament. What's your secret? I've heard from an insider that you were taken for a urine test after the match. Is that true?"

The Marca reporter is really cunning!
He spoke hastily, and if he were to let him sit down immediately, it would seem as if he was guilty.

And it seems this guy asked two different questions.

However, the transitions were very smooth, which led people to mistakenly believe that Jiang Hong's ball speed was related to doping.

If pressed, he could easily deny everything, claiming I wasn't making things up but simply asking basic questions.

The other reporters were instantly excited.

Well done, Marca!
We need these kinds of sensational news stories.

The Chinese reporter was startled, and unpleasant memories flooded his mind.

Jiang Hong glanced at his opponent and then said calmly, "My serve is simple; it's the reward for my daily, uninterrupted training."

"Regarding the doping issue, yes, the ITF doping control officer conducted a urine test after the competition. I believe the questions you are concerned about will be answered soon."

"As an athlete, playing with integrity is the most basic requirement; as a journalist, reporting the news truthfully is also the most basic quality..."

The Marca reporter felt a chill run down his spine, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

"So, sir, can we reach an agreement?"

"If I were to use performance-enhancing drugs, I would retire from tennis; if you were to report false news, you would leave journalism, okay?"

Upon hearing this, the Marca reporter immediately panicked.

No one expected Jiang Hong to gamble so big.

Because under normal circumstances, even with performance-enhancing drugs, there are compromise solutions.

Most of them are suspended for a period of time, and a tennis player's career is already quite long.

Jiang Hong's words were as if they had blocked all escape routes.

The other reporters, not wanting to miss out on the excitement, immediately started jeering.

"Oh, Juan, say yes!"

"That's right, make a bet with him!"

"do not be afraid!"

"Don't lose face, we all came from the front lines of news."

Upon hearing this, Juan forced a smile and shook his head.

"I'd rather not, sir. After all, besides intentional use, there's also the risk of accidental ingestion of performance-enhancing drugs. I don't want to harm a player with a bright future."

After saying that, he slunk away.

Just kidding, he didn't know if Jiang Hong had taken performance-enhancing drugs.

But I'm sure I've reported fake news.

After all, which journalist hasn't done that before?

Jiang Hong's gaze swept over everyone, his face still bearing a smile.

"Excuse me, would any gentleman or lady like to take this bet with me?"

Although the reporters at the scene all hoped that someone would accept the bet, none of them wanted to be that person.

Perhaps because of Jiang Hong's boldness, the rest of the interview suddenly became normal.

After all, no one wants to end their journalistic career.

"Hello, Mr. Jiang Hong, could you tell me about your strategy for using the serve return and volley tactic in the final match? Was this a tactic you had prepared in advance?"

Jiang Hong was stunned when he heard this.

This tactic originally belonged to Federer and was named the SABR tactic, which is Roger's surprise attack tactic.

However, this tactic was first used by the opponent at the 2015 Cincinnati Masters.

As for now, I estimate they don't even have the slightest idea yet.

Jiang Hong nodded slightly and said, "That's right, this is one of the tactics I prepared beforehand."

"You could call it a kind of surprise attack with hair extensions!"

The reporter's eyes lit up instantly; he hadn't expected this young player to have developed a new tactic.

So he quickly followed up with, "What's the name of this tactic?"

Jiang Hong scratched his head. Calling it the SABR tactic now seemed a bit inappropriate.

otherwise……

"I'd call him SABJ, Kang's sneak attack tactics!"

Others plagiarize novels when they're writing about time travel, so it's not too much for me to plagiarize tactics, right?

After the press conference ended, Jiang Hong was preparing to return to his hotel to rest when Zhang Sheng and Wu Chen unexpectedly followed him.

After exchanging pleasantries, they still didn't get to the point.

"Gentlemen, if there's nothing else, I'll head back to the hotel to rest. After all, I have a match against Federer tomorrow!"

Zhang Sheng gritted his teeth and finally spoke: "Jiang Hong, for a player, although winning a championship is important, it shouldn't be traded for the sake of shortening one's career!"

Jiang Hong nodded and said in strong agreement, "I think you're absolutely right, Mr. Zhang. After all, players need to cherish their careers, otherwise there's no going back once they're plagued by injuries."

Of course, Jiang Hong had another half-sentence left unsaid.

This does not include myself.

After all, Jiang Hong has an injury relief card!
If he continues playing like this, he may become the longest-serving player in tennis history.

Zhang Sheng's eyes lit up, and without beating around the bush, he immediately spoke to Jiang Hong.

"Xiao Jiang, if you ever get injured, you must consider your career. Don't push yourself through a serious injury just because of sponsors or public opinion."

Jiang Hong nodded, agreeing with Zhang Sheng.

After all, Liu Xiang...

Of course, he couldn't refuse even if he wanted to, not only because of the sponsors but also for other reasons.

However, Jiang Hong, as a free agent, does not need to worry about this issue.

"Thank you for the reminder, Teacher Zhang. I will keep it in mind. I'll head back to the hotel now."

Zhang Sheng felt that Jiang Hong's silence meant he had listened.

However, making this decision must be very difficult, and I need to go back and think about it.

"Okay then!"

"In that case, I won't bother you any longer."

After saying goodbye to Wu Chen and Zhang Sheng, Jiang Hong returned to the hotel.

He then received physical therapy from Fu Yunlong. After the examination, Fu Yunlong frowned.

"Old Jiang, your body is really acting a bit strange!"

"What's wrong?" Jiang Hong asked, puzzled.

"You have so few training injuries, you can hardly find any."

Jiang Hong shrugged. "Maybe I'm just more gifted!"

After all, I have training recovery potions!
"However, the intense competition these past few days has caused you to suffer minor injuries in several places."

"Take it easy during tomorrow's match!"

While giving Jiang Hong a physical therapy session, Fu Yunlong gave him some instructions.

"Okay, I understand!"

Jiang Hong heeded Fu Yunlong's advice.

"Brother Jiang, do I need to read you the opponent's information today?" Mark asked.

"No need!" Jiang Hong shook his head.

Federer is undoubtedly the most popular and strongest player right now.

Basically, all professional players aim to defeat Federer.

Jiang Hong was also very clear about his basic information.

"Federer at his peak!" Jiang Hong's eyes lit up slightly.

(End of this chapter)