Tennis: He's so obedient!

Chapter 191 Cutting Federer's racket strings, what a mess!
Jiang Hong still remembers when Djokovic was leading in all championship titles later on.

Many people are still debating whether Djokovic or Federer is stronger.

In summary, Federer is elegant, and by the time Djokovic rose to prominence, Federer's peak had already passed.

However, the Djokovic that Jiang Hong played before was not at his peak, and Nadal was not on his best clay court.

But there's no doubt that Federer is currently in his prime.

Federer has held the world number one ranking since February 2, 2004.

Because there are so many tennis tournaments, results and rankings over a period of time are not necessarily indicative of the overall situation, except for Grand Slam tournaments.

Often, it depends on how long you stay in the top 20, top 10, top 3, or even number one in the world.

Federer's consecutive reign as world number one has already demonstrated his dominance.

从2003年温网拿到自己第一座大满贯冠军，至今已经拿到了12座大满贯，14个大师赛冠军，2003年、2004、2006年三个年终总冠军。

Of course, Federer's career is not yet perfect; even with 12 Grand Slam titles, he has not yet achieved a Grand Slam.

The French Open trophy is still missing. This year, he was just one step away from winning the French Open title, but Nadal won the championship while Federer was the runner-up.

However, no one doubts Federer's strength.

The main reason is that Nadal's performance on clay is simply too abnormal.

Federer is also Jiang Hong's target in this tournament, and it is also the last battle on the road to gold, and possibly the most difficult one.

Of course, Jiang Hong, who has already entered the finals, will not be intimidated before the battle even begins.

He defeated Federer and lifted the Madrid Masters trophy.

"Sigh~"

Suddenly, Jiang Hong felt a sharp pain in his leg, instantly disrupting his thoughts.

"Old Jiang, your muscles are too stiff, I need to help you stretch them out!" Fu Yunlong looked up and grinned slyly.

……

Beijing, Internet Management Center.

"They've made it to the finals!"

Inside the conference room, Director Sun clapped his hands, looking very excited.

Upon seeing this, the others immediately burst into enthusiastic applause.

I remember Jiang Hong saying before that she would work hard to improve her ranking and try to enter the Olympics based on the ATP ranking.

At first, I thought Jiang Hong was being a bit too naive about accumulating points, but I never expected his ranking to rise so quickly.

Since Director Sun took over the Tennis Management Center, his slogan has been "Strive to protect women's doubles and break through women's singles."

As for men's singles and men's doubles, there is no hope to be seen in the short term.

This is mainly because it is based on considerations of the actual situation.

In the tennis world, very few players would focus solely on doubles and abandon singles.

Most of them shifted their focus to doubles because they had no hope in singles.

Moreover, most doubles players, even their partners, are not fixed.

However, domestic tennis players are different because of the system that supports them, allowing two players to continuously hone their doubles chemistry and proficiency, and even to give up singles matches.

In that case, it's not impossible for a top-tier doubles team to emerge.

For example, in the Tokyo Open, the women's doubles title was won by a member of the national team.

As for women's singles, the investment is much less than that for men.

Even for a WTA top ten player, one ATP player ranked outside the top 1000 is more than enough to be a sparring partner.

However, for men, it is difficult to improve in a short period of time, whether it is through sparring partners or coaches, or in terms of the intensity of competition.

Jiang Hong's sudden emergence seems to have made everything more unpredictable.

"Now that Jiang Hong has entered the final of the Madrid Masters and is playing against some of the world's top players, it shows that his strength is enough to enter the top ranks."

“I know that Masters tournaments are different from Grand Slam tournaments; men’s Grand Slam tournaments seem to require a best-of-five format.”

"However, it seems that the men's singles competition at next year's Olympics will also be a best-of-three series..."

"If Jiang Hong can maintain his current form, then winning a medal in the men's singles at next year's Olympics is not out of the question!"

Director Sun doesn't dare to dream of winning a gold medal yet, but the value of a men's singles tennis medal is immeasurable.

After all, people say that the sports in which China wins awards are mostly niche sports or women's sports.

Men's events, or highly professional events, are difficult to compete in.

However, if a player wins the men's singles tennis championship, the significance of that victory is absolutely enormous.

"If Jiang Hong can maintain his form, he might actually win a card!" Upon hearing this, the eyes of the others lit up instantly.

Originally, the plan was just to produce a male singles player who wouldn't be too embarrassing, but now they're even considering medals.

However, some leaders of the Tennis Association also turned into idea generators at this time.

"Director Sun, Jiang Hong is so strong. If he also plays doubles, wouldn't that give him another chance to win a prize?"

The suggestion had barely been made when Director Sun turned around and glared at the other person.

"This matter must not be mentioned again."

"Singles matches are already very competitive. Jiang Hong has only just established himself and has never played doubles before. Finding a partner and developing chemistry will take time."

"Don't let the uncertainty of doubles affect your singles results."

After all, Director Sun, being a former athlete, was extremely disgusted by such impulsive and unreliable ideas.

Upon hearing this, the tennis association leader standing nearby immediately shut up.

After all, the Chinese Tennis Association doesn't really have that much power over the Internet Management Center.

Director Sun didn't dwell on the matter, and then turned to another staff member and spoke.

"Oh, and send another congratulatory message about Jiang Hong's results later!"

"Oh? But wouldn't sending so many congratulatory messages in a row seem too hasty?"

"Jiang Hong has made history in Chinese tennis. Doesn't he deserve a congratulatory letter?"

"Uh... I'll go right away!"

The staff member nodded quickly and went to get busy.

The internet is buzzing right now.

After all, Jiang Hong defeated Djokovic and successfully entered the final of the Madrid Masters.

They'll at least get a runner-up title.

"Wow, I just saw that the Internet Association and the Internet Management Center sent out congratulatory letters again."

"I feel that the number of congratulatory messages sent out by the Tennis Association in the past few days is more than the total number sent in the entire previous year."

"Who told us that Chinese tennis only has this one representative?"

"Jiang Hong is truly remarkable."

"I never expected that a Chinese player could compete with Federer for the Masters title."

……

"Alright, get some rest tonight, and we'll check on things again tomorrow!" Fu Yunlong said after his physiotherapy session.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work!" Jiang Hong nodded.

After seeing Fu Yunlong and Ma Kejie off, he closed the door and lay down on the bed.

"system!"

[Status: Fatigue (Forehand technique -5%, Power...)]

Although I got a lot of equipment and my stats improved a lot because I defeated Nadal yesterday.

But it seems that I'm not good enough to compete in Grand Slams right now!
"Forget it, I don't want to think about it that much."

Let's see what the reward is!

Yesterday, Jiang Hong only included one suggestion in the forum.

Fortunately, Federer did not suffer a setback.

Otherwise, you won't be able to claim your reward.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully defeating Djokovic and suggesting a final meeting with Federer. Would you like to claim your reward?]

What's there to hesitate about? "Claim it!"

Instantly, Jiang Hong saw a glittering golden treasure chest appear on the system panel.

"Open it for me!"

Jiang Hong stared intently at the system panel, hoping to find something useful.

He seemed to hear the voice saying, "Wow, the golden legend."

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have gained +3 Advanced Forward Technique Points]

Jiang Hong's eyes lit up instantly, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"so far so good!"

At least what he gets for himself is something that can directly improve his combat power, rather than some training equipment.

"Sigh, it's all thanks to my tireless training day and night that I have the strength I have today!"

"System, add points!"

Forehand: 85→88

After improving his skills, Jiang Hong felt that there were still some flaws in the transitions of his forehands in today's match.

I turned around, turned on my computer, and logged into Tieba with practiced ease.

Before even logging into the tennis forum, I saw posts from the forum on the homepage.

In the past, only a few tennis forum posts would appear on the homepage each year.

But now, the Tennis Bar is one of the top bars on Baidu Tieba.

Jiang Shen is great, no further explanation needed!

【ACE球:15；双误：2，一发得分率85%，二发得分率75，破发点兑现62.5%(5/8)，非受迫失误10。】

Jiang Hong discovered that it was actually his own competition data.

After taking a look, he nodded and said, "It's alright!"
"Jiang Shen's four aces at the start soaked me! Awesome!"

"Damn, I specifically clicked into your profile to take a look. Aren't you a guy upstairs?"

"What? Can't I just spit out my Coke?"

"But Djokovic is really fierce. He almost turned the match around several times. It made me want to take some nitroglycerin pills."

"Fortunately, Jiang Shen ultimately withstood the pressure and proved to be a cut above the rest."

"It's not that Djokovic isn't good enough, it's just that Jiang Shen is too strong!"

"Indeed, Jiang Shen is going to have a showdown with Federer at the Forbidden City tomorrow, and I'm having trouble sleeping." "But that Hawk-Eye shot in today's match really startled me. If that ball had gone out of bounds, the outcome of today's match would have been very uncertain."

"Hilarious, here we go again. Can't accept defeat? You can clearly see that ball was right on the line in slow motion. Why don't you just say that Djokovic's several drop shots at the net were just lucky?"

Is it so hard to acknowledge Jiang Shenqiang?

"Always be harsh on your own people!"

Jiang Hong read the post for a while and nodded in satisfaction.

Although it might not be of any use, it did improve Jiang Hong's mood considerably.

However, Jiang Hong hadn't forgotten the most important thing: he needed to get at least a few suggestions from the forum members.

A short while later, a new post appeared on the forum.

[Living up to the expectations of all the Cyber ​​coaches, we've made it to the Madrid Masters final! Tomorrow we face Federer! Any suggestions, everyone? Urgent!]

"Who is impersonating Jiang Shen to post this?"

He Ruizhe is a tennis enthusiast. After watching the match, he couldn't sleep. He heard that Jiang Hong would post on Tieba.

With some doubt in my heart, I logged into the forum with some skepticism. While I was browsing around, I suddenly saw this post.

After clicking in, I saw the moderator's certification.

OP: Listen to my advice, Xiao Jiang!
"Huh? It really is Jiang Hong!"

He had seen Jiang Hong's training videos on Youku, and that was the nickname he used.

Then continue looking down.

"Along the way, I've been fortunate to receive guidance from all the cyber coaches, who provided me with tactics (bad ideas), data analysis, and even jinxes (scratch that). Tomorrow's final opponent is world number one Roger Federer. There are so many talented people in this forum, and they all speak so kindly. Do you have any good suggestions? [Sincere Xiao Jiang.jpg]"

He Ruizhe was just thinking about posting the first message under his idol's post when...

I had just finished reading the content and scrolled down when I saw dozens of posts had already appeared.

"Holy crap, we've caught a wild ginger god!"

"Suggestion? I suggest Jiang Shen go to sleep. You're playing Federer tomorrow, and you're still wandering around here!"

"Jiang Shen, listen to me! Just like today, start with four aces, replicating the script from today's match against Djokovic! Let Federer see what it means for young people to lack sportsmanship!"

"Based on my serious analysis, Jiang Shen, just use your serve to smash his backhand. Also, Federer is too aggressive at the net. Tomorrow, Jiang Shen, play less drop shots."

"As a fan of Jiang Shen for ten years, I have mixed feelings... Jiang Shen, promise me, I'll win, but please don't shave my head completely, okay? Give this veteran artist some face... (laughs)"

Jiang Hong looked at the suggestions from the forum users, his expression a mixture of emotions.

What a bunch of skewers!
Should I go shave Federer's head?

We also need to relentlessly attack Federer's backhand.

Jiang Hong continued scrolling down with the mouse.

"Jiang Shen, tomorrow you wear a red jersey, and don't peel the bananas you eat! Before serving, bounce the ball five times! Don't ask why, it's because of the mysterious power from the great Eastern country."

"I suggest you, Jiang Shen, go up and play rock-paper-scissors with him in the first round. If you win, let him have a turn. Show the magnanimity of our great Eastern nation! [doge]"

"Don't listen to his nonsense! Hong Shen, remember the following points:"

1. Serve with all your might!
2. Run like crazy!
3. Make your expression cold and your eyes fierce, reminding him of the fear of being dominated by Nadal at the French Open!

4. If you win, remember to sign your name on the camera and write: "Commanded by a fellow forum member!"

When Jiang Hong saw this, he initially thought it was some helpful advice, but it turned out to be nothing but nonsense!
"Jiang Bao! Mom (crossed out) fans are begging you! Protect your wrist! Don't fight every ball head-on, you still have a bright future! Also, can you say 'This is a victory for Tieba' in the post-match interview? Waiting online, it's urgent."

"Get out of here, you male mom!"

“I just finished running the data model. Based on Federer’s performance in Madrid this season, his first serve success rate in the inner corner of the second service box is 3.5% lower than in the first. When you receive serve, you can take a gamble on that position and launch an attack.”

Jiang Hong breathed a sigh of relief, "Finally, I've found a useful suggestion!"

"[Uploaded a mind-blowing drawing: a stick figure using a giant racket to send another stick figure wearing a crown flying] Tactical diagram! Got it? Play like this!"

Yes, that's right, and there are also soul painters!
"Young man, you have an extraordinary physique. Here's a pre-competition fascia gun user guide and a secret electrolyte water recipe for you. I'll send it to you via private message! I guarantee you'll be full of energy tomorrow!"

"It's over, Federer's got it covered. The 'God of Grass' is still young and inexperienced; reaching the final was already an extraordinary performance, so losing is normal. Federer's skills haven't faded; the grass-court god is still invincible on hard courts..."

The reply was immediately banned by the moderators as soon as it was posted.

"Suggestion? My suggestion is: just win the championship! Then take a picture of the trophy and post it online, let's make it our prized possession!"

"Hong Shen, I have a final suggestion: before you go on the court tomorrow, secretly cut two strings from each of Federer's rackets. Don't tell anyone who taught you to do it."

"..."

"Hmm, they're all really talented!"

In the end, Jiang Hong still pinned a comment!
"Unified reply: Tactics received. Let's try not peeling the bananas. We'll discuss cutting the racket strings later... Thank you everyone. I'll show you all when I bring the trophy back. Goodnight."

Jiang Hong, open the system and begin the feasibility task.

[Ding! A suggestion has been detected that the host used the "serve-to-backhand" followed by "forehand-to-backhand" tactical combination ten times during the match against Federer. Record this?]

Jiang Hong thought about it for a moment, and it seemed to be feasible.

"Included!"

[Ding, suggestion detected. Host, serve at least 2 aces in the first service game of the first set. Reward: Enter the (Unstoppable Momentum) state for two games.]

This was the first time Jiang Hong had seen a suggestion to reward players for getting into the right state.

Unstoppable momentum: Serve +10%, receive prediction +5%.

"Great stuff!" Jiang Hong's eyes lit up instantly. "Quickly, add it to your collection!"

[Ding! The host has received a suggestion: when serving in Federer's second service area, launch a counter-attack and successfully win at least 3 points. Reward: Treasure Chest.]

These three suggestions are pretty good, but the later ones are a bit more abstract.

[Ding! Host has received a suggestion to complete the following rituals during pre-match preparation: 1. Wear a red jersey; 2. Eat an unpeeled banana; 3. Bounce the ball 5 times before serving. Reward: 0.1% increase in match spread.]

"So you're just trying to make me look bad, huh?"

After that, there were also some abstract and intense activities like playing rock-paper-scissors with Federer and destroying Federer's racket.

While it's true that many athletes are rather abstract in their own right.

Of course, there was another suggestion that Jiang Hong didn't forget.

[Ding! Host has received a suggestion: Win the 2007 Madrid Masters and take a photo with the trophy, then post it on the Tennis Forum. Reward unknown!]

"Oh, right, I forgot about that suggestion."

[…Go to sleep immediately and reward yourself with plenty of sleep!]

Without any hesitation, Jiang Hong decided that at least he wouldn't be sleepy tomorrow.

"I'll finish yours first!"

Immediately pull the covers over your head and go to sleep!
……

While Jiang Hong was resting, various newspapers were working overtime to finish their reports.

Xinhua News Agency: "Madrid Witnesses History! Chinese Youngster Jiang Hong Defeats Djokovic to Reach His First Masters Final"

People's Daily: "A Rising Star Shines in Spain! Jiang Hong Achieves a Major Breakthrough for Chinese Tennis"

Both media outlets appeared very serious, and in short, they were all trying to elevate the narrative.

Secondly, Sports Weekly has been dominated by Jiang Hong's name lately.

Since Jiang Hong's arrival! The Madrid Miracle, Jiang Hong's decisive battle at the Forbidden City!

Other reports, however, seemed less serious.

For example, Sina Sports' headline read, "Jiang the God of War Descends! Jiang Hong Defeats World No. 3 in Two Straight Sets, Set to Face Federer in the Final!"

In addition to domestic media, many European and American sports media outlets also reported on this match.

Reuters: "Who is Jiang Hong? Chinese Teenager Stuns Djokovic to Reach Madrid Final"

Who is Jiang Hong? Chinese teenager defeats Djokovic to advance to the Madrid final.

The New York Times: From Obscurity to Center Court: Jiang Hong Aims at King Roger

From Nobody to Center Court: Jiang Hong Aims for Federer's Throne

French newspaper L'Équipe: "Le Révélation Jiāng Hóng: Après Novak, visera-t-il Roger ?"

Shocking Truth by Jiang Hong: After Novak, is Roger his next target?

Of course, the international media outlets that reacted most strongly were South Korea and Japan.

South Korean media directly stated that Jiang Hong's current achievements are due to her previous study of the South Korean tennis style.

Furthermore, they're spreading rumors that Jiang Hong likes certain South Korean female celebrities.

As for Japan, it is reflecting on its history. Japan once had the best tennis record among the three East Asian countries, but now it has gradually fallen behind.

We should analyze Jiang Hong's style and learn from it; they even created a special program about it.

Besides these large media outlets, the reports from smaller media outlets are even more bizarre and outlandish.

Several small media outlets, having somehow learned about Jiang Hong's urine test, immediately began to embellish the story.

After all, urine tests and doping are too easily linked.

Moreover, Jiang Hong now represents traffic and money.

Miracle or "Potion"? In-depth analysis of Jiang Hong's meteoric rise and the secrets behind it!

"...While we are happy that Jiang Hong has achieved such excellent results, a review of his matches reveals his exaggerated strength and stamina..."

"...According to American experts, East Asians' physical abilities are far inferior to those of Europeans and Americans. Jiang Hong's various qualities far surpass those of some other top European and American players. Is there some secret behind this?"

"...Sports development is not something that can be achieved overnight. We should reflect on whether we have been too eager for quick success..."

This post instantly became so popular that it overshadowed the headlines on major portal websites.

Most of the netizens in the comments section were angrily criticizing the other party.

"Does this editor think they can take a family photo all by themselves? They're slandering Jiang Shen like this!"

"It's disgusting! I can't stand seeing domestic athletes do well!"

"It's made us start reflecting again."

"..."

However, there are also quite a few rational and objective people among them.

"Sigh, if Jiang Hong really had no problems, why would he be taken for a urine test?"

"No wonder it was so powerful, it turns out it was some kind of evil trick!"

"A urine test is perfectly normal; all professional athletes undergo it!"

Of course, some people are convinced of certain things and will not listen to explanations at all.

Everyone else is drunk, but I am the only one sober.

Furthermore, some tabloids reported that Jiang Hong may have suffered injuries in the previous few matches.

The chaotic and conflicting reports instantly cast a shadow over the match.

However, Jiang Hong, the protagonist, was leisurely eating breakfast.

(End of this chapter)