Tennis: He's so obedient!

Chapter 217 Is Nadal your manservant? A reporter stirring up trouble!
"Incredible, an unbelievable score!" Zhan Jun's voice suddenly rose.

Zhang Sheng's voice was also filled with excitement.

"He won in straight sets! He defeated Rafael Nadal, the undisputed genius of tennis and a three-time French Open champion! Even more shocking is that Jiang Hong beat him 6-0."

"Just a few months ago, we were overjoyed that Chinese men's tennis could win a tournament or even a Challenger tournament. Who would have thought that in such a short time, Chinese men's tennis would be able to stand on such a stage?"

"To be able to defeat a legendary player with such an astonishing 6-0 score on this indoor hard court, handing them a bagel!"

The first time Nadal achieved this 6-0 score was in the second round of the 2004 US Open, when he faced Andy Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion.

The two most recent matches were against the same opponent.

These are the two instances from last year's Wimbledon final, where Federer swept them 6-0 in 24 minutes.

In this year's Hamburg Masters final, he was swept 6-0 by Federer.

This match ended his 81-match winning streak on clay.

When Nadal first ate a duck egg, he was just a young player.

His achievements were even far inferior to Jiang Hong's current ones; back then, he only won one singles title in a tour tournament.

Federer is currently the number one player in tennis, although the Hamburg Masters dealt him a significant blow.

Being bageled by Jiang Hong, a newcomer to the tennis world who has been in the sport for less than a year, once again dealt Nadal a significant blow.

At this point, online forums were flooded with posts about it.

[6-0, wow! Am I watching a sci-fi movie?!]

Madrid: Just a fluke! Paris: I'm not pretending anymore, I'm laying my cards on the table!

[I recommend getting a urine test for Ginger God!]

[It's been checked, there wasn't a single drop of urine in the doping test!]

Nadal is clearly in pain.

[The second scene is a vivid depiction of a large-scale massacre.]

Wow, unbelievable! This is practically a teaching exercise!

[Jiang Shen: (pointing) You think you're the King of Clay?! (doge emoji)]

[He's staying in Bengbu; Nadal will probably need to see a psychologist after the match.]

In the end, this netizen was right; Nadal might really need to seek psychological counseling after the match.

In the latter part of the second set, the young Nadal was still unable to control his emotions perfectly and became increasingly impatient.

The more they wanted to win a small game, the more mistakes they made.

Jiang Hong looked up at Nadal, who was looking down.

He thought to himself, "If I give it my all, he should understand, right?"

Then I looked at the racket in the other person's hand. I wondered if he was going to swing it at me.
After all, there are very few players who can avoid smashing their racket after being down 6-0.

Of the Big Three, only Nadal has never smashed his racket.

At this point, Nadal was still feeling a bit dizzy.

They don't seem to have shaken off the feeling from the match just now.

After being defeated 6-0 by Roddick, ending his US Open journey, he trained hard to make up for his weaknesses, striving to one day achieve a 6-0 victory over Roddick.

To be honest, Nadal really did achieve that.

However, it wasn't on the ATP circuit, but on the ITF circuit.

In the 2008 Davis Cup, Nadal defeated Roddick 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 against Spain.

He successfully avenged his loss to Roddick.

Nadal originally thought that it was unlikely that he would be beaten 6-0.

Although the game I'm least good at is indoor hard courts.

But it shouldn't have been beaten so badly.

Until—I met Jiang Hong.

Nadal looked up at the boy opposite him.

After the initial disappointment, a fighting spirit took over.

I am 21 years old this year, and Jiang Hong is 18 years old.

Tennis players have relatively long careers, and their careers typically decline around the age of thirty.

Therefore, they will have plenty of opportunities to face off in the future.

He will definitely get his revenge!
Nadal picked up his racket and walked to the net.

Jiang Hong breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Nadal's expression had softened.

However, he still didn't reach the net and was some distance from Nadal.

Seeing this, Nadal asked with some confusion, "Why are you so far away?"

Jiang Hong blinked and said very honestly, "I'm just worried that you might hit someone with your racket!"

Nadal's first reaction upon hearing this was to refute it.

"When have I ever hit anyone...?"

Halfway through my sentence, I suddenly realized something.

He glared at Jiang Hong and said fiercely, "Originally I didn't intend to hit anyone, but after your reminder, I really am going to hit someone!"

Jiang Hong understood that Nadal was just joking, and pretended to be terrified as he spoke.

"Rafa, you're still young, never go down the path of crime!"

"This is just a game; the future is yours!"

Nadal's eye twitched. If it was originally a joke, now Nadal really wanted to punch this guy.

She was three years older than Jiang Hong, yet he said the future belonged to her.

He really deserves a beating!
Just as Nadal was in a daze, Jiang Hong walked up to him and shook hands with him.

“Rafa, I know you should understand that we new players always give our all when facing a legendary player like you.”

Nadal opened his mouth, though he felt that Jiang Hong's achievements already made him a top player.

However, this guy has only been in the tennis world for a few months at most.

However, he has already won a tour title, a tour runner-up, a Masters title, and a guaranteed runner-up finish in the final.

Nadal opened his mouth, but only managed to utter one sentence.

"Next time, I'll definitely let you taste the flavor of duck eggs."

"Hiss~" Jiang Hong suddenly gasped. "Rafa, you really need to go easy on me next time!"

Nadal immediately gritted his teeth and said, "But you didn't hold back either!"

Jiang Hong shrugged, looking helpless.

"I can't afford to go easy on a player like you! If I relax even for one game and you turn the game around, I'll be devastated!"

Nadal was also impressed by Jiang Hong and nodded in agreement.

"Alright, enjoy the victory! I'm off!"

"See you later!"

Jiang Hong nodded.

Although Nadal performed well just now, he was actually very upset inside.

I packed up my bag and headed towards the players' tunnel.

Just then, the voices of Nadal's fans suddenly reached his ears clearly.

"Rafa! We still love you!"

Rafa, we still love you!
"Head up, Champion! You are still our king!"

Heads up, champion! You are still our king!
"Vamos Rafa! Next time!"

Come on, Rafa! Win next time!

"..."

Hearing the voices of the fans in the stadium, Nadal's eyes welled up with tears.

He turned around, faced the fans, perked up, and waved his racket at them.

Nadal walked into the players' tunnel and found his coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, already waiting for him.

Nadal's tears were flowing, not only because of losing the match, but also because of the support from the fans.

Tony didn't say anything, but instead gave Nadal a hug.

After a while, they released each other.

"Look at me, Rafa, it's just one game, just one game!"

"Losing a match is not shameful. What matters is how you handle it and how you beat him next time, understand?"

Nadal nodded emphatically. "I understand, Uncle. I've discovered my strengths in offense..."

The camera also captured the scene of the fans showing their support.

Seeing this scene, commentator Zhan Jun couldn't help but exclaim, "Today we witnessed a heartwarming moment of Nadal interacting with the fans. In competitive sports, especially in a sport like tennis, losses are inevitable. The fans in the stadium, including many Chinese fans, gave him a round of applause!"

"That's the beauty of sports: we cheer for the winners, and we also pay tribute to the great losers."

Zhang Sheng nodded and said, "Yes, we believe that with Nadal's fighting spirit, he will definitely learn from this defeat, and next time we may see an even stronger Nadal!"

At this moment, only one figure remained in the center of the field—Jiang Hong.

The glory belongs to the victors.

Support banners were constantly being tossed and turned on the stands.

"Jiang Hong—! Awesome—!"

Suddenly, a chorus of shouts erupted.

It made the viewers in front of the TV laugh.

Amidst the roaring cheers, Jiang Hong stood quietly on the court.

I took a deep breath, opened my arms, and enjoyed my moment.

Victory! Victory! And more victory!

Jiang Hong opened his eyes and waved to the fans in all directions.

My buddy was in a good mood today, so Jiang Hong threw his racket into the crowd.

He then took out an autographed tennis ball that he had prepared beforehand and threw it once again into the area where Chinese fans were gathered.

Jiang Hong went to interact with fans who had traveled a long distance to support him.

"Thank you all for coming and cheering me on!"

"No need to thank me, we're brothers!"

Several foreign fans approached Jiang Hong, and his expression instantly hardened.

"Is there anything?"

Jiang Hong couldn't help but accidentally spill an egg on Nadal.

The fans are probably more angry about this score than the players.

After all, the stabbing of Celes is an example.

Nadal has a lot of fans in Paris, and who knows if one of them is acting impulsively.

Several players looked at Jiang Hong with great anticipation.

"Jiang, I really like you. Could you please sign my hat?"

Seeing that the other party meant no harm, Jiang Hongcai breathed a sigh of relief.

"no problem!"

After agreeing, he quickly wrote his name on a pen.

After the interaction, there was one more thing. "Old Li!"

Jiang Hong waved to Li Bobing, the leader of the internet cafe support group's European branch.

"I'm coming!"

Hundreds of people immediately gathered in an empty area, holding banners, and took a group photo with Jiang Hong.

As Jiang Hong's performance improved, the number of fans who liked him also continued to increase.

Many fans want to join the internet cafe fan club, and they have even set up a rule that requires a certain level to join.

So now you can see +3 replies everywhere in internet cafes all day long.

"eggplant!"

The flash of the camera captured the moment.

After the group photo, Jiang Hong said goodbye to his fellow netizens.

As soon as I entered the players' tunnel, I saw Mark Jermaine jogging over.

"Brother Jiang, Brother Jiang, you're amazing!"

Hearing this, Jiang Hong glanced at it and couldn't help but retort, "I really thought you were going to say that I'm really something special!"

Mark Jie looked at Jiang Hong with surprise, "Brother Jiang, you've watched the animated version of 'Journey to the West'?"

"Of course I've seen it!"

After all, I was just a child when the animated version of "Journey to the West" aired!

However, before this question could be fully explored, Li Gong interrupted him.

"Old Jiang, no, I mean Brother Jiang, you're amazing!"

"The company was initially worried that promoting you as an Asian superstar would have a negative impact, but now your achievements are enough to be promoted worldwide!"

Li Gong's eyes lit up, his face full of excitement.

After all, Jiang Hong is currently facing two tennis giants, Federer and Nadal, and has never lost to either of them.

It's all just publicity, so calling him a tennis superstar is perfectly fine.

"Old Jiang, I'm planning to go back and build up your reputation as the nemesis of the Heavenly Kings. What do you think?" Li Gong asked Jiang Hong for his opinion.

Jiang Hong turned his head and glanced at Li Gong, unable to help but sigh.

"You always manage to come up with something new!"

"You can handle this!"

After speaking, Jiang Hong went to take a shower.

Although the score was very lopsided, I had expended a lot of energy.

Even walking now makes my legs a little sore.

……

After straightening his clothes, Nadal went into the press conference room.

The room was packed with reporters, who kept snapping photos as soon as he walked in.

"Rafa, how do you view losing to the same opponent twice in just one month, especially today's second set score of 6-0? What does this mean to you? How do you explain such a... crushing defeat?"

The reporter's eyes lit up as Nadal walked in and immediately asked this pointed question.

Upon hearing this, Tony Nadal, who was sitting next to him, immediately wanted to stand up and refute the other person.

However, before he could stand up, Nadal pulled him back.

"Uncle, leave it to me!"

Tony glared at the reporter before finally sitting down.

Despite his advanced age, Tony has made many controversial statements.

Nadal hadn't forgotten his defeat in the match. He took a deep breath and looked up at the reporter.

"This means that Jiang Hong performed much better than me this month, much better!"

Nadal's tone was very candid.

Tony frowned when he heard this.

I'm not happy with this answer.

"I made a lot of mistakes today, and he played at an extremely high level. As for the 6-0 score, that's sports. I will work hard to improve and make sure this doesn't happen again!"

A Chinese reporter stood up and asked Nadal a question.

"Mr. Nadal, after the Madrid Masters, many people thought it might have been an upset, but after today, will you reassess Jiang Hong's strength and whether he has become a threat to you and Federer in the future season?"

Chinese journalists generally don't act too presumptuously when interviewing foreign athletes.

Even more important is the evaluation of Chinese athletes.

Upon hearing this, Nadal shook his head with a serious expression and said...

"No, no fan at the Madrid Masters would consider it an accident, because he beat me, Novak, and Roger in a row. If it were an accident, it would be too much of a coincidence!"

"In my mind, Jiang Hong will be one of my future rivals, and I am looking forward to the next time I face Jiang Hong."

However, some journalists from the Spanish newspaper AS were unwilling to accept this.

"Rafa, do you think there might be some other off-field factors that contributed to your losses in these two matches...?"

Clearly, they were still trying to imply that Jiang Hong had some kind of problem.

Nadal interrupted him very seriously.

“No, Jiang is my friend. We have some private conversations. His strength has reached the top level. He defeated me because of his strength.”

Then, changing the subject, she continued.

"However, this will not defeat me. Every loss is a valuable lesson for me. I will try more options, strive to do better, and I have even greater goals."

The last question is from the Associated Press.

"Rafa, the next match is the final of the Paris Masters. Do you think Nalbandian or Jiang Hong are the better candidates to lift the Paris City Trophy?"

The official name of the Paris Masters trophy is "Tropee de la Paris," which translates to the Paris City Trophy.

Yes, it's a tree branch trophy.

Just like the original base cup, the name of each player in the main competition will be engraved on the trophy.

In fact, all the reporters had anticipated Nadal's answer.

After all, Jiang Hong has been in incredibly hot form lately.

Nadal picked up the topic in his hand, thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't know!"

Reporters initially thought Nadal would be as certain as Robredo that it was Jiang Hong.

But unexpectedly, he ended up saying he didn't know.

A reporter immediately followed up, "Didn't you just say that Jiang Hong is very strong and that his performance today was perfect?"

“Excellent!” Nadal nodded, explaining, “It’s precisely because Jiang’s performance today was absolutely perfect.”

The reporters were even more confused, and Nadal chuckled.

"Don't misunderstand, I don't hold a grudge against Jiang Heng for sweeping me away!"

This remark amused everyone.

"Jiang covered a huge area during our match today, seemingly covering the entire court, so I'm a little worried about his stamina tomorrow!"

"And what you don't know is that David's strength should not be underestimated."

When David Nalbandian first debuted, he was hailed as the future of tennis, alongside Federer, Safin, and Roddick.

However, unexpectedly, Nalbandian was the only one who failed to win a Grand Slam trophy.

Everyone nodded, agreeing with Nadal's statement.

After the press conference ended, Nadal quickly got up and left.

Meanwhile, Jiang Hong also arrived at the press conference hall after changing his clothes.

The only difference between the press conference room where Nadal was located and the one where he was present was that there were more Chinese reporters; the room was packed with them.

Facing the flashing lights, Jiang Hong sat down at the front of the stage, took off his sunglasses, and smiled.

"We can begin now. Please ask your questions."

The first to speak out were, of course, the domestic state media. Jiang Hong pointed out Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily, and CCTV in succession.

He also answered a question from Sports Weekly.

Finally, it was the turn of the foreign media.

They have gradually gotten used to Jiang Hong's habits.

When it was almost their turn, they all raised their hands high.

Jiang Hong casually ordered one.

"Congratulations, Jiang. Rafa's uncle, Toni, said in a post-match interview that Nadal lost to himself. What's your opinion on that?"

Jiang Hong knew that Nadal had two uncles.

One is a football player, and the other is his coach, Toni Nadal.

The other party has made many controversial remarks in the tennis world.

In any case, there are quite a few athletes' family members who like to make sarcastic or critical remarks about their opponents.

Jiang Hong thought for a moment, then answered the other party's question.

"Nadal was definitely not at his best tonight. Every athlete has off nights. Nadal lost to himself, but I conquered myself!"

A British journalist, seemingly trying to stir up trouble, asked Jiang Hong a question.

"Jiang, you defeated Nadal twice in a short period of time. Have you mastered the secret to defeating him? Do you now have a male servant of the highest caliber?"

Jiang Hong glanced at him after hearing what the other person said.

As expected of Britain, they really are troublemakers!
Jiang Hong thought for a moment, then replied, "I don't think I've mastered the secret to defeating him. He wasn't in good form, while I was in pretty good form. I won. As for the male servant..."

He shook his head and said, "Of course not. Nadal is best at clay courts and worst at indoor hard courts. I can accept your statement if I can beat him on clay, but that's very difficult!"

Upon hearing this, all the reporters thought Jiang Hong was joking.

After all, the prestige of a three-peat at the French Open is undeniable; Nadal is the King of Clay.

Jiang Hong has never set foot on a clay court before.

A French journalist asked Jiang Hong a question.

"Jiang, you'll be facing Nalbandian tomorrow. How confident are you of winning the championship trophy?"

Upon hearing the other person's words, Jiang Hong's eyes were filled with confidence.

"Ten percent!"

Although Jiang Hong is not an arrogant person, if he is still timid and hesitant when he has reached the finals, then he has wasted his time in the finals.
Youthful freedom, youthful exuberance...

The reporters' eyes lit up; this was an excellent answer.

I love these controversial opinions.

The reporter immediately pressed Jiang Hong for answers.

"Jiang, are you so confident because you think Nalbandian is no match for you?"

When Jiang Hong said he had a 100% chance of winning, it didn't mean he was certain of victory.

Nalbandian was definitely a tougher opponent at the Paris Masters than Nadal was in this match.

Although he didn't win the Madrid Masters, his performance in this match showed that Nalbandian was in excellent form.

If I'm careless, I could very well miss out on this trophy.

Jiang Hong shook his head with a serious expression, then spoke to the reporter.

"No, David is a very strong player, I said that entirely as motivation for myself!"

"This is my goal, and this is my determination!"

(End of this chapter)