The Prince of Tennis: From Data-Driven Tennis to the Pinnacle of His Career

"Bang!"

Saeki Kojiro didn't even need to move much; he easily swung his racket and smashed the ball back, which had finally cleared the net.

Immediately afterwards, he began to carefully observe his opponent.

Kagura Ichijin ran over as if his life depended on it, his steps faltering, and barely managed to reach the tennis ball.

Seeing this, Saeki Kojiro decisively rushed to the net, preparing to make a signature volley to end the point.

However, he stopped in his tracks the next second.

Kagura Ichijin caught the ball, but didn't pass it back.

The ball flew straight into the sky like a rocket, finally tracing an awkward arc before landing on the wire mesh outside the court.

"0-15!"

……

"This works?"

Saeki Kojiro stared at the motionless figure, his face full of confusion.

Kagura Ijin's performance was nothing like that of a trained player; rather, it resembled that of a newcomer who had hardly ever played.

"Bang!"

Kagura Ijin serves again.

This time, the speed was noticeably faster, barely breaking the 100km/h mark.

"Kagura-kun, is this all you've got?"

Saeki Kojiro easily returned the ball, and then Kagura Ichijin sprinted towards the ball's landing point.

Kagura Ichijin's movement speed was slightly faster this time than before.

Once he was certain that his opponent could reach the ball, Saeki Kojiro pressed forward towards the net again.

But just as he was about to intercept, he stopped again, looking at the other side with a look of astonishment.

Kagura Ikjin swung his ball with force, but the direction was completely wrong.

The tennis ball, accompanied by a whistling sound, flew straight towards the referee, who was seated high in the umpire's chair!

"0-30!"

Faced with the tennis ball flying two meters away, the referee was about to issue a warning, but ultimately chose to remain silent.

The gap in strength between the two sides is too great; Kagura Ijin can't even control the ball.

"Kagura-kun, just admit defeat. Continuing to fight like this is pointless and will only make things more embarrassing for you."

Seeing Kagura Ichijin walk back to the service court, Saeki Kojiro couldn't help but speak up.

"..."

Kagura Ijin did not respond, but simply raised his racket silently.

"Bang!"

"0-40!"

"Bang!"

"Game, Torajiro Saeki, 2-0!"

……

In two consecutive games, Kagura Ijin was unable to effectively return the ball to the court against Saeki Kojiro's counterattacks.

However, he didn't seem to care about the jeers from the audience on the sidelines, because the system had already displayed Saeki Kojiro's data.

Saeki Kojiro (Sixth grade elementary school student)

Speed: 2

Power: 2

Stamina: 2

Spirit: 2.5

Technology: 2.5

Total: 11

Special skill: Dynamic vision (precisely capturing fast-moving objects)

Technique: Powerful Cannon (flat serve, ball speed 150km/h-158km/h)

"How come it's only 11?"

Upon seeing these five dimensions, Kagura Ichijin felt a flicker of surprise.

He had originally estimated that Saeki Kojiro's five dimensions would be at least 14 or higher, but he did not expect them to be so low at this time.

This made him wonder if the system was malfunctioning, after all, his five dimensions were much more "luxurious" than Saeki Kojiro's.

Kagura Ichijin (Sixth Grade)

Speed: 1.5

Power: 1.5

Stamina: 1.5

Spirit: 10

Technology: 0.5

Total: 15

"Kagura-kun, stop daydreaming, I'm about to serve."

Just as Kagura Ikjin was comparing the five dimensions of both sides, Saeki Kojiro impatiently urged him from the other side.

"Heavy artillery!"

"boom!"

With a loud bang, Saeki Kojiro served again.

Just when he thought this ball would score directly like before, he was surprised to find that the clumsy running figure had actually appeared at the ball's landing point ahead of time!

"Go back...!"

With both hands gripping the racket tightly, Kagura Ichijin felt a heavy force travel from the handle to his arm.

But he gritted his teeth and forcefully headed the ball back!

The system has already provided Saeki Kojiro with the data and return route. If he still can't return the ball, then he'll be a disgrace to the transmigrators.

That's right! He's not from this world; he's only been here for less than a week.

Apart from his extraordinary mental strength, he was no different from an ordinary elementary school student.

If it weren't for this system that can analyze opponent data and predict ball trajectories in real time, he would have been eliminated in the first round of the qualifiers, let alone the round of 16.

He came to the Jr. convention this time essentially to "get something for free".

Authentic tennis rackets are too expensive; he simply can't afford them with his current financial resources.

The registration fee for participating in the competition is different; it's completely affordable for ordinary people.

As long as he is not eliminated, he can continue to use the high-end rackets provided by the tournament organizers and have different types of players serve as his free sparring partners.

It would be even better if we could get a good ranking, as we could not only continue to use the racket for free, but also receive some physical prizes.

"15-0!"

"..."

Looking at the tennis ball that had clearly flown out of bounds, Kagura Ichijin shook his aching wrist.

Although the ball went out of bounds, this was the first time he had successfully made a decent return.

"Is it a coincidence? Or...?"

Saeki Kojiro frowned, looking at Kagura Ichijin who had once again assumed a defensive stance, and a strange feeling arose in his heart.

He tossed the ball again and swung his racket.

"Go back!"

This time, Kagura Ijin once again appeared precisely on the path, blocking the ball back with both hands.

The ball didn't go out of bounds! But it didn't hit any of the positions marked by the system either.

"Bang!"

Just as Saeki Kojiro launched a counter-attack, he saw that Kagura Ichijin had already run to the opposite corner area and was waiting.

Seeing Kagura Ichijin already in his hitting stance, Saeki Kojiro gripped his racket even tighter.

"Bang!"

Sensing that Saeki Kojiro's return shot was losing power, Kagura Ichijin became even more composed.

After easily returning the ball, he ran directly to the next ball's landing point.

After eighteen consecutive rallies, Saeki Kojiro was finally unable to save the ball that Saeki had hit diagonally across the table due to the distance.

"15-15!"

……

"15-30!"

……

"15-40!"

……

"Game, Torajiro Saeki, 2-1!"

……

"They broke serve? Is this the same person who couldn't even touch the ball just now?"

In the stands, Genichiro Sanada, wearing a black baseball cap, had his pupils constricted and his face was full of shock.

It's not uncommon for the underdog to win in tennis, but the contrast between acting like a fool in the first two games and suddenly becoming a prophet in the third is really too strange.

Saeki Kojiro's skill level is obvious to all, so how could he keep losing the ball? It's as if he's being manipulated.

"Yukimura, do you know why?"

Sanada turned to ask Yukimura Seiichi, who was wearing a coat.

"It's data tennis. Saeki-kun has been figured out. If nothing changes, it will be very difficult for her to win."

Yukimura Seiichi's violet-blue eyes remained calm, and his tone was indifferent.

Kagura Ichijin's data tennis is indeed terrifyingly accurate, but in his opinion, that's all.

If it were him, even if he were to be outmaneuvered, he could still hit a shot that Kagura Ichijin couldn't return.

"Data tennis? That's interesting."

Right next to Yukimura Seiichi, Yanagi Renji opened his eyes and looked at the figure on the court who was preparing to serve, his curiosity growing.