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

"Bang!"

As he served again, Atobe Keigo's eyes were fixed on Kagura Ichijin, trying to find a weakness in him.

"The serve is faster and more powerful."

The moment the racket touched the ball, Kagura Ichijin sensed the change.

However, this level of improvement was not enough to overwhelm him.

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"0-30!"

After finding the right opportunity to deliver a beautiful spike and score, Kagura Ichijin retreated to the receiving area, looked at Atobe Keigo on the opposite side, and suddenly spoke.

"Atobe-kun, you've warmed up enough, haven't you? Shouldn't you get serious now?"

Although the tug-of-war just now looked intense, for these athletes, it was at most a high-intensity basic skills exercise.

"It's time to get serious. I don't want to lose my serve so easily."

Atobe Keigo took a deep breath, his eyes sharpening.

He tossed the ball high into the air, flicked his wrist to apply strong backspin, and then struck it quickly!

"15-30!"

"Huh? This is... a slice shot?"

Kagura Ijin's swing missed, and he looked at the tennis ball that had rolled out of bounds with some surprise.

The ball didn't bounce very high after it landed; instead, it slid along the ground and passed right through the bottom of his racket.

"good."

Seeing that Kagura Ichijin had revealed the secret in a single sentence, Atobe Keigo nodded confidently.

His serve is not only fast, but also bounces very low after landing, making it extremely difficult to receive.

Kagura Ikjin could be proud that he was forced to use this move.

"A decent serve, but unfortunately... there are big problems."

Kagura Ichijin smiled slightly, a knowing glint in his eyes.

This serve can only be considered a prototype of the Tannhäuser serve. Although it is somewhat tricky, it is not unsolvable.

"Hmph! How arrogant! Then you take one and let me see!"

A hint of mockery appeared on Atobe Keigo's lips.

Since he mastered this move, no one has ever been able to break it in person.

"OK."

Kagura Ichijin nodded seriously and assumed a defensive stance.

"Bang!"

Keigo Atobe applied backspin again and hit the ball out.

"Bang!"

Kagura Ijin quickly ran to the landing point and decisively swung his racket the moment the ball bounced up.

"A great opportunity!"

Upon seeing this high lob, a glint flashed in Atobe Keigo's eyes. He leaped high and delivered a magnificent smash—a waltz toward destruction!

"30-30!"

"Was it shot too high...?"

Kagura Ichijin frowned slightly after seeing Atobe Keigo score directly.

Breaking the serve alone isn't enough; we also have to deal with Atobe Keigo's powerful smashes, which is indeed quite tricky.

"Bang!"

On the second serve, Atobe Keigo kept a close eye on Kagura Ichijin's movements.

He wanted to see if that last shot was just a coincidence, or if Kagura Ikjin had truly found a way to break the deadlock.

"Bang!"

Kagura Ijin lowered his center of gravity and swung his racket again.

This time, the ball's height was lowered considerably.

However, Keigo Atobe reacted extremely quickly, rushing to the net again and smashing the ball once more!

"40-30!"

"hateful……"

Despite scoring again, Atobe Keigo was not happy at all.

Kagura Ijin truly cracked his serve; it wasn't just luck.

"Bang!"

……

"Out!"

Because he was too eager to achieve quick results and wanted to increase spin and speed, Atobe Keigo's serve went out of bounds.

Seeing this, he sighed inwardly, realizing that it would take time to perfect it into a true ultimate technique.

"Bang!"

……

"Game, Atobe Keigo, 1-0!"

With the Waltz of Destruction, Keigo Atobe finally managed to hold serve.

"They're really a bit troublesome."

Seeing Atobe Keigo already prepared for defense, Kagura Ichijin's expression grew increasingly serious.

A player like Keigo Atobe, who has developed a unique style and possesses formidable strength, doesn't really have any obvious weaknesses.

To defeat Atobe Keigo, you either need to rely on raw strength or use some special techniques.

"boom!"

It's Kagura Ijin's turn to serve.

He tossed the ball high into the air, leaping into the air as his arm muscles exploded with power as he swung the racket with all his might!

"15-0!"

"Faster than my serve..."

Looking at the still-smoking ball behind him, Atobe Keigo's eyes grew even brighter.

The speed of that ball just now definitely exceeded 195km/h!

However, this was not a problem for him.

With his exceptional insight, he had already seen through Kagura Ichijin's serve and knew that he could receive it if he could predict the landing point in advance.

"boom!"

As Kagura Ichijin served again, Atobe Keigo indeed started running ahead of time, heading towards the ball's landing point.

"Bang!"

The moment the racket catches the ball, a tremendous force travels up the arm.

Keigo Atobe gritted his teeth and forcefully headed the ball back.

"15-15!"

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

Having successfully broken Kagura Ichijin's serve, Atobe Keigo became even more confident.

Although Kagura Ijin's serve is very fast, he has already found a way to counter it.

He also discovered that this powerful serve was extremely physically demanding, and that after serving, it was impossible to immediately return the ball.

"So it really won't work..."

Kagura Ichijin sighed.

He originally wanted to conserve some of his strength and use it in the Kanto Tournament or even the National Tournament, but he didn't expect to be forced to use it by Atobe Keigo now.

Hopefully, there aren't any players skilled in data-driven tennis watching the match, otherwise he'll be in big trouble later.

A player skilled in data-driven tennis would have almost a 100% chance of losing if they revealed their true data to their peers.

"boom!"

Kagura Ijin jumped again, this time with even faster and more powerful swings!

"30-15!"

"Your serve speed has gotten faster again? Kagura, is this your true skill level?"

Atobe Keigo was also slightly surprised as he looked at the tennis ball deeply embedded in the barbed wire.

The speed of that ball just now must have exceeded 200 km/h!

This level of serve is extremely rare even in national competitions.

"boom!"

……

"40-15!"

……

"Game, Kagura Ikjin, 1-1!"

After scoring consecutive points with his serve, Kagura Ijin successfully held his serve.

During the break when Atobe Keigo was serving, he silently recited the system's commands.

Keigo Atobe (First year of junior high school)

Speed: 2.5

Power: 3

Stamina: 4.5

Spirit: 2.5

Technology: 3.5

Total: 16

Kagura I-Jen (Grade 1, Junior High)

Speed: 3

Power: 3

Stamina: 3

Spirit: 10

Technology: 2.5

Total: 21.5

"No wonder he was so confident, he really is very strong."

Upon seeing Atobe Keigo's five dimensions, Kagura Ichijin knew he absolutely couldn't be dragged into a tiebreaker, otherwise he might really lose to Atobe Keigo.

After all, given Atobe Keigo's unique techniques and terrifying stamina, his true skill level is probably much stronger than many so-called national-level athletes.