Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 124 The "Previous Life Curse" of the Grand Slam Top [-] ([-] updates completed, please subscribe)

Although Chen Ran won the match in straight sets, he was glum and obviously not in a good mood as he walked to the center of the court.

Arthurs was very satisfied with his performance. Although he didn't win a single set, every set made the super star struggle.

He was ill, and he called for two more medical timeouts during this period. He kept feeling discomfort from his muscles, and he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Arthurs was proud of his performance.

When he shook hands with Chen Ran, he said somewhat reluctantly: "Chen, if my physical condition is okay, today's game may have a different result."

In fact, Arthurs did not expect to beat Chen Ran in today's match. His original goal was to win the next set.

Although the final result of the game did not go as expected, he fought through injury in the third set and dragged the game into a tie-break. Arthurs was still very satisfied with his performance.

After hearing this, Chen Ran also smiled freely: "Maybe, but it's a pity that luck is not on your side today,"

Arthurs was a little shocked. He thought that Chen Ran would argue with him for a few words, but he didn't expect that the other party would admit that he could win, but he had better luck.

This Chinese young man is magnanimous and broad-minded!

In fact, Chen Ran didn't care what the other party thought, as long as he won the game.

At this time, Court Stadium No. 6000, which can accommodate more than [-] people, once again turned into a sea of ​​joy.

There was thunderous applause and cheers.

Those Chinese fans who had been on tenterhooks for more than three hours were really suffocated and had to vent their emotions at once.

In any case, Chen Ran won the match and advanced to the top 32 of the Grand Slam without losing a set.

The first round, the second round, and now the third round.

The history of Chinese tennis was once again refreshed by Chen Ran!
In the next match against the American super star Roddick, Chen Ran seems to be in danger, but everyone just wants to enjoy the moment.

As the loser, Arthurs has already left the field first, but the cheers and screams on Court No. [-] are still surging continuously, just like a grand carnival party, very lively!

In the CCTV C5 sports live broadcast room, Zhan Jun leaned on his chair feebly for a while before shaking hands with guest Pan Bing.

"By the way, if you enter the top 32 of a Grand Slam, you can get a lot of points. Chen Ran's ranking should be improved a lot." Pan Bing seemed to have thought of something and asked.

I think back then I was ranked around 200 in the world, and I once won the Asian Games championship, but I was never able to break through the qualifying rounds of the Grand Slam.

"Yes, let me check!" Zhan Jun also looked very excited, "I remember there were 90 ATP points in the third round of a Grand Slam."

After a while, he shouted excitedly: "Yes, now Chen Ran's total ATP points have reached 509 points, and his instant ranking has reached 112th. As for the bonus..."

"Hehe, it is indeed a Grand Slam-level match. The third round alone cost 9.7 Australian dollars."

Zhan Jun joked: "This bonus is enough for Chen Ran to buy two houses in a high-end community in his hometown of Dongzhou City."

Pan Bing also curled his lips. The prize money of the Grand Slam is really large. In the third round alone, it exceeded the prize money of the 250 championship.

Zhan Jun added: "Chen Ran will face Roddick in the next game. If...I said if Chen Ran can win this game, his ranking will officially break into the top 100 in the world."

"I remember that Chen Ran had no risk of deducting points before June this year." Pan Bing added.

"Yes, no!" Zhan Jun nodded and said, "And the points to be deducted in June are only 18 points from the ITF Hope Competition, which is insignificant at all. It has been less than a year, and Chen Ran is as fast as a comet. rising."

"I don't know if there is such a fairy tale in the history of tennis, but for me personally, it is indeed the first time!"

Theoretically, even if Chen Ran earns guaranteed points in the first round of the next several Grand Slams or two or three rounds in the tour, it can guarantee that his ranking will not decline this year.

"Viewers, thank you for watching today's game. Please look forward to the showdown between Chen Ran and Roddick in two days!"

The Supernova Showdown previously produced by C5 Sports can finally be put to use.

What will the ratings be like then?
It may not be as good as last year’s World Cup in Japan and South Korea, but compared to most events in the Olympic Games, it should be comparable!
……

After Chen Ran finished his thank-you speech, he silently packed his equipment.

It was indeed difficult to win this game today.

Release water?Chen Ran has no habit of letting go. He is imitating Djokovic in downshifting appropriately.

But this is a Grand Slam-level competition after all, not the previous ITF Hope Tour or ATP Challenger Tour, and the level of opponents is completely different.

If Arthurs hadn't suffered some physical injuries due to the five-set battle in the previous round, Chen Ran wouldn't have dared to downshift the match.

Chen Ran showed anger and dissatisfaction during the game. He was not completely pretending, but also showed some of his true feelings.

Because he found that in this level of competition, he really couldn't upshift and downshift at will like Djokovic.

Once you downshift, it's not easy to get back into competitive shape.

So I still lack competition experience and the ability to adjust my own state.

After Chen Ran cleaned up and saluted, he first walked to the fan area and helped some young fans sign their signatures on tennis balls of different sizes.

Signed tennis balls are a very special tradition in tennis.

Tournament organizers have designed tennis balls in different sizes, including original size, football size, basketball size and even a Big Mac ball.

The smallest tennis ball can allow one player to sign, while the largest tennis ball can collect the signatures of twenty or thirty players.

Therefore, you can often see a group of small fans holding tennis balls of different sizes next to the court or training ground waiting for players to sign their names.

Chen Ran quickly completed his signature as a routine, and then walked towards the players' tunnel.

An interview after the game is definitely indispensable. Chen Ran walked up to the CCTV reporter and had a brief chat.

The other party obviously grasped the core of the problem and asked directly: "Chen Ran, first of all, congratulations on winning today's game. But we are all watching with fear. Your game state today seems to be...compared to the day before yesterday..."

"Did the national attention put too much pressure on you?"

Chen Ran's answer was precise: "There may be this kind of pressure before the game. Of course, this is what every athlete will encounter. But after the game, if you are focused enough, you will not feel the pressure."

"So what's your situation today?"

"First of all, I don't underestimate the enemy, nor do I have the qualifications to underestimate the enemy." Chen Ran said slowly and calmly, "Arthur is a famous tennis player, one of the top [-] players in the world. His performance was very good, which made me passive. .”

"But he is injured after all, and there seems to be problems with his physical fitness." The CCTV reporter continued to be reluctant.

If I were an athlete with a bad temper, I might have said back: What the f*ck do you mean, I won the game, and there is so much nonsense!

However, Chen Ran also knew that the CCTV reporter was asking on behalf of the fans across the country.

"Maybe...the opponent adopted appropriate tactics, or maybe they showed some restraint in their playing style." Chen Ran replied.Anyway, these experts can't see anything from the opponent.

"Chen Ran, keep working hard for the next game!"

While Chen Ran was chatting with CCTV reporters, familiar Chinese words came from the audience stands diagonally in front, attracting his attention.

Chen Ran extended his hand in a friendly manner to thank these compatriots for their cheers.

During the game, he could always see bright five-star red flags fluttering in the wind, which gave him some energy.

After being reminded by the fans, the CCTV reporter at the scene finally remembered the next game.

In this round, no matter whether Chen Ran's condition is good or bad, he has already passed the level, so there is no point in worrying about the second round.

"What do you think about the next game against Roddick?"

The day after tomorrow, in the 32-to-9 match, Chen Ran will face the No. [-] seed in the final, super star Roddick.

"What did I think..." Chen Ran scratched his scalp
He actually wanted to say...

I hope that the charming Ms. Hilton can help me and try her best the night before the game. It is best to make Roddick exhausted and his legs weak. That will be the biggest assist for him.

Otherwise, it would be extremely difficult for him to win this duel.

Of course, such words should never be said in front of CCTV reporters, otherwise the image of a young man that CCTV has finally built for itself will be ruined.

After pondering for a while, Chen Ran finally choked out a sentence.

"In my opinion Roddick is a strong contender for the championship. It's enough for me to try my best to compete."

"Have you ever thought about continuing to create miracles?"

Chen Ran smiled and said: "This is difficult, but even if there is a slight possibility, I will try my best."

On the way back to the locker room, Chen Ran was actually in a happy mood and walked lightly.

In his memory, even as of the autumn of 2023, when he was reborn, the best result of a Chinese male player in a Grand Slam tournament was only the third round.

He has achieved this result 20 years ahead of schedule!
However, the Chinese men's tennis players in their previous lives had several opportunities to break through to the fourth round and reach the top [-], but it was almost as if they encountered a curse and could not overcome it.

Zhang Zhizhen once defeated the fifth seed Rude in the second round of the US Open in 2023 and broke into the third round.

And his opponent in the third round was a player who was ranked outside the top [-] and whose strength was not as good as his own. He could only hang out in challenge matches.

However, this kind of opponent actually defeated Zhang Zhizhen 3-1 and entered the top [-] of the US Open, making many Chinese tennis fans grit their teeth with anger.

The top [-] of the Grand Slam is like an insurmountable huge gap lying in front of the Chinese men's tennis players.

Chen Ran in his previous life had a profound memory of this.

Every time he sees Chinese men's tennis players stop in the third round of a Grand Slam, his heart is filled with disappointment and frustration.

If Chen Ran's fortune is better, he is confident of breaking into the top [-].

But Roddick's draw is really too tough.

If the system can count Roddick's attributes, at least the opponent's three attributes can now surround Chen Ran.

Obviously, it will be extremely difficult to win this duel.

"The curse of the top [-]..."

"As a Chinese men's tennis player, is it possible that I have to encounter him again?"

Chen Ran locked himself in the locker room.

While the physical coach was massaging his muscles, he was also thinking about how to play in the next round.

……

Shortly after the end of the second round, both CCTV and Sports Weekly issued the prepared press releases immediately.

"The miracles continue!"

"Top 32, a new history of Chinese tennis!"

"The next round, China VS the United States, Supernova VS Supernova!"

Perhaps in the eyes of the American media, today's Chen Ran is not enough to compare with Roddick, and they will not list such an exaggerated title.

But the audience of Chinese media is the domestic audience in China, so they will naturally start to speculate from Chen Ran's perspective.

Chen Ran's match against Roddick in a Grand Slam-level match was far more popular than Chen Ran's previous matches against Safin and Sri Chapan.

This is the influence of the Grand Slam tournament, unparalleled.

This is true for traditional television and print media, and even more exaggerated for those portal websites that like to take advantage of the popularity.

For example, the editors of Sina, the leading portal website, have developed unparalleled imagination.

Today, Paris Hilton, the daughter of a wealthy family, is very popular in China. As long as there is news about her, clicks are inevitable on the Internet.

Of course, it must also include the fantasies of many male netizens about Ms. Hilton.

This time, the top two most clicked posts on the Sina Sports section were both related to tennis.

Ranked second is the upcoming "Super Nova Showdown" between Chen Ran and Roddick.

However, the No.1 post is a bit intriguing.

A reporter with the pen name "Chen Chi" first began to vividly describe the erotic story between Roddick and Hilton, as if this guy was hiding under the bed and eavesdropping. (Everyone knows this famous name)
However, he mentioned Chen Ran again.

What athlete hasn’t fantasized about Hilton?
This editor did not do any research, and just insisted that when Chen Ran was young, he must have regarded Hilton as the goddess in his heart, and he must have silently...

So this game is Chen Ran's best chance to prove himself to the goddess of his dreams: I am better than your boyfriend, no matter what!
So this showdown will be Chen Ran's battle to prove to the goddess.

As soon as this post came out, netizens, whether they usually follow tennis or not, became excited.

They know clearly that this person named "Chen Chi" is talking nonsense, but they still can't stop the boiling gossip among netizens.

Netizens saw the excitement and didn't think it was a big deal, so they directly pushed this post to Sina Sports and even No. 1 on Sina.com.

……

(End of this chapter)