Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 139 The final set, the first long-set final! (4K, please subscribe)

PS: I originally planned to update it today, but it can’t be realized. I’ll try my best to do it tomorrow!

……

"If this was the Masters or a non-final at the end of the year, I would have won the game and completed the system's bonus points requirements, but this is a cruel Grand Slam."

Chen Ran watched Agassi's back disappear into the corridor and sighed in his heart.

Because in this era, in addition to the Grand Slams, there are also Masters finals and the year-end finals that adopt a best-of-five-set system.

However, after the ATP reformed the competition system in 2009, all tours were changed to best-of-three sets, and only the four Grand Slams retained their final stubbornness.

Of course, the organizers of the four Grand Slam tournaments are not the ATP (Professional Tennis Federation), but the ITF (International Tennis Federation). Likewise, the local organizing committee has great power.

However, due to the win-win cooperation relationship between the ITF and ATP, ATP points can also be obtained in the four Grand Slam matches, and it is also regarded by professional players as the highest honor in tennis.

"One more set to go!"

Chen Ran sat in the player's exclusive chair, muttering silently in his heart.

At this moment, he did feel a slight sense of fatigue in his body, but it was not obvious yet.

How to play the next game?It really should be thought about carefully.

Agassi will definitely go all out and try his best.

Because this is his best and possibly last chance to win the eighth Grand Slam.

"However, both of us will encounter physical problems, but my problem will be more serious than Agassi's. But..."

Chen Ran slowly took a sip of water and said, "Don't forget that I still have a chance to go to the toilet."

In fact, Chen Ran has never used the "toilet plan" once since he participated in professional competitions.

But that’s what the regulations say, and you still have to use it when it’s time to use it.

This time, Chen Ran unexpectedly did not choose to enter the "simulation training ground" to maintain his feel, but waited patiently.

The game has been going on for nearly 3 hours. Although the sky is cloudless, it still becomes a little bleak.

8 minutes passed by in a flash.

As far as Chen Ran could see, Agassi walked out unsteadily.

The fourth set begins...

Chen Ran also quietly observed Agassi. His somewhat irritable mood had indeed stabilized, and his whole body had returned to its previous calm state, as if it were the tranquility before a volcanic eruption.

For such a tennis king, today's situation is definitely not the first time he has encountered it.

Agassi's career has experienced too many ups and downs, and he has already developed a wealth of countermeasures.

After the start of the fourth set, Agassi, who had no retreat, showed the momentum of fighting to the death.

Relatively speaking, Chen Ran's momentum was a bit weaker.

In the first game, Agassi easily held serve.

In the second game, Chen Ran had some difficulty keeping his serve...

Soon in the fourth game, Agassi was so powerful that he broke Chen Ran's serve.

"really……"

Chen Ran's expression did not change, but he still sighed slightly in his heart: He was broken so quickly.

Fortunately, he was mentally prepared for this.

In the fifth game, Chen Ran tried to break back, but quickly gave up decisively.

The opponent's state is in a state of cheating, and there is basically no chance left for him.

The score in the fourth set quickly became 4:1.

Da Da Da~
Chen Ran silently played the tennis ball while glancing at Agassi out of the corner of his eye.

Looking at the opponent's current momentum, it is no longer possible for him to win the fourth set in one go.

boom!
Serve and hit the net!

Chen Ran made a mistake with his first serve!
When your state and mentality fluctuate, it will first be reflected in your serving performance.

In tennis, the serve is the only part of the game that is completely up to you and free from any interference.

Second shot!

The ball goes out of bounds!
Chen Ran made a double fault on serve.

This was the first double fault of the game.

The anxious and intense competition in the first three sets, coupled with the tremendous pressure Agassi put on Chen Ran in the fourth set, made him feel physically exhausted like a mountain.

However, Chen Ran was in a good mood, and there was no trace of depression on his face.

Having an advantage in his hand is his greatest support.

Chen Ran also tried to defend the next few serves, but he still couldn't withstand Agassi's stormy offensive.

In the end, Agassi broke serve for the second time in the fourth set.

5 is better than 1!

It was an almost one-sided defeat.

But whether Agassi, Graf, or his team members, their faces are still extremely serious, and there is not much joy in sight.

Everyone knows how to play football, and they also noticed that Chen Ran deliberately avoided his sharp edge and was holding back.

The opponent is obviously also ready for the game to enter the final set.

In Agassi's next service game, he scored four points in a row and won the victory very simply.

6:1 seems to be a very disparate score, but it cannot reflect the true strength comparison between the two players. Such scenes are not uncommon in tennis matches.

"Referee, I need to go to the toilet!"

After the fourth set, Chen Ran also decisively used the "toilet plan".

However, according to regulations, when Chen Ran leaves the stadium, a staff member will accompany him throughout the process.

The reason is simple: to prevent players from taking illegal food or drugs while going to the toilet, these staff members play a supervisory role.

Chen Ran walked into the toilet, but his hands were empty, and the game jersey and shorts obviously couldn't hide anything. Plus there were staff standing at the door, so there wasn't much he could do.

First, he quickly took a shower, then washed his face with cold water, then stood in front of the washbasin and stared at himself in the mirror.

In fact, it doesn't take more than 8 minutes to go to the toilet, but Chen Ran will definitely make full use of this time as much as possible.

He recalled the reporter's question when interviewing Djokovic in his previous life: "What were you doing in the toilet for so long?"

The Serbian King replied: "Screen yourself in the mirror!"

So, with the staff member stunned, Chen Ran slowly stretched out his index finger to point at himself in the mirror, and started typing in Chinese.

"You brat, don't be a coward!"

"You have no way out!"

"The top eight are nothing!"

"You have to win this game!"

"Agassi? Fuck that bullshit idol!"

"We must make this Australian Open a place that this old guy will regret for the rest of his life!"

"I don't care who the champion of this Australian Open is, I just want to stop you from winning the championship!"

"I want to see you cry the most, and Graf will cry with you!" Chen Ran suddenly felt a lot brighter after doing crazy output at himself in the mirror.

The accompanying staff looked at Chen Ran with question marks on their faces after being shocked.

He didn't understand Chinese, but he must be curious about what this guy said in front of the mirror.

This staff member has accompanied many tennis players before, and they would also talk to the mirror, but they would only say a few short words, basically words of encouragement for themselves.

But Chen Ran said a lot of words, and his expression was a bit ferocious...

He couldn't understand Chinese, but it felt like it was definitely not a good word.

After Chen Ran vented his emotions, he patted his head with both hands and walked out of the toilet in high spirits.

At this moment, exactly 8 minutes have passed.

When Chen Ran arrived at the court, the fifth set officially began.

"Dear viewers, if you just turned on the TV, what you are seeing now is the first quarter-final of the 2003 Australian Open, against Chen Ran and Andre Agassi."

"Now the two sides have officially started the fifth set, which is the decisive set."

"I believe the ratings have reached a peak at this point."

The host Zhan Jun said in an ups and downs tone.

In the fifth set, Chen Ran took the lead in serving.

The one who serves first has a psychological advantage, but also a considerable psychological burden.

At this moment, Agassi, who was on the opposite side of the court, looked much more solemn.

Years of experience told him that his opponent in the fifth set was completely different from before.

At the same time, the level of selfless devotion I had in the fourth set could not be maintained forever, especially after an 8-minute break.

clap ~ clap ~ clap ~
Chen Ran patted the tennis ball a few times and then threw it high.

District [-], inner corner.

This time, Chen Ran chose to suppress Agassi's backhand.

Agassi's judgment was obviously a little slower, his kicking motion was also a half beat slower, and the ball returned went directly out of bounds.

"nice shot!"

"After Chen Ran went to the toilet, he adjusted his condition in time, and his whole body was refreshed."

In the blink of an eye, Chen Ran had already served four balls, and the score was 40:15. His lead was still relatively large.

Chen Ran paused for a moment and took another outside corner kick.

The ball had a strong external spin, which violently opened up a large space immediately after rebounding.

But Agassi is indeed Agassi. His reaction speed is very quick, and the direction of the ball is exactly the forehand that he is best at.

A difficult return of serve, and with the huge power of Chen Ran's serve, he also hit a very powerful diagonal ball.

Agassi was very satisfied with this return of serve and even felt that it was very possible to score a point directly.

"Oops!"

It was not until this moment that he discovered that Chen Ran's figure had appeared in front of the net, and the opponent's position was exactly on his return route.

In other words, a diagonal line was formed between Chen Ran and Agassi.

"He actually predicted my return route!" Agassi exclaimed in his heart.

Chen Ran's speed was so fast that he moved like a cunning rabbit.

He raised his racket and gently blocked Agassi's return ball.

The tennis ball landed quickly and then jumped twice.

Agassi's perfect return of serve was broken by Chen Ran's more perfect prediction!

Chen Ran easily completed the hair protection!
Every ball requires careful calculation, prediction, and gambling. This is tennis.

Everyone in the audience stood up and applauded when they saw this wonderful goal.

The game continues...

Under Chen Ran's extreme pressure, Agassi also burst out the last energy in his body.

The two went back and forth, launching what may be one of the most classic duels in the history of the Australian Open...

When Chen Ran was leading 2-1, he broke serve once and then gained a two-game lead.
The balance of the goddess of victory seems to have tilted towards Chen Ran.

But because this game was so intense, Chen Ran's physical fitness declined, causing his concentration and state to fluctuate at a certain period of time.

The experienced Agassi seized the opportunity, immediately broke back, and then won the subsequent serve. The score between the two sides became 3-3 again.

At this time, not only Chen Ran, but also Agassi was tired.

The game has been going on for 4 hours and 20 minutes.

It went from 2pm to 6:20pm Australian time.

The sun was shining brightly during the game, but now the sky has darkened and the stadium has turned on its night lights.

After 3 to 3, neither side dared to try to break the opponent's serve.

Because it is very likely that you have exhausted all your efforts and still failed.

Agassi is a veteran of Grand Slams. He put pressure on Chen Ran's serve time and time again, trying to consume Chen Ran's physical and mental strength, but he also understood that breaking serve was not easy.

He will retain his physical fitness to drag into the long set decider. Apparently Agassi also learned the lesson of the third set.

It's just that Agassi didn't understand why Chen Ran was so rich in experience when it was his first time to participate in a Grand Slam and he had only participated in the tour once.

Many combat strategies that only a veteran like him can come up with can also be thought of by the other party immediately.

Both sides are testing each other, trying to consume more of their opponents' energy.

It would be great if the opponent can make unforced errors.

Soon, in this anxious game, the two sides entered a long game after reaching 6-6.

Yes, this is a long-set tiebreaker, not a tiebreak.

Today's four Grand Slam regulations stipulate that after the final set reaches 6-6, there will be no tie-break, but a long-set tie-breaker. One side must win two consecutive games to win.

The Australian Open did not start to change the rules until 2019. After the players reach 6-6 in the final set, the winner will be determined by a tiebreaker.

If you encounter a player whose two serves are both strong but whose receiving ability is average, the long-set tie-breaker format is enough to keep them playing for eternity!
This is actually a kind of torture for players, spectators, and even TV broadcasters.

Of course, the advantage is that doing so also makes the tennis matches of the four Grand Slams full of topics.

If they can't finish playing today, the players can go back to eat, take a shower, sleep, and then play again the next day.

Fans also came to watch it the next day. It is unclear whether the TV broadcasters are willing to continue broadcasting it. After all, there will be other schedules.

This time, Agassi, like Chen Ran, was ready for a long game.

While maintaining their own serve, they are waiting for the other party to make mistakes...

Before I knew it, the time consumed by the game had reached 5 hours.

The score in the fifth set between Chen Ran and Agassi has gone from 6-6 to 10-10.

It was a long and grueling game.

"I don't want to play again the next day!" Chen Ran thought to himself as he slapped the tennis ball.

……

(End of this chapter)