Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 160 The much-anticipated semi-finals
With an elegant smile, Federer was already waiting in front of the net.

After Chen Ran finished celebrating, he jogged over.

"Congratulations, your performance is worthy of today's victory." After losing, Federer still maintained his gentlemanly demeanor, "I look forward to meeting you in the next match."

Chen Ran also smiled: "I'm lucky. If the mini break just now didn't wipe the net, maybe the result would be different."

"This is part of tennis." Federer shook his head and seemed very open-minded. "Maybe the key ball in the next match with you will be my turn to clean the net."

Maybe……

In this game, both sides really gave their all.

Chen Ran also knows very well that luck cannot always be on his side.

Federer seemed to have thought of something and smiled: "I remember that after you won the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, you were so tired that you could hardly walk."

"Seeing as your mental state is much better now, maybe you can go further."

"I hope so too." Chen Ran also said with great anticipation.

One more win is the final, two more wins is the championship.

Today, Chen Ran is in good condition and will definitely have thoughts in his mind.

After this game, media reporters also praised Chen Ran ravely, especially the Chinese media who went crazy!
"From the semi-finals of the Grand Slam to the semi-finals of the Masters, Asia's No. 1 is no longer in suspense!"

"As Asia's first Masters semi-finalist, the title of 'Master Chen' is worthy of his name!"

So what if Sri Chaphan is ranked higher than Chen Ran?These are all obtained by constantly participating in various tournaments to earn points!
Now the honors of the two are one tour championship each.

But in the Grand Slam and Masters tournaments, which are hard indicators for judging players' honors, which one of Chen Ran doesn't beat Sri Chapan?

CCTV is also happy. Because of Chen Ran's shocking speech in the press conference, the ratings of this quarter-final of the Masters have been close to those of the battle between Chen Ran and Roddick at the Australian Open.

Some people's hope that Chen Ran would lose obviously came to nothing.

"Chen Ran, wait!"

Several entertainment reporters who came for the interview shouted his name loudly, "Can you tell me specifically who the Asian kings and queens you mentioned that day are not worthy of their names? Is it Jay Chou or Jolin Tsai?"

After all, in this era, although these two people are popular, there are still a lot of mainland netizens who don't buy it and complain about it.

Chen Ran stopped, a little amused.

Journalists in this era still don’t have any routines. They can ask whatever they want.

A few sports reporters couldn't stand it any longer and blurted out: "Go interview you in the entertainment industry. Tennis is too difficult for paparazzi like you!"

"Hey, what do you mean by that?" Those entertainment reporters were also unhappy, "Sports reporters are amazing, why do you look down on us entertainment reporters?"

The two groups were about to start a fight, but fortunately the CCTV reporter, who always likes to keep things quiet, acted as a peacemaker.

"Hey, actually the fight just now was quite good. Isn't the breaking news coming?" Chen Ran was full of regrets.

He said to the entertainment reporter just now: "This journalist friend, it is not my habit to mention names. I just stated some facts..."

"But..." Chen Ran paused, with an intriguing look on his face, "It is said that my words offended some people, and they are cursing me for losing the game to add insult to injury."

"Well...the semi-finals are two days later, everyone is welcome to continue to watch."

After he said this, he left directly, despite the reporters shouting and not looking back.

……

China is in great need of sports superstars like Chen Ran who have personality and can create topics.

Those traditional athletes, except for winning gold and silver during competitions, have almost no news coverage value.

Therefore, after Chen Ran broke into the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Masters, the Chinese audience's attention to this event began to increase, and it was even comparable to the previous Australian Open.

Although many people have not yet understood the difference between the Masters and the Grand Slam, CCTV described the Tennis Masters as a world-class top event.

From another perspective, Chen Ran’s operation once again popularized tennis to the Chinese people.

As for Chen Ran’s next opponent, Hewitt from Australia is a two-time Grand Slam winner and the most shining star in tennis today.

"Sports Weekly" even made a prediction on its front page: If Chen Ran can reach the finals of this Masters, then the title of "Asia's King" will no longer be controversial!

finals!

Tens of millions of netizens are looking forward to the finals!
Chen Ran's performance has already raised everyone's expectations!
Different from the Australian Open, after Chen Ran defeated Agassi, everyone was actually ready for Chen Ran to stop in the semi-finals.

But this time, everyone's request for Chen Ran is that he must reach the finals!

If analyzed purely in terms of points, the semi-finals of a Grand Slam are worth 720 ATP points, while the runner-up in the Masters is worth 600 points. Therefore, if Chen Ran wants to achieve better results than the Grand Slam in the Masters, he can only win the championship!

The sensational effect of a runner-up finish may not be greater than that of a Grand Slam semi-finalist.

Various pressures from the outside world urged Chen Ran to continue winning.

It's night time soon.

At this moment, all the top four spots have been announced.

Ferrero VS Roddick, Hewitt VS Chen Ran.

Even the always picky American media lamented that Chen Ran's draw was too tough. He had just beaten the No. 3 seed and had to play against the No. 2 seed.

After getting rid of the slump in the Australian Open, Hewitt showed a very good state in this competition.

He hopes to announce his return with a Masters championship. He is still the best tennis player on the planet and the candidate who will take over Agassi's mantle in the future.

Chinese media, Australian media, and even global sports media began to focus on this duel.

"Chen Ran, work harder!"

"As long as you reach the finals, Nike will open a special line for you!"

When Chen Ran was staying in the hotel and just came out of the "simulation training ground", he received a call from his agent.

Dedicated line?I didn't expect this day to come so soon!
"I didn't expect that Tangtang Nike would have such a anxious day..." Chen Ran also smiled, but there was also a sense of joy in his heart.

In fact, in this Indian Wells Masters, both the media and sponsors expect him to reach the quarterfinals.

After all, the miracle of the Australian Open cannot be copied so easily!

Even if they stop in the quarterfinals, CCTV will be able to broadcast at least two games.

How could it be that Chen Ran was so fierce, making great progress all the way!
"Does Yao Ming have a dedicated line?" Chen Ran suddenly asked.

"Yao Ming?" Xue Peng shook his head decisively, "His contract expires this year. Even if we want to open a dedicated line, we have to wait until the contract is renewed. And... you should know that the center does not sell shoes."

Centers do not sell shoes, and this fact has been verified by the market countless times.

"Actually, I got some information from inside..." Xue Peng paused and continued, "The contract renewal between Yao Ming and Nike has reached a deadlock. Nike is only willing to give 40 US dollars a year, and said it will never exceed you."

How much endorsement fee does Chen Ran get from Nike now?

After he broke into the semi-finals of the Grand Slam, the reward terms were activated and increased from the original US$50 to US$75.

"Yao Ming's team said they want to be at least equal to you! At least they are not crazy and have no demands to surpass you." Xue Peng smiled.

Chen Ran replied calmly: "It's difficult to compare different projects."

He remembered that Federer was also signed to Nike, but "Fei Tianwang" was poached by Uniqlo at a high price at the end of his career. According to rumors, it was US$3 million in ten years.

This price is really staggering.

Federer retired just a few years after signing the contract. However, there was no retirement clause in Uniqlo's endorsement contract. It can only be said that he was a "spare boy" in his childhood.

After Chen Ran hung up the phone, he walked to the balcony and did some stretching exercises.

In fact, deep down, he really enjoys the pressure of being in the spotlight, and then turns that pressure into motivation to drive himself forward.

……

Two days have passed in a flash, and the Indian Wells Masters has also ushered in its final third match day.

This slightly deserted town with a population of only 5 has become extremely lively in recent days.

From China on the other side of the ocean, many media continue to pour into this city.

In the Central Stadium, which can accommodate 1 people, there are more than 6000 media outlets from China alone.

What makes Chen Ran a little speechless is that these new Chinese media include several entertainment industries, as well as social news industries.

His hometown, Zhejiang East Sports and Leisure Channel, not only sent sports news reporters, but also the famous "1818 Golden Eye".

But what are you here for?Is there any funny news that can be unearthed from this Masters?
"Chen Ran, can you accept an interview?"

"Chen Ran, are you confident you can win this game?"

"Chen Ran, do you know that you have offended Taiwan's entertainment industry?"

Various reporters held microphones and tried to surround him like spears and cannons.

"I don't give any interviews before the game."

Chen Ran just left these words coolly and walked through the aisle without stopping, carrying a tennis bag.

That's true... but I didn't see you accepting an interview with us after the game interview!
"Chen Ran, come on!"

Chen Ran high-fived reporters from CCTV, Sports Weekly, and several familiar media reporters.

These people have been following and interviewing him for a long time, and both parties are already familiar with him.

Hewitt from a distance looked at this scene in shock.

Why are so many media coming?
China is indeed a country with a large population, and so many reporters can be dispatched to a Masters semi-final!
In comparison, only more than ten Australian media came, which was really overshadowed.

In the huge stands, there were many Chinese spectators who came from other towns to cheer for Chen Ran. Once again, they saw the five-star red flag flying in the auditorium.

Indian Wells is located in California. Although the number of Chinese in this small town is very small, California is a gathering place for Chinese and has the largest number of Chinese in the United States.

Especially since the distance between Indian Wells and Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States, is only over 100 kilometers, it is really convenient to go back and forth.

"It feels like I'm back at home again..." Chen Ran felt the atmosphere of the scene.

Hewitt took the initiative to shake hands with Chen Ran and praised his performance at the Australian Open as perfect.

In fact, he regretted it too much. His most difficult opponents, Agassi and Roddick, were eliminated by this Chinese boy. His own competitive state was also good, but he unexpectedly stopped in the top [-].

If he hadn't been careless... maybe he would now be proud to hold three Grand Slams and become No. 1 after Agassi.

Chen Ran also quietly observed Hewitt.

This guy is only 1 meters tall, which is a bit shorter than him.

Apart from his somewhat rugged appearance, his body shape is completely incomparable to those rough Australian men.

"Australian hare?"

This is the nickname given to him by the media to describe Hewitt's death-defying tennis style.

Hewitt also laughed. In fact, he liked this nickname very much. The description of "Australian Hare" was very appropriate.

After all, with his height, he looks a bit petite compared to most players in professional tennis.

"Do you have a nickname now?"

"Some people call me the King of Asia, and some people call me Master Chen. I like them both very much!" Chen Ran said very frankly, "It's much better than your nickname."

Hewitt: "..."

……

(End of this chapter)