Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 166 Chen Ran is the youngest "master"

Final, 3 to 1!

After four hard games, although Chen Ran's body felt a little tired, it had already been diluted by the joy brought by the championship.

He spread his arms and jumped and ran happily in his own half.

Indian Wells Masters Champion!This is Chen Ran’s first heavyweight honor!

Chen Ran roared excitedly, venting his emotions.

"I'm the champion!"

"The first Masters champion in 2003!"

After a brief moment of excitement, Chen Ran came to his senses and found that his opponent in the final, Ferrero, was already standing on the other side of the net, waiting to shake hands with him.

The joy brought by the championship indeed made Chen Ran feel a little carried away.

Chen Ran trotted over and shook hands with Ferrero in a friendly manner.

"The high ball just now, if it wasn't affected by the strong wind, might have had a different result." Chen Ran said very calmly,

Ferrero shook his head and said with a smile: "The influence of the strong wind is mutual. There is nothing to complain about."

"Congratulations, your performance is worthy of this championship."

As the new Australian Open champion and world No. [-], Ferrero showed his due mind after the game and faced the outcome calmly.

Recognizing Chen Ran's excellence is not only a respect for his opponent, but also an affirmation of himself.

Tonight, Chen Ran's performance was impeccable, even better than his previous performance at the Australian Open.

It seems that the already highly competitive men's professional tennis world has another guy to share the prize money and championships.

"But..." Ferrero suddenly thought of something.

Behind Chen Ran is China, which has a population of nearly 13 billion. His rise may benefit tennis and all tennis players.

The ATP side should also be very excited about Chen Ran's appearance.

When China was still in a tennis desert, the ATP had already established a tour in China and also held the year-end Masters Cup.

Chen Ran can win the Masters championship, which must be the result that the ATP is looking forward to.

"Chen, I look forward to playing against you during the clay court season." Ferrero said in a half-joking tone, "What I'm best at is clay courts."

“Before the clay court season starts, isn’t there the Miami Masters?”

Chen Ran said with a smile: "Maybe we will meet again at the Miami Masters."

"Back-to-back Masters..." Ferrero shrugged, with an intriguing look on his face, "There will always be ups and downs in the state, and I can't guarantee that I will make it to the end."

Chen Ran understood the meaning instantly.

From Ferrero's perspective, in the first three months of 2003, he won the Australian Open championship and the Indian Wells Masters runner-up. He had earned enough points and his ranking as the world's number one was stable for the time being.

The opponent is likely to deal with it casually at the Miami Masters and then return to Europe to start preparing for the clay court season.

The clay court season is a great opportunity to rack up points, especially for European players like him. There is no need to spend too much energy on a certain hard court tour stop, even the Masters.

Putting aside the 250 and 500 events, there are four Masters tournaments in Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid and Hamburg before the French Open.

As a clay court master, Ferrero still has to worry about not getting enough points?
Ferrero looked at Chen Ran's expression and knew that the other party must have guessed something.

As a rookie on tour, even if you win the Masters, the routines are still enough for you to be familiar with for a while.

"Enjoy your moment and see you in Barcelona." After saying this, Ferrero walked to the referee's seat and took the initiative to shake hands with the referee.

"See you in Barcelona? But I have no plans to go to Barcelona!"

Chen Ran muttered something in his heart, and then shook hands with the referee.

If Ferrero knew Chen Ran's plan before the game started, he would probably be shocked from ear to ear.

This kid planned to go back to China to rest after playing the "Sunshine Double", and never thought about racking up points at the beginning of the European clay court season.

Barcelona, ​​Stuttgart, Munich, Geneva, Lyon, etc., whether you are racing 500 or 250, are not included in Chen Ran's participation plan.

what does this mean?
This kid was confident enough to earn enough points in the "Sunshine Double Tournament" before the tournament started, and then directly land in a certain clay court Masters tournament.

In the eyes of many people, such an idea is too crazy and too arrogant, even many Chinese media.

Of course, this championship can silence many doubters. With results as the basis, no matter how crazy the idea is, it becomes reasonable.

Chen Ran looked up and saw that the huge central court was filled with people.

The night sky over the desert is filled with bright stars, which become even more dazzling after they fall onto the court.

In the stands, countless five-star red flags were flying.

Chen Ran's originally calm mood became agitated again after the audience's overwhelming voice.

The cheers lasted for a long time, lingering in Chen Ran's ears.

The journey of nearly two weeks and six rounds of competition was arduous and difficult, but it was also a magical journey full of wonderful flavors.

The reporters from China also hugged each other excitedly.From Grand Slam semi-finals to Masters champion.

They were already convinced that Chen Ran was not a flash in the pan.

Starting today, another superstar is rising in China.

It is obvious that after today, the popularity of tennis in China will continue to soar.

I believe that new tennis courts will continue to spring up all over China.

Countless teenagers will also have dreams and pick up tennis rackets and enter the court.

Compared with the grand occasion after Li Na won the French Open in 2011, Chen Ran brought this time forward a full 8 years, making tennis popular in China earlier.

Because it's men's tennis, it's more impactful and sensational.

"Dear viewers, Chen Ran has set a new record today."

"Under the age of 17, he became the youngest Masters champion in history!"

"God, maybe no one can break this record in the future, right?"

The host spoke in standard American English: "Let me think about who was the youngest Masters champion last time? It was Mr. Zhang Depei, who set this record at the 1990 Toronto Masters!"

"He was back then!"

At this time, the broadcast camera showed Zhang Depei sitting in the audience, who also smiled and waved to the audience.

"Mr. Zhang Depei, although your record has been broken by this young Chinese guy, I believe you must be very happy at the moment."

"After all, you are his coach! It is said that this Indian Wells Masters is your first tournament after coaching him."

Did I teach him anything?
It seems like everything has been taught, but nothing seems to have been taught.

For some reason, Zhang Depei had a strange feeling in his heart. Even if he was not the coach, Chen Ran seemed to be able to win the championship.

Of course, he was very happy because it was not someone else who broke his record, but the players he coached.

The staff was very discerning and immediately handed the microphone to Zhang Depei.

"It's unbelievable. I know Chen Ran has unlimited potential. My original plan was to hope that he could reach at least the top 8 in this competition. The championship is really an incredible surprise."

"I taught him some things, but to be honest it was basically about clay courts. Chen Ran has incredible talent on hard courts and I found that I had nothing to teach him."

The entire audience applauded and cheered.

The host continued to joke: "The two youngest people in the Grand Slam semi-finals are your mentors and apprentices, and the same is true for the Masters champion. I really begin to believe that you Chinese people are as talented in tennis as they are in table tennis." "

Chen Ran's expression did not change, but his heart moved slightly, and then he looked at Zhang Depei.

Sure enough, after hearing this sentence, Zhang Depei's face flashed with sadness.

He has made such a huge contribution to U.S. tennis and has represented the U.S. team in international competitions, but these arrogant white people still subconsciously regard him as a Chinese.

Zhang Depei does not deny that his blood originates from mainland China, but he was born and raised in the United States, and even his English is far better than Chinese.

"Maybe." Zhang Depei shrugged, "I believe tennis is suitable for any race."

Another meaning of this statement is that although he is not of Chinese nationality, he does belong to the "Chinese" ethnic group.

"You just retired, and then a Chinese boy came out of the blue. Maybe it was God's will for this Chinese boy to fill the vacuum left after you left the professional tennis world."

The host finished this sentence in a calm tone, and then suddenly became excited.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's invite the presenter of this competition, Mr. Pete Sampras, the 14-time Grand Slam winner!"

Under the crazy screams of the crowd, Sampras appeared as a guest, still with his iconic curly hair.

Although Sampras has not officially announced his retirement, everyone knows that he will not appear on the court again.

In fact, Sampras's competitive level can still compete with first-class players. In last year's US Open final, Sampras was still able to defeat his old rival Agassi.

With 14 Grand Slams, Sampras was ahead of Agassi's 7, which made him feel that he had no more challenges and pursuits, so he might as well enjoy life.

According to Sampras' plan, his retirement ceremony will be officially held on the opening day of this year's US Open.

After Zhang Depei saw Sampras on the stage, his expression was particularly complicated.

This is the guy who has shattered his dream of becoming the number one player in the world time and time again.

I really hope that in my lifetime, I can see someone break Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slams.

Then Zhang Depei seemed to have thought of something and looked at his disciple Chen Ran.

Is it possible for him?
Then Zhang Depei shook his head.

I suffered from the same mistakes when I won a Grand Slam. I even had cramps several times in the French Open final.

He believed that Chen Ran could win a Grand Slam in the future, but would he have to surpass the number 14?It’s too difficult to think about.

……

(End of this chapter)