Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 169: Jay Chou was robbed of the limelight and Liu Xiang was dormant (4K)

If only from the perspective of the city's attractiveness, whether it is tourists, players, reporters, or media, Miami is far more attractive than Indian Wells.

Players travel to Miami every year, not just to play games, but sometimes as if they are on vacation, where they can relax and work at the same time.

This will definitely be a wonderful journey.

Those Chinese journalists who need to follow Chen Ran for interviews are also full of expectations for this journey.

It is very pleasant and comfortable to go to Miami for a vacation-like work trip at public expense.

Especially after this event, everyone will choose to return to China. Even Chen Ran has no plans to continue competing.

This is simply too cool!

The Miami Masters, one of the "Sunshine Double Tournament", is not held in the city center of Miami. Its competition venue is located on an isolated resort island.

This small island surrounded by the sea has bright sunshine and beautiful scenery, which makes people feel relaxed and happy.

Looking from a distance, you can see the azure Caribbean Sea.

If any young urban bourgeoisie comes here, they will definitely open their arms and shout loudly.

"Isn't this place much more exciting than Indian Wells in the desert?" This is the common sentiment of many Chinese journalists.

After flying across the entire North American continent, Chen Ran checked into the hotel arranged by the tournament organizing committee for the players with a hint of exhaustion.

The Miami Masters is all about entertainment.

It was like a grand carnival was held on this island, with all kinds of food, drinks and entertainment.

The court here is called Clanton Park Tennis Center and is surrounded by green trees, beaches, ocean, and blue sky.

Fans come here not only to watch tennis matches, but also to enjoy a variety of entertainment activities and a variety of delicious food.

Of course there are also bikini girls dancing passionately...

In short, whether it is sight, hearing, or taste, it is a completely different scene from Indian Wells.

"By the way, Chen, I remembered that your management company is IMG, right?" Zhang Depei, who had been immersed in the joy of winning the championship in the past few days, finally thought of this.

"Yes, it's just from the Huaxia branch." Chen Ran said calmly, not knowing why the other party mentioned this matter.

I was able to hire Zhang Depei as a coach, and IMG was responsible for liaison.

Of course, what really made Zhang Depei decide to make a comeback was Chen Ran's "Australian Open semi-finals" results.

"I suddenly remembered something." Zhang Depei revealed a somewhat meaningful tone, "In 1999, IMG had bought the right to host the Miami Masters."

There is such a thing!

Chen Ran really didn't know about this.

He only knew that IMG was a giant spanning entertainment and sports, but he did not know that they also had the right to host the Miami Masters.

"You..." Zhang Depei was speechless at Chen Ran and said with a wry smile, "This is something everyone in the tennis circle knows, but you don't even know."

No one talks to me about this. Isn’t that normal?

"what does that mean?"

Chen Ran also smiled: "Maybe I can expect a good draw."

At this moment, the memory of the previous life suddenly came back to life.

Chen Ran remembered that in the 2023 Miami Masters, two Chinese players participated in the main draw. One was Wu Yibing, the first Chinese brother at the time, and the other was 18-year-old Shang Juncheng.

The two of them have one thing in common: they are both players signed by the IMG agency.

The former entered the net directly by virtue of ranking, while the latter received a wild card in the main draw.

At that time, the Miami Masters had been upgraded to 96 draws, and the top 32nd seed had a bye.

Although Wu Yibing was not a seeded player and had to start from the first round, the tournament organizing committee arranged for him to be assigned a spot that would lead almost directly to the top 32. As a result, this guy was too promiscuous and was upset in the second round and was eliminated in the top 64. .

what does this mean?
IMG will definitely do its best to arrange some good picks for the players it signs.

They are all like this, let alone Chen Ran?

"There is also competition in the Sunshine Double Tournament. They need me so much!"

This thought flashed through Chen Ran's head.

Chen Ran's guess was correct. Not only the branch of China, but also the IMG headquarters had begun to build the most powerful "Asian tennis superstar" in history around him.

Not only that, IMG also constantly compares Chen Ran and Zhang Depei, and the meaning between the lines is even crazier.

"Chasing Zhang Depei, shoulder to shoulder with Zhang Depei, surpassing Zhang Depei!"

In their eyes, Zhang Depei has clearly become a tool man who serves as Chen Ran's reference!
Of course, IMG's operations go far beyond that.

Chen Ran stayed in a sea view hotel.

When he and his team were sitting near the seaside, enjoying a delicious local dinner, they received a call from the brokerage company.

"Chen Ran, let me tell you two pieces of good news."

"what?"

"The good news is that your victory was featured on CCTV's "News Network" yesterday!"

This was actually within Chen Ran's expectation.

In his previous life, Zhang Zhizhen won the men's tennis singles gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games. "News Network" specially gave 19 seconds of footage, not to mention that this was the first Asian Masters championship.

"What about the other good news?"

"You will be the cover character of the Asian edition of Time Magazine in March! This will greatly enhance your popularity!"

The cover star of Time Magazine Asia!
Chen Ran was stunned for a while and finally came to his senses.

Those who can appear on this page are all very influential Asian celebrities.

The ones who impressed him most were Faye Wong, Jay Chou, and "Brother Chun" who has thousands of followers...

"Let me tell you something..."

"what?"

"Originally, the cover character of this issue was Jay Chou, but it was temporarily changed to you."

There is such a thing!

So is this stealing the limelight from Jay Chou?
"Because I won the Indian Wells Masters?"

"Of course! Just one Australian Open semi-final may not be enough to make Time Magazine change its mind." Xue Peng's tone became more excited, "But adding a Masters champion is enough!"

"Not only are you the first Asian to win the Masters, but you also set the record for being the youngest."

"So Time Magazine changed its mind temporarily?" Chen Ran muttered silently, Director Jay Chou can't help you anymore.

"Originally, Time Magazine was going to leave you with the April cover, but IMG used its own contacts to start the operation."

Xue Peng took a breath with some excitement: "You know... By April, some of the enthusiasm for the championship will dissipate. March is obviously the best time!"

Think about it, just after winning the Masters Championship, he immediately appeared on the cover of Time Magazine. The sensational effect caused by this is obviously 1+1 is greater than 2.

But from another perspective, it is clear that the IMG agency also believes that it is too difficult for Chen Ran to win another championship in the Miami Masters, which is so close to him.

Therefore, IMG management company decided to take action in advance, and they could only suffer from Jay Chou.The highlight moment that originally belonged to him was snatched away by Chen Ran.

Just grab it, it's no big deal.

Anyway, I ruined Agassi's eighth Grand Slam, and may have snatched the Masters championship belonging to Hewitt, and snatched the title of Asia's No. 1 and Asia's King from Sri Chapan.

That doesn't matter if I stole Jay Chou's cover once.

We are reborn just to steal other people's luck, no matter if you are in the sports or entertainment industry!

"Also..." Xue Peng became more and more excited as he spoke, "The company has also contacted familiar media to build momentum for you, and hyped up that because of your outstanding performance, Time Magazine temporarily replaced you as the cover character. Jay Chou."

"..." Chen Ran was a little helpless, "Actually, there is no need to do this. Can the press release still be withdrawn?"

"Well... it has been sent out, and those portals have reported it immediately." Xue Peng said very frankly.

Chen Ran didn't need to think twice to guess that the editors on the portal website were very good at stirring up dissension.

Just post it out, I think those netizens will be lively and excited again.

I seem to be playing the role of Liu Xiang?

Chen Ran seemed to remember something.

Some memories were very long ago, but he still remembered them clearly.

When Liu Xiang was most popular from 2004 to 2008, editors of unscrupulous portal websites liked to compare Liu Xiang and Jay Chou most in order to gain attention.

One is the most popular in the sports world, and the other is the most popular in the entertainment industry.

Anyway, with these two topical figures, there is no need to worry about the click-through rate and the number of comments on this post. The editor is holding popcorn and laughing.

But to be honest, during the period from 2004 to 2008, Jay Chou's reputation was not very good, and his popularity was basically destroyed by Liu Xiang.

It's just that Jay Chou's peak period lasted longer, while Liu Xiang's condition declined after 2008, and he retired twice, and then gradually faded out of the public eye.

But I have to say that in the four years from 2004 to 2008, Liu Xiang's popularity was unmatched, and his name was a household name in China. Both Jay Chou and Yao Ming had to stay away.

Chen Ran, who was once young and full of energy, also argued with netizens in Internet cafes.

His opinion is very firm: Liu Xiang is greater than Jay Chou.

It was not because Chen Ran liked Liu Xiang in his previous life, but because many girls in the class liked Jay Chou, which made him feel uncomfortable. (Have you ever experienced that era?)
The past events are like smoke, flashing through my mind one by one like a movie.

It’s a long time ago, but I still remember it very clearly.

"Hey, it seems there is a World Athletics Championships this year, right?"

Chen Ran suddenly remembered something, and then took out his mobile phone and flipped through his address book.

Because there were so many people sending him blessing messages, Chen Ran didn't have the energy to check who sent them to him one by one.

Then he saw a familiar name—Liu Xiang.

It turns out that Liu Xiang also sent a message to himself.

But he didn't reply, which was a bit embarrassing to think about.

"Chen Ran, congratulations on winning the Masters Championship. I will work hard too. I hope we can bring honor to our country together in Athens next year!"

Very simple words.

Of course, you don't have to expect every athlete to be as witty as himself.

You have to reply to the message, right?

"Brother Xiang, I've been really busy in the past few days. I just saw your message now, sorry, sorry!"

Soon, Liu Xiang replied to the message again.

"It's okay. I know you are very busy these days. You are now as big a star as Yao Ming."

His tone was obviously full of envy.

Nowadays, Chen Ran and Yao Ming seem to have stolen all the limelight in the sports world. Even a few national football players playing in Europe cannot block their shine.

"Brother Xiang, I remember you seem to have the World Track and Field Championships this year, right?"

"Yes, it will be held in Paris, France in June!"

Paris, France in June!

This is not held in the same month as the French Open!

Chen Ran suddenly thought of this.

This also means that during that month, he and Liu Xiang will compete in Paris, France.

In that month, the eyes of all China will be focused here!

Chen Ran's heart was suddenly filled with anticipation.

"Have you had any competitions lately?" Chen Ran asked again.

"I recently participated in the World Indoor Track and Field Championships in Birmingham, England, and won No. 60 in the 3-meter hurdles, but everyone's attention seems to be attracted to you." Liu Xiang replied somewhat sourly.

Chen Ran also didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Liu Xiang, who is now only 20 years old, is still a young man, and his words are straight to the point, without any formality.

This is completely different from Liu Xiang, who has gone through all kinds of ups and downs in the future.

Chen Ran still remembered that when he met Liu Xiang at the Magic City Challenge last year, he was a young man full of vigor.

"In Paris in June, there will not only be the World Athletics Championships, but also the French Open. It seems that we will be fighting for the motherland in the same city."

"Isn't this a coincidence? It's really great." Liu Xiang has heard of the name "French Open" but doesn't know the specific time it will be held.

"What is your goal?" Chen Ran asked.

He actually didn't know what Liu Xiang had achieved at that World Track and Field Championships.

In his previous life, Chen Ran first noticed Liu Xiang on the eve of the Athens Olympics, when he won the 110-meter hurdles championship at one of the IAAF Grand Prix events. From then on, his career skyrocketed.

"My goal is to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships in Paris!" Liu Xiang said very frankly, "What about you?"

"This is my first time participating in the French Open. My goal is to reach the semi-finals." Chen Ran also replied very simply.

"Okay, let's work hard together. I get the medal, and you make it to the semi-finals!" Liu Xiang said very excitedly.

Chen Ran replied again: "Okay, let's cheer each other up. Maybe... the two of us can achieve better results than expected."

Better results than expected?

Is it the runner-up or the champion?
Liu Xiang didn't dare to think about it, but he still replied: "I hope, there should always be some dreams and pursuits, even if it seems difficult."

Immediately afterwards, Liu Xiang said that China currently pays too little attention to track and field, which makes him very distressed.

He hopes that with his excellent results, Chinese people will pay more attention to track and field.

Chen Ran actually wanted to tell him that in 20 years you will have a junior sister. Although her grades are not very good, she has made the women's 100-meter hurdles popular with her various "coquettish" gestures.

……

(End of this chapter)