Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 173 The Tennis Fever Rising in China
After this game, Isner made a decision that went against his original intentions. He decided to turn professional and no longer play in the NCAA.

His original plan was to play professionally after beating Chen Ran, and to continue playing in the NCAA after losing.

The reason why Isner changed his mind in just one hour was because Chen Ran had such a huge impact on him.

He feels that there is no need to continue to stay in the NCAA and abuse him. This will only waste his time.

If you turn professional as soon as possible, you will have more opportunities to compete with the masters on the tour, and your strength will improve.

After knowing what Isner was thinking, Chen Ran couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

"I wish you good luck, I believe you have the potential to be in the top ten in the world."

Isner was a little surprised that Chen Ran thought so highly of him: "Chen, are you kidding me?"

After saying that, the guy spread his hands and said, "You wouldn't say that to everyone, would you?"

This American is not stupid.

"Haha~ You are the only player born after 85 who has played against me. I don't have a chance to talk about the others." Chen Ran chuckled.

Isner looked helpless.

"I wish you can go far, I believe the tournament organizing committee also expects this."

"Thank you, I look forward to our next match." Chen Ran shook his hand, "After you turn professional, you don't have to keep thinking about the bonus stored in ATP."

Isner showed a "you know me" smile
Yeah, that's fifty thousand dollars.

Although he is not worried that the ATP will pocket the bonus, he will always worry about it as long as it does not go into his pocket for a day.

Chen Ran waved to the fans who were cheering him on, shook hands with Leslie Cheung, and returned to the players' locker room.

……

Shortly after the game ended, many Chinese media released the news immediately.

"Is this the easiest game Chen Ran has won since he participated in the Masters?"

"We are used to Chen Ran constantly making history."

After Chinese players won the Indian Wells Masters, the other stop of the Sunshine Double Tournament, the Miami Masters, finally left the footprints of Chinese players.

The first win came easier than expected.

Everyone is also beginning to look forward to Chen Ran's results at this station, the quarterfinals, the semifinals, or even the finals?

At this moment, not only in the eyes of the organizing committee, but also in the eyes of Chinese fans and reporters, Chen Ran's identity inadvertently changed.

From the challenger before, he became the challenged one now.

At the same time, the popularity of tennis in China is also growing.

The power of example is endless.

After China Tennis has Chen Ran as its leader,

Of course, as your grades get better and better, the outside world's expectations of you will continue to increase.

Zhou Yuan of "Sports Weekly" had the opportunity for an exclusive interview.

In a spacious media room, Chen Ran and Zhou Yuan sat opposite each other after finishing their physical therapy.

"As the best-selling sports newspaper in China, we have now increased the tennis page to three pages."

The third edition is basically the same as basketball.

"One and a half pages are for news about you, the remaining half is for Chinese Tennis, and the remaining one is for World Tennis."

"In the past, tennis did not have an independent section and was part of comprehensive sports."

This is not only true for Sports Weekly, but also for other portals.

For a long time, tennis has been part of the sports complex.

Chen Ran has driven the tennis craze in China, and this craze is already on the rise.

"If I can win the Sunshine Double Championship, how popular will domestic tennis be?" This thought floated through Chen Ran's mind.

The ATP Challenger Championship is actually nothing and has no convincing power at all.

What really brought tennis into the public eye was the winner of this year's Auckland Tour.

Then the semi-finals of the Australian Open, and then the championship of the Indian Wells Masters, the domestic tennis fever continued to soar.

In just three months, Chen Ran has appeared on "Xinwen Lianbo" three times.

They were the semi-finals of the Australian Open, reached the finals of the Masters, and finally won the championship.

Since the turn of the century, Yao Ming was the first athlete to break out of the circle and become almost a household name, but Chen Ran has the tendency to catch up from behind and has already won top honors.

"There should be many tennis courts emerging in China."

"Yes, it's either under construction or planned. Of course, it's all about the tennis fever you bring."

Chen Ran smiled, showing relief.

This is what he expected to see.

Although the threshold for tennis is a little higher, it is not impossible to popularize it among the public.For a long time, Chinese people have regarded golf and tennis as aristocratic sports, although the amount of exercise and physical test required by the latter far exceed that of the former.

In the European and American world, golf and tennis are both very popular and are undoubtedly the top two individual ball sports.

But in China, it is a different situation.

First of all, the public’s acceptance of tennis is much higher than that of golf.

This is not only because building a golf course is too expensive and takes up too much space, but also because golf is somewhat demonized in China.

In the eyes of ordinary Chinese people, golf represents luxury and even corruption. It is a place where high-ranking officials and wealthy people gather secretly for discussions.

China once had a female golfer, Feng Shanshan, who also won a golf Grand Slam. The championship bonus was even higher than Li Na's French Open and Australian Open.

But there is no splash in China, and its popularity is not even as high as a 250 race champion.

Comparing the huge difference in popularity between Li Na and Feng Shanshan, some sports reporters at the time put forward a hypothesis: If a Tiger Woods appeared in China, would it be popular?

No one dares to guarantee that it will be popular or not.

Because the general public's acceptance of golf is too low, and their impression is too bad, so what if it is very popular in the European and American world?
But if we change the question, if a Big Three-level tennis player appears in China, will it be popular?
The answer is without a doubt.

It can even be said that if a player at the level of the Big Three is Chinese, the Chinese media can even package him as a goat in the history of world sports.

Li Na has brought tennis popularity to China, but there is still a long way to go before tennis is truly as popular as it is in Europe and the United States.So this time, it will be Chen Ran who will achieve this goal.

There is no reason for Chinese people not to like the sport of tennis, especially table tennis, which is known as China’s national sport, is an extension of tennis.

Chen Ran was very convinced of this.

Taking a deeper analysis, among all ball sports, apart from football, basketball, table tennis and badminton, which other sports are most likely to become popular in China?

Volleyball has always been tepid, and its popularity is mainly maintained by the women's volleyball team.

Billiards has always been very popular, but compared with real ball games, it is somewhat different, and it is a non-Olympic event.

Rugby is generally difficult for Chinese people to accept.

Cricket and baseball require a lot of equipment, and the foundation of these two sports in China is too bad.

As for hockey, water polo, handball, etc., these sports have a certain degree of popularity in Europe, but the strange thing is that in China, no matter whether their results are good or bad, it seems difficult to arouse discussion and interest among Chinese people.

That leaves just tennis.

The four Grand Slams and major tours are well known in China, and many sports fans are aware of them.

In particular, the increasingly large middle class in China loves tennis very much, and through them tennis can be passed on to all walks of life.

In addition, China's major news media, from local stations to CCTV, seem to have a special liking for tennis and like to report on tennis matches.

Therefore, from any angle, there is no reason why tennis will not become popular in China.

"You can tell sports fans across the country that I will continue to work hard and believe that I will not let everyone down!"

As Chen Ran spoke, he held out three fingers: "You have to know that it has only been three months, and the popularity of tennis has turned upside down in China."

"What about one year, two years, or even three years from now? Thinking about it makes people look forward to it!"

Yes, it has only been 3 months since Chen Ran participated in the tour for the first time.

Zhou Yuan seemed to have thought about it, and added: "I think there should be more cross-border linkages, whether with other sports or even with the entertainment industry."

And the entertainment industry?

Chen Ran also remembered something and said with a smile: "Some entertainment journalists always like to make news. I must be quite well-known in the entertainment industry now."

He didn't pay attention to the entertainment gossip, but he knew there would be some trouble.

"For example, in the game just now, the interaction between you and Leslie Cheung was very good." Zhou Yuan also smiled, although he didn't know what they talked about.

Chen Ran also knows that compared with the four major sports of football, basketball, table tennis, and badminton, the foundation of tennis in China is still a little weak. He is fighting alone, and it will take some effort to catch up.

Of course, you have to have good grades first.

Seeing the silent Chen Ran, Zhou Yuan added: "In the hearts of many Chinese audiences, the national team's status is unparalleled, and the Olympic Games have special significance."

"By the way, your name is not included in the latest Davis Cup team competition roster."

As he spoke, he showed a hint of worry.

Just like in later generations, Guangzhou Evergrande won the AFC Champions League twice, but the national team failed to improve and was still easily criticized by the fans.

If rumors spread, such as "Chen Ran rejected the national team", the impact will not be good.

Look at Yao Ming, if he no longer represents the Chinese national team, his commercial value will be greatly reduced.

Chen Ran also realized that he had not publicly promised to represent China in the Olympics, but had only stayed in private negotiations with the network management center.

"Well, you write an article for me."

After thinking for a while, Chen Ran said: "Next summer, the top priority is the Athens Olympics. I am even willing to give up the North American season, including the US Open, for this."

Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up, Chen Ran was so smart, it was so obvious!
Because of Chen Ran, it’s hard to decide whether tennis in China is popular or not!

……

(End of this chapter)