Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 204: First loss on tour and five-day trip to Rome

In fact, for an ultimate individual sport like tennis, national competitions are not very attractive.

For example, although the Davis Cup has high prize money, it is still regarded as useless by top players. This shows that.

But in Xu Feigang's plan, he still likes to create based on the country. This is his personal idea, and Chen Ran can't say anything.

After bidding farewell to Xu Feigang and Kei Nishikori, Chen Ran quickly packed up his salutes and embarked on the next stop - the Rome Masters.

Rome, a city known as the Eternal City, is the heart of Italy and one of the cradles of European civilization.

The wind and frost of time slowly carved out the vicissitudes and splendor of this city.

The last clay court Masters tournament before the French Open will be held in this city.

At this moment, all the top players in the world's tennis world gathered here, making this city shine brightly.

Some players regard this as a warm-up match for the French net prefix, and some players want to take advantage of the absence of the masters to gain considerable bonuses and points.

Although the French Open is one of the four Grand Slams and attracts much attention, no one can guarantee that they can go far enough in this event where clay court masters gather.

So everyone has their own thoughts.

The Chinese media has mixed emotions. They not only hope that Chen Ran can achieve good results in back-to-back clay court masters, but also feel that Chen Ran should prepare for the upcoming French Open in advance.

A Grand Slam is, after all, a Grand Slam, which represents the highest honor in professional tennis.

Chen Ran already holds three Masters championships, and even winning one more would be just the icing on the cake for Chinese fans.

Only by winning a Grand Slam, or at least reaching the finals, can Chen Ran's popularity or the popularity of tennis in China reach a higher level.

After arriving in Rome, Chen Ran basically wandered around except for some restorative training.

From the Colosseum, the Pantheon, to the Trevi Fountain and other ancient monuments, I have basically left my own footprints in these days.

In addition, Rome also has charming coastlines, beaches and islands, as well as rich natural landscapes, which also allow Chen Ran to relax and enjoy the rare opportunity here.

It seems that he came to Rome not to participate in the competition but to travel.

"This is fucking life! I didn't go to more places in my last 30 years of living than I did in one year in this life!"

Chen Ran enjoyed a bye in the first round because he was the No. 5 seed in the tournament.

He didn't even bother with the potential opponent's first-round matchup.

So when the list of opponents for the second round appeared in front of Chen Ran, he was really surprised.

"My opponent in the second round turned out to be him!" Although Chen Ran didn't speak, the surprise on his face was obvious.

"Chen, do you know him?" Zhang Depei looked curious, "This Swiss is only one year older than you."

"Ha, I don't know." Chen Ran immediately denied it and smiled, "It seems that under my leadership, more and more players born after 85 have entered the professional tennis arena."

His opponent in the second round was none other than Wawrinka, the future three-time Grand Slam winner.

He and Murray are considered the second-tier players under the "Big Three".

What's even more incredible is that this guy has entered a total of 4 Grand Slam finals, and then won 3 of them, defeating Nadal once and Djokovic twice.

The championship rate of 70.00% is the envy of all the Big Three.

Without a star like Federer, Wawrinka would have become the banner figure of Swiss sports.

But it is a pity that although they have an impressive record, in terms of popularity and commercial value, they are not only far inferior to the Big Three, but also far inferior to Murray, who is on the same level as himself.

Even Kei Nishikori, who was still young, surpassed Wawrinka in terms of popularity and commercial income.

He has no flamboyant personality, no grandstanding, diligent, honest, and no flashy hitting moves, but no one dares to ignore this guy. This is the evaluation of him by tennis fans.

Chen Ran checked the general information again and muttered to himself: Nadal entered the main draw, but was eliminated in the first round, while Wawrinka actually passed the first round.

Thus, the first confrontation between 17-year-old Chen Ran and 18-year-old Swiss second brother Wawrinka occurred.

"First Federer, then Nadal, and now Wawrinka, future competitors have appeared one after another." Chen Ran thought to himself.

Because whether it is Agassi, Hewitt, Safin, Roddick, or even the world's No. 1 Ferrero, their era will soon pass.

Among these people, except Agassi, who is the oldest and the king of the previous era, the rest were all born around 80, but they all have one characteristic in common. Although their peak period was brilliant, it was not lasting enough, like a meteor passing by. Very short.

Except for Federer who was born in 81, the rest of the players born in 85 rose up like comets and quickly replaced these people's positions in the tennis world.

Not just the Big Three, but Wawrinka and Murray.

Del Potro won a Grand Slam from Federer in 88; Cilic also won a Grand Slam in 88, first defeating Federer and then Kei Nishikori.

The Big Three, Wawrinka, Murray, Del Potro, and Cilic, plus now Chen Ran, are also ready to share the pork. It is obvious that the life of other players will be even more difficult.

……

Good sign!Many Chinese media have concluded that this will definitely be a good draw, and Chen Ran should be able to advance directly to the top [-] of the Rome Masters.

Even Wawrinka himself modestly said that facing three-time Masters champion Chen Ran, he came into the game with a learning attitude.

But surprisingly, after the game started, Chen Ran's performance was mediocre and he was unable to enter the best condition.

It seems that after the Madrid Masters, Chen Ran seemed to have fallen into a period of fatigue that is common after a championship, and his whole body could not find the feeling of competition.

As for the fledgling Wawrinka, he showed a steady style of play and comprehensive skills that far exceeded his age, especially this guy's violent singles, often hitting shots that were like flying gods, leaving Chen Ran with a helpless expression on his face.

boom!
In the third set, after being broken by Wawrinka again, Chen Ran was so angry that he smashed his racket and was warned by the referee on duty.

Some Italian fans at the scene were very dissatisfied and booed Chen Ran strongly.

The media has praised you so loudly. You are a 17-year-old three-time Masters champion, and you have also won the extremely valuable and extremely difficult "Sunshine Double Crown".

I spent money to buy tickets, and this is the result?

After Chen Ran was broken by Wawrinka, he never found a chance to break back.

最终他以4:6、6:3、5:7，陈然苦战2个小时37分钟，以1比2输给了来自瑞士的新人瓦林卡。

After winning this unexpected victory, Wawrinka knelt on the ground excitedly for a long time, celebrating his victory with almost snot and tears.

He is only 18 years old and has already reached the top 16 of the Masters. This result is really wonderful.

As for Chen Ran, his first defeat on the tour came just like that. It was unexpected but also reasonable.

With a frequent match schedule and a professional tennis world full of strong players, you can't always remain undefeated.

Calculate carefully how many tournaments Chen Ran has been undefeated?

Since his debut, he has won 5 games in Auckland, 6 games in the Sunshine Double Tournament, and 5 games in the Madrid Masters, for a total of 22 consecutive wins (not counting the Grand Slam).

Now the winning streak has finally been terminated, and it is Wawrinka, an 18-year-old rising star from Switzerland, who has accomplished this achievement.

In fact, Chen Ran's performance in this game was quite satisfactory, but Wawrinka's performance was so outstanding and his skills were so comprehensive that he was no weaker than other top players at the same age.

Especially in the third set, Wawrinka acted too calmly, not like an 18-year-old at all.

So after this game, countless media focused their attention on this young Swiss.

After Chen Ran, another player born after 85 shined brightly on the stage of the Masters.

Before the players born in the 80s officially dominated the stage, the players born in the 85s began to compete for class power.

Does this also mean that the future tennis world will usher in a more glorious golden era?

"Congratulations, you performed very well." Chen Ran put away his frustration, "I believe you will become one of the best players in professional tennis in the future."

Wawrinka still couldn't believe that he defeated Chen Ran, and said very humbly: "I had better luck today, and I know that you are not in the best condition, so I will definitely take the French Open into consideration."

"But I must admit that your deeds inspire young post-85 players like us."

"I wish you can go further in the Rome Masters." Chen Ran shook hands with Wawrinka, picked up his luggage and left.

After the game, he was interviewed, which was reserved for the winner. Chen Ran chose to leave the court immediately.

Some Chinese media are chasing Chen Ran, trying to get him to express his views that have been criticized.

"Unpopularity is part of competitive sports. I need to take a good rest and prepare for the second Grand Slam in my career." After Chen Ran left these words lightly, he left without looking back.

"Has Chen Ran let off steam?"

"Looking at the progress of the game, it doesn't seem like he is playing the game very seriously."

"Yeah, he even smashed the racket in a hurry!"

"The Swiss is not weak, and the world ranking cannot explain everything."

"Even if he wants to prepare for the French Open early, it does not affect playing a few more games in Rome, whether it is the top [-] or the quarter-finals."

"By the way, how much bonus and points does Chen Ran get for stopping in the second round?"

"45 points and 2.1 euros!"

"The prize money for tennis is really high. The prize money for winning the championship in table tennis is not that big..."

A few minutes later, the sports headlines of major Chinese portals listed very exaggerated headlines: Will the 18-year-old Wawrinka be Chen Ran's lifelong enemy?
At this time, Chen Ran had already booked a flight from Rome to Paris.

From arriving in Rome to leaving, it took exactly five days.

……

(End of this chapter)