Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 451 China Open debut
"Are they here to steal my spotlight?"

Chen Ran looked at the scene of two Americans performing a martial arts show, covering his forehead and muttering in his heart.

One characteristic of the American people is that they always go their own way. Unlike the Chinese people who go out abroad, they have the consciousness to represent the country in every word and deed and must not embarrass the motherland.

When the two were fighting, they kept saying "fuck you" one after another, which showed the abundant martial virtue of the American emperor.

The security personnel at the scene did not expect that this could happen on such an important occasion. After realizing it, they rushed forward and pulled the two Americans away.

But even so, the two guys still glared at each other, wanting to tear each other into pieces.

The organizing committee was worried that the situation would escalate again, so it could only pull the two parties away from the scene.

However, what happened today quickly spread through the news and the Internet, causing quite a stir not only in China, but also in the United States and other countries.

The people of the American Empire on the other side of the ocean also became extremely excited. They did not feel that this behavior was embarrassing to their country at all. Instead, they discussed it enthusiastically with saliva flying and full of gossip.

"Andy has been very emotionally unstable lately."

"Maybe he was under too much pressure. He lost to an unseeded player at the US Open at home."

"I think that's it for his career. He only has one Grand Slam in his life."

"Oh my God, American tennis has declined to this extent."

This should be the first time in the past ten years that no American player has won a Grand Slam championship among the four Grand Slam tournaments in a year.

What's more, Chen Ran was absent from the US Open this time.

After the farce, the angry ATP wanted to directly ban Roddick from participating in the China Open, but the organizing committee of the China Open backed down. After all, Roddick is also one of the box office guarantees for this tournament.

Besides, the tickets have already been sold. Is it possible to get a refund?
Under their influence, the ATP also had to give face to the China Open organizing committee, and could only give symbolic criticism and warnings and fines. As for the American reporter, he was banned from attending this year's China Open.

Although the latter protested against double standards, this was in vain.

……

This turmoil has brought the attention of China Open, which was already attracting much attention, to another level.

As the host and the most famous player, Chen Ran was naturally scheduled to appear in the opening game.

The central court of the Guangcai Tennis Center, which can accommodate 10,000 people, was packed with seats.
Tickets for this match were once priced at more than 1000 yuan. After all, Yanjing is the capital of China, where rich people gather, and a large part of the tennis audience has an income level above the middle class.

This is Chen Ran, a Golden Slam winner, making his first appearance since the Olympics. It is also his first ATP 500 match.

When Chen Ran slowly walked out of the players tunnel with a tennis bag on his back, the audience suddenly burst into deafening cheers to welcome their hero.

A few years ago, no one believed that Chinese players could win a Grand Slam, especially in men's events.

Chen Ran broke this doubt and not only won the Grand Slam, but also won the Olympic gold medal at the same time, achieving the achievement of the Golden Slam.

This also brought Chen Ran's popularity in China to its peak, and he was ahead of others, not only in the sports circle, but also in the entire cultural and sports circles.

In addition, after the Athens Olympics in China, the entire country has gained a strong sports atmosphere.

This atmosphere will continue to soar until the Yanjing Olympics four years later.

After all, it was the first heavyweight competition held in China after the Athens Olympics, and leaders attended the competition.

"Young man, you are young and promising."

"Strive to keep up the good work and continue to contribute to the honor of the motherland!"

The leader spoke earnestly.

"Absolutely, it is my duty to win glory for the country!" Chen Ran also replied enthusiastically.

He was also surprised by the formation at the China Open this time. Although the first China Open is only a 500-meter tournament, the national level really attaches great importance to it and gives it enough pomp and circumstance.

I must go all out to win the first China Open championship, and I must not leave any regrets.

When the two sides began tossing coins and choosing sides before the game, the audience began to clap their hands in unison.

As tennis becomes more popular in China, more and more spectators know the etiquette of tennis matches and know when to cheer and when to clap.

More than 10,000 spectators clapped their hands. This formation really made him feel like he was dreaming of returning to the Grand Slam.

You must know that in sports competitions held in China today, except for football, the audience for other events rarely exceeds 1.

CBA's stadium basically only has about 5000 people.

"It feels so good to compete in my motherland!" Chen Ran also waved towards the audience.

In fact, many Chinese tennis players in previous lives also liked to compete in China. After all, the feeling of competing in the motherland is unique.

Similarly, with the opening of the China Open, the entire Asian season has also kicked off.

The first show of the 500 race has officially begun.

"This is an ATP500 tournament."

Chen Ran muttered silently in his heart.

The ATP500 tournament is considered the top event on the tour, and for many top tennis players, it is neither better nor worse.

Unlike the ATP 250 tournament, the 500 tournament can generally attract many top 10 or even top 5 players to sign up to participate.

After all, the prize money and points in the 500 race are very considerable.

But unlike the Grand Slams and Masters, there are generally only 500 lottery spots in the 32 tournament. Sometimes players like the top 50 are not necessarily guaranteed to enter the lottery, which is enough to show the cruel competition for places.

Therefore, the 500 race is often a fierce battle from the first round.

If Chen Ran is careless and underestimates his opponent, it is not impossible to stop him in the first round.

After all, this precedent has happened many times.

Chen Ran's opponent is Gonzalez from Chile, who is also a famous player who has dominated the tennis world for many years.

His form was a little mediocre in the first half of the year, and then he failed to maintain some big points, and his ranking soon fell to outside the 20th place. This is enough to show the cruel competition in men's tennis.

After the two sides shook hands and exchanged greetings, the game officially began.

Since Chen Ran hadn't competed for a while, his body was indeed a little tight and unfamiliar, so the two sides played very anxiously at the beginning.

In the first ten rounds, the two sides reached a 5-5 tie.

Chen Ran failed to break serve.

Then, both sides continued to maintain their respective serves, and the game unexpectedly entered a tie-break.

Fortunately, the reputation of "King of Tie-breaks" was well-deserved. Chen Ran gradually took control of the game in the tie-breaks and won the first set 7-3.

"I didn't expect that the first set turned out to be a tie-break. Although the game was very anxious, at least the ticket price was worth it!"

The audience at the scene was so emotional.

……

(End of this chapter)