Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 543 Interaction with the Billiards Prodigy
So far, only Chen Ran and Nadal can be considered conscientious players, and their respective matches are worth the price of the ticket.

Now, the two conscientious players meet in the semi-finals.

"It would be great if they met in the finals!"

Many people secretly murmured and felt deeply regretful about this.

I should have put Nadal and Chen Ran in the same group so that they could have a chance to meet in the final.

As for why Nadal lost to Wawrinka in the group stage?

The main reason was that he consumed too much energy in the match against Federer, which led to his unexpected comeback by Wawrinka.

Now, one of the spots in the final is occupied by Chilean star Gonzalez.

He may be a famous general, but he has no box office appeal in China.

Therefore, this year's finals lost at least half of its star power.

Nadal has star quality, but the effect of his reaching the final is definitely not as good as Chen Ran's.

On the court, the two men fist-bumped, shook hands, and prepared to start the game.

"I remember that among the Big Three in the previous life, only Nadal had never won the year-end championship, and he has always been brooding over it. Even his uncle often complained that he hoped the year-end competition could be held on a clay court." Chen Ran suddenly thought of this.

But he also knows that times have changed and you can’t define Nadal today with the eyes of your past life.

This Spaniard is really an indestructible stamina monster.

"Rafael, I think the last time we played against each other was in the French Open final half a year ago."

"Yes, we haven't fought for a long time."

Chen Ran nodded silently, looking at Nadal with wild long hair, full of vigor and vitality. Who could have imagined that a few years later, he would be a Mediterranean uncle with a haggard face and sparse hair?

After all, the "Chen-Nardo duel" is the second most classic duel in today's professional tennis.

The scene was crowded with people and the air began to burn.

The director of CCTV TV station was switching the camera lenses, capturing the gorgeous lineup of guests in the audience stands one, two, three at a time.

As expected of an international metropolis like Shanghai, this final, which was hailed as an early final, attracted many celebrities from the entertainment and sports circles to watch.

For example, Ding Junhui, the billiards prodigy who just won the Snooker British Championship and is currently very popular, was also invited to the event.

Although the commercial value and influence of billiards are far less than that of tennis, the number of people playing billiards in China is much greater than that playing tennis.

This huge population may even be more than the number of people who play football and is about the same as the number of people who play basketball.

Chen Ran couldn't refute this point.

I remember that when I was in junior high or high school, most boys could play billiards to some extent.

What? You said eight-ball is different from snooker?
Do you think we don't want to play snooker? It's because we don't have the ability to play snooker. It is very likely that we will play it until the end of time, so we have to choose eight-ball as the second best option.

Ding Junhui is one year younger than Chen Ran and is only 18 years old.

Finally, a sports superstar younger than Chen Ran appeared.

This also made many media sigh that the superstars in China's sports arena are now getting younger, each one is younger than the other.

Yao Ming, on the contrary, was the older one. This time, the Magic City Organizing Committee also gave Director Ding a lot of face.

He actually surpassed several entertainment stars at the scene and got the opportunity to interact with Chen Ran and Nadal before the game.

At this moment, Ding Yanyuyang, who won the British Championship at the age of 18, broke the monopoly of the British Isles on this event. He can be said to be full of energy and high spirits, but also a little shy.

Some billiards fans were also very excited.

However, some fans on the Internet joked: "Shy Xiao Ding would not dare to pick up foreign girls like the thick-skinned Chen Ran when he was in the UK, right? Definitely not."

"Needless to say? Look at his small body, how can he compare with Chen Ran? Chen Ran can even push a big foreign horse like Maria Sharapova. Even if Xiao Ding meets a small lamb, he will be powerless. He might even be pushed back by others."

"..."

Chen Ran showed great enthusiasm for this celebrity from his previous life.

In fact, one of his biggest hobbies in watching Douyin in his previous life was to watch Director Ding's various breathtaking shots and extremely charming movements.

This billiards prodigy is also a big celebrity on Tik Tok, with over 10 million fans.

Although the prize money for snooker is a little lower, the risk is also low, injuries are less likely, and the professional career is extremely long.

Look at O'Sullivan, he is almost 50 years old, but still the world number one, sweeping all major championships.

As for tennis, except for the Big Three, which are a few abnormalities, basically everyone starts to go downhill after they are in their 30s.

Given Director Ding's condition, it would be no problem for him to play until he is over 40. He usually posts on Douyin, performs at various events, and participates in some exhibition matches. His life is more comfortable than that of most athletes.

After the group photo session, Chen Ran smiled and joked: "Xiao Ding, next time you have a chance, please teach me how to move the white ball. I am confident in hitting the ball, but I don't know how to move the white ball."

Ding Junhui smiled shyly, but said very proudly: "Okay, no problem. Let's play a game if there is a chance, but you have to understand that the positioning of the white ball requires talent. Without talent, it will definitely not work."

"Okay, next time I'll teach you how to play tennis." Chen Ran also patted his chest and promised, "I'll teach you how to hit the ball with topspin, so that you can be invincible among amateur players."

"Um... I want to learn, but I'm worried that I don't have the physical fitness to run well." Ding Junhui said shyly.

"How can that be possible!" Chen Ran frowned deliberately and patted Xiao Ding's shoulder again, "You are so fat at such a young age, you must lose weight."

"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you!" Ding Junhui had no choice but to agree.

When the two chatted, they were like an older brother and a younger brother.

Then, under the attention of many media and on-site audiences, the two sides exchanged gifts.

The gifts are naturally related to their main business.

Chen Ran gave Director Ding a pair of exquisite rackets, and Director Ding gave Chen Ran a very impressive golf club, which even sparkled under the reflection of the light.

Chen Ran’s name in pinyin was even engraved on the club.

"So from now on, when I play billiards, I don't need to ask the store for it. I have to use my own cue." Chen Ran looked at his name on the cue and smiled, and joked, "I believe that I can clear the table with one shot when playing snooker with this cue."

But when leaving, Director Ding actually smiled and whispered: "Chen Ran, you can only use this cue to play billiards, but never use it to hit people, hehe."

Oh my god! This guy looks so introverted and shy, but I didn’t expect he has such a shy side.

……

(End of this chapter)