Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 552: The Hardest Thing to Accept

Chapter 552: The Hardest Thing to Accept (4K)

Chen Ran finally understood that Djokovic's father was just about to praise him to death with an extremely corny tone. After all, you shouldn't hit someone who smiles at you.

After all, if he wants to attract attention, he either has to talk big or brag hard.

Djokovic's father was too embarrassed to fire at his "benefactor", so he could only blow it up as much as he could.

He also specifically studied China's news industry, and these journalists should really like his way of speaking.

This kind of exaggerated flattery should help the father and son quickly increase their popularity in China.

But then again, Djokovic's father is very envious of Chen Ran.

In addition to being an excellent tennis player, this guy is also an excellent entrepreneur with excellent investment vision.

So it’s definitely a good idea to have a good relationship with him.

On the other hand, Uncle Nadal also had a feeling that "I'm finally not lonely anymore."

It's better to have an old guy to argue with him than to just talk nonsense on his own.

So he also joined the verbal battle: "Old man, when the clay court season starts, I hope you can still be so stubborn!"

……

"The eighth Grand Slam... and the third consecutive Australian Open title!"

After Chen Ran returned to the hotel, he looked at the trophy and fell into deep thought.

In the original time and space, Djokovic was known as the King of the Australian Open and won 10 Australian Open titles.

Until 2024, when Chen Ran is reborn, Djokovic will win the championship as long as he reaches the semi-finals, without losing a single game. (In 2024, this record was broken by Sinner)

"This record no longer exists, at least in this time and space." Chen Ran muttered, "But this powerful challenger has appeared. The future competition will definitely be very difficult."

He silently opened the property panel value.

After seven rounds of fierce battles in the Australian Open, his attribute values dropped to 94 again.

At my best, except for the technique which was 97, my spirit and body were both at 96.

It is almost impossible to continue to improve.

With 8 Grand Slam titles, Chen Ran is far ahead among active athletes.

He has transitioned from building an empire to defending it.

Among the current active players, Chen Ran has 8 Grand Slams, Federer has 3, Hewitt and Safin have 1 each, and Roddick and other players have .

But tennis is not table tennis.

Although Chen Ran is strong, he is not strong enough to make his opponents despair. Moreover, his strength does not represent the overall strength of Chinese tennis.

So he is currently the target of public criticism, and countless players are studying him.

Federer will continue to improve, Nadal is far from reaching his peak, and Djokovic has already begun to show signs of improvement.

And there's that guy Wawrinka. Once the guy in flowery pants gets going, he can beat anyone.

Chen Ran didn't dare to feel careless at all.

……

However, after celebrating his third consecutive Australian Open title, he did not return to China immediately.

In this year's Australian Open, in addition to the men's singles, he also signed up for the mixed doubles competition with Ivanovic.

Of course, the two mainly focus on singles, and the mixed doubles match is just used to warm up for singles.

Therefore, the combination of Chen Ran and Ivanovic finally only reached the quarterfinals.

Perhaps the mixed doubles competition gave Ivanovic enough warm-up, as this year's Australian Open also created the best Grand Slam tournament record in her career - the semi-finals.

This also caused the popularity and commercial value of this Serbian beauty to soar rapidly.

So some unexpected butterfly effect happened.

Originally Ivanovic was negotiating with Adidas, and then Li Ning suddenly intervened.

Yes, Li Ning, who has now accumulated strong strength, has begun to enter the international sports market with great ambition.

Not only in the field of tennis, because of Yao Ming's relationship, Li Ning also specially signed several of his teammates from the Rockets. This is Li Ning's first step to test the international arena.

Almost two years later, Li Ning made a big move to poach NBA superstar and executive vice-goat James' good brother Wade from Nike.

In his subsequent career, Wade lived up to Li Ning's trust and led his younger brother to win two NBA championships.

Because of Yao Ming, Li Ning entered the field of basketball; also because of Chen Ran, Li Ning began to get involved in the field of tennis.

As for why Ivanovic was chosen?

Because unlike other female athletes, female tennis players have always been praised as fashionable, beautiful, sunny and even sexy, which is consistent with the purpose pursued by Li Ning Company.

Sharapova?

He is Nike's trump card!
Zheng Jie?

Like Chen Ran, she is a flagship figure among Chinese athletes under Nike.

Li Na?

The arrogant Li Ning company felt that the other party was not good-looking, her performance was not as good as Zheng Jie, she was also not young anymore and her potential was limited.

The Williams brothers?

Please, although Li Ning Company may have a brain short circuit sometimes, its eyes are not blind.

So, they set their sights on the other one of the two golden flowers of the WTA - Ivanovic.

It's just Adidas! I can't poach people from Nike, so why can't I poach people from you?

So, the wealthy Li Ning Company signed Ivanovic.

As for the endorsement fee, it is not expensive, only 200 million US dollars a year, which is lower than the fee Zheng Jie signed with Nike, but it is also among the best in the WTA.

In fact, Li Ning was somewhat surprised that he could sign Ivanovic at this price.

Originally, the price they had in mind was between 250 million and 300 million US dollars.

Their offer was not much higher than Adidas.

As for the reason, Chen Ran felt that it might have something to do with himself!

When he was playing doubles with Ivanovic, he once mentioned something inadvertently: many sports superstars who signed with Adidas were not very lucky.

Not only was he unlucky in games, but his body was also often troubled by injuries.

For example, McGrady, who was previously with Kobe, suffered from various injuries after signing a big contract with Adidas.

What's more, Adidas has the usual arrogance of the Germans, and its sincerity is indeed not as good as Li Ning. After hesitating for a while, Ivanovich decisively chose Li Ning.

Besides, the Chinese market represents the future of tennis. As for Germany? Come on, even the Hamburg Masters has been downgraded.

Obviously, in the future, whether it is WTA or ATP, they will attach much more importance to the Chinese market than the German market.

After seeing this news, Chen Ran was in a daze for a long time, but he came to a conclusion: Ivanovic will be with Schweini from the German men's national football team in the future. Could it be that Adidas is also the matchmaker?

After all, for some time before this, the relationship between Ivanovic and Djokovic was somewhat ambiguous.

"Never mind!" Chen Ran shook his head. "She has just turned 18." The 18-year-old Ivanovich was a girl full of youthfulness. It was the peak period of her life.

To be honest, when she married Xiaozhu in her previous life, her looks had declined significantly compared to her peak period. After having children, she was tending to look like an Eastern European aunt.

So should I accept this date invitation or not?
After Ivanovic and Li Ning signed the contract, she was very excited and offered to treat Chen Ran to a meal to celebrate.

The location was not in Melbourne, but in Sydney because she bought a property there.

The two places are more than 800 kilometers apart.

Should be able to get rid of those annoying reporters.

"Whether you want a long-lasting relationship or not, it's hard to refuse an invitation from a beautiful woman." So Chen Ran prepared to keep the appointment.

He asked his assistant to book a flight from Melbourne to Sydney.

"This time, there shouldn't be any psychological burden."

Chen Ran recalled the last time he went to the villa Sharapova bought in Miami before the final of the Miami Masters, but unfortunately he lost the championship.

This time, it’s after the Australian Open, so I can completely let go.

……

Like Melbourne, Sydney has a large Chinese population.

So when Chen Ran appeared on the streets of Sydney wearing a hat and sunglasses, he did not attract attention.

After all, his height of 1 meters is not noticeable in Australia. He is far from standing out like a basketball player and becoming the focus wherever he goes.

Chen Ran got off the taxi, walked through the crowded crowd, and met Ivanovich, who was wearing a skirt and a formal dress, in a private restaurant not far from the world-famous Sydney Opera House.

"Ana, congratulations on entering a new realm in your career." After the two met, they hugged and kissed each other's cheeks as usual.

For a normal man, he likes this way of meeting, which is much better than shaking hands.

However, in China, Chen Ran is still very careful, fearing to cause unnecessary scandals.

"Chen Ran, Sydney is so beautiful. Have you ever thought about buying a house here?" Ivanovich said excitedly, her face filled with the innocence of an eighteen-year-old girl.

Uh……

You have already bought it, so why should I buy it again? Isn’t it a waste of money?
For example, if he and Sharapova had continued to develop, they would not have planned to buy a house in Miami.

Because he doesn't have a house, he can live in the girl's house with a clear conscience. Anyway, the girls won't ask him for rent!
"Let me think about it..." Chen Ran pretended to be in deep thought and said seriously, "I think even if I buy a house, I won't spend much time here throughout the year. Isn't that a waste?"

“Then you can rent it out!”

"No..." Chen Ran shook his head decisively, "I don't like letting others live in my house. Do you think I need that little bit of rent?"

"That's right..." Ivanovich nodded, thinking it made sense.

Chen Ran used a spoon to shake the coffee in the cup and continued with a smile: "I will probably buy a house in Australia, but I personally like Melbourne."

"I love Sydney!" Ivanovich replied.

"You bought a house in Sydney, and I bought a house in Melbourne. Doesn't this mean..." Chen Ran smiled slightly, "Does it mean that we have a place to stay in both cities?"

Ivanovich's face flushed for a rare moment.

Her skin color is a healthy tan, which makes her look even more charming.

"Who do you think is prettier, me or Maria?" The little girl mustered up her courage and asked Chen Ran.

Chen Ran looked at Ivanovich's eyes, which were as bright as stars, and said slowly: "I haven't met Maria in private for a long time, because her father is a vulgar Siberian farmer, which will reduce Maria's beauty."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned her name."

Ivanovich took a deep breath and said seriously: "But... I always compare myself with her involuntarily. You know why."

"Ana..." Chen Ran said slowly, "Maria and I have only had one mixed doubles experience, but I think we can continue to be mixed doubles partners in the upcoming French Open and Wimbledon."

"Really? That's great!" Ivanovic seemed a little excited. "You know, once I form a mixed doubles with you, I feel that my singles are also in good shape."

Is this the vitality that comes from the love between men and women?

Chen Ran smiled and said, "So the number of times you and I have formed mixed doubles is more than that between me and Maria. You should understand what I mean, right?"

Ivanovich was in a trance for a moment, but after being reminded by Chen Ran, he came back to his senses, and his eyes flashed with a mixture of shyness and excitement.

"Can I sit next to you?"

"of course can!"

Ivanovich carefully sat down next to Chen Ran, and the two chatted happily.

Unconsciously, the two figures were getting closer and closer, and when they raised their heads, they saw the famous Sydney Opera House not far away.

The atmosphere in the entire private room became somewhat ambiguous.

Gradually, their breathing became rapid.

Ivanovich's breath hit Chen Ran's face, making him hot.

In an instant, the two looked at each other.

"Ana, what I want to say is..."

Chen Ran took a deep breath and stared at the girl's charming eyes: "Your eyes are so beautiful. In my heart, you are the most beautiful Serbian girl."

"really?"

"Of course...I promise to God!"

This was not a lie, as he didn't know many Serbian girls.

The next moment, the two of them couldn't help but hug each other.

"I'm going to turn off the lights in the private room!"

Chen Ran shouted softly, then reached out and pressed the switch.

The lights in the private room went out, leaving only the dim light of the candles and the bright moonlight shining through the glass.

"The private room is quite large, but are we going to stay here?" Ivanovich asked shyly.

"The first half will be here, and the second half will be at your home in Sydney." Chen Ran held Ivanovic's face and smiled gently.

"How interesting! This is quite interesting!"

Ivanovich smiled coquettishly, and then moved closer and closer.

In the huge private room, there were only dim candles and hazy moonlight, and the atmosphere was extremely ambiguous.