Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 629: Americans, can you still play like this? (4K)

"If it weren't for me, Djokovic would have won a Grand Slam by now, and he might have even achieved this goal last year."

Chen Ran couldn't help but think so in his heart.

That year, Chen Ran personally named Djokovic, which made the latter, who was still in the youth competition, flattered.

The benefit is that because of Chen Ran's nomination, Djokovic has received more attention from sponsors, and his father no longer has to borrow from loan sharks.

After all, it is a small country in Eastern Europe and the market is too small.

Whether it is ATP or WTA, they are unlikely to actively support Eastern European players.

Some people in later generations joked that when Wu Yibing won his first tour championship and Zheng Qinwen reached the Australian Open final, the happiest people might not be the Chinese tennis fans, but the ATP and WTA.

Finally no more of those pesky Eastern European pheasants!
How much money can a small Eastern European country have?

If Chinese players can perform well, it means that the huge Chinese market is opening its doors to tennis.

Especially since Chinese football and basketball are in terrible shape, it is easier for tennis to attract capital.

ATP also wants to promote American players, but professional sports in the United States are too developed. If the American players you promote fail to win a Grand Slam title, it is actually difficult to cause a sensation.

But the cost-effectiveness of supporting Chinese players is much higher. If they can reach the tour finals, the semi-finals of the Masters, or the second week of the Grand Slam, it will be enough to attract a huge wave of attention.

The rate of return is too different!
The WTA even lamented: Looking at the top ten in the world rankings, all of them are Eastern European players, it's a feeling of despair!

The situation of ATP can only be said to be slightly better than that of WTA.

So it has not been easy for Djokovic along the way. Some people even suggested that he become a British citizen, but he firmly declined.

But he has not won a Grand Slam title until now, and just a few Masters titles are not enough to attract sponsors.

His endorsement income is now far less than that of his compatriot Ivanovic.

"If I can beat my opponent this time, can I achieve financial freedom?" Djokovic thought to himself.

He was more eager than anyone else to defeat Chen Ran.

From the very beginning of this semi-final, both sides were in full swing.

There were almost no secrets between the two.

If there must be a secret, it is Djokovic's.

This guy is still evolving, moving towards the perfect form of his previous life.

"The best serve receiver in the world?"

Chen Ran recalled people’s comments about Djokovic in his previous life.

Djokovic's serve receiving ability will make countless good serve players in the world have the illusion that their serve level has declined.

At a certain moment, Chen Ran seemed to have the same illusion.

"Isner?"

For some reason, this 2-meter-tall American man suddenly appeared in Chen Ran's mind.

Fans once joked that perhaps only Isner's serve could make Djokovic feel helpless.

But so what?
Isner was also unable to break Djokovic's serve, and after entering the tie-break, Djokovic was most likely the winner.

However, Chen Ran does not have Isner's super height to provide cover, so it is difficult for his serve to achieve the ultimate speed and angle at the same time.

boom!
boom!
The sound of hitting the ball again and again echoed in the empty and huge Flushing Meadows Stadium.

Although Chen Ran still maintained the advantage in his own serving game, Djokovic's talent for receiving serves seemed to be innate, and the landing point of the return ball often made him uncomfortable.

"It looks like our world No. 1 has run into some challenges."

The American host at the scene joked, "In the previous match, he won too easily. But in this match, it was not so easy for him to hold serve."

In the tenth game, Chen Ran missed three serve points in a row, and it was not until the fourth serve point that he managed to hold his serve.

The two sides fought to a 5-5 draw.

"I dare say this is an early final!"

"The level of this semifinal is definitely higher than the other semifinal between Federer and Roddick."

In short, in the eyes of those Americans, Roddick is Federer's manservant.

On the clay court, Roddick had no chance of winning, and on the hard and grass courts, he was still suppressed by Federer.

Even Americans have given up hope on him.

The turning point occurred in the 11th game. Chen Ran finally seized the opportunity when Djokovic was a little relaxed and used his smooth offensive to tear through his opponent's defense and win the winning point.

7 is better than 5!

After 1 hour and 10 minutes, Chen Ran finally won the first set.

In this match, Djokovic was in superb form, better than in any previous match.

Obviously, he had made sufficient preparations for this semi-final.

In the second set, his hitting routes became more diverse and he constantly adjusted the rhythm of the game.

His competitive state is even better than in the first set.

50 minutes later, in the eighth game, both sides were in a tense situation.

This was Chen Ran's fourth serving game, and the two sides experienced as many as seven ties at 7.

After wasting 5 break points, Djokovic finally seized the 6th break point.

A perfect tennis high-pressure shot.

In the end, the score of the second set was 3 to 6.

Chen Ran lost the first set of this US Open.

“Whoever wins will likely be the champion?”

"Of course, there was also the possibility that both sides consumed too much energy, which affected their performance in the final."

"But I can be sure that professional tennis will not be boring in the future. Novak has shown enough determination and courage to challenge the world's number one."

Even the usually arrogant Americans were shocked by Djokovic's performance.

Chen Ran's somewhat stern face also showed the risk of being eliminated.

"Don't forget, the opponent is Djokovic."

"You have to be 12 points mentally."

When both sides are as strong as the hexagonal warriors, it all depends on their performance on the spot.

In the third set, Chen Ran broke the serve first, but Djokovic broke back right after.

The fighting was crazy, both sides were fighting crazy!

The American audience at the scene could only shout with a poor vocabulary:

"My God!"

"unbelievable!"

Immediately afterwards, both sides held the remaining serve and the match entered a tie-break.

Chen Ran has always been known as the "King of Tiebreaks", but the audience was also surprised to find that Djokovic's tiebreak ability is not weak at all.

The latter was able to catch up with the score despite being behind 3-5, and tied the game at 6-6.

The most critical part of the so-called "hexagonal warrior" is your ability to win the seventh game.

Many players can play against top players in regular games, but once they enter the tiebreak, the gap will become apparent.

The tiebreak in the third set will make the world re-examine the Serbian newcomer's tiebreak ability, which is surprisingly strong.

7 is better than 6!

7 is better than 7!

……

The score between the two sides was 10 to 10!

Chen Ran is always the first one to reach the inventory, but he is always unable to fulfill the inventory.

Fortunately, it was Chen Ran.

If it were any other contestant, he would probably have collapsed internally.

At this moment, Chen Ran's physical advantage was revealed.

If Djokovic is still absent nowadays, it is because of physical fitness issues.

Before he completely changed his eating habits, his physical fitness problems would always exist. Don't give Chen Ran any chance!

Djokovic finally understood the meaning of this sentence.

Originally, this was a perfect volley at the net.

However, due to the severe exhaustion in his body, the return ball of his tennis volley did not land too deep or too shallow, just not far in front of Chen Ran.

Chen Ran seized the opportunity, took a few steps forward decisively, and killed him with one slap.

The speed of the ball was as fast as lightning, leaving no chance for the opponent to intercept.

12 is better than 10!

Chen Ran won the tie-break of the third set with great difficulty and took the lead again.

After that, Djokovic called for a bathroom break, and Chen Ran decisively went to the bathroom.

Both sides needed to take a breather after a brutal game.

When the fourth set started, Djokovic, who had already overcome the physical bottleneck, once again demonstrated his strong fighting power.

Similarly, Chen Ran also gave it his all and displayed all his strength.

To be honest, it has been a long time since anyone has been able to challenge his dominance at the US Open, a venue he is very good at.

Tension is tension, and excitement is excitement.

But in this game, Chen Ran played very happily indeed.

As expected, it’s Djokovic.

Djokovic's tenacious character makes him stronger when facing stronger opponents.

But Chen Ran no longer wanted to drag the game into the fifth set.

Once the deciding set comes, the outcome of the match becomes unpredictable.

It would be ideal if the battle could be resolved in the fourth set.

So he fought hard and held nothing back in the fourth set.

In almost every round of the competition, the designs of different routes such as straight line, diagonal line, middle line, high ball, small ball, etc. were completely intertwined in Chen Ran's brainstorming.

Chen Ran was almost always thinking about what to do next.

Tactical layout and overall control.

"Is this the strongest power of the world's number one man?"

“I didn’t expect Novak to force out the strongest Chen Ran!”

Each of Chen Ran's attacks was delivered with such force that it seemed as if he was going to tear his opponent apart alive.

He really has gone bloodthirsty.

Of course, the fans at the scene were shouting and screaming, saying it was so exciting.

Chen Ran's playing style has always been different from Federer, who is known for his elegance, and seems to be full of murderous intent.

The US Open venue is very suitable for playing offensive tennis.

Today, under the pressure of Djokovic, Chen Ran played what may be the most exciting offensive tennis in the history of the US Open.

An hour later, Chen Ran broke through Djokovic's defense with a long diagonal through ball.

The latter was so tired that he supported his knees with his hands, almost half-knelt on the ground, and gasped heavily.

terrible!

Djokovic was also shocked.

Chen Ran’s attack was so terrifying, one wave after another, like huge rolling waves, surging in.

I've been holding on for almost 4 hours, and finally I can't take it anymore.

Throughout the game, he blocked left and right, and his physical strength reached the limit again and again.
Fortunately, tennis matches are intermittent and there are breaks, otherwise I would have been unable to run long ago.

The strong-willed Djokovic was finally unable to stop Chen Ran's attack.

7 is better than 5!

This is the score of the fourth set.

Even with such a strong and sharp offensive by Chen Ran, he still only managed to break the serve at the last moment.

This game was extremely fierce, but also very exciting.

Chen Ran encountered Djokovic's tenacious resistance, but still advanced to the final with a score of 3 to 1.

From 2005 to 2007, Chen Ran reached the US Open finals for three consecutive years.

Only one step remains to achieve the goal of winning the US Open three times in a row.

Chen Ran also felt really tired.

He gave everything to win this game.

This kind of extremely fierce offensive tennis is very energy-consuming.

If the match goes into the fifth set, the outcome will become unpredictable.

At this moment, Chen Ran and Djokovic were both lying on the ground.

However, the former got up faster and walked to the net and waited.

After the two shook hands, Chen Ran smiled and said, "Novak, I believe you will definitely leave your name in the professional tennis world."

Djokovic smiled bitterly and said, "Are you trying to comfort me? But if I can't beat you in the Grand Slam, how can I leave my name behind?"

"Beat me? You've done well enough." Chen Ran smiled and didn't say anything else.

He knew that if this trend continued, Djokovic would beat him sooner or later.

In a tennis match, it is difficult to have an undefeated general.

Because this sport, especially the best-of-five sets in Grand Slam tournaments, is really too physically demanding.

This also leaves opportunities for other top players.

……

Half a day later, another game turned out to be an upset.

Roddick finally ended his losing streak against Federer. After nearly 6 hours of fierce battle, he defeated his opponent 3-2 and entered the US Open final again.

It has been two years since he last reached a Grand Slam final.

Roddick finally showed some courage.

However, this match also exhausted almost all of Roddick's physical strength, and he was too tired to stand up after the game.

In comparison, Chen Ran's physical strength is obviously more abundant, and he has more time to rest.

Therefore, this final will seem to be a foregone conclusion to the outside world.

It seems that it is a foregone conclusion that Chen Ran will become the number one in tennis history.

The fourteenth Grand Slam title is almost in Chen Ran's pocket.

However, at this moment, the American media began to make trouble.

"Remember, men and women are equal!"

"Tennis is a sport where men and women are equal!"

"Don't forget, Serena Williams also made it to the final."

"The number one person may not be Chen Ran, but our Xiao Wei!"

At this moment, Serena Williams has 12 Grand Slam titles. If she can win the US Open, it will be 13 Grand Slam titles.

There is only one difference between her and Chen Ran, and the gap is minimal.

Serena Williams is at the peak of her career, so the American media believes that the competition for the top spot is still full of suspense.

Even if Chen Ran wins the US Open, she can only be considered the temporary number one at best, and may soon be overtaken by Serena Williams.

Men's tennis vs. women's tennis?

"This... Can you compare like this on different tracks? Americans, you know how to have fun!" Chen Ran cursed loudly.

Even the Chinese media, which has always been relatively low-key and modest, thinks these Americans are ridiculous. In order to maintain the first place, they even brought out female players from different tracks.

……

(End of this chapter)