Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 708: A rising star from a poor family in China

Over the past decade, Chen Ran has almost single-handedly carried the banner of Chinese men's tennis, and now the country is almost at a stage of talent explosion.

However, when Chen Ran just arrived in Melbourne, Australia, big news happened.

"What, Djokovic was deported by the Australian government?"

"Because this guy refuses to get vaccinated."

"The reason Djokovic gave was that he had an allergic condition and couldn't gamble with his health."

At this point, the world did see the stubbornness in this Serbian character.

No matter how Australia guarantees that there are no problems with the vaccine safety, it cannot convince Djokovic.

From the perspective of the Australian organizing committee, they did not want to exclude a tennis superstar like Djokovic from this year's Australian Open, but they were unwilling to accept this condition, which made it difficult for the Australian side to save face.

So, the Djokovic family, who had just arrived in Australia on a private plane a few days ago, had to leave here in shame on a private plane.

As a result, Chen Ran suddenly became the favorite to win the championship, while Nadal was the second favorite. The current top player born in the 90s is Medvedev, who is the third favorite. The fourth favorite is Zverev from Germany, and the fifth seed is Tsitsipas from Greece.

To be precise, Zverev and Tsitsipas are both Russian players from Germany and Greece. Russia and Russian players have always been the backbone of the ATP and WTA.

Even some of these players who are not valued by their own country and have to naturalize in other countries should not be underestimated in terms of their strength.

But the cruel fact is that no matter how strong this group of players is, they are still suppressed by giants such as Chen Ran and have never won any top honors.

At this moment, Wawrinka and Murray, who competed with Chen Ran in his early years, have long faded out of the ranks of first-line players. In addition, Federer has retired, and among the players born in the 80s, only these three are still competitive.

"Chen Ran and Nadal, who will be the beneficiary of Djokovic's withdrawal?" Many media outlets listed headlines and asked questions.

The Australian Open organizing committee also seems to hope that these two old guys can meet in the final.

After all, it’s rare to see such giant-level players meet in the finals.

"This is Federer's first Grand Slam tournament after retirement."

"My friend, I am sure that Nadal will retire earlier than Chen Ran and Djokovic."

"Oh, why?"

"Because... he looks too old now. He's only 36 but he looks like 46."

Soon, the two commentators smiled at each other, and everything was said without words.

Everyone understands it.

"I think it's hard to count on those poor players born in the 90s, so let's look at those born in the 00s."

"These old guys have a really long standby time!"

"By the way, Chen Ran and his team should have never played against those players born in the 60s who are two generations older than them, right?"

"No, I'm pretty sure."

"I am looking forward to seeing what kind of sparks will emerge when they play against the players who are two generations younger than them. Let me take a look at the list... Alcaraz and Sinner. So far, these two guys should be the best among the players born in the 00s."

"One is 19 and the other is 21. For talented players, these ages are not young anymore."

"Yes, a talented player like Chen Ran has achieved great success at this age!"

"Then let's see what happens at this year's Australian Open!"

……

In the first round of the Australian Open, a big upset occurred.

The highly anticipated Italian superstar lost 2-3 to the 20-year-old Chinese player Buyunchaoket in a five-set battle.

"what's the situation!"

"We had hoped that Sinner could play the role of dark horse in this year's Australian Open!"

"In the end, this guy became a background wall for others to play the role of dark horse!" "The Italian's physical fitness is not good. When he was leading 2-1, he was defeated by the young Chinese in two consecutive sets. Especially in the fifth set, his physical fitness collapsed!"

In this way, Buyunchaokt came into the sight of the majority of fans and attracted the attention of many media by defeating Sinner.

This is the charm of competitive sports, the unpredictability.

He lost his father at a young age and his mother remarried. He was selected by the coach of the Zhejiang team in an orphanage and is considered Chen Ran's junior.

Tragic life story, inspiring experience, tenacious fighting spirit in the competition, and unyielding eyes.

Despite being an underdog, Buyunchoker miraculously defeated the highly anticipated Italian superstar Sinner.

When these factors come together in one person, it is hard for him not to cause a sensation.

……

"What, Kobe beat Sinner? I was surprised too."

At this time, Chen Ran had just finished the first round of the competition and was quite surprised when he heard the news.

No matter what, Sinner is now the 18th seed.

When he was 20 years old and had not yet achieved any major honors, Nike had already offered him $1000 million, which shows how much they believe in his potential.

Even the Chinese media mocked Sinner as the ATP prince.

Because this guy has received various preferential treatments since his debut, and now the chairman of ATP is also Italian.

Chen Ran also played against Sinner in previous tours.

Although he won the game, one has to acknowledge this man's talent and potential.

Especially this guy is 191cm tall and has more agile mobility than many 180+ players. His long legs and arms give him incredible coverage ability.

In terms of technology and basketball IQ, this guy is also very good.

If there is any weakness, it is experience and physical fitness.

These things can be made up for with time.

So Chen Ran was a little shocked by this upset.

Of course, there has never been a shortage of similar upsets in the history of Grand Slam tournaments.

Chen Ran quickly came back to his senses and said with a smile: "I remember that in the Orange Bowl, Kobe beat Sinner. They are of the same age. Sinner became famous at a young age, but Kobe's performance in youth competitions was not bad either."

“I am not surprised by this result.”

Immediately afterwards, Chen Ran received another good news.

After the first round of the Australian Open, all the Chinese players participating in the Australian Open passed the first round, both male and female players, a total of ten people.

This is the first time in history.

Then, when the Chinese media were observing the draw, they were surprised to find that if Chen Ran and Buyun Chaoket won another round, they would meet in the third round and stage a Chinese derby.

In the history of Grand Slam tournaments, Chinese men's derby has been staged before.

But it basically only happened in the first round. It was the first time it happened in the third round, which is the deeper round of 32.

For Chen Ran, it was not difficult for him to defeat his opponent and advance to the third round.

The key lies in Kobe, his opponent is the super star Rooney from Denmark.

Can he continue to create miracles?

As long as you defeat Rune, you will be able to stand before your senior brother Chen Ran in the third round.

……

(End of this chapter)