Who would still play tennis after being reborn?

Chapter 134 Australian Open Wildcard Quota
Am I too good at acting, or have they lost their minds?

You believe me when I say that?

martial arts?

He has absolutely no martial arts skills.

If they really had martial arts skills, would they have been able to act so arrogantly back then?
Tear it by hand, okay?

Zhang Ming curled his lip.

Actually, it's not surprising that Bellucci and Sousa thought that way. After hearing Zhang Ming say that, they actually believed it. Gu Cheng's rise was just too rapid, and his tennis skills were just too amazing.

They completely humiliated Newton.

Especially in the Tezuka Domain, forget about whether it makes sense or not, that's just how magic is.

This one skill alone is enough to make many people doubt him.

The two thought it was nothing out of the ordinary that it was the legendary internal energy of martial arts.

Not surprising at all.

Of course, the two of them might not be sure if he has internal energy or anything like that, but there must be something they don't understand. Otherwise, how could a normal person play with the special effects ball skills that only exist in anime?

Zhang Ming was at a loss for words.

Especially seeing the two burly men staring at him without blinking, he subconsciously swallowed. He was just joking, but these two wouldn't beat him to death, would they?
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Ming could only sigh helplessly: "Actually, I don't know much either. If you want to know, you'll have to ask that kid."

"You do not know?"

"Do I really need to know?" Zhang Ming said irritably. "If I knew, I wouldn't just be a little bit stronger than you guys. Although I might not be as good as that kid, I would at least have the strength to break into the top fifty or even the top twenty, right?"

The two thought about it and realized it made sense, so they stopped asking questions.

They felt a little more at ease. If Zhang Ming didn't know either, then this guy wouldn't be much stronger than them in the short term. As for whether Gu Cheng would tell Zhang Ming these secrets in the future, that was a matter for the future, and there was no need to worry about it now.

Of course, there is also some consolation: it turns out that Zhang Ming's transformation into such a strong person has little to do with Zhang Ming himself, but mainly relies on Gu Cheng.

What does this mean?
That means they're not bad at all!

The three chatted for a while, and just as Zhang Ming was about to start another game, his hand suddenly trembled, and he quickly put away his PSP: "Let's go, the person has arrived."

Gu Cheng followed behind, and Yu Haoyang, with his sharp eyes, quickly spotted Zhang Ming waving at them. He nudged Gu Cheng and called out from afar, "Senior Zhang Ming!"

Gu Cheng was speechless for a moment.

That loud voice almost deafened him.

"Wow, that's awesome! You even beat Federer!" Zhang Ming exaggerated, then gave Gu Cheng a huge hug, almost suffocating him.

"Brother Ming, it was just one point, it's not as exaggerated as you're making it out to be." Gu Cheng was somewhat speechless: "Besides, that one point lasted four or five minutes, it's not as advantageous as you're making it out to be."

“No matter how many goals, we won anyway, and…” Zhang Ming said meaningfully, “You like to hold back, I don’t believe you went all out that day.”

Gu Cheng gave an awkward smile and offered no explanation.

Zhang Ming revealed a knowing look. This kid is cunning; he wouldn't really go all out. The two seemed to be evenly matched, but to be honest, he felt that if this kid had gone all out, he would have won that point long ago, and Federer wouldn't have lasted that long.

Of course, a single goal can showcase the abilities of two players, but it doesn't necessarily mean anything.

Nowadays, matches are at least best-of-three (BO3) games, meaning that even if there's a significant skill gap, the match still has to go the full two games.

Zhang Ming wasn't sure about the others, but for top professional players like Federer, if given some time to adapt, even if there was a gap between them, they could catch up in a short time. It was hard to say what the final score would be.

Of course, from Zhang Ming's perspective, he supports Gu Cheng.

It wasn't just because the two had a good relationship; also, in his view, even though Gu Cheng's basic attributes weren't as good as top professional players like Federer, Gu Cheng, with his many skills, still had some advantages.

The two chatted for a while. Gu Cheng looked at the two foreigners behind Zhang Ming and was about to ask them a question when he saw the PSP game console that Zhang Ming had stuffed in his backpack. The screen that was peeking out looked like the game that Zhang Ming had recommended to him before. He was overjoyed: "Brother Ming has started playing popular tennis again?"

"Shall we play a couple of rounds at the hotel later?"

"If you don't play, I'll soon be unable to find anyone to play with."

Zhang Ming's expression froze instantly. He took out the PSP game console and turned it off without any expression, then glared at Bellucci behind him: "He's playing it. I got married recently, it's boring."

"Don't use my PSP to play this next time. If you want to play, I'll buy you one."

Bellucci looked bewildered. His Chinese was very poor; he hadn't learned much, and Zhang Ming had only taught him a few phrases occasionally. He couldn't understand what Zhang Ming had just said. He just looked at Zhang Ming with some confusion, not knowing what to say.

Gu Cheng looked at Bellucci curiously: "He plays tennis very well in public?"

Zhang Ming knew exactly what Gu Cheng was thinking. Bellucci had hardly ever played this game before, so he immediately complained, "He's terrible at it. You'd be better off randomly matching with other people than playing against him."

"Aren't Yu Haoyang and his group going to fight?"

Gu Cheng shook his head: "Senior Yu Haoyang does play, but after playing with me a few times last time, he said it wasn't fun and hasn't played recently."

Zhang Ming looked up at Yu Haoyang, and the two exchanged a glance before turning their attention away in unison.

Zhang Ming found it amusing; it seemed that all the acquaintances around this kid had been scared away by him.

However, he was also curious about how someone who didn't play games much could become so good at any game he picked up. At first, it was normal, but it became increasingly abnormal as the game progressed, and he would beat people so badly that they didn't even want to touch them.

He was a victim, and so was Yu Haoyang.

I just don't know if Cao Hui is one of them.

Zhang Ming glanced at Cao Hui and saw that his eyes were clear. He was probably a good kid who didn't play games and had escaped the torment of that pervert A-Cheng.

What great luck!
Just as Zhang Ming was feeling sentimental, Bellucci suddenly said, "Zhang and Cheng have a really good relationship."

“Yeah!” Sosa agreed. “Cheng asked him to play games as soon as he arrived. Everyone knows Zhang’s favorite thing is playing PSP games. They must be best buddies.”

The two were filled with emotion.

Although Bellucci and Sousa spoke Brazilian, he could understand a little of it, and he just chuckled at their remarks.

They really do have a good relationship.

As for gaming buddies, there's no need for that.

He didn't want to be humiliated by this kid.

These thoughts flashed through my mind.

Gu Cheng chatted with Zhang Ming for a while, then took the initiative to ask, "Brother Ming, are these two your friends?"

"Damn, I almost forgot to introduce it."

Zhang Ming immediately pulled Bellucci and the other man to the three of them: "This is Bellucci, and this is Sousa, from Brazil, who are also here to participate in the Australian Open."

"A big shot participating in the Australian Open?"

Before Gu Cheng could speak, Yu Haoyang and Cao Hui behind him were both shocked.

Those who can play in the Australian Open, to put it bluntly, may not all be top 100 professional players in the world, but they certainly have the ability to break into the top 100.

A professional player like that would be a celebrity anywhere.

However, when it comes to foreign professional players, unless they are extremely strong and can break into the top 20 or 50 in the world, they might occasionally see those ranked lower, but it's just a fleeting glimpse, and they don't pay much attention to them, so naturally they don't recognize them. Nevertheless, that doesn't stop the two from admiring these top players.

No wonder he seemed very strong from the start.

Zhang Ming then introduced Gu Cheng and the other two to Bellucci and his companion. The group quickly became acquainted, and as they walked, Bellucci asked curiously, "Cheng, I heard from Zhang that you know Chinese martial arts, is that true?"

Chinese martial arts?

Gu Cheng looked at Zhang Ming with a puzzled expression, while Zhang Ming, the instigator, coughed lightly and started talking to Yu Haoyang and the other person, pretending that he hadn't heard anything.

Gu Cheng was speechless for a moment, rolled his eyes at Zhang Ming, and then said with a smile, "Don't listen to Brother Ming's nonsense, he's just fooling you."

Bellucci glared angrily at Zhang Ming.

Sousa ran up too: "Oh, Zhang, you've fooled us."

Zhang Ming was immediately at a loss and quickly surrendered: "My goodness, my goodness, I'll treat you to a seafood feast later, you can eat as much as you want."

"That's pretty much it."

The journey from the airport to the hotel was very short.

Less than half an hour later, the car stopped at a five-star hotel not far from Melbourne Park in Australia.

After everyone got out of the car, Zhang Ming said directly to Bellucci, "You two go and order food first. I'll take them upstairs. There have been a lot of people coming here lately, so if we go too late, there might not be any seats left."

Bellucci and Sousa nodded, then walked to the other side.

After Bellucci and Sousa left, Yu Haoyang and Cao Hui exchanged a glance, and then Yu Haoyang said, "Senior Zhang Ming, how much was the hotel room? Cao Hui and I will transfer it to you in a bit."

"Yes, we have to pay this money."

Hotels near Melbourne Park are already expensive during the Australian Open. They're not just coming to stay for a day or two and then going back. If they're lucky enough to make it to the quarterfinals or semifinals, they might stay for a week or two. And after the qualifying rounds, they still have to play in the main draw, which will take at least half a month. At current hotel prices, it would probably cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Zhang Ming's family may be wealthy, but he didn't earn much when he played professionally; in fact, he was often losing money.

It's perfectly reasonable for someone to pay for Gu Cheng's room, since the two are familiar with each other. Moreover, Gu Cheng didn't hold back at all when talking to Zhang Ming, sharing all his ball skills and techniques.

Zhang Ming's rapid improvement in skill in such a short time is largely due to Gu Cheng.

Because of his rising world ranking, he has now landed several major endorsements. Even if he doesn't know how much he has earned, he must have earned tens of millions.

For Zhang Ming, a room fee of tens of thousands of yuan was nothing.

Gu Cheng doesn't need to be mentioned, but they don't.

Zhang Ming wasn't bothered by the extra 100,000 yuan in room fees, but seeing the two insist, he didn't say anything more. He simply added them as friends and sent them his account number: "I'll send you the detailed bill in a bit. Just transfer whatever amount is due."

Gu Cheng was about to speak when Zhang Ming interrupted him: "Forget about you. If you dare to give me money, then you're looking down on me, Zhang Ming."

Gu Cheng said helplessly, "I've earned quite a bit from playing in ITF junior tournaments, so I have some money on hand."

Zhang Ming rolled his eyes: "I knew you were rich. You're a real prodigy. Any normal person could make money playing in ITF junior tournaments."

Gu Cheng chuckled.

"Let's not talk about money."

Gu Cheng nodded and said no more.

The four of them took the elevator to the eighth floor, put their things away, and then headed to the restaurant led by Zhang Ming.

After enjoying a seafood feast, Zhang Ming, along with Bellucci and Sousa, took Gu Cheng and the other two on a tour of Melbourne, enjoying the scenery and the night view.

After a day of wandering around, the group returned to the hotel exhausted.

"By the way, when do your qualifying rounds start?"

"The day after tomorrow, it will be over in four or five days."

"That's about a week before the competition. That's alright, there's still enough time. At least they won't be exhausted before the main competition. You're fine, but if the time is too short, it won't be a good thing for the two of them."

Gu Cheng knew what Zhang Ming wanted to say.

The junior Australian Open, like the tournament Zhang Ming and his teammates participated in, has some players who directly enter the main draw. These players don't have to play in the qualifying rounds and can focus all their efforts on preparing for the main draw, which is much easier than those who have to play in the qualifying rounds.

If there's a week to buffer, the impact won't be significant.

……

The other end.

Australian Open Organizing Committee.

Organizing committee chairman Mok Avery suddenly received a phone call.

"What's the matter, you say?"

"Chairman, something terrible has happened. Jonathan, who was drawn into the main draw, was just involved in a car accident while out with friends."

Moke, who was still a little dazed, immediately sobered up upon hearing this. He sat up abruptly in bed and hurriedly asked, "How is he? Is he alright? Will it affect his participation in the Australian Open?"

"Chairman, Jonathan's leg injury is very serious. I called his agent and the doctor said that he may need to rest for at least a year, and whether he can continue to play professionally will depend on his recovery during that year."

Upon hearing this, Moke's face darkened.

If Jonathan is unable to play in the Australian Open, the 128 spots that were originally set will be one less, which means someone will get a bye.

Although the draw has not yet been released, it is certainly unfair to players who do not receive a bye.

Moreover, the four Grand Slam tournaments rarely have non-full draws, and the Australian Open cannot set such a precedent.

At the very least, we can't set this precedent by having him do it.

"Is there any solution?" Moke asked in a deep voice.

"How about we choose one of the players from the previous qualifiers?" the other party suggested.

Moke shook his head and said, "No, that would be unfair to the others. Besides, Jonathan is different from other professional players. He is very strong and has the potential to break into the top teams. It's definitely not okay to just find any professional player to replace him."

Are there any other alternatives?

"For example, wildcard slots."

Are there any other strong players who didn't participate in the Australian Open?

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, and Moke was almost giving up when suddenly he heard a startled cry: "Chairman Moke, what do you think of him?"

"he?"

"Who?"

"I have sent his information to your email."

Moke quickly opened his email, and a young and familiar face appeared before him.

"CHENG?"

(End of this chapter)