Who would still play tennis after being reborn?

Chapter 138 That Little Demon Arrives Ahead of Schedule

The press conference site.

online.

It was dead silent.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

All the reporters stared dumbfounded at the podium and at Mr. Moke, who was smiling at them. No one could believe what they were hearing. After a long silence, the reporters who had been gathered together, holding out their microphones, suddenly erupted into a commotion.

"Gu Cheng?"

"CHENG?"

"Is this the name Mr. Moke is referring to?"

"seems like it."

“It’s not just a possibility, Mr. Mo Ke is referring to Gu Cheng.”

"Are there other people named Gu Cheng? This name immediately identifies someone as Chinese. And among professional players from China, besides Zhang Ming who has already entered the main draw, are there any others qualified to play in the Australian Open? Unless they share the same name."

"Same name and surname? How is that possible?"

"Is it really CHENG?"

"But that's impossible! Didn't Mr. Gu Cheng register for the junior Australian Open? Why would he participate in the main Australian Open event? Could it be that he gave up the junior tournament?"

"No... that can't be! Mr. Gu Cheng is still young. He can play in junior tournaments first, win all the junior honors, and then go on to play in ATP tournaments and the real Grand Slams. There's no need to rush!"

"So... Mr. Moke lied to us?"

"Surely not! Once those words are spoken, they're like water spilled—you can't take them back. Does Moke want to step down?"

"However, if it really is Mr. Gu Cheng, then no one outside really has any objections. Whether it is popularity or strength, Mr. Gu Cheng is definitely a seeded player. If he participates in the Australian Open, absolutely no one will say a word against Mr. Mo Ke, tennis fans all over the world will not say anything, and other professional players will not have any objections either."

"What right do they have to complain about someone who can beat Mr. Federer in a single point!"

"But... this news is indeed a bit too shocking."

Everyone felt like they were going crazy.

Every journalist these days was utterly astonished.

The wildcard spot was given to Gu Cheng?

Isn't this ridiculous?
At this moment, most people at the scene were stunned.

It's worth noting that after Jonathan's injury prevented him from participating in the upcoming Australian Open, there has been much speculation about who might be the lucky ones to directly enter the main draw, given that the Australian Open requires a full draw.

There has been a lot of analysis, and some people have even considered Gu Cheng.

After all, Gu Cheng's strength is undeniable. If he were invited, no one would object, and even if there were dissenting voices, they wouldn't be many.

After all, Gu Cheng now has quite a lot of fans across the internet.

They can easily suppress dissenting voices.

Can……

No one really considered Gu Cheng, who had already registered for the youth competition.

At this moment, the middle-aged reporter who had been questioning Moke earlier came to his senses: "Mr. Moke, is it true that Mr. Gu Cheng will participate in the Australian Open?"

"Of course, I don't disbelieve what you said, it's just that this news is unbelievable for us, and for tennis fans all over the world."

“I believe that not only me, but everyone here shares the same thought.”

"Of course, there are also tens of thousands of netizens who are still finding it hard to accept this news."

Moke knew, of course, that no one would believe him, because when Durant mentioned it to him, even he himself felt that inviting Gu Cheng was not a realistic thing.

But Durant successfully persuaded Gu Cheng.

“Of course it’s true. Before this press conference, my assistant Durant had already met with Mr. Gu Cheng. Although the process was a bit bumpy, Durant did a lot of work, and Mr. Gu Cheng has agreed to participate in the Australian Open.” Moke sat on the podium with a big smile on his face.

"But it seems Mr. Gu Cheng has already signed up for the youth competition..."

Moke raised his hand to interrupt the reporter: "I know that what everyone is most concerned about right now is whether Mr. Gu Cheng has given up the junior tournament. I can tell you with certainty that no, not only no, Mr. Gu Cheng will participate in two tournaments at the same time, which is unprecedented in the history of the Australian Open."

"To thank Mr. Gu Cheng for participating in the Australian Open, I have exempted him from the junior qualifying rounds, which means he will directly enter the junior main draw."

Upon hearing this, everyone present gasped.

"Can Mr. Gu Cheng keep up with the physical demands of participating in two events simultaneously, both singles and doubles?"

Moke replied, "My assistant Durant has already spoken to Mr. Gu Cheng about this, but Mr. Gu Cheng is still prepared to participate in both events, and he is very confident about it."

"You mean, Mr. Gu Cheng's goal is to win four titles: junior tournaments and the Australian Open?"

Moke smiled slightly: "I can't really say for sure. If you want to know, you can ask Mr. Gu Cheng. I think he would be happy to answer."

"However, there is also a possibility of being rejected."

Moke didn't say anything more at that point, and the press conference ended.

But news of Gu Cheng's participation in the Australian Open spread like wildfire throughout the world.

Especially with today's advanced internet, the news had already spread all over the world and reached the ears of every tennis enthusiast before the press conference was even over.

This news was like a depth charge; it exploded almost immediately after it hit the bottom, becoming the focus of attention for all media outlets, especially the fastest-reacting online media, which published the news almost instantly.

The Australian Open organizing committee followed suit and released the draw for 128 participants.

With this, the spots for the 2015 Australian Open have been officially confirmed.

The list includes many familiar names, such as the previous No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic, No. 2 seed Roger Federer, No. 3 seed Rafael Nadal, and No. 4 seed Stan Wawrinka.

Of course, this was a previous ranking.

With Gu Cheng's addition, the seeding rankings have changed somewhat.

In the draw released by the Australian Open organizers, Novak Djokovic, who was originally supposed to be the No. 1 seed, was placed second, while the No. 1 seed is a name that everyone is extremely familiar with, yet also extremely surprised – Gu Cheng. Melbourne Tennis News – The Australian Open main draw has been released, and Gu Cheng, participating for the first time, is listed, replacing Djokovic as the new No. 1 seed.

This news surprised many people.

Immediately afterwards, the Australian Open organizing committee's official website was flooded with countless tennis enthusiasts, and the previously harmonious comment section was suddenly filled with many questions.

"Undeniably, Gu Cheng's addition is a huge boost to the Australian Open, greatly increasing its popularity. It could even be said that this year's Australian Open will be the most exciting tournament ever. However... I think it is worth discussing whether to put a teenager who is not yet sixteen years old as the No. 1 seed."

"By placing a player who is participating in the Australian Open for the first time, and who is a teenager under the age of 16, as the No. 1 seed, does the Australian Open organizing committee really believe that Gu Cheng has the strength to win the championship, or is it... a case of praising him to death?"

"While I don't doubt Gu Cheng's ability—after all, his previous performances were truly astonishing—isn't it a bit too much of a step to directly seed him as the top seed in a Grand Slam tournament?"

"The term 'praise to the point of destruction' is apt. If Gu Cheng fails to meet expectations, this arrangement could put immense pressure on him. Hopefully, the Australian Open organizing committee made this decision after careful consideration."

"You have to understand, Gu Cheng has only been involved in ITF junior tournaments for a short time, and his experience in major competitions is already less than others. Now, he's suddenly jumping to the adult Grand Slam, and as the top seed at that, it's a huge test of his mental fortitude."

"Perhaps this is a strategy employed by the Australian Open to attract more viewers and media attention? In any case, I look forward to seeing Gu Shen's performance on the court."

"Regardless, Gu Cheng's selection as the number one seed indicates he possesses exceptional abilities. However, this arrangement also means he will face very strong opponents in every round, posing a challenge to his stamina and tactics."

"I think this might be based on data analysis. Perhaps the Australian Open organizers, through analyzing Gu Cheng's match data, believe he is one of the most promising players currently? Let's wait and see!"

……

Regardless of who ultimately wins the championship, the Australian Open's decision to seed Gu Cheng as the top seed has generated unprecedented buzz, with the Australian Open receiving far more attention than any previous Grand Slam.

For the Australian Open organizing committee, this decision was a success.

……

When Gu Cheng, Zhang Ming, and the others returned to the hotel late at night, the reporters who had been waiting at the hotel entrance for a long time swarmed around them like cats that had caught a fishy smell.

"Gu Cheng, the Australian Open organizing committee issued a revised draw this afternoon, and for the first time ever, you have been listed as the No. 1 seed. Did you know about this beforehand? And what is your opinion on this?" A nimble reporter was the first to rush up to Gu Cheng.

"What are your reasons for agreeing to participate in the Australian Open?"

Gu Cheng was still a little dazed. When he came to his senses, he found that Zhang Ming and the others had been pushed aside by the reporters, and all he could see were microphones.

All the reporters chattered on and on.

Fortunately, Gu Cheng's English was pretty good, and he could understand most of it, but even so, it was still a headache.

However, Gu Cheng still looked surprised when the reporter mentioned the number one seed: "I don't know about the number one seed, but the reason is actually very simple. Being able to play both the junior tournament and the Australian Open in one official tournament is a good challenge for me."

"Mr. Moker said that when he invited you, you seemed very confident and it seemed like you were aiming to win all the Australian Open titles. Is that true?"

Gu Cheng had already thought of this when he mentioned it to Durant, so he said with a smile: "I do have this plan. The junior tournaments may be much easier, but for the main tournament with top professional players like Federer, I actually feel a lot of pressure. You could see that in my one-point match against Mr. Federer before."

"So you don't have confidence either?" a reporter asked.

"No, that's not it." Gu Cheng spoke confidently to the camera: "Opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared, and I happen to be the one who is prepared."

Upon hearing this, many reporters' eyes lit up, and one immediately asked, "So you're actually confident you can win all the honors at the 2015 Australian Open?"

"You could say that," Gu Cheng nodded.

"But many people believe that even if you have so many amazing skills, it is not easy to win all the honors in an international tournament like the Australian Open as easily as you would in an ITF junior tournament, especially when you play two different tournaments at the same time, which requires too much physical strength."

"Youth tournaments may be relatively easier, but that doesn't mean the players in youth tournaments are weak. According to rumors, many youth players are no weaker than professional players ranked in the world's top 100, and some are even stronger."

"Under these circumstances, many people even believe that participating in both events at the same time could lead to some unexpected situations that you yourself cannot foresee."

"If what people believe represents the truth, then there wouldn't be so many miracles in the world. What many people believe doesn't necessarily represent the truth."

"It's like, if I think you, as a journalist, aren't very good at your job, does that mean you really aren't?" Gu Cheng retorted, then added, "Since I'm participating in this Australian Open, I'm naturally aiming for the championship."

"Thank you everyone, I've said everything I needed to say."

"I have other things to do, so I won't go into detail about everyone."

After saying that, while the reporters were still digesting his words, he broke through the encirclement. Before the reporters could react and Zhang Ming and the others were still standing there dumbfounded, he had already rushed back to the hotel.

Zhang Ming was the first to react: "What are you standing there for? Run!"

After saying that, Zhang Ming was the first to run away.

The others reacted quickly and followed suit.

By the time the reporters came to their senses, a group of people had already rushed back to the hotel.

Although these reporters were indeed there for Gu Cheng, now that Gu Cheng has run away, if they don't leave, they will most likely become the targets of these reporters' attacks.

If we don't run now, when will we?

Seeing that the person had already run away, the group, having lost all interest, had no choice but to leave.

the other side.

Federer and others, however, gathered together.

As the original No. 1 seed at the 2015 Australian Open, Djokovic was a competitor with several other players on the court, but they had a good relationship off the court. When he came to Federer, he didn't say anything, but sat down and picked up a cup of coffee to drink.

After finishing his drink, he looked at the others and said, "You've all heard the news, haven't you?"

The group exchanged glances, and finally Nadal shook his head and smiled: "I thought we wouldn't meet until next year at the earliest, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. When I found out about this, I was a little stunned. This... is too fast. I've only just started practicing the no-spin shot, and I'm not very proficient yet."

Djokovic pursed his lips, seemingly somewhat skeptical, but he didn't call Nadal out on it. Instead, he took a breath and said, "Let's put singles aside for now and team up for doubles."

As soon as Djokovic finished speaking, Federer and the others were stunned.

None of them had ever teamed up for doubles.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I had no choice, did I?"

Djokovic looked annoyed: "That little devil arrived early!"

(End of this chapter)