Who would still play tennis after being reborn?

Chapter 14 Who's the real newbie? (4.8K)

"Indoor Court No. 2, he's already gone."

"I'll go over now."

"By the way, if I win later, you guys won't renege on your promise and not pay me, will you?" Gu Cheng called out to Liu Xing, who was covered in sweat.

Liu Xing was taken aback, but quickly explained, "Don't worry about that, it definitely won't happen. If you don't believe me, we can sign a contract. Anyway, there's a printer here at the stadium."

"No need for that, I trust you." Gu Cheng gave him a sincere smile.

Liu Xing nodded and turned to walk towards Court No. 2. But as soon as he turned around, he couldn't help but twitch his lips, feeling somewhat speechless at Gu Cheng's earlier questioning.

I thought to myself, "These young people these days really dare to dream. Win?"

You probably don't know who your opponent is.

Even if a professional player is ranked just over 100th in the world, they are still world-class!
I wonder how many people in China are still trying to rack up points to play in ATP tournaments. Even among the top 100, not many dare to say they can reliably beat Zhang Ming on the court. Someone who may not even have played in an ITF Challenger tournament, or even be a professional player, wants to win?

Ah!
Unless Zhang Ming just stands there motionless on the court, that would be more likely.

As soon as Liu Xing left, Xia Zhitong stared at Gu Cheng with her big, bright eyes for a long time.

What are you looking at?

Xia Zhitong shook her head and remained silent.

Gu Cheng smiled and said, "If you think I'm handsome, you can just say so. There's no need to hide it. I'm not that petty."

"Oh."

After Xia Zhitong gave an "oh," she resumed her aloof demeanor, leaving Gu Cheng somewhat bewildered. He thought to himself that he had lived three lifetimes and had only transmigrated to the world of Prince of Tennis when he was in his thirties, so calling him an "uncle" was definitely not a problem. He had a good eye for people, but to be honest, he really couldn't understand what Xia Zhitong was thinking.

She speaks little, has few expressions, and is aloof and unapproachable, a wealthy girl who seems naive and unsophisticated. She's indifferent to everyone, yet full of curiosity about everything...

It's quite rare to see so many attributes in one person.

Shaking his head, Gu Cheng stopped thinking about it and looked at the girl: "Let's go, don't keep them waiting. It's ten thousand yuan, why not take it?"

He doesn't have many demands for material life; as long as he has food, he's fine. However, very few people would complain about having too much money. Even billionaires are constantly thinking about how to increase their wealth, let alone ordinary people.

The role of money becomes even more apparent, especially when faced with serious illness or disaster.

Many people say that you only have one life, and Gu Cheng doesn't disagree with that. But being alive and living a high-quality life are two different things.

Ten thousand yuan is a considerable sum of money, not to mention for Gu Cheng, a high school student, even for an adult.

In the world of Prince of Tennis, he doesn't need to care about these things. Anyway, based on his performance at Seigaku, he can easily earn a considerable income by becoming a coach or something.

But back in reality, we have to consider the necessities of daily life.

When people come into this world, they are always unconsciously pursuing so-called freedom, as if it were the source of endless happiness.

However, gradually, you will find that you seem to have sold your freedom and what you have gained in return is the mundane daily grind.

I thought I had gained peace and stability in my life, but I inadvertently lost my original dreams and pursuits.

Gu Cheng, in his thirties, had already seen through the world while still struggling to save a dollar or two on bus fare each day.

Who hasn't sold their freedom for the necessities of daily life? It just goes to show that the world isn't a pure land, and everyone has their own suffering.

Having lived two lives, even if I don't become rich and powerful, I can't be as poor and destitute as before.

Of course, it's highly unlikely. After all, with his tennis skills, he could easily earn tens of millions a year by going to play professional matches. It's just that if he really went to play professional matches, he wouldn't have much freedom.

As I said before, it's money earned at the cost of freedom.

Even billionaires don't actually have much freedom.

Those who truly possess freedom are probably those who, after becoming wealthy, do not harbor excessive ambition.

……

"If I make money, I'll take you out for a big meal tonight."

"it is good."

After saying that, Gu Cheng got up and walked towards the No. 2 court. Xia Zhitong silently followed behind him, holding the bottle of AD calcium milk that she had been drinking for almost half an hour and didn't know how much longer she would have to drink it.

"Brother Ming, do you know what that boy just said to me?" Liu Xing walked over quickly.

"say what?"

He said, "If he wins, we won't renege on our promise and not pay you, will we?"

"I thought it was something serious." Zhang Ming shrugged, his interest immediately waning.

Isn't this funny?

"That's normal. Anyone would ask, since they don't know their opponent is a professional player. If it were you, wouldn't you ask even if it were a 10,000 yuan offer?"

What if someone cheats after you win?

"The reason you find it funny is because you know his opponent is me and he can't win. But from his perspective, it's not like there's no hope at all. Ten thousand yuan is something even an adult would think twice about, let alone a student."

"Don't let the fact that you're two years older than me fool you; there are some things you might not see as clearly as I do."

After saying that, Zhang Mingwang looked at the two people walking over from a distance and asked, "Did you ask him how many pounds of racket he wanted?"

Liu Xing snapped out of his daze and slapped his forehead: "Look at me, I forgot to ask him about that."

"If he forgets, he forgets. It's okay. The gym sells rackets anyway. I'll just pick out a racket according to his request and give it to him."

"it is good."

"That……"

"what?"

Liu Xing glanced at him hesitantly: "Do we need to prepare the money?"

Zhang Ming raised an eyebrow, his expression slightly arrogant: "Are you looking down on me, or are you overestimating him?"

"Of course, I don't mean to look down on him, but do you think there are many players in Ningbo who are better than me in tennis?"

"I wouldn't say there aren't any, but there definitely won't be more than three."

Liu Xing gave an awkward smile: "I was just doing this as a precaution."

"It's not necessary."

Zhang Ming picked up his racket and walked towards the court: "Instead of wasting time on this, you should think about how to face the audience after your identity is exposed!"

Liu Xing was taken aback, only then remembering this matter.

There are quite a few people at the Tennis Tennis Center. Although there are many matches, most of them are held on the outdoor courts. At this time of day, it is midday, the temperature is high, and the sun is scorching. Not many people are willing to go outside to sunbathe.

Therefore, the vast majority of the audience was concentrated in the indoor court. The match in Court 1 was almost over. Judging from the speed at which the two players were running, it was clear that even if they wanted to continue, they would have to rest for a while.

With no matches to watch, people will naturally flock to Stadium 2.

He didn't know how good that high school student named Gu Cheng was, but with Zhang Ming's strength, even in a one-sided match, he could still keep a lot of viewers watching.

Very few tennis enthusiasts are unfamiliar with Zhang Ming.

Once the competition ends and Zhang Ming reveals his identity, the audience will know the whole story without even realizing it.

Thinking about all this, Liu Xing also felt a headache coming on.

When playing professional matches, it was one thing to help Zhang Ming deal with those enthusiastic fans outside, but I never expected that when I finally got to rest, I would still have to work overtime like a beast of burden.

Liu Xing gave a wry smile, thinking that when the game was about to end, he would go and tell the staff at the stadium in advance to arrange some staff to maintain order.

Given Zhang Ming's influence, it's unlikely the stadium will refuse.

At that moment, Gu Cheng also walked up to them.

Liu Xing quickly stepped forward, looking apologetic: "Gu Cheng, I'm so sorry, I forgot to ask you how many pounds your racket weighs."

"It's okay, I can use any weight."

"No, you need to confirm the tension. I'll go to the gym right now and buy a pair, which will be a free gift for you."

Hearing this, Gu Cheng didn't refuse again: "Then let's go for the 62-pound one!"

"62 pounds?"

Liu Xing's tone carried a hint of skepticism. Stringing at 62 pounds is not a tension that beginners would use. Most beginners choose rackets with tension around 50 pounds, which is neither too tight nor too loose, suitable for practice and getting used to.

Of course, baseline players also choose rackets weighing 45-50 pounds, and there are quite a few professional players like this.

Choosing higher tension offers greater control, suitable for players seeking precise shots, especially net players. However, higher tension reduces elasticity, requiring more power to hit the ball. Simply put, you really need to have some skill to succeed.

Liu Xing glanced at Gu Cheng and didn't think the other party was very strong at all. In particular, he still remembered clearly how Gu Cheng had refused the invitation because he was worried about losing too badly in front of his girlfriend.

If someone truly had that ability, even if they had some concerns, they wouldn't have shown them so obviously.

Since Gu Cheng had already clearly stated that he wanted a 62-pound racket, Liu Xing couldn't say anything more and could only confirm again, "Are you sure?"

"determine."

"Fine!"

"Wait a minute, I'll go get the racket now."

"fine."

Liu Xing left in a hurry, and soon came running back with a racket: "The only ones available are 63 lbs. The 62 lbs ones need to be re-strung. Are you going to wait a bit or...?"

"Let's use the 63-pound one."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Ah."

Liu Xing didn't say much and simply handed the racket to Gu Cheng.

Gu Cheng pulled a racket out of the bag, gripped the string tension, and swung it around in his hand. It felt very smooth to use. Although he didn't know what brand it was, he had the ability to judge the quality of a racket. In any case, it was definitely not cheap, costing over a thousand yuan.

"How is it?" Liu Xing asked.

"It feels nice, it must be expensive!"

"It's a gift for you anyway, so don't worry about how much it costs."

Liu Xing's confident demeanor reinforced Gu Cheng's belief that his judgment was correct: the masked young man opposite him was definitely a professional player, and a strong one at that, possibly even a world champion.

Otherwise, who would be foolish enough to play a match and get a racket worth over a thousand yuan just for free, regardless of winning or losing?
Winning would result in a direct reward of 10,000.

To put it bluntly, they never thought they would lose.

"Go sit over there and read. If you're bored, you can read a book for a while."

Gu Cheng turned around, glanced at Xia Zhitong, pointed to a bench not far from the court and a small bookshelf near the bench, and then handed the remaining racket to the girl.

"Ah."

Xia Zhitong carried her racket and walked towards the bench.

After Xia Zhitong sat down, Gu Cheng picked up his racket and walked into the court, then headed towards the center net.

"Which?"

As he spoke, Gu Cheng looked up at Zhang Ming, who was still standing near the baseline.

"Rough".

Gu Cheng applied a little force, and the racket spun a few times before collapsing with a thud.

"It's Rough, you serve first, I'll choose this side!"

"correct……"

Gu Cheng looked at Zhang Ming and said earnestly, "I hope you can give it your all in this match. I will too. Taking every match seriously is the greatest respect for tennis and your opponent."

I?
Go all out?

Didn't you tell me to add more water before?
Why am I being asked to give it my all again?

Did I mishear him or did he say something wrong?
Zhang Ming was stunned. He never expected Gu Cheng to say such a thing to him, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond.

Just as Zhang Ming was wondering what was going on, he saw Liu Xing waving at him, and in the direction Liu Xing was pointing, there was a girl who was almost too beautiful. Only then did he realize what was happening.

Is he trying to show off in front of his female companion?
Is it really okay to say that?
Zhang Ming was somewhat amused and exasperated, but seeing Gu Cheng's serious expression, he had no choice but to respond: "I will."

The match on Stadium 2 quickly attracted everyone's attention after the match on Stadium 1 ended, and many people flocked to this side.

As these people poured into Court 2, they immediately noticed the boy standing near the baseline, ready to fight. His familiar appearance caught the eye of many.

"It turned out to be him!"

"Who?"

"That high school student who shut out Xiao Fan 6-0 last night, I didn't expect him to be here again. Xiao Fan didn't come. Did he arrange to play against someone else?"

Their gazes shifted to Zhang Ming.

Who is his opponent?

"Why wear a mask in the middle of summer? Isn't it hot?"

No one recognized Zhang Ming, who was wearing a mask and disguised, but Gu Cheng's appearance made everyone feel that the trip was worthwhile. They had all watched the surveillance video from last night and were amazed. Some of those who hadn't watched the game live were kicking themselves and regretting not coming sooner.

That topspin serve was absolutely stunning.

Seeing Gu Cheng on the court again now, everyone was incredibly excited.

Front desk.

Sun Xiaowan glanced back at the monitor and suddenly saw the match on Court 2. She quickly recognized Gu Cheng standing on the court and immediately dialed Yang Zhen's number.

The commotion outside the venue quickly caught the attention of Zhang Ming and Liu Xing. When they realized that everyone's eyes were not on Zhang Ming, but were fixed on Gu Cheng, and even showed excited expressions, they were momentarily stunned.

Liu Xing suddenly had a feeling that he had been tricked, that this guy was pretending to be weak while actually being strong, but he quickly chuckled to himself.

So what if someone pretends to be weak to take advantage of others?
He was facing Zhang Ming!
Although Zhang Ming was also taken aback for a moment, he was clearly much better than Liu Xing. To him, if this fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy was really pretending to be weak while actually being strong, he would be even happier, at least the fight wouldn't be so boring, and he could take it a little more seriously.

"The match begins, one game to decide the winner."

Liu Xing set up his phone to the side to record a video, acting as the referee.

This was the first real professional player Gu Cheng had ever encountered, and it was very likely that he had played in world-class professional competitions. Gu Cheng's gaze towards his opponent gradually sharpened.

After holding the ball and remaining silent for a moment, Zhang Ming quickly served his first ball.

The ball was fast, but it was still a little slower than Xiao Fan's serve.

However, the angle was more tricky than Xiao Fan's serve, heading straight for the dead corner of the service area.

But if the serve is just tricky and there's no speed to back it up, then this kind of serve is child's play for Gu Cheng.

Bang!
With a sharp swing, the tennis ball flew straight to the bottom corner of the left service court and out of bounds at top speed.

"Such a fast serve return! It's even sharper and faster than when I played against Xiao Fan last night!"

"So strong! I didn't expect this high school student to have been hiding his strength last night."

Upon seeing this successful serve, gasps of surprise immediately erupted from the crowd.

While receiving serves cannot accurately determine a player's ability, whether or not a player can break serve on the return can directly affect the course of the match.

In tennis, the service game is a relatively safe haven for players because the player who has the right to serve can control the rhythm and power of the game.

However, once the receiving side successfully breaks serve, it means they have broken this balance, forcing the opponent into a more passive situation.

Breaks in serve often occur when the receiver anticipates the serve accurately, reacts quickly, and effectively exploits the opponent's weaknesses in their serve.

This requires the receiver to possess excellent footwork, keen judgment, and powerful shots. In contrast, avoiding a break point relies more on the server's consistent performance and the opponent's ineffective counter-attack. The ability to capitalize on break points is a crucial indicator of a tennis player's skill.

Just from this one goal, you can pretty much tell how good a person is.

This serve return not only drew gasps from the spectators, but also left Zhang Ming, who was standing on the court watching the ball with a sigh, completely stunned.

He didn't react at all when receiving that serve.

What the hell!

I'm a world-class professional player!
Even if they underestimated you, they shouldn't have been completely unresponsive!
Zhang Ming looked up at Gu Cheng and saw the calmness on his face. He felt a chill run down his spine.

Hey!
Will I crash today?
(End of this chapter)