Who would still play tennis after being reborn?

Chapter 145: Moving the power of selflessness to any part of the body at any time and place.

Gu Cheng changed his clothes.

"Zhang Ming's match isn't over yet, is it?" Cao Hui glanced at Gu Cheng, who had changed his clothes, and then turned to look at Yu Haoyang.

"Probably not." Yu Haoyang shook his head: "Zhang Ming's opponent is Australian player Hewitt. Although he is 34 years old this year, his strength is by no means weak. He even won the US Open in 01. Even though his physical strength has declined due to his age, it will not be easy for Zhang Ming to win."

"It might take four or even five games. Senior Zhang Ming has a very small chance of winning the first game, but if Hewitt's stamina drops later, Senior Zhang Ming has a better chance of winning."

"Let's go take a look?"

"Acheng, what do you think?"

Yu Haoyang raised an eyebrow and looked at Gu Cheng.

Gu Cheng didn't think much of it and said, "Let's go take a look. I need to chat with Brother Ming about the doubles match this afternoon on the way."

"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

Yu Haoyang put his hand on Gu Cheng's shoulder, and the three of them walked towards Zhang Ming's competition venue.

"Ha~"

Cao Hui said with some surprise, "There are quite a lot of viewers."

When the three arrived, they discovered that the number of spectators near Zhang Ming and Hewitt's arena was significantly larger than that near Gu Cheng's.

Yu Haoyang smiled slightly: "After all, Hewitt is an Australian player, so it's normal that he has more supporters. If this kind of international event were held in our country, tickets for Acheng's match would probably be sold out."

"That's true. Forget about a stampede, there are layers upon layers of people outside the stadium." Cao Hui grinned. "How far along is the game?"

"1-1 tie." Yu Haoyang pointed to the screen not far away, where the total score was clearly visible.

"Only 1-1?"

Cao Hui was somewhat surprised. Although he hadn't paid much attention to Zhang Ming's matches before, during the time they had been in Melbourne, they often went to practice matches together before the competition. Zhang Ming's strength had improved significantly.

Breaking into the world's top 100 is more than enough, and even the top 50 wouldn't be difficult.

The key point is that when Zhang Ming played against him, he seemed very relaxed, as if he wasn't using his full strength at all.

Beating him up would be a piece of cake.

With that kind of strength, he even doubted he could break into the top thirty.

Hewitt, although he had won the US Open before, that was 14 years ago. The 2001 US Open title was indeed quite prestigious.

but……

Hewitt is getting on in years, at 34. Although he is about the same age as Federer, Federer's competitive form is clearly much better than Hewitt's, and the two are not even comparable.

Before Gu Cheng participated, Federer was the No. 2 seed in the 2015 Australian Open. What about Hewitt?
He wasn't even a seeded player, his ranking was extremely low, and his competitive state was completely different from that of the early 2000s. Moreover, Hewitt had only won two Grand Slam titles, and those titles were concentrated in 2001 and 2002.

In the four Grand Slam tournaments that followed, apart from reaching the quarterfinals once in 2009, he was eliminated in the first few rounds most of the time, and rarely even made it to the fourth round.

These statistics clearly show that Hewitt's performance has declined rapidly and he can no longer keep up with the current pace of the game.

Under these circumstances, it's understandable that Cao Hui would be so surprised that he could still manage a draw with Zhang Ming so far.

Yu Haoyang rolled his eyes and pointed to the set scores on the overall score chart: "First set 7-6 (15-13), second set 7-6 (7-5). The first two sets went to tiebreakers, and the first set was even close for a long time, so it's normal for it to take a while."

Cao Hui frowned: "Isn't Hewitt in bad shape?"

Yu Haoyang thought for a moment and finally gave a reason: "It might be because of the home advantage. After all, during the game, the whole stadium was cheering for Hewitt, while Zhang Ming only had a few scattered fans, and they were drowned out by the noise. It must have had some psychological impact."

"Moreover, Hewitt has the advantage of playing on home soil, so it's not impossible for him to perform well."

Cao Hui nodded, and then, as the cheers from the surrounding audience subsided, he cupped his hands into a megaphone shape and shouted loudly, "Go, Senior Zhang Ming!"

However, he only shouted it once before stopping.

It seemed that it was Zhang Ming's turn to serve, and if he continued to shout, it might affect Zhang Ming's serve.

The two players are not far apart in skill, and if he causes a first serve failure in the service game, it could very well lead to losing the entire match.

If that were the case, he would be a great sinner.

Gu Cheng didn't say anything, quietly found a seat, and stared at the court.

……

Ta da~
The tennis shoes made a crisp rhythm as they rubbed against the hard court. Zhang Ming stood at the baseline, methodically hitting the tennis ball.

His eyes were cold and sharp, his breathing steady and deep, as if the whole world consisted only of him and that orange tennis ball.

"Senior Zhang Ming's serve seems a bit slow, is he planning to stall for time?" Cao Hui also sat down next to Gu Cheng.

Gu Cheng shook his head: "It's not about stalling for time, but about taking control of the pace."

Cao Hui turned to look at Gu Cheng.

Yu Haoyang plopped down: "This is an art of psychological warfare, a tactical style originating from the giant master Novak Djokovic. Every bounce before the serve is a provocation to the opponent's will."

Unlike other young players who acted rashly, Zhang Ming, a senior player, built his mental defenses with calmness and patience.

The two players were neck and neck, and the third set had only just begun. Hewitt's score remained very close, which showed that he was in good form.

If he doesn't slow down, Zhang Ming might not be confident against an opponent who has won two Grand Slam titles in the past, even if that opponent is already in his thirties.

At this point, using the serve to annoy Hewitt might be a good opportunity for Zhang Ming.

"I'm just afraid..."

While Yu Haoyang hesitated, Gu Cheng suddenly smiled and said, "Hewitt is an experienced veteran. I'm afraid Ming Ge's tactics won't work on him, and might even affect his own rhythm."

"Wouldn't it be better not to use it?" Cao Hui had often heard people mention Djokovic's tendency to delay the game with his serve, especially some familiar professional players. They all said that this tactic was very effective against opponents, especially newcomers, and the results were surprisingly good.

"It's hard to say, let's wait and see. Senior Zhang Ming should have no difficulty winning the match. After all, the longer the match drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for Hewitt."

"That's true."

The three chatted briefly before turning their attention to the competition.

This is the fourth set, with Zhang Ming leading 3-2.

The air was thick with tension; the audience held their breath, their hearts pounding in sync with the rhythm of the game.

Zhang Ming's first serve was not a topspin serve, possibly because topspin serves are ineffective against Hewitt, and it was not his usual topspin or slice serve, but rather a tentative medium-speed flat serve.

He was observing, and also luring the enemy deeper into his territory.

Hewitt, with his rich experience, saw through Zhang Ming's intentions at a glance: "Is this a test? Ha, young man, you underestimate the vigilance of an old general." But Zhang Ming had already anticipated that the other party would not take the bait so easily.

As expected, Hewitt's serve return was of extremely high quality, with a straight shot from the baseline that went straight into Zhang Ming's corner.

Zhang Ming started quickly and steadily, completing an incredible drop shot from the extreme position!

The ball gently leaped over the net, spun rapidly after landing, and bounced up almost touching the net straps. Hewitt was caught off guard and could only watch as the ball slowly rolled out of bounds.

15: 0!

"This kid... his fighting style is too experienced!" Hewitt was shocked.

Very few people can drop a short ball directly from the baseline.

This is not just a matter of skill, but also requires courage. If you lack courage, you will give points to your opponent if you don't place the short ball near the baseline properly.

Moreover, this kind of short drop shot near the baseline is rarely used by professional players. Only top professional players will use it when the game is close, to disrupt the opponent's rhythm.

It's much more useful than using a serve to delay the game.

After Zhang Ming scored a point, what happened next...

The two engaged in fierce offense and defense, with baseline rallies, net volleys, backhand passes, and forehand smashes, each shot brimming with power and strategy.

The score in the first set quickly reached 5-5, with both players trading points and holding serve, neither willing to give an inch.

In the eleventh game, Zhang Ming was in excellent form with his serve, achieving a very high first serve success rate and steadily holding his serve.

Immediately afterwards, he launched a counter-attack with his signature "Narciss topspin," sending the ball hurtling towards the baseline with intense spin, forcing Hewitt into a series of errors.

Breakthrough successful!

Zhang Ming won the first set 7-5!
"Damn it... how did he do that? That topspin shot was like a hammer falling from the sky!" Hewitt gasped for breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead, his eyes revealing a hint of resentment and wariness.

During halftime, Zhang Ming sat on the sidelines with a determined look in his eyes.

He knew this was just the beginning.

At the start of the fourth set, Hewitt displayed amazing fighting spirit.

This veteran, who is over thirty years old, seemed to have his fighting instincts awakened after losing the third set. Every step he took was faster and every shot was more ferocious.

This put unprecedented pressure on Zhang Ming, who was fighting alone.

Several service games ended in a close 40-40 tie, but he remained calm. He consistently pressured his opponent with powerful topspin shots, forcing Hewitt to make frequent errors under pressure.

The score went back and forth, now it's 6-6!

In the fourth set, it went to a tiebreaker once again!

Zhang Ming hadn't expected that his first Australian Open tournament would see three tiebreakers in the first round. Even at his relatively young age, his heart raced, and everyone around him held their breath, their hearts pounding.

However, when he saw Gu Cheng and his two companions sitting not far away, waving and cheering him on, his eyes suddenly became determined.

At a crucial moment, Zhang Ming decisively changed his tactics, continuously moving to the net to intercept attacks, using the speed and jumping advantage brought by his single-leg shuffling to block Hewitt's offensive routes time and time again.

Every swing of his racket was like a thunderbolt, and every point he fought for was like burning his life.

7: 3!

Zhang Ming won the Game 7!
With a total score of 3-1, he strode confidently into the second round!

……

Zhang Ming dragged his tired body off the court and saw Gu Cheng waiting outside. He smiled bitterly and said, "I thought Hewitt's performance these past few days has been average, even poor, and the match would end quickly. I didn't expect it to go to three tiebreakers."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to run in the doubles match this afternoon, Acheng. To be honest, I'm a little worried."

"We were really unlucky. Our first-round doubles opponents were the No. 2 seeds, Benneteau (France) and Roger Vasselin (France). Although their singles skills may not seem strong, their doubles strength, due to their teamwork, is probably even greater than that of Federer and others."

Gu Cheng nodded noncommittally.

When Gu Cheng heard the news that Federer and Djokovic had teamed up in doubles and were planning to target him in doubles, he wasn't too worried.

Being strong in singles doesn't mean you'll be good in doubles, otherwise what's the point of teamwork? They've practiced doubles for so long, it's not something you can surpass in a day or two.

He's not worried at all if it's doubles against players like Federer.

He could probably take on two people more easily than he could take on one.

However, his opponent in the first round of doubles, the second seed, is no pushover.

He and Zhang Ming had never teamed up before, and apart from a few days of practice before the competition, they had no chemistry whatsoever. Now, Zhang Ming's physical condition had dropped too much due to the singles competition, which would definitely affect the doubles match in the afternoon.

In that case, he might have to face a doubles team with a very high level of teamwork.

This isn't just about hitting one person.

Moreover, both of them are quite strong in singles, being top 100 professional players in the world. With their defensive range reduced, it would be extremely difficult for Gu Cheng to score points against them using his common skills.

It's not hard to understand why Zhang Ming has such concerns.

"Why don't we go back and rest first?" Gu Cheng said. "As for the doubles match this afternoon, if Ming-ge really can't run anymore, he can stand and rest for a while, or sit down and rest on the side. I can't keep up by myself, or I can only go on the court when I feel that I need you to."

"A stadium piling machine?" Zhang Ming's eyes widened.

Yu Haoyang, however, refused to comply.

“Senior Zhang Ming, the title of ‘Stadium Pile Driver’ is mine, don’t you dare steal it from me.”

Zhang Ming rolled his eyes at him, speechless, thinking to himself, "I must be crazy to steal this title, it's not like it's a good one."

While the two stared at each other, Gu Cheng hurriedly took out his phone and searched online for the national tournament, specifically the final video of Echizen and Yukimura Seiichi.

As I walked with the group towards the hotel, I watched a video of the first singles match in the national tournament finals.

Gu Cheng quickly paused the video after Echizen used a small amount of transfer to overcome the weakness of the ultimate technique in his match against Yukimura Seiichi.

"Many professional players are practicing no-spin shots now, so the Tezuka Zone might not be effective. Without the Tezuka Zone, the flaws of the ultimate refinement are too obvious. If one could be like Little One, able to freely move the power of selflessness to the feet or other parts of the body, perhaps..."

"Even without the Tezuka Domain, one can still unleash the ultimate power of the 'thousand-times-forged' technique."

"Go back and try again."

"Perhaps we'll need it for the doubles match this afternoon."

Having made up his mind, Gu Cheng quickened his pace.

(End of this chapter)