Who would still play tennis after being reborn?

Chapter 163 The Man Who Sweeped Federer 3-0
The 2015 Australian Open, a tennis extravaganza in the Southern Hemisphere during the summer, is attracting worldwide attention with its unique charm.

Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park was packed to capacity, with the crowd's enthusiasm as high as the Australian sun.

They were looking forward to a spectacular tennis match, with the protagonists being Gu Cheng, a talented young player from China, and Gael Monfils, a French star—the man who swept Federer 3-0 in the 2014 Davis Cup.

Gu Cheng stood at one end of the court, his eyes firm and focused.

He was wearing a white tennis outfit, which made him stand out brightly in the sunlight.

Despite facing the formidable Monfils, Gu Cheng appeared relaxed. This wasn't a doubles match; in a singles game, whether facing Monfils or anyone else, even the former number one seed Djokovic, he was confident of victory.

However, Gu Cheng still maintained respect for his opponent.

Monfils rose to fame at a young age.

He won three junior Grand Slam titles in 04: the Australian Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon, becoming the world's number one junior player and almost achieving a year-long junior Grand Slam.

The following year, he won his first tour title in Sopot, Poland. In 08, Monfils defeated Ljubicic and Ferrer at the French Open to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final, and in the same year, he reached the quarter-finals of the men's singles at the Beijing Olympics.

In 09, Monfils defeated Nadal in Doha, his first career win against the world number one, and later that year he finished as runner-up at the Paris Masters.

In 10, Monfils defeated three top-ten players—Verdasco, Murray, and Federer—at the Paris Masters, reaching the final for the second consecutive year.

Monfils, who once swept Federer 3-0 in the Davis Cup in 2014 and is the 17th seed at the Australian Open, is undoubtedly a formidable player. Those who underestimate him will definitely suffer in the match.

Monfils stood at the other end, his tall and agile body resembling an insurmountable mountain.

A hint of worry lingered on his face, but it quickly faded, replaced by a smile that seemed to declare to Gu Cheng that he was determined to win the match.

The match began with Gu Cheng serving first.

He took a deep breath, stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, faced sideways to the net, and gripped the racket firmly using a continental grip. His left hand gently lifted the ball and placed it in front of his waist.

At this moment, the entire stadium was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Everyone held their breath and watched Gu Cheng's every move.

It seems that most of the fans who like Gu Cheng are drawn to him because of his basketball skills.

There are relatively few viewers of youth matches because everyone knows that Gu Cheng is unlikely to use his skills in youth matches.

But in the Australian Open main draw singles, everyone knows that Gu Cheng will definitely rely on his skills.

If it were doubles, the same would be true.

Gu Cheng tossed the ball vertically upwards with his left hand, the height of the toss slightly above his head, and the point of toss was slightly to the right in front of his body.

At the same time, he quickly drew the racket back with his right hand, the racket head pointing to the ground, his elbow bent, and his wrist relaxed.

As he prepared to hit the ground, his body began to rotate backward, and his weight shifted to his right foot.

The moment the ball reached its highest point, Gu Cheng pounced like a cheetah. He swung his right hand forward, the racket head striking the ball from below, his wrist unleashing tremendous power at the moment of impact, the racket face slightly tilted, attempting to impart strong spin to the ball.

This is his usual serving style, and in previous matches, this serve has often given him the initiative.

However, today they face Monfils, the experienced French legend.

Monfils stared intently at the incoming tennis ball, a hint of disdain in his eyes. He seemed to have anticipated Gu Cheng's serve, reacting swiftly the instant the ball left Gu Cheng's racket.

He moved his feet lightly, crouched slightly, and prepared to receive the ball.

When the ball flew towards him, he leaped high into the air, his racket flashing like lightning as he accurately returned the ball.

His return shot was extremely fast and at a very tricky angle, flying directly towards Gu Cheng's backhand.

Monfils is a typical right-handed two-handed backhand player.

The so-called right-handed double backhand is actually just a way of holding the racket.

In the 1970s and 80s, when the two-handed backhand topspin emerged in tennis, many people did not approve of this style of play, believing that it would not have a place in the tennis world. Today, the two-handed backhand topspin has become one of the most important and fundamental techniques in tennis.

Currently, most people use the web of their hand (the area between their thumb and forefinger) as the reference point when holding a racket. However, due to differences in the shape and size of each person's hand, the area of ​​the racket handle that can be covered by the web of the hand varies greatly from person to person. Therefore, simply using the web of the hand as the reference point to determine the grip method involves a great deal of personal factors.

However, the latest research suggests that the optimal grip point should be the base of the index finger and the bottom of the hypothenar muscle.

Taking the right hand holding the racket as an example, there are three types of two-handed backhand shots.

The first type is the Eastern-style double backhand grip, which uses the base of the index finger and the bottom of the hypothenar muscle as positioning points. The base of the index finger and the bottom of the hypothenar muscle of the left hand are aligned in a straight line and grip the 7th surface of the handle. The base of the index finger of the right hand grips the first surface of the handle, and the bottom of the hypothenar muscle grips the 8th surface of the handle.

The characteristics of the Eastern-style two-handed backhand are that the racket is far away from the body when hitting the ball, the arms are straight, and the arms and shoulders form a triangle.

This type of racket grip primarily involves flat shots, resulting in high speed and power, capable of producing lethal backhand straight shots. However, it demands a high level of physical fitness, making it generally the preferred hitting method for male players.

The flat-hit shot involves a relatively gentle swing from back to front and upward, with the racket face almost perpendicular to the ground, hitting the back of the ball with the same force. This hitting method produces the fastest ball speed, the straightest flight path, and the greatest forward momentum after the ball lands.

However, the accuracy is poor, especially when running fast. It is difficult to control the accuracy of the ball with a flat shot, which can easily cause the ball to go out of bounds or be missed.

The second type is the Eastern/Continental double backhand grip, where the base of the left index finger and the bottom of the hypothenar muscle are aligned in a straight line on the 7th plane of the handle, and the base of the right index finger and the bottom of the hypothenar muscle are aligned in a straight line on the 2nd plane of the handle.

This style of play is suitable for both male and female players, and can return a variety of shots, making it the most varied hitting technique among these three two-handed backhand techniques.

The last type is the Continental/Semi-Western style double-handed backhand grip.

The Continental/Semi-Western style double-handed backhand grip is more suitable for female players because both arms are bent during the stroke, forming a pentagonal shape with the shoulders and the racket close to the body.

The reason is simple: female athletes are generally shorter than male athletes and have a lower center of gravity, which makes it easier for them to utilize the power of their hip joints.

However, many male professional players also use this racket holding technique because this two-handed backhand mainly uses topspin to apply topspin to the ball, which can produce an angled ball or a high topspin ball.

When the racket is swung from the left rear to the front and upward, the ball spins from the rear and lower to the front and upward, which is what we commonly call a topspin. Therefore, to generate a sharp topspin and increase the upward lifting range, the Continental or semi-Western double-back grip is the best way to hold the racket and hit the ball.

Monfils is the third type; his topspin is comparable to Nadal's.

However, he was facing Gu Cheng in this match, which meant that his topspin shots would not be able to exert their full power.

……

Gu Cheng was startled; he hadn't expected Monfils' return shot to be so sharp.

But he didn't panic. With his excellent reflexes and agile movements, he quickly moved to his backhand side. His footwork was as light and swift as a dance, and just as the ball was about to hit the ground, he steadily blocked it with his racket. However, his return wasn't of high quality, and Monfils easily seized the opportunity.

Monfils launched another attack, this time with greater power and speed, leaving Gu Cheng somewhat overwhelmed.

In the end, Gu Cheng lost this game, and Monfils broke serve first to take a 1-0 lead.

A gasp of amazement rippled through the audience. They had expected Gu Cheng, as a prodigy, to demonstrate formidable strength in the competition.

But unexpectedly, he found himself on the defensive right from the start of the match.

Some viewers began to worry about Gu Cheng, whispering and discussing among themselves.

"This Monfils is really good. It won't be easy for Gu Cheng to win this game."

"Yes, but Gu Cheng isn't someone to be trifled with. He definitely has a backup plan."

"We hope Gu Cheng can adjust his state as soon as possible and bring us a surprise."

Gu Cheng stood behind the baseline, wiping the sweat from his brow. His eyes showed no sign of frustration, but rather a resolute fighting spirit. He thought to himself, "This Monfils is indeed very strong. My regular skills don't seem to pose much of a threat to him. Sure enough, when playing against these seeded players in the main tournament, if your fundamentals are inferior, it's difficult to suppress your opponent simply by relying on ball control."

In the following games, Gu Cheng tried using some tennis techniques from The Prince of Tennis, such as topspin serves and basic one-legged footwork.

However, Monfils was a seasoned veteran, and he had long since developed strategies to deal with these techniques.

Whenever Gu Cheng used these techniques, he was always able to skillfully deflect them and quickly launch a counterattack. In these matches, although Gu Cheng tried his best, he was still unable to change the situation.

Monfils, with his outstanding performance, won two more games, taking a commanding 3-0 lead.

At this time, online discussions about the match became increasingly heated.

On various tennis forums and social media platforms, netizens have been expressing their opinions.

Most netizens believe that although Gu Cheng is quite strong, it will be extremely difficult for him to win against a top player like Monfils.

"Monfils could even sweep Federer in the 2014 Davis Cup, so it's simply a pipe dream for Gu Cheng to beat him."

"Yes, it's already quite an achievement for Gu Cheng to reach the second round of the Australian Open, so losing this match isn't shameful."

However, some netizens have full confidence in Gu Cheng, firmly believing that he must still have hidden strength.

"Don't forget that Gu Cheng only used some basic skills; he hasn't even used those abnormal skills yet."

"I believe in Gu Cheng; he will definitely create a miracle."

Meanwhile, some netizens are worried that Gu Cheng might have stamina issues participating in four matches alone.

"Gu Cheng's stamina is a big problem. Even if we win this game, Monfils will still have a chance to get some points."

"I hope Gu Cheng can manage his energy reasonably and not let this game affect the games to come."

The media also provided live coverage of the match.

Reporters from various sports media outlets sat in the media section beside the stadium, nervously recording every exciting moment of the game.

They posted updates on the match on their social media accounts, attracting a large number of fans.

"The match is currently in the fourth game, with Monfils leading Gu Cheng 3-0. The match seems to be developing in a one-sided manner."

"Gu Cheng seemed somewhat overwhelmed when facing Monfils's formidable strength, and he may need to adjust his tactics as soon as possible."

Inside the stadium, Monfils still wore a confident smile.

He felt that the match was under his control. As long as he maintained this form, he might not be able to win the next match, but at least he was not shut out by the number one seed, Gu Cheng, which was enough.

In the fourth game, it was Monfils's turn to serve.

He stood behind the baseline and began preparing to serve as usual. His serve was fluid and powerful, and the ball flew towards Gu Cheng's court like a cannonball.

However, this time Gu Cheng did not passively defend as before.

The moment the ball flew over, he swiftly activated his "disappearance" technique.

Monfils had assumed his serve would easily score a point, but when he saw Gu Cheng suddenly disappear from his sight, he was startled. A hint of panic flashed in his eyes, and his racket paused involuntarily.

In that instant, the tennis ball appeared in another spot, hitting Monfils directly in the corner of the court.

Monfils had no time to react and could only watch helplessly as the ball fell to the ground. In this game, Gu Cheng successfully broke serve with his "disappearing" skill, bringing the score to 1-3.

The audience outside the stadium was stunned by this sudden change.

They were stunned for a moment, then burst into enthusiastic cheers.

"Sure enough, I guessed it. Gu Cheng is practically invincible when he uses these skills. Not to mention Monfils, even if Djokovic came, he would probably just have to watch the tennis ball fly out of bounds!"

"Yes, Monfils is in trouble now."

"Keep it up, Gu Cheng! Keep it up!"

The audience's enthusiasm was completely ignited, and they all stood up to applaud and cheer for Gu Cheng.

Monfils wore a helpless expression.

Although they knew that Gu Cheng might use the Invisibility skill in the game, and had even prepared for it in advance, they had also studied with others how to break the Invisibility skill.

But when faced with this skill, he was still somewhat at a loss for words.

Monfils secretly vowed to find a way to break the "disappearance" technique.

If the mystery cannot be solved, the upcoming matches will be extremely difficult.

Moreover, he came to today's match with a mission: to try to break the illusion and force Gu Cheng to use some new skills, so that the next player could have more time to prepare.

(End of this chapter)