Who would still play tennis after being reborn?

Chapter 166 The Legend Belonging to Gu Cheng

Gu Cheng tossed the tennis ball, bending his body at an almost impossible angle, and swung his racket like lightning.

This time, the mirror serve reached its peak power—the tennis ball split into two after crossing the net, shooting towards the left and right corners of the court respectively. After landing, it bounced higher than Monfils' head and carried a strong sidespin.

Monfils stood still, making no move. He watched the two balls land separately, then slowly lowered his racket.

"Game, Set & Match, Gu Cheng! Final score: 6-3, 6-1, 6-0!"

The referee's voice echoed throughout the stadium via the loudspeaker. Gu Cheng raised his hands to the sky, basking in the cheers of the crowd. Flashbulbs illuminated the stadium like daylight, freezing Gu Cheng's image in that moment.

Monfils walked to the net and extended his hand to Gu Cheng.

A bitter smile played on his lips, but a hint of relief shone in his eyes. "Congratulations, Gu Cheng, you are the strongest opponent I have ever faced."

Gu Cheng grasped his hand and shook it vigorously. "Thank you, Monfils, you're excellent too."

The two exchanged a smile, and at that moment all the competition and confrontation transformed into respect for each other's strength.

Within half an hour of the match ending, hashtags such as "Gu Cheng's mirror serve," "The real-life Prince of Tennis," and "Monfils' crushing defeat" quickly dominated the trending topics on major social media platforms around the world.

On Twitter, the number of related tweets has exceeded 5000 million, and the match highlights videos on TikTok have been viewed over 10 billion times.

"Was I watching a tennis match or a sci-fi movie? What the heck is a mirror serve? The ball splits into two after crossing the net? Are you sure this isn't special effects?" an American netizen commented on Twitter, accompanied by more than a dozen shocked emojis.

"Gu Cheng is simply a superhero in the tennis world! Triple spin serve, unpredictable skills, reverse slice, and now he's added the mirror serve. Did this guy travel from the future?" The comments from Japanese netizens resonated with many.

Sports experts have also offered their comments.

ESPN senior tennis commentator John McEnroe excitedly said on the show: "This is the most revolutionary tennis performance I've ever seen in my career! Gu Cheng's mirror serve is not only a technical breakthrough, but also a challenge to the very essence of the sport. He made us realize that the possibilities in tennis are far greater than we imagined."

The New York Times published an in-depth report titled "A New Era for Tennis: How Gu Cheng Rewrote History with His Surreal Skills."

The article states: "The emergence of the mirror serve marks the beginning of a new era for tennis. It is no longer just a contest of strength and skill, but also a competition of imagination and creativity. Gu Cheng's genius tells us that the limits of sports are endless."

Of course, there are also some rational voices.

In an interview, a physics professor analyzed: "The principle of the mirror serve actually utilizes the persistence of vision and the optical illusion created by high-speed rotation. Gu Cheng uses special swing motions and wrist power to make the tennis ball generate extremely high rotation speed during flight, thus creating a visual illusion of a clone. Although the principle can be explained, to apply it accurately in actual combat requires superhuman body control and spatial awareness."

Regardless, Gu Cheng and his mirror serve have become a focus of the global sports world.

Rod Laver Arena staff even conducted a special inspection of the court after the match, trying to find traces of tennis ball damage, but of course, they found nothing.

Gu Cheng stood in the players' tunnel, holding the match ball in his hand, which was covered with the signatures of the spectators.

He looked at the few remaining fans in the stands in the distance and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"What are you thinking about?" a familiar voice asked.

Monfils walked over, carrying two bottles of water.

"I wasn't thinking about anything!" Gu Cheng took the water, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.

Monfils smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Gu Cheng, you made history with your strength. Although I lost the game, I feel honored to have witnessed all of this."

The two walked off the field side by side, but they both knew that the impact of this match was only just beginning.

Gu Cheng's mirror serve and his self-created techniques have already stirred up a storm in the tennis world.

Countless players will try to imitate him and crack his methods in the future, but as Monfils said, Gu Cheng's strength has already exceeded the scope of current understanding.

He is like a rising star, illuminating the uncharted territories of tennis.

For Gu Cheng, this was just the beginning.

He knew he still had much to improve and many more skills to develop. When he looked up at the stars in the night sky, his eyes shone with unwavering determination.

A new era for tennis has quietly begun with the advent of the mirror serve.

But Gu Cheng's legend has only just begun to be written.

The video of Gu Cheng's Australian Open match against Monfils has caused a sensation in the professional tennis world like a bombshell.

When Gu Cheng's mysterious mirror serve appeared before everyone's eyes, the entire tennis world was shaken.

Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer sat in the hotel's media room, with highlights of the match playing on the large screen in front of him.

He crossed his arms, his brows furrowed, and his blue eyes were filled with seriousness.

When Gu Cheng executed his mirror serve, Federer sat up abruptly, his eyes glued to the screen.

His fingers tapped unconsciously on the armrest as he muttered to himself, "How is this possible? The trajectory and changes of this ball are completely beyond conventional understanding."

He recalled the countless strong opponents and unique skills he had encountered in his career, but the impact of the mirror serve was unprecedented.

He knew that if such skills could not be countered, they would pose a huge threat on the field in the future.

Meanwhile, at a training base in Australia, Djokovic was also intently watching the video of the match.

A hint of unease flickered in his eyes, and he leaned forward slightly, intently watching every detail.

When Djokovic saw Monfils's flustered appearance when facing the mirror serve, he couldn't help but frown.

He reached up and touched his chin, thinking to himself, "This kind of serve not only has unpredictable spin, but also unpredictable landing point, making it impossible to predict in advance."

He began to mentally consider various possible coping strategies, but he rejected each idea as soon as it appeared.

Compared to players like Federer and Nadal, Djokovic is under the most pressure because, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he and Gu Cheng are likely to be among the first seeded players to be contacted.

In the quarterfinals, he has a more than 90% chance of facing Gu Cheng.

Unless he is eliminated by someone else before that.

Alternatively, Gu Cheng might be eliminated early by someone else.

The former is still possible, but the latter has an extremely low probability of occurrence, almost infinitely close to zero, or even zero.

Because no one knows how many ball skills Gu Cheng has mastered. Each new ball skill requires a lot of time to study. To crack a ball skill, you can't just watch it once or twice. Sometimes you need to experience it firsthand to discover some points that others might not notice.

It's fair to say that seeing Gu Cheng repeatedly bring out local specialties these past two days has left Djokovic feeling utterly disheartened. Judging from the current situation, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will most likely be eliminated by Gu Cheng in the quarterfinals.

Of course, it's not like there's absolutely no chance. Gu Cheng is participating in four matches at the Australian Open simultaneously. If he can't solve his physical issues, it's difficult for someone with limited energy to persevere to the end.

In any case, if he had participated in four matches at once, he would probably have been eliminated long ago.

"Looks like I need to have a talk with them," Djokovic muttered to himself, looking out the window.

At the same time, Nadal was also impressed by Gu Cheng's mirror serve.

He stood in front of the large screen in the training hall, biting his lower lip, his bronze face full of seriousness.

Nadal's eyes were filled with resentment and confusion. He was almost invincible on clay, but now he felt helpless when faced with a mirror serve.

"That serve is practically alive, how is it possible to return it?" Nadal's voice carried a hint of helplessness.

He recalled the many formidable opponents he had defeated in the competition, but this challenge seemed more difficult than any he had faced before.

As more and more professional players watched the replay of this match, everyone was amazed by the power of the mirror serve.

Federer decided to organize an online seminar, inviting top players such as Djokovic and Nadal to discuss how to crack this magical skill.

When the video conference connected, everyone wore a solemn expression.

Federer spoke first: "Everyone has seen Gu Cheng's mirror serve. It's definitely one of the toughest challenges we've faced in our careers. We have to brainstorm and find a way to break it."

Djokovic nodded and said, "I watched the video repeatedly. The key to this serve is that its spin and trajectory are completely unpredictable. Our usual methods of anticipating serves are completely ineffective against it."

Nadal continued, "That's right, and his serve looks smooth and natural, but it hides a huge secret. We simply can't predict the ball's trajectory from his movements."

The group began to discuss the matter enthusiastically. Some suggested strengthening footwork training to try to cope with the ever-changing serves by increasing speed; others suggested changing the receiving position to find a better angle to receive the ball; still others thought of disrupting Gu Cheng's serving rhythm to disrupt his performance.

Federer listened attentively to everyone's advice, occasionally taking notes in his notebook.

He tried to integrate and analyze these ideas, but as the discussion deepened, he discovered that each solution had obvious flaws.

"Improving footwork can indeed enhance reaction speed, but the mirror serve changes too quickly, making it difficult for us to guarantee accuracy every time," Federer expressed his concerns.

Djokovic agreed, saying, "Changing our receiving position seems feasible, but if we do, we might expose other weaknesses and give our opponents an opportunity. As for disrupting the serve rhythm, Gu Cheng, being an excellent player, certainly won't be easily affected."

Nadal frowned, trying to find inspiration from his own clay-court style of play: "We control the game on clay through spin and rhythm. Perhaps we can learn from this idea and use strong spin to return the ball to counteract the power of his serve."

However, after some analysis, it was discovered that this method also had problems.

Gu Cheng's mirror serve inherently involves complex spin. Trying to counter it with spin is not only extremely difficult, but it could also make the ball's trajectory even more uncontrollable.

Time ticked by, and the discussion reached a stalemate.
Everyone offered their ideas, but they were all rejected. Watching Gu Cheng's fluid and graceful serve on the screen, everyone felt helpless and anxious.

"Is there really no way out for us?" Federer's voice carried a hint of weariness and resentment.

Everyone fell silent, with only the hum of the computer fan standing out clearly in the stillness.

Everyone is racking their brains, but they still can't find a practical solution.

The online seminar, which lasted for several hours, ultimately ended without results.

When the negotiations ended and everyone shut down their computers, they all understood that Gu Cheng's mirror serve would become one of their biggest threats in future matches.

But as a top player in the professional tennis world, they will not give up easily.

In the future, they will continue to study and experiment, hoping to one day find the key to cracking the mirror serve and compete against Gu Cheng on the court.

The online seminar ended without any results, but it did not dampen the determination of the star players to find a solution.

Federer first started specialized training at his private training facility, where his coaching team used a ball machine to simulate the trajectory and spin of a mirror serve.

On the training court, orange tennis balls fell like raindrops. Federer, dressed in a white training suit, kept adjusting his stance and swing angle.

Sweat soaked his back, but he was oblivious, trying again and again to catch the elusive trajectory of the ball.

"There must be a way." He gritted his teeth, his eyes fixed firmly on the ball machine, silently encouraging himself.

Although Djokovic is under a lot of pressure, he is relatively relaxed compared to the others, since his doubles partnership with Federer has already been eliminated.

In other words, he had more time to do research than others.

Therefore, Djokovic invited several sports scientists and data analysis experts to establish a special research team at the hotel where he was staying.

They broke down Gu Cheng's mirror serve into thousands of frames and attempted to find the hidden patterns through computer simulation and big data analysis.

Djokovic spends several hours each day discussing and analyzing the results with experts, and then putting them into practice on the court.

Despite repeated failures, he remained convinced that the power of science could help him find a solution.

"This is not only a challenge to technology, but also a test of wisdom," Djokovic said in an interview.

However, after countless trials, he still couldn't find an effective solution, which made him very frustrated.

Meanwhile, the younger generation of tennis players were also inspired by the mirror serve and began to explore new techniques and playing styles.

They see Gu Cheng as a target of challenge and are eager to compete against him in future matches.

In junior tennis tournaments, players often attempt to mimic the mirror serve motion. While the results vary, this spirit of innovation and exploration is refreshing.

Gu Cheng, however, did not bask in the joy of victory after the thrilling match against Monfils.

He knew that although his mirror serve had left his opponents helpless at the moment, someone would eventually find a way to break it over time.

Therefore, he trained even harder, constantly improving his skills, while also trying to develop new techniques.

On the training field, he often trains for a whole day, his clothes soaked with sweat, and his palms developed thick calluses.

But he never complained, because he loved tennis and longed to create more miracles on the court.

The Australian Open continued, and Gu Cheng advanced to the next round.

His opponent was a young player from the United States, whose strength should not be underestimated.

On the day of the match, Rod Laver Arena was once again packed to capacity, with spectators eagerly anticipating seeing Gu Cheng once again unleash the magical power of his mirror serve in the doubles match.

(End of this chapter)