Who would still play tennis after being reborn?

Chapter 172 No-Spin Ball VS Tezuka's Domain
Gu Cheng's second serve had strong topspin, and the ball toss was 5 centimeters lower than in the first point.
When the racket hits the ball at a speed of 220 km/h, the entire ball seems to be twisted into a pretzel shape, and after landing, it suddenly shoots upwards, its trajectory bending as if attracted by a magnet.

Djokovic was forced to move back half a step, which made his returns less offensive.

Gu Cheng seized the opportunity and rushed to the net again. This time, his position was 45 centimeters forward than average, right on the edge of the "danger zone" that Becker mentioned.

His eyes were always fixed on Djokovic's wrist—the muscle contraction pattern there reveals the direction of the shot 0.1 seconds in advance.

As the Serbian began his forehand swing, his volley was already underway, the racket face cutting precisely to the side of the ball like a scalpel.

Djokovic's return suddenly changed the rhythm.
The hitting point was 30 centimeters higher than usual, causing the ball to fly with strong backspin towards Gu Cheng's feet—this was exactly the method Becker predicted to "break the net advantage".

Gu Cheng suddenly made a split-like movement, his knees almost touching the ground, and his racket scooped up the ball 15 centimeters off the ground. The return ball flew past the net and landed in an area that Djokovic could not reach.

Zhou Mingyuan, an elderly man in the stands, almost dropped his thermos.

The young man next to him was live-streaming on his phone, the camera shaking violently, and his own distorted cheers could be heard in the background.

Mark in the broadcast center excitedly slapped the control panel: "We caught it! The muscle activation sequence just now was completely counterintuitive; the quadriceps completed the transition from relaxed to tense in 0.3 seconds!"

ESPN commentator Andrew shouted into the microphone: "This is not something a human can do! Gu Cheng's reaction speed has broken through the known limits of athletes!"

On The New York Times' live reporting page, Professor Harper's commentary is being updated: "This is the embodiment of the 'technological explosion'—when training systems break out of traditional frameworks, the heights that humans can reach will be redefined."

Djokovic opted for an unexpected tactic on his second serve.

His toss was further forward than usual, and he applied almost no spin when the racket struck the ball. The ball flew in a straight line like a thrown stone, with a speed of only 182 km/h, but the landing point was as precise as if it had been measured with a ruler.

This is the most bizarre "no-spin" shot in tennis, where there is no trajectory deviation caused by spin, and victory is achieved entirely through the line and landing point.

Gu Cheng's "Tezuka Domain" showed a flaw for the first time.

His body continued to move along the predicted trajectory of the spin ball, but the trajectory of the spinless ball was completely different. By the time he realized his mistake, the ball had already landed half a meter away from him.

He stretched his arm with all his might, barely managing to touch the ball with the edge of his racket, but the return shot flew weakly towards the net.

Djokovic charged towards the net like a cheetah, his forehand shot carrying tremendous power, the ball crashing down at Gu Cheng's feet like a cannonball.

This time, Gu Cheng failed to make a miraculous save. The ball bounced two meters high in front of his racket and flew out of bounds.

The entire stadium fell silent for a moment, then erupted in a cacophony of gasps and cheers.

Becker slammed his hand on the table in the stands, causing his notebook to fall to the floor and reveal detailed notes inside about the "no-spin shot"—a secret weapon he had reminded Djokovic to practice three years ago.

"That's it!" he shouted to Gulikson. "Without rotation, there's no predictable trajectory, and Tezuka's Domain naturally fails!"

On Twitter, the hashtag #NoSpinBallCracksTezukaTerritory# trended within 30 seconds.

Former Wimbledon champion John McEnroe is broadcasting live: "This is a victory of experience! Djokovic knows where all the fancy techniques fall short. The no-spin shot is like 'winning without using any moves' in martial arts novels, rendering all of the opponent's anticipation systems ineffective."

On Bilibili, under the topic "Post-00s tennis views", some people started arguing: "It's just luck! Gu Cheng will adapt to this kind of shot next time."

The next seven points became a textbook example of tactical maneuvering.

Gu Cheng's serve still maintained a speed of over 220 km/h, but Djokovic began to deliberately stand further back, extending the rally to more than 8 shots - this is his classic strategy to wear down his opponent's stamina.

In the fifth point, the two engaged in a 23-shot rally. Gu Cheng's volley at the net was miraculously saved by Djokovic, while the Serbian's deep shot from the baseline was blocked by Gu Cheng with a strange backhand slice.

When Gu Cheng suddenly changed the rhythm on the 7th shot and hit a wide-angle cross-court shot with his forehand, Djokovic's slide was delayed by 0.1 seconds.

The ball grazed the sideline and landed. As Gu Cheng clenched his fist and roared, sweat dripped onto his racket, splashing up tiny droplets. The broadcast showed that his heart rate had reached 165 beats per minute, 20 beats higher than at the start of the first game.

Djokovic's response was a pinnacle of defensive artistry. In the 8th point, he deliberately dropped a short ball to lure Gu Cheng to the net, then suddenly hit a passing shot with the ball's trajectory forming an angle of no more than 3 degrees with the net.

Gu Cheng dove to save the shot, his racket striking the ball 10 centimeters off the ground, but the return went just wide of the net. The elderly spectators in the stands rose to their feet and applauded – this was Djokovic's signature counter-attack, the same tactic he used to defeat Federer in 2015.

The tactics board analysis on Reddit is being updated in real time.

“Djokovic is deliberately controlling the number of rallies,” a user named “Tennis Data Emperor” posted. “When Gu Cheng’s service game reaches the 5th point, his average error rate will increase by 12%. Now it’s the 7th point, and his physical limit is approaching.”

Meanwhile, in sports investment groups on Wall Street, analysts are adjusting odds: "If Gu Cheng can hold this serve, the equipment manufacturer's stock will rise by 2%."

At the 8th point, Gu Cheng's serve showed a slight fluctuation. The ball toss height was 3 centimeters lower than average, resulting in a slightly earlier contact point and the ball flying towards the center line with sidespin.

Djokovic's backhand was like a shotgun with a scope attached; the return flew along the sideline, forcing Gu Cheng to dive to the sidelines. As Gu Cheng struggled to return the ball, Djokovic was already at the net, delivering a clean and decisive forehand volley that landed in a corner inaccessible to Gu Cheng.

The score became 3-3, and the air at Rod Laver Arena seemed to freeze.

As Zhou Mingyuan, an elderly man in the stands, refilled his thermos with water, his hands trembled slightly—Djokovic had also hit a similar crucial point when the score was tied at 3-3 in the previous Australian Open final.

Meanwhile, the young man wearing an LED light sign was changing the fourth set of batteries for the device. On his phone screen, Gu Cheng's fan group had already sent 3000 encouraging messages.

Gu Cheng displayed amazing mental fortitude in the 7th game.

Facing Djokovic's match point-level defense, he served three consecutive aces, the last of which reached a speed of 241 km/h and landed at the intersection of the sideline and the service line. The referee's gesture was crisp and clear.

When the scoreboard showed 4-3, he nodded toward the coaching bench—where the chilled towels he had specifically requested before the game were placed, their temperature precisely controlled at 12 degrees Celsius to quickly lower skin temperature.

Djokovic's response had a clear tactical intent.

He began to change his serving rhythm in the eighth game, sometimes serving quickly and sometimes pausing deliberately to disrupt Gu Cheng's anticipation. When he scored with a 195 km/h inside serve, the Serbian fans in the stands sang the national anthem.

The broadcast cameras captured a detail: the heart rate monitor on his left wrist showed that his heart rate was 5 beats per minute lower than usual—a sign of absolute focus.

The ninth game became the turning point of the entire match.

When Gu Cheng was down 30-40, he suddenly hit a "Zero-style slice" - one of the most iconic techniques in "The Prince of Tennis". The ball does not bounce forward after landing, but rolls backward instead.

Djokovic clearly hadn't anticipated this physics-defying trajectory; his racket hovered above the ball for half a second before he watched helplessly as it rolled out of bounds.

"My God!" Commentator McEnroe's voice changed. "This isn't special effects! The ball is really rolling backward! Look at Djokovic's expression, he's completely stunned!"

Slow-motion replays show that Gu Cheng's racket formed a 30-degree tilt angle when hitting the ball, combined with an incredible slice motion, causing the ball to generate a reverse axis of rotation.

This technology is considered impossible in reality, but it is now clearly displayed on the big screen at Rod Laver Arena.

The academic journal *Sports Biomechanics* is urgently updating its real-time column: "This violates all known principles of fluid mechanics. The pressure difference generated by the ball's reverse spin is theoretically impossible to overcome gravity and make it roll backward. We need to recalculate the friction coefficient model between the tennis ball and the hard surface."

In a sports sociology class at Cambridge University, Professor Harper is using this ball as the latest example of the "technological explosion": "When traditional understanding is broken, that is the beginning of the evolution of sports."

The 10th game became a contest of wills.

Djokovic was clearly affected by the "zero slice," and his returns began to show slight errors.

When Gu Cheng's serve reached 235 km/h again, with a strong sidespin, his defensive positioning deviated by half a step. The ball grazed the edge of his racket and flew out, giving Gu Cheng a game point.

The battle for the final point lasted 17 shots.

Djokovic's deep baseline shots repeatedly put Gu Cheng in dire straits, but Gu Cheng always managed to save himself with unbelievable moves—his backhand hitting point was even below his knee, yet he was able to return a shot with strong topspin.

The umpire's hand finally fell as Djokovic's final forehand shot went just out of bounds.

"Game, Gu Cheng! 6-4!"

The entire orange zone of the stadium suddenly erupted in deafening cheers.

When the young man wearing an LED light sign jumped up, the words "Gu Cheng" on the sign flickered erratically due to the violent shaking.

Gu Cheng threw down his racket, bent over, and braced himself on his knees, panting. Sweat pooled on the ground. His team members rushed to the sidelines, but were stopped by the lineswoman—according to the rules, players cannot be touched during breaks.

Djokovic walked to the net and gently shook hands with Gu Cheng. His expression was calm, but a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

As he turned to walk toward the bench, the broadcast camera caught him saying something to his coach, which a lip-reading expert quickly deciphered: "His rotation...we need to recalculate."

Zhou Mingyuan, an elderly man in the stands, opened his thermos and found that the Pu'er tea had gone cold, but he was completely unaware of it.

On the phone screen, the discussion in Hupu's "Old Guns Chat Room" had exploded: "Djokovic is adjusting! He won't be defeated by this weird move."

On Reddit, a new model of the "serve machine" is being generated: "The racket head speed reaches 78 km/h on the last point."

Before the referee's "Game, Gu Cheng!" had even faded, the air in Rod Laver Arena seemed to have been thrown into a block of scorching iron.

Emily, a volunteer wearing an orange sweatshirt, noticed that the fluorescent stamp on her hand suddenly became brighter under ultraviolet light—this was because the static electricity generated by the friction of tens of thousands of audience members standing up at the same time changed the light frequency.

On her registration form, next to "127th audience member," there was an extra, hastily written exclamation mark, which was left by her hand slipping when she was excitedly stamping the form.

Gu Cheng's steps toward the bench were slightly unsteady, each step leaving dark sweat stains on the hard ground.

The towel his strength and conditioning coach handed him was still steaming, and the 12-degree Celsius temperature instantly gave him goosebumps upon contact with his skin.

The data bracelet showed that his creatine kinase level reached 210 U/L, which is a sign of minor muscle damage after strenuous exercise. However, his left hand was still unconsciously rubbing the racket – the tension of the racket strings had been reduced by 0.5 pounds before the match, and the zero-shot chop just now almost snapped three polyester strings.

Djokovic's team then made precise tactical adjustments.

His coach pulled out a tablet computer, on which seven landing points of Gu Cheng's serves were marked with red arrows, five of which were near the center line.

“His inside serve spin axis is 7 degrees to the left,” the coach said in a low voice. “Next time you receive a serve, move your stance 30 centimeters to the left.”

The Serbian sipped his orange electrolyte drink while wiping his racket with a towel, carefully cleaning off any rubber particles that had stuck to his racket during the volley – these tiny impurities could alter the ball's spin.

The atmosphere in the broadcast center was even more electrifying than in the stadium.

ESPN's technical director, Mark, is reviewing the 3D reconstruction footage, where Gu Cheng's final movement route has been broken down into 128 coordinate points.

“Look at this angle of the curve,” he said to the intern, zooming in on the screen. “On the 15th beat, his center of gravity shifted by 45 degrees but he didn’t fall. That requires his quadriceps to generate 400 Newtons of power in an instant.”

In the BBC broadcast booth next door, Andrew's notebook had a strange number: "6-4=21%", which was his calculation of the "probability of the first game winner ultimately winning the championship" based on past data.

The social media response has created a data tsunami.

The hashtag #ZeroSliceDefiesPhysics# on Twitter is refreshing at a rate of 1200 posts per second, including 732 analyses with slow-motion videos.

Professor Harper of Cambridge University posted a real-time excerpt of his paper on his personal homepage: "Gu Cheng's slicing motion generates a reverse spin of 3200 rpm on the ball, which requires the coefficient of friction between the racket and the ball to exceed 0.8, while the maximum coefficient of friction for a conventional tennis racket is only 0.65."

The tweet received 1.2 retweets within 3 minutes, including retweets from three Nobel Prize laureates in physics.

(End of this chapter)