Now that I've been reborn, I have to play tennis!

Chapter 47 Planning the Return Trip

PS: Thank you all for your support. Today we've reached number 7 on the urban fantasy new book chart, so here's an extra chapter!
……

Early the next morning, Meng Hao, carrying his suitcase and tennis bag, waved goodbye to the elegant young ladies greeting guests in the hotel lobby and embarked on his journey home.

Recalling the events of last night, a knowing smile appeared on his lips.

His parents were the happiest, and they even planned to call each of their relatives to tell them.

But is it really necessary to go to such an extreme?

Meng Hao was speechless and resolutely stopped his parents' "absurd" behavior.

This is just a 25K hopeful tournament champion, what's the big deal?

Meng Hao firmly believes that only by having lofty dreams can one reach the other side of success.

This thing is very much about metaphysics.

Making a big fuss about winning a small competition might negatively impact your future luck.

Keep a low profile, you absolutely must!
However, Meng Hao also understood his parents' eagerness to promote it.

To be honest, the relatives on both my father's and mother's sides were much better off than my family.

Although the parents didn't say it, they still felt a bit resentful.

The joy and excitement one feels when their son becomes successful is unimaginable.

To celebrate his son's victory, the father even clamored to invite all the relatives from both sides and throw a big celebration banquet.

Wait a minute! What victory celebration banquet? What victory are we celebrating?

Where are we now?

Is this kind of champion really worth treating someone to dinner? That's so unambitious!
Meng Hao immediately stopped his father's unrealistic idea: "Dad, the little champion is really just a little champion, and the prize money is very little, very little!"

"Converted to Chinese Yuan, that's only about 15,000! And with that money, I'll need to hire a coach later!"

His parents didn't understand how professional tennis works, so he easily fooled them with just a few words.

Their desire to bring honor to their ancestors and make a name for themselves in front of their relatives is understandable! That day will come, but it requires patience.

At the time, Meng Hao was watching CCTV's sports news at 6 o'clock every day in his hotel room.

In the earlier rounds of the competition, Meng Hao appeared on television for only a few seconds, far less than CCTV reporter Chen Yu.

Because of his victory, Meng Hao's screen time on CCTV increased dramatically, from a few seconds to 15 seconds.

However, CCTV is CCTV; every second is precious to them.

They cut out most of Meng Hao's interviews, leaving only two sentences.

One is "Chinese players should play more clay courts," and the other is the inscription on the center court of the French Open: "Victory belongs to the most resilient."

The second sentence is fairly standard, but the first sentence is indeed a bit arrogant.

By airing this interview, CCTV is essentially putting Meng Hao in a furnace.

A 17-year-old boy, who has only won one Hope Tournament title, dares to speak arrogantly and criticize Chinese men's tennis.

It's important to know that Chinese men's tennis is currently in its best period ever.

At the beginning of this year, there were two players in the top 200 at the same time, which is unprecedented!

Several years ago, there wasn't a single Chinese male player in the ATP top 300.

Suddenly, undercurrents began to stir in the men's tennis world.

……

On the way back, Meng Hao treated himself to a nice meal and splurged on a high-speed rail ticket.

Double the price!
This is the price difference between bullet train tickets and high-speed rail tickets. Meng Hao sat in the comfortable and soft seat, took out his economical Meizu phone, and started looking up information.

"There's a barrier between the Hope Tournament and the Challenge Tournament!" he concluded.

Currently, the challenge levels are divided into 50K, 75K, 100K, and the high-level 125K.

Years later, the ATP even launched a 175K Challenger tournament, which was incredibly popular!

Similarly, there is also a barrier between Challenger Series and Tour Series.

The world of professional tennis is so clearly divided and incredibly cruel.

Champions of junior tournaments often receive wildcards for future tournaments, a benefit offered to young players by the International Tennis Federation.

However, if you win the Hope Tournament, you will not receive a wildcard for the Challenger Tournament, not even a wildcard for the Challenger Tournament qualifiers.

However, you can apply for a wildcard, but whether or not it is granted is up to the organizing committee.

The Challenger Series is managed by the Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP), while the Hope Series is managed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

“My current points are 25!” Meng Hao opened the Chinese version of the ATP website, but his name was not listed yet, even though it was Monday.

Although the ATP website updates points every Monday, this Monday's points are based on US time.

But this doesn't prevent Meng Hao from estimating his approximate ranking.

With 25 ATP points, he would currently be ranked around 850th.

With this ranking, the 15K level Hope Tournament should qualify for the main event, but the 25K level Hope Tournament will only qualify for the qualifiers.

Unless Meng Hao is willing to travel thousands of miles to Africa to register for the competition, where the competitors are weaker and the competition is less intense, and the cost is relatively lower.

While it's true that many young Chinese players, both male and female, spend two or three months each year in Africa racking up points, it's completely unnecessary for Meng Hao to spend that money.

Because they don't have the strength to dominate the Hope Tournament, they can only try to rack up points, but Meng Hao has that strength.

“I’m different from others. Before I actually step onto the tour, I can stay in China!” Meng Hao thought to himself. “After all, there are enough domestic tournaments.”

As for ATP Challenger tournaments, there are already quite a few in China, spanning spring, summer, and autumn.

Regardless of whether the other party gives him a wildcard or not, he will apply for it, after all, he already has a 25K clay court championship.

Currently, he has no background with the sports bureau, his parents are not athletes, and he is not signed with an agency, so he can only rely on himself.

During these two competitions, Meng Hao also quietly observed those young domestic athletes. Many of them had one or even both parents who were professional athletes.

Even so, most people can only go through the college route, and very few can become professional players.

“Zhejiang Province is considered one of the more developed tennis regions in China. After all, it will produce two players ranked in the top 100 of the ATP in the future.” Meng Hao was well aware that even if planning was to be done, it had to be tailored to local conditions.

"Qiandao Lake and Huzhou will be the main venues for the ITF Hope Series."

How frequently do these hope matches occur?

This is unlike the Kunming Open, which is held only once a year.

The Qiandao Lake 15K race will be held for three consecutive weeks, while the Huzhou 25K race will be held for two consecutive weeks.

This is actually the reality for most Hopefuls tournaments.

First, give more points to lower-level players; second, reduce the number of times they travel to major cities, avoid travel fatigue, and reduce costs.

After all, it's better to hold a low-level tournament in one city than to have it hosted in several cities in rotation.

"Currently, my world ranking is probably outside the top 800. If I were a football player, I would be financially independent by now. If I were a basketball player, I would be moderately well-off."

"But I'm a tennis player, and my future is still uncertain! This is a long journey, and I've only just begun!" Meng Hao muttered to himself.

……

(End of this chapter)