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

Chapter 53 Do we still need wildcards?

Meng Hao politely declined the invitation and hung up the phone.

He also knew that he wouldn't get a wildcard for the Guangzhou Challenge and would have to play in the qualifiers.

It doesn't matter!
Don't assume that just because you're a national team player, you can easily get a wildcard for the "China season".

First, you should ideally be ranked in the top 300 in the world. In addition, you should be able to consistently represent your national team in competitions such as the Davis Cup Men's Team Championship or the Billie Jean King Cup Women's Team Championship.

Ideally, you also have a background with the sports bureau.

Unless you are a renowned general, we cannot make an exception for you.

Every wildcard in the "China season" is highly sought after.

Also, for commercial reasons, wildcards might be reserved for foreign star players.

For example, around the time Meng Hao was reborn, the Shanghai Masters would always reserve a wildcard for Wawrinka.

In addition, at the 2024 Hangzhou Open, former US Open champion Marin Cilic, who had just recovered from injury, was given a wildcard and went on to win the tournament, despite being ranked 777th in the world at the time.

Furthermore, there are still several famous players from Taiwan in the professional tennis world. The wildcards for the "China Season" will definitely be reserved for them, after all, they are compatriots from the island!

"It's alright, I was just testing the waters. I really didn't expect to get a wildcard for the tour!" Meng Hao had a very open-minded attitude. He believed that he would eventually step onto the tour stage, and that day wouldn't be far away.

Currently, the system has given two tasks: defeat a player ranked in the top 200 and win a main challenge match.

Since Meng Hao was unable to complete these two tasks for the time being, he focused on improving his physical fitness.

Early in the morning, he would get up early for a run; in the morning, he would practice serving, mainly focusing on second serves; in the afternoon, Shen Dongguo would be his sparring partner.

To Meng Hao's surprise, Shen Dongguo actually managed to date a young lady from the Ningzhou Tennis Association who was three years older than him.

This young lady's name is Zhu Xiaoli. She even played on the NCAA school team in the United States, so she has some skill. After graduation, she went to work for the Ningzhou Tennis Association.

Therefore, when Meng Hao was practicing, he entered a 1 vs 2 mode.

If you want to become a true professional player, you should constantly challenge your limits.

A month has passed in the blink of an eye, and the professional tennis tour has entered the Wimbledon Championships period. Through this month of training, Meng Hao has also improved his physical fitness.

Physical fitness increased by 5, reaching 85!

With a fitness rating of 85, although he can't compare to the fitness monsters like the Big Three, he's considered a near-top-tier player at the ATP Tour level.

While many fans were focused on Wimbledon, a small town near London, England, Meng Hao set off for Guangzhou.

With a tennis bag and a suitcase, he embarked on this journey alone.

Having gone through several previous experiences, Meng Hao has become accustomed to the life of a professional tennis player.

Given his inability to travel abroad, he must make the most of these challenge events while staying in the country.

"With the Wimbledon Championships coming to a close, it also means that the broader Chinese season is about to begin!"

The so-called "China season in a narrow sense" is limited to the higher level of the tour. However, in July and August, several Challenger tournaments will serve as the prelude to the "China season," and at the end of October, there will be several Challenger tournaments that will serve as the finale of the "China season."

The final few challenge matches will attract a lot of top players, with many of the world's top 100 players signing up.

Now, after Wimbledon, those tennis pros will head to North America to start the "North American fall season" and prepare for the last Grand Slam tournament of the year—the US Open.

At this time, the ATP Challenger tournaments held in China have virtually no players in the top 100, or even the top 150, making it an excellent opportunity to rack up points.

……

After arriving in Guangzhou, Meng Hao, carrying a tennis bag and a suitcase, walked out of the station at a leisurely pace.

This was his first time visiting this city, the third largest city in China, known as the "Flower Capital of the South." However…

"So many black men," Meng Hao couldn't help but think to himself.

He hailed a taxi and headed straight to the hotel designated by the event organizers.

After getting into the car, the guy pointed to the tennis racket in his backpack and said, "Driver, I'm a professional tennis player. I'm in Guangzhou to participate in a competition."

"This is a professional competition, organized by the municipal government, and the hotel was also designated by them. Don't take the wrong road!"

The subtext is: I know your local leaders, so don't take the long way around or try to take advantage of me, or I'll file a complaint against you!

As expected, Meng Hao's words had an effect.

The driver dutifully took him to the designated hotel.

According to the rules, the organizers will not provide accommodation for the qualifying players; they will need to pay for it themselves.

However, since it was a hotel designated by the event organizers, they still offered a slight discount on the price.

Meng Hao's standard room costs a little over 300 yuan per day.

The qualifying round lasts for two days, and since he arrived a day early, he would need to book a room for about three days, costing nearly 1000 in total!

Meng Hao won three Hope Tournament championships, and even though he has already spent some money, he still has more than 3 yuan in funds, which is sufficient for the time being if he does not go abroad to compete.

After a day of rest, he picked up his racket and headed to the court full of energy.

The 50K tournament is considered the lowest level among the many challenge tournaments. The participants in the qualifiers are mainly local players, players from nearby Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia, plus a few players from Central Asia.

The qualifying rounds consisted of 24 draws, with 6 spots in the main draw to be determined through two rounds of competition.

Meng Hao, ranked 532nd, was surprisingly seeded as the 6th seed in the qualifying rounds.

After all, many foreign players find that they can't get into the main draw, so they simply don't participate in the qualifying rounds, which is the norm for many tennis players.

After all, there are just too many low-level competitions throughout the year.

Meng Hao stepped onto the court with unstoppable momentum.

My first opponent was an unknown domestic player who probably received a wildcard entry from the qualifying rounds.

With scores of 6-0 and 6-1, he swept his opponent in straight sets, delivering a decisive victory.

The entire match lasted less than 40 minutes.

With such a lopsided score, when the two shook hands, Meng Hao noticed a hint of tears in the other's eyes.

But that's the world of professional tennis—cold and cruel.

When they encounter other strong opponents, they won't hold back either.

My opponent in the second round is a South Korean player, around 25 years old.

The opponent has some strength, but not too much. They basically rely on three basic moves and don't have much ability to sustain a prolonged stalemate.

With scores of 6-1 and 6-2, Meng Hao easily swept his opponent in another match, securing a spot in the main draw.

The ATP Challenger Series is here!

Meng Hao shrugged, as if to say: Do we even need a wildcard? No, we don't!

……

(End of this chapter)