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

Chapter 85: Sharapova and Serena Williams' fans are cheering for me?
Day 1 of the Shanghai Masters.

When the schedule was released, Meng Hao couldn't help but remark that the organizing committee was really giving him a chance.

At 6:30 p.m., in the center stadium, the first match of the night session was the duel between Meng Hao and Dimitrov.

This is definitely superstar treatment! Top-notch treatment!
It is estimated that CCTV5 will also broadcast the event live!

"But have you forgotten that I'm just a newbie on the tour!"

"Today's match is just my tour debut! Is it really necessary to put so much pressure on me?"

Although Meng Hao also hoped that his tour debut would receive more attention, he still felt strange about being the center of attention.

As he walked through the players' tunnel, he saw portraits of champions carved on the walls on both sides.

From 2009 to 2013, portraits of the champions from each of the five Shanghai Masters tournaments were displayed on this champion corridor.

Of course, this configuration is only available in the players' tunnel of the center court.

"I hope that one day, my portrait will also appear in this champion's corridor."

When Meng Hao walked out of the passage, dazzling lights shone down on him, and a series of noisy clamors filled his ears.

I was in a magnificent outdoor stadium, and almost 80 or 90% of the 15,000 seats were occupied.

Tennis tournaments typically offer all-day passes, which are divided into daytime and nighttime sessions.

Tickets for the evening show allow you to watch from 18:30 PM until the early hours of the morning.

Of course, most people won't watch that long; they usually watch one or two games and then head home.

Meng Hao's match was the first one in the night session, and with the added advantage of being a local player, the attendance was naturally very high.

Not far away, Dimitrov was leisurely warming up, looking relaxed, and even wearing headphones and listening to music.

For him, facing a young host player with a wildcard entry in the first round was a good draw.

After all, these aren't the seasoned veterans of the ATP.

Although Meng Hao had previously defeated Nadal in a single-set match, it was merely an exhibition match.

These tennis stars naturally wouldn't take this to heart.

"Looks like I'm not successful enough yet!" Dimitrov looked around and realized that his cheers weren't even as loud as Meng Hao's. "Many fans only know my name because of my girlfriend!"

This year has been a breakthrough year for him, as he reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam and entered the Top 10 for the first time.

However, the focus of tennis is always on the superstars. Tennis players like him have some fans, but not many.

What truly made him famous were the tabloid stories involving Sharapova and Serena Williams.

At this moment, Meng Hao was actually a little nervous.

He also felt his heart beating faster.

This was unlike his previous exhibition match against Nadal, where he remained very calm.

Huh?
Meng Hao suddenly looked up and gazed at the stands.

Several fans were even holding up posters of Sharapova.

"What are they?"

Meng Hao's first thought was that these people were there to cheer for Dimitrov.

After all, they've already announced their relationship; they're publicly a boyfriend and girlfriend.

It's perfectly normal for Sharapova's fans to cheer on her boyfriend.

"Go Meng Hao!"

"Fuck him! Kill that scumbag!"

"That Bulgarian scumbag doesn't deserve my Sharapova!"

"Whether it's fame, professional achievements, or income, he's not good enough for my Sharapova!"

"That gigolo!"

"And he even managed to bite Serena Williams!"

Sharapova's fans are here to cheer me on? How interesting!

Meng Hao had no idea that it was because a few days earlier, a blogger named "Tennis World" had posted a Weibo post that went viral.

"Meng Hao battles the ATP's number one scumbag!"

This also united many Sharapova fans in their indignation, who were utterly disgusted by Dimitrov's scumbag behavior.

Meng Hao didn't know what to say, so he could only suppress a laugh.

In fact, although Dimitrov's record in later years was not so outstanding, he did win the year-end finals and once reached the world number three.

Djokovic also called him the most handsome man in the ATP, and Dimitrov has always been quite popular in the ATP.

But at this point in time, he is still the subject of much controversy.

Despite not having outstanding results, he managed to live off the "two WTA superstars".

Then, another sound reached Meng Hao's ears.

"I'm a Serena Williams fan, and I support you in taking down that scumbag!"

"Go Meng Hao, you can definitely beat him!" Meng Hao looked to the other side and sure enough, there were several more fans holding up posters of Serena Williams.

What's going on here today?
Sharapova and Serena Williams' fans actually came!
Do they really think that holding up these posters will influence the other party? Are they sure they're not just provoking them?
Is it really necessary for you guys to go to such lengths for my first tour appearance?
Sharapova's fans looked on with disdain and said, "What kind of taste do they have? How can they even have Serena Williams fans?"

Serena Williams' fans retorted confidently, "We Serena Williams fans are the ones who truly understand football! Are you Sharapova fans even watching football?"

"We watch the game, and we also appreciate the looks! What, you disagree?"

"shallow!"

The two groups even started arguing.

Meng Hao chose to decisively distance himself from this group of eccentric people.

Dimitrov, who was not far away, had obviously also noticed the commotion.

When he saw the posters of Sharapova and Serena Williams in the stands, his expression immediately became very strange.

"Everyone has forgotten that I was once a top 10 ATP player; they only remember my scandalous stories!" Dimitrov thought with some dissatisfaction.

These Chinese people are doing this to help the host country's athlete.

"Just wait and see how I teach my opponent a lesson! I won't hold back!"

Dimitrov walked towards the center line, where Meng Hao was already standing.

The referee determined that Meng Hao would serve first by tossing a coin.

Uh?
Meng Hao glanced at Dimitrov meaningfully, noticing the arrogant and disdainful look on the other man's face.

interesting!
"So, he probably hasn't watched my previous match videos!"

This is good news for Meng Hao.

Meng Hao gently patted the tennis ball.

No more, no less, exactly three strikes.

One shot and the net is down!
Call ~
Meng Hao took a deep breath and felt that his body was still a little tense, so he shook his arm.

Dimitrov gripped the racket with both hands and moved his body forward slightly.

He wanted to put pressure on Meng Hao's second serve by adjusting his position.

Huh?
Suddenly, the tennis ball came hurtling in like a cannonball and hit the T-point area of ​​the court.

The so-called T-point is the point where the center line and the service line of the court intersect.

"Damn, this kid's going to use his second shot as if it were his first!" Dimitrov cursed under his breath.

Given his position so close to the baseline, if the opponent takes a gamble with their second shot and scores, there's nothing he can do.

"OUT!"

The linesman, located at the back of the field, called out.

The referee didn't speak, but looked at Meng Hao, as if asking, "Want a challenge?"

The ball was moving too fast; even the referee himself didn't see it clearly.

This is mainly because Meng Hao's choice was too unexpected.

On the very first point of the match, after a first serve error, he immediately took a second serve.

Who would have thought they'd do something so unconventional?

The linesman also felt a blur before his eyes as the tennis ball came flying at him. He vaguely sensed that it was out of bounds and shouted "out!"

Although these linesmen are all domestic referees, they rarely show favoritism towards domestic players in tournaments of the ATP Tour level.

With a global live broadcast, we need to be mindful of the impact, especially since this is an ATP 1000 level event.

Meng Hao was also somewhat hesitant.

In a single match, there are only two opportunities for "Hawk-Eye Challenges," with an additional one if the match goes to a tiebreaker.

Success does not deduct an attempt, but failure will deduct one attempt.

Meng Hao walked to the net, observing the landing point of the tennis ball from memory, his eyes gleaming.

Suddenly, he raised his racket as a gesture.

challenge!

At this moment, the large screen at the scene began to replay the footage.

Immediately, all ten thousand-plus audience members gasped in surprise.

1 mm!

It really only pressed 1 millimeter to the T point!
Challenge succeeded!

Meng Hao's out-of-bounds shot instantly became an ace!
He smiled too.

The fans of Sharapova and Serena Williams also jumped up and down with joy, holding up posters.

……

(End of this chapter)