Chapter Thirty-Nine: The First ATP Point (Please Keep Reading)

Looking at the dented racket still in Desil's hand, Jiang Hong withdrew his gaze.

In his past life, when watching matches in front of his computer, Jiang Hong had often seen players choose to smash their rackets during a match or after a defeat!

Previously, he had always felt that such people lacked sportsmanship and mental fortitude.

However, after experiencing matches himself, Jiang Hong realized this was entirely normal.

Tennis is fundamentally a lonely individual sport, with immense pressure both on and off the court.

When there is a need to vent, smashing a racket is often the chosen outlet!

"I won't lose to you next time!"

Desil walked up to the net, shook hands briefly with Jiang Hong, dropped a harsh warning, and immediately grabbed his bag to leave the court!

Jiang Hong curled his lip. He was only going to grow stronger; if Desil couldn't defeat him now, he would have even less chance in the future.

After all, in his previous life, Jiang Hong had never even heard of the man's name.

He was probably just a journeyman farming points in low-level tournaments all his life!

Still, Jiang Hong's mood was quite good.

By defeating his opponent, Jiang Hong had successfully advanced to the round of sixteen of the tournament, which also meant he had secured a single ATP ranking point!

"I can finally be considered a professional player now!"

Even though his ranking would be low, at least he finally had one!

Successfully defeating the tournament's fourth seed was indeed a major upset!

It naturally attracted the attention of the organizing committee and other participating players.

"No way? Desil actually lost?"

"Didn't that Jiang Hong have no match records? He took down a player ranked in the top eight hundred in his very first match?"

"I checked up on this Desil; he has incredible power. Even some players ranked in the six or seven hundreds on the ATP tour find playing against him a major headache!"

"Where did this Jiang Hong come from? I've never heard of him before."

"Not sure, heard he's an unaffiliated player who turns eighteen on the seventh of next month."

"Who knows if it's just a flash in the pan or a genuine teenage prodigy."

"We should keep an eye on his next match and see what his level really is!"

"Desil really took a massive loss this time. Not only did he waste several days, but he didn't even get a single ranking point out of it!"

Although these foreign players were generally better off financially compared to Chinese players, flying all over the world to farm points,

coming away completely empty-handed and essentially wasting a large sum of money on what amounted to a sightseeing trip was still a bitter pill to swallow.

...

Jiang Hong stuffed his racket back into his bag, glanced at the knitted four-leaf clover attached to the side, and smiled as he shook his head.

Lifting his kitbag, he prepared to leave the court.

After the main draw begins, tournaments avoid scheduling two matches in a single day; otherwise, a large number of players would likely withdraw.

I came here to earn points, not to commit self-harm!

Before Jiang Hong could even leave, he suddenly heard a shout echoing across the area.

"Jiang Hong!"

Following the direction of the voice, he saw Zhang Long running down from the stands, waving his hand toward him.

Jiang Hong stopped in his tracks, waited for the other player to approach, and greeted him with a smile.

"We meet again!"

"I came here specifically to watch your match!" Zhang Long laughed, speaking with immediate familiarity.

Then he turned around and pointed at a few people standing nearby. "These are my fellow disciples and training partners. We're all here to cheer you on!"

"Well, thank you very much. There probably weren't even ten genuine spectators in the stands for this match, were there?" Jiang Hong shrugged. Most of those present were other players, coaches, or tournament staff.

Zhang Long let out a helpless sigh. "Tennis is a niche sport in our country. Back when I went abroad for matches, there were plenty of people in the stands even for the first round. I wonder when tennis will ever become popular in our country!"

"It will!" Jiang Hong's eyes flashed as he spoke with certainty.

In a sport like tennis, the influence of star players is immense.

After all, a few years later, when Li Na won a Grand Slam title, it sparked a massive tennis craze across the country.

That momentum drove countless people to take up tennis, leading to the emergence of many promising talents later on.

However, because her peak period was relatively short, the hype quickly subsided after her retirement.

It wasn't until the 2024 Olympic Games, when Zheng Qinwen won the women's singles gold medal, that the domestic passion for tennis saw another resurgence.

If there were a consistently successful tennis player holding the fort long-term, domestic interest in the sport would surely remain high.

Assuming Jiang Hong was merely optimistic about the tennis market potential, Zhang Long smiled noncommittally. "Let's hope so!"

"Right, since you won today, how about we go wander around Shanghai together? I can act as the local host!" Zhang Long invited with a smile. After all, they had started off as rivals who became acquaintances.

Jiang Hong chuckled wryly at the invitation, waving his hand in refusal. "Let's pass on that for today. I just finished a tough match and my body is quite exhausted, so I plan to head back and get some rest. I have to play again tomorrow!"

Hearing this, Zhang Long immediately slapped his own forehead with a look of self-reproach.

"Ah, look at me, completely forgetting about that!"

"Well then, get some good rest and good luck in tomorrow's match. I have to go into closed-door training tomorrow myself!"

With that, Zhang Long let out a sigh.

Jiang Hong figured this was likely related to him knocking Zhang Long out during the qualifying rounds.

"Alright, let's keep in touch. See you on the court in the future."

"See you on the court!"

After bidding farewell to Zhang Long, Jiang Hong returned to his hotel!

He had to admit that playing against a serving powerhouse like Desil took a heavy toll on physical stamina.

Jiang Hong could feel a dull ache in his arm.

So after taking a shower, he booked a massage service at the hotel.

Though the effect might not be miraculous, it was certainly better than nothing!

True to form, his body felt a bit lighter afterward. Upon returning to his room, Jiang Hong logged onto the official website.

He could see that no ranking points had been credited to his name yet, meaning he still had no official world ranking.

For low-tier events like the ITF 10K tournaments, points and rankings were only updated after the entire tournament concluded.

Jiang Hong checked what world ranking corresponded to having a single ATP point at present, and found it was 1494T.

That meant a tie for 1494th place. How many others shared that spot was something Jiang Hong couldn't discern.

Just as he was getting ready to rest, his phone suddenly chimed.

Picking it up, he saw a QQ message sent by Li Hua.

"Old Jiang, how's the tournament going? Is a massive metropolis like Shanghai super bustling and prosperous?"

"The match went smoothly. As for Shanghai, it's a bit better than Chang'an, but nothing too outrageously different!"

Li Hua hadn't expected Jiang Hong to reply so quickly!

"Old Jiang, you haven't already been eliminated, have you? How else would you have time to play on your phone right now!"

The corners of Jiang Hong's mouth twitched. This fellow truly couldn't utter anything pleasant!

"As if! Your brother here is currently staying in a hotel arranged by the organizing committee!"

With that, he took a photo of the room and sent it over to Li Hua!

He had to admit that the facilities in Shanghai were vastly superior to those in other cities of the same tier during that period.

When Li Hua saw the picture, his eyes were filled with envy.

"Old Jiang, you're way too extravagant! You go out and don't even know how to practice thrift!" Despite preaching principles, he was clearly a bit green with envy, having never even left the province in all his years.

When he learned that Jiang Hong's hotel stay was entirely free, he grew even more envious and restless.

After chatting for a little while longer, they ended the conversation.

After all, Jiang Hong still needed to recover his strength in preparation for the matches tomorrow.