Chapter 56: Coach, I Don't Want to Play Tennis Anymore

Because the tier of this tournament was relatively high, almost all domestic provincial team players who hoped to grab ranking points had come, leaving only one or two amateurs in the qualifying rounds.

If Jiang Hong had registered for this stop, he might not have even stood a chance of entering the qualifiers.

The first two days were dedicated to the qualifiers. Jiang Hong had secured a direct main-draw spot via his ATP ranking, so he did not need to participate in the qualifying rounds.

Thus, he only underwent simple technical training of relatively low intensity.

After training, he would occasionally go watch the qualifiers.

On July 5th, in the afternoon!

The three rounds of qualifying had concluded. Zhang Long fortunately did not encounter any tough opponents this time and successfully advanced to the main draw.

Following the qualifiers came the main-draw ceremony!

"Old Jiang, I really hope I don't run into you in the first round!" Zhang Long said, pressing his palms together in a praying gesture.

Jiang Hong chuckled, "No worries, maybe you'll suddenly burst into God-mode and send me packing in the first round!"

To this remark, Zhang Long could only roll his eyes inwardly.

Upon this reunion, Jiang Hong's strength had undergone another phenomenal leap forward.

For him to defeat Jiang Hong would probably be as probable as winning the tournament championship itself!

When the freshly baked draw sheet came out, Zhang Long instantly let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew, thankfully I didn't draw him!"

His luck was actually quite good; he had drawn a qualifier.

It seemed the probability of securing ranking points this time was even higher.

Jiang Hong's opponent was a Thai player, a 17-year-old minor named Thiradet, who held 5 ATP ranking points and a joint world ranking of 1098th.

One had to admit that a single sports star had an enormous impact on a sport!

Paradorn Srichaphan could be said to be a national-level athlete in Thailand. In 2003, his ATP ranking reached No. 9, making him the first Asian player to break into the top 10 of the ATP rankings.

Consequently, this caused a surge in the number of tennis players in Thailand.

However, it was rumored that he injured his wrist in May and had gone downhill ever since!

His career was essentially as good as over.

Injuries were truly an athlete's greatest enemy.

After reviewing the draw, Jiang Hong did not linger and returned to his hotel.

After organizing the gear he would need for the match the following day, Jiang Hong began watching classic tennis matches.

The tournament's official hotel was quite decent, equipped with a computer right in the room.

Since other forms of training could not be completed, it was the perfect opportunity to grind his tactical attributes.

……

The next day, Jiang Hong arrived at Court 3.

After all, he was not very famous, and there were several domestic players with higher rankings than Jiang Hong.

Not to mention, the top seed of this tournament had an ATP ranking in the 500s.

Sitting in the players' lounge, he neatly arranged his equipment.

Jiang Hong glanced at his opponent. He had the typical appearance of a Southeast Asian and stood around 185 centimeters tall.

While Jiang Hong was observing his opponent, Thiradet was also observing Jiang Hong.

His eyes gleamed with a eager, combative fighting spirit.

To be honest, Thiradet looked down somewhat on Chinese tennis players.

After all, they had a "superstar" like Srichaphan, whereas China didn't even have a single player in the top 200 of the ATP rankings.

Although Jiang Hong's world ranking was considerably higher than his own, Thiradet believed Jiang Hong had simply gotten lucky.

He wanted to follow in the footsteps of his idol and sweep his opponent away with overwhelming force.

The umpire called the two players to the net, then verified Jiang Hong's and his opponent's names and rankings.

"Player Jiang Hong, player Thiradet, good afternoon. Welcome to the first round of the ITF World Tennis Tour in Guangzhou."

"Player Thiradet, you have the coin toss!"

After speaking in English, the umpire tossed the coin into the air!

Following the confirmation, Jiang Hong won the choice of serve.

As a low-tier player, Thiradet had come to China to compete mainly because it was relatively close with lower travel expenses, so he was only accompanied by his coach!

Initially, Thiradet's coach felt this match held no suspense.

For Jiang Hong to be so young and accumulate so many points, it must have been thanks to the tournament committee arranging a favorable draw for him!

However, shortly after the match began, Chanon sprang straight up from his chair.

The flow of the match was turning out rather differently than he had imagined!

Jiang Hong was completely suppressing Thiradet, and in less than half an hour, the score had reached an exaggerated 5:0!

Thiradet was left with zero room to fight back!

A wave of worry washed over Chanon. During the changeover, the coach immediately began giving instructions to Thiradet.

"Thiradet, don't be nervous. Relax, play at your own level, don't get sucked into your opponent's rhythm, and learn to apply tactics, understand?"

Earlier, when Jiang Hong was leading 4:0, Thiradet's mindset had already begun to crack.

Guided by his coach, he managed to steady himself slightly.

The break ended in a flash, and the two players returned to the court!

It was Jiang Hong's service game. By the end of the first game, Jiang Hong had fully settled into the match's rhythm.

Jiang Hong stood firmly behind the baseline, tossing the tennis ball into the air.

He pushed off the ground, swung his racquet, and struck the ball!

"Bang!"

The tennis ball, like a guided shooting star, crashed straight down right beside the center line!

Thiradet immediately rushed toward the net to retrieve the ball.

However, Jiang Hong's serve was far too fast, and combined with the tricky angle, Thiradet could only manage a hurried, awkward swing.

Because of the difficult angle, his shot flew wide out of the sidelines.

An ace for Jiang Hong!

"15:0!"

Jiang Hong moved to the deuce court baseline to serve again.

This time, because Thiradet was fully prepared, he had started his movement ahead of time.

The moment the ball crossed the net, he was already on the run.

Chasing down the landing point, he pivoted and swung!

Anticipating the play as if he possessed foresight, Jiang Hong had already arrived at the anticipated spot, twisting his waist to hit a powerful forehand drive!

The ball brushed the net cord and instantly transformed into a sharp arc,

flying past Thiradet in a flash!

A passing shot!

Because Thiradet had not recovered his court position in time, he was beaten clean by the cross-court pass!

He could only turn his head and watch helplessly as the ball smashed into the right-hand corner!

Seeing this shot, Chanon's jaw dropped wide open.

Was this something an 800+ ranked ATP player could pull off?

His control over that forehand was absolute perfection, leaving no room for critique.

It was flawless enough to be used as a textbook example for beginners!

"Since when did China produce such a genius youth?"

Chanon had initially been pondering how to get Thiradet's spirits back up.

But now, he decisively gave up.

For he could already see that the gap in ability between Thiradet and Jiang Hong was simply too vast; tactics alone could never bridge such a massive technical gulf!

Afterwards, Jiang Hong showed no mercy with his subsequent shots.

He delivered a flawless love game!

This game completely shattered Thiradet's psychological defense.

The remainder of the match progressed even faster: 6:0 in the first set, and 6:0 in the second set!

The two sets, including the rest intervals, didn't even take an hour and a half!

When the match ended, Thiradet stood frozen in place, daze-eyed.

Then, with vacant eyes, he mechanically shook hands with Jiang Hong and the umpire.

The moment Thiradet reached his coach, the tears in his eyes finally broke their dam and spilled over uncontrollably.

"Coach, I never want to play tennis again!"

Chanon raised his head to glare at Jiang Hong, gritting his teeth: He's just a child!

……