Who would still play tennis after being reborn?

Chapter 135: Directly to the Australian Open?
"CHENG?"

"Correct!"

"Looking for him?"

Mo Ke frowned, clearly not expecting his assistant to recommend Gu Cheng to him.

"Mr. Moke, do you think this won't work?" his assistant asked.

Moke thought for a moment and said, "It's not that it's impossible, but... CHENG is still too young. I'm worried that if I give him a wildcard spot, it might cause dissatisfaction among the other players who weren't selected."

"Also, I think he also signed up for the junior Australian Open, right? Can he manage to schedule that out?"

His assistant breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Mr. Moke need not worry about these things."

"Oh?" Moke got up and went to the living room, sat down on the sofa, and asked with a curious look, "What do you mean?"

His assistant said with a smile, "CHENG is indeed very young compared to other players participating in the Australian Open, and much younger."

Moke really wanted to say something pointless.

Those who can play in the Australian Open are basically all adults, the vast majority are in their early twenties, some veterans are even approaching thirty, and some are over thirty.

How old is Gu Cheng?

At fifteen years old, he is nearly ten years younger than the average age of the players currently participating in the Australian Open.

Just as Moke was about to make a comment, he heard his assistant say again, "But his strength is undeniable. Mr. Moke should have seen the match between CEHNG and Federer a while ago. Although it was only one point, it's nothing in the context of the whole match. But to be able to win a point against an all-around player like Federer, even after a long rally that lasted four or five minutes, is enough to show that CEHNG's strength is already among the top 50, or even the top 20 in the world."

"We don't need to give up on such a strong player."

“I believe the other players know CHENG’s name. If we choose someone else to send the wildcard spot, there might be a lot of professional players who would object, since many players are actually not that different in skill level.”

"But if we choose CHENG, I think no one will have any objections."

"Because CHENG is strong enough."

Moke thought it made a lot of sense, but still asked, "What about the junior Australian Open?"

His assistant continued, "That is a problem, but it's not a big one."

"Could we ask him to give up and directly participate in the Australian Open through a wildcard entry?" Moke asked.

“Well…” his assistant said, “It’s probably not very likely. The main reason why CHENG participated in the Australian Open Junior Championships was to win the Junior Grand Slam. Otherwise, with his ability, he could have directly participated in the ITF Hope Tournament.”

"However, Mr. Moke doesn't need to worry about this at all, as the junior tournaments and the Australian Open are scheduled at different times."

"Wouldn't that put too much pressure on CHENG?"

Moke knew, of course, that the two competitions were scheduled at different times. In theory, anyone under the age of eighteen could participate in both events.

However, the Australian Open Junior Championships are different from the ITF Junior Championships. Those who can enter this tournament are all the best in the junior tennis world. Many of them are no weaker than professional players ranked in the top 100 or even the top 100 in the world, and some are even stronger.

Participating in two events in a row requires an extremely high level of physical fitness.

If you get bogged down in every competition, not only will you not be able to win one competition, but you might even be affected in two competitions.

Given Gu Cheng's ability, there is no doubt that he will win the Australian Open Junior Championship.

However, if you participate in the Australian Open at the same time, there is a possibility that you will not be able to win the Australian Open Junior Championship.

Don't doubt it, this is not impossible.

After all, both events have singles and doubles.

Given Gu Cheng's personality, he would probably have to participate in both singles and doubles, which means he would have to compete in four different types of events. Unless he can win quickly, his stamina would definitely not be able to keep up.

Moreover, Gu Cheng is still young, and his physical fitness has not yet developed to the point where he can handle so many events at the same time.

Upon hearing this, Moke's assistant paused for a moment, then said, "How about I contact CHENG first and ask for his opinion? There's still time."

Moke thought for a moment and said, "Okay, you can contact CHENG first and ask for his opinion. If he is willing, he can simply skip the qualifying rounds for the Australian Open Junior Championships and give him the spot directly."

His assistant laughed and said, "Actually, Mr. Moke, there is another benefit to inviting CHENG to the Australian Open that other players don't have."

"You said."

"Cheng is currently receiving a lot of attention in the tennis world. He has fans all over the world. It is no exaggeration to say that Cheng's number of fans around the world, especially in Asia, far exceeds that of top professional players such as Federer, Djokovic and Nadal."

Moke's assistant became increasingly excited: "If we can invite CHENG to participate in the Australian Open, the event's popularity will definitely be even higher. After all, a prodigy who can play all sorts of amazing skills, even like magic, has an appeal to the audience and tennis fans that ordinary players cannot match."

"The Australian Open may become the first ever tournament to be the most profitable and the most watched."

"The most crucial point is that with CHENG participating, China will definitely spend a lot of money to buy the broadcasting rights for the Australian Open. This income alone may be enough to cover part of the players' prize money and the expenses of organizing the tournament."

Upon hearing this, Moke's eyes lit up. He, who had been somewhat hesitant, sat up abruptly from the sofa and said excitedly, "Then we must try to get CEHNG to participate. He can make any demands. In short, as long as he is willing to participate, it doesn't matter if we have to make a little sacrifice."

"Actually, CHENG's ranking is just not high, otherwise there wouldn't be so much trouble."

Moke knew what his assistant wanted to say.

Most of the world's top-ranked players are keen to participate in the four Grand Slam tournaments. In addition to the higher prize money and greater attention and prestige of the events, another very important point is that the four Grand Slam tournaments are mandatory.

Top-ranked players are not allowed to miss matches without special reasons; otherwise, they will be fined by the ITF.

"Then I'll leave this to you."

"Mr. Moke, rest assured, I will definitely be able to persuade CHENG."

hang up the phone.

On the other side, Durant glanced at the time on his phone; it was almost late at night. After thinking for a moment, he decided not to disturb his sleep.

If he called now, people would probably call him crazy.

The key point is that although he could find Gu Cheng's contact information in the backend, he ultimately decided to visit him in person.

In any case, he had received accurate information that Gu Cheng had arrived in Melbourne this morning.

The next day.

After Gu Cheng and Zhang Ming finished breakfast, just as the group was about to leave, Durant, who had been waiting nearby, quickly stepped forward and extended his hand to Gu Cheng: "Mr. Gu Cheng, hello, I'm Mr. Moke's assistant, Durant. It's a pleasure to meet you." "Durant?"

Suddenly, a foreigner ran up to him and said a bunch of things he could understand but found somewhat incomprehensible. Gu Cheng was a little confused, but since the other party had come to his door, he couldn't just ignore him. So he extended his hand and said, "Hello, Mr. Durant, are you looking for me...?"

Durant glanced at Zhang Ming and the others, nodded to them, and then said to Gu Cheng, "I have something I'd like to discuss with Mr. Gu Cheng. How about we find a place to sit down and talk?"

Gu Cheng pondered for a moment and nodded.

"Ming-ge, you guys go first, just send me your location later."

Zhang Ming nodded, glanced at Durant, and then smiled and said, "You talk to Mr. Durant first. We'll sit outside for a while and wait. It's not a big deal."

Gu Cheng and Durant walked toward an empty spot not far away.

Zhang Ming then led the others outside.

After leaving the hotel, Bellucci suddenly said, "Zhang, didn't that person just now look like Durant, the assistant to Mr. Moker, the chairman of the Australian Open organizing committee?"

Zhang Ming raised an eyebrow: "You recognized me too? I thought you didn't."

"You already knew?"

Zhang Ming nodded: "When I first arrived, I saw him sitting there alone, glancing at us every now and then. I thought he was looking for us, but it turns out he was looking for that guy, A-Cheng."

"What does Mr. Durant want with CHENG?"

"Isn't he in charge of the Australian Open? The junior division shouldn't be his responsibility, right?" Sousa frowned.

Zhang Ming laughed: "It's definitely a good thing, even..."

"You know?" Bellucci pressed.

Zhang Ming said mysteriously, "We'll talk about it later. I don't know if my guess is right or wrong right now, but... the result might surprise you after they finish talking."

Although the group was curious, they saw that Zhang Ming was unwilling to talk about it, so they didn't ask any more questions.

……

On Gu Cheng's side, after the two sat down, Durant praised Gu Cheng with a smile for a while, and Gu Cheng responded humbly. After a few rounds, Durant finally explained his purpose.

“Jonathan, one of the participants, was in a car accident last night and his injuries are quite serious. If nothing unexpected happens, he will probably be unable to participate in the upcoming Australian Open. However, Australian Open spots cannot be given out casually.”

"If the players are weak, the other players will definitely have objections, and then it will be difficult for us to explain."

"At this stage, the only player I can think of who has the ability but hasn't participated in the Australian Open is Mr. Gu Cheng."

Durant was very modest, and always had a faint, warm smile on his face as he spoke: "So, I am here today on behalf of Mr. Moke, the chairman of the Australian Open organizing committee, to invite Mr. Gu Cheng to participate in the Australian Open as a wildcard entrant."

"I?"

"Participate in the Australian Open?"

To be honest, Gu Cheng was really stunned; this was completely different from what he had imagined.
When Durant introduced himself earlier, Gu Cheng thought it was about the junior tournament, since the only thing he had to do with the Australian Open organizing committee was the junior tournament, and he never thought about the Australian Open.

As for the wildcard slot that Durant mentioned, Gu Cheng wasn't worried at all.

There are many ways to qualify for the main draw of the four Grand Slam tournaments.

The first category is that the top 104 players in the world rankings can directly qualify for the competition.

For example, if the registration deadline for the 2015 Australian Open is December 16, 2043, then eligibility will be determined based on the most recently released world rankings by the ATP and WTA.

If a player wants to participate in Grand Slam singles tournaments such as the Australian Open, their ranking must be within the top 104 in the world. If a player ranked in the top 104 does not participate, the players ranked lower will enter the main draw in order.

The second type is the qualifying round.

The qualifying rounds typically have 128 slots, and players ranked within a certain range in the world can participate in the qualifying rounds to compete for a spot in the main draw.

In theory, assuming no one withdraws, the top 232 players in the world rankings will qualify for the qualifying rounds (i.e., 104 + 128). The qualifying rounds consist of three rounds of elimination matches, and players must win three consecutive matches to reach the final 16 and qualify for the main draw.

If a player withdraws from the competition, the vacant spot is determined by a draw among the players who lost in the third round of qualifying. The player who is drawn is called the "lucky loser".

The third type is wildcard slots, where the tournament organizing committee will directly issue wildcards to specific players according to certain standards and procedures.

Generally, wildcard entrants fall into two categories: those who have achieved significant success in the history of the Australian Open, whose participation adds a legendary and talked-about element to the tournament; and young athletes who have excelled in various continents, with the organizing committee hoping to provide a platform for emerging talents in tennis to showcase their abilities.
Given Gu Cheng's ability, if he were given a wildcard spot, probably no one would say he wouldn't be qualified to participate in the Australian Open.

Furthermore, if Gu Cheng agrees to participate in the Australian Open, he may become the youngest participant in the history of the Australian Open, thus breaking the world record.

This is also a big draw for the Australian Open.

Therefore, Durant really hopes that Gu Cheng can participate in the competition.

And after saying these words, his eyes were burning.

Gu Cheng hesitated: "But I've already registered for the junior tournament, so I don't have time to participate in the Australian Open at all."

Durant seemed to have anticipated Gu Cheng's response and immediately offered his prepared excuse: "Mr. Gu Cheng need not worry about that. The Australian Open and the junior tournaments are scheduled at completely different times. For example, if you play the Australian Open online, the junior tournament will be in the afternoon. As long as Mr. Gu Cheng is not worried about his physical condition, he can participate in both tournaments at the same time without any problem."

"Furthermore, if you agree, you don't need to play the qualifying rounds for the youth tournament; you can go directly into the main tournament stage."

Skipping the qualifying rounds and going straight to the main tournament will indeed save Gu Cheng a lot of physical exertion.

but……

Seeing that Gu Cheng still had concerns, Durant added, "If Mr. Gu Cheng feels that there are too many tournaments and he is afraid that he will not be able to take care of them all, he can give up the junior tournaments and play in the Australian Open. After all, there is a big difference in the prize money between the two tournaments, and their influence is not on the same level."

Are we going straight to the Australian Open?

Gu Cheng hesitated for a long time before looking up and saying, "Can you give me some time to think about it?"

How long will it take you?

"one day."

"Or rather, an hour."

Gu Cheng held up his finger, deciding to ask Zhang Ming for his opinion.

(End of this chapter)