Who would still play tennis after being reborn?

Chapter 92 Super Half-Segment

Shortly after Yu Haoyang's match against his opponent began, Gu Cheng watched from the sidelines for a while and finally understood why Yu Haoyang was having such a difficult time.

Yu Haoyang's opponent was a white man with excellent baseline skills. His topspin shots could generate tremendous power even on indoor hard courts.

Yu Haoyang is the type of player who moves to the net. He was constantly pressured by his opponents at the baseline and couldn't get close to the net. Not only did he lose all his advantages, but he also easily became anxious over time. To be honest, Gu Cheng was a little surprised that Yu Haoyang was able to win the first match 6-4.

But this also shows how strong Yu Haoyang's basic skills are.

However, no matter how strong your fundamentals are, if you can't play the game you're good at, you'll naturally fall into a disadvantageous position over time.

As expected, Yu Haoyang was defeated by his opponent in the return game, bringing the score to 0-1.

Next, it was Yu Haoyang's turn to serve.

--boom! !
Perhaps frustrated by being constantly pressured to the baseline during his return games, Yu Haoyang displayed a completely different level of skill during his service games.

A long serve is hit, and before the opponent can return the ball, the player quickly moves towards the net.

Once at the net, the game fell into Yu Haoyang's rhythm.

Yu Haoyang's net play is completely different. Even if the opponent has excellent baseline skills, they can be tricked by Yu Haoyang a few times and then quickly win the point.

The score is now 1-1.

However, this did not mean that Yu Haoyang had the advantage. When it came to his opponent's serve, the game was once again in his opponent's rhythm due to his opponent's excellent baseline skills.

The score was quickly reversed again—1-2.

If things continue like this, the second game could very well go to a Game 7.

If Yu Haoyang wants to end the match before the tiebreak, he needs to break his opponent's serve.

The match returned to Yu Haoyang's serve.

--boom! !
This shot was like a thunderbolt, bursting forth with the fury that had been suppressed at the baseline!
Yu Haoyang's eyes were sharp, and his long serve pierced the air like an arrow. Before his opponent could react, he had already rushed to the net like a cheetah!

The net is his domain!
No matter how strong the opponent's baseline technique was, they were completely bewildered by Yu Haoyang's feints. With a few quick fakes, the ball fell like a meteor, securing a clean and decisive point!

Yu Haoyang's opponents also knew that Yu Haoyang had excellent net play skills, and planned to use baseline shots to keep Yu Haoyang at the baseline, so as to get into his rhythm.

Breaking serve became the only option for the two players to win the match before the tiebreak.

--boom! !
Yu Haoyang's second serve was of poor quality and angle, and his opponent seized the opportunity, pinning him near the baseline before he could even get to the net.

Disrupted by his opponent's sudden burst of power, Yu Haoyang's face tightened and he looked somewhat nervous. While running back and forth, he was caught off guard and his opponent scored a point with a forehand shot to the far corner.

15-15.

15-30.

30-30.

30-40.

The score was instantly reversed – 2-3.

After his serve was broken, Yu Haoyang immediately found himself at a disadvantage.

However, the battle was far from over! His opponent's serve came again, and that terrifying baseline technique once more left Yu Haoyang completely bewildered…

2-4.

Five minutes later, the opponent won the BO2.

Yu Haoyang dragged his tired body off the court, sat on a bench, and covered his face with a towel to wipe away sweat.

The loss in the second game made Yu Haoyang's face look rather grim.

Gu Cheng walked to the left side of the court and stood behind Yu Haoyang, looking at the court: "Have you practiced half volleys?"

The sudden sound behind him startled Yu Haoyang, who sat up abruptly and saw Gu Cheng standing behind him.

He looked at Gu Cheng and nodded: "I've practiced."

Gu Cheng looked at the white player in the distance: "His baseline technique is better than yours, while your net technique is better than his. But in a match, baseline technique will be superior to net technique. I won't go into the reasons, you know them."

Yu Haoyang nodded.

Players with excellent baseline skills can use their long shots to keep their opponents near the baseline, giving them no chance to come to the net.

Net-style players can't get close to the net, so they naturally don't have any advantage.

Even when serving, you can move towards the net the moment you serve, but you might still be forced to return the serve.

But it's different for players with good baseline skills.

In tennis, you generally don't get many points by relying on net play, but baseline play is the real weapon for scoring.

When talking about baseline technique, one cannot help but mention a professional player – Novak Djokovic, whose baseline technique is considered the pinnacle.

Novak Djokovic, a tennis superstar of the new era, has become a shining star in men's tennis with his outstanding baseline skills and all-around forehand and backhand abilities.

Djokovic's attacks lack Federer's sharpness, Nadal's power, and overwhelming penetration. Instead, he controls the rhythm through excellent changes of direction and placement. In Djokovic's eyes, returning the ball allows for effortless and capricious changes of direction, often unexpectedly shifting the trajectory to the edges and corners. While not fast, these changes disrupt the opponent's rhythm and defense, forcing them to run and causing significant fatigue.

To achieve this level of skill, excellent baseline technique is essential.

Only in this way can the opponent be frequently mobilized.

Yu Haoyang is currently in such a situation, being frequently moved around by his opponent, leaving him exhausted and unable to even hold his own serve.

Gu Cheng added, "If you want to win, you have to disrupt the opponent's rhythm. You can't let him play too easily on the baseline. At least you can't let the opponent lead you by the nose all the time."

Yu Haoyang's face darkened: "I know, but as you can see, their technical skills are far superior to mine, they don't give me a chance to go online at all."

"That's why I asked you if you've ever practiced half-volleys."

Gu Cheng squinted: "By returning the ball before it reaches its peak, you don't give your opponent too much time to react, so they naturally won't be able to play so comfortably."

"Of course, it would be even better if you knew the Super Half-volley."

A volley is a shot in tennis where the ball is hit back suddenly before it touches the ground, disrupting the opponent's trajectory. A half-volley is hitting the ball back before it reaches its highest point after bouncing.

Generally speaking, the optimal hitting point is around waist level, which allows for a more powerful swing. A mid-hit involves hitting the ball before it reaches the optimal hitting point.

Although the full power cannot be exerted, the change in the height of the shot reduces the opponent's reaction time.

This disrupts the opponent's rhythm and allows for a surprise attack.

Of course, due to insufficient power, it is difficult to score points directly with this technique, but if combined with excellent online skills, it is a real killer move.

"However, a half-hit isn't a panacea either; it has many shortcomings. You should think about whether or not to use it yourself, senior." Gu Cheng was only offering his opinion; whether Yu Haoyang would use it or not was not up to him.

Moreover, if a half-strike is not used properly, it becomes a double-edged sword.

It not only hurts others, but also hurts oneself.

If you misjudge where the ball will land, you'll only be letting the opponent score.

Furthermore, because the ball is not at the optimal hitting point, the strain on the arm and the feel of the hitting surface are things that need to be considered.

This is especially true when the ball is moving at high speed.
Whether in the world of Prince of Tennis or in reality, Gu Cheng had never heard of a tennis player's strategy that relied solely on powerful serves and half-volleys to win a match.

In fact, the volley is not a common playing style pursued by tennis players.

Typically, when the opponent's return shot is shallow and drops quickly, you should move aggressively towards the net and employ a defensive half-volley. The goal is to return the ball to a position where it's difficult for the opponent to counter-attack.

In fact, in Gu Cheng's view, Yu Haoyang's current predicament cannot be solved by half-volleys alone; single-leg shuffling steps have a similar effect.

It's true that the opponent's baseline technique is strong and can frequently move Yu Haoyang around, but if he had a single-leg shuffling motion as support for movement, Yu Haoyang could gain more time and faster net speed, which would be more efficient than a half-volley.

But it's clear that you can't learn to take small steps on one foot just by talking about it.

Even if Gu Cheng taught him everything he knew, it would still take Yu Haoyang a long time to master the single-leg shuffling steps; it would be impossible for him to master them at the Junior Zagreb Cup.

But half-volleys are different. Even if no one wants to score points with half-volleys, everyone will have some knowledge of them to deal with unexpected situations.

Yu Haoyang didn't say much and entered the field at the referee's signal.

The third match began with the opponent serving. Yu Haoyang accepted Gu Cheng's advice and chose to use a half-volley when returning the ball. However, he was not very proficient with the half-volley and would sometimes miss the ball, thus giving the opponent points for nothing.

However, Yu Haoyang's sudden choice of a half-volley net play style also caused considerable trouble for his opponent.

When the score was tied at 2-2 in the fifth game, Yu Haoyang's volley finally showed its power. His opponent couldn't play comfortably anymore; not only were baseline shots much less of a threat to Haoyang, but they also gave Yu Haoyang opportunities to come to the net.

Finally, in the eighth minute of the match, Yu Haoyang broke his opponent's serve for the first time.

This shot boosted Yu Haoyang's confidence, while his opponent began to doubt his life choices, and the balance of the game gradually shifted in Yu Haoyang's favor.

After a fierce battle lasting fifteen minutes, Yu Haoyang finally won the BO3 with a score of 6-3.

The moment the referee announced the end of the game, Yu Haoyang ran happily off the court, grabbed Gu Cheng's arms, and shouted, "Acheng, I won! I won! Thank you so much!"

Gu Cheng flashed his white teeth: "It's good that you won."

"However, if you want to play in ATP Challenger Series or even ATP Series, you need to practice your volley more. Your biggest advantage is the net play, so keep practicing that. Of course, it would be even better if you could also master your baseline technique."

Yu Haoyang immediately looked miserable: "It's already difficult to master half-volleys, let alone baseline techniques."

"but……"

Yu Haoyang suddenly became serious: "I will try my best. Ah Cheng has to save the role of the 'tool' for me."

Gu Cheng chuckled: "After the Junior Zagreb Cup ends, I'll teach you how to take small steps on one leg."

Gu Cheng doesn't mind making his "tool" a bit stronger. He can't guarantee that Yu Haoyang can learn other ball skills, but he can definitely learn the one-legged shuffling technique.

Yu Haoyang looked delighted: "Really?"

He had long coveted the art of single-leg shuffling, but had no idea how to master it, and was too embarrassed to mention it to Gu Cheng, which had frustrated him for a long time.

Now that Gu Cheng has brought it up, he naturally won't refuse.

If he doesn't become stronger, he won't even be qualified to be Gu Cheng's tool.

……

There was nothing new under the sun.

Gu Cheng and Carlo's performance in the first round quickly attracted the attention of the industry, and naturally, it did not escape the notice of other players participating in the Junior Zagreb Cup.

As for the root cause, anyone with a brain can figure it out.

The emergence of the "disappearing serve" and the "swallow return" technique has greatly impressed the Croatian people.

Many people previously thought that Carlo, ranked 198th, would be a strong contender for the Junior Zagreb Cup title, but now Carlo has been eliminated 2-0 in the first round, and the course of this match is naturally something that everyone is curious about.

After watching the video of the match, many people were amazed by its incredible skill.

"Carlo is really unlucky. He encountered this amazing young man from the ancient Eastern country in the first round."

"That serve was amazing, it really disappeared."

"And that low-flying return shot, it practically trampled my... no, it rubbed Newton's intelligence and values ​​into the ground."

"The other contestants are probably doomed!"

"I wonder how the event organizers view this competition. Will that boy from the ancient Eastern country be suspended because of it?"

"If they really get banned, that would be giving them a lot of face. But the chances of a ban are probably slim, since they were just using cheats, not actually cheating."

……

The Croatian media were also keeping up the news.

Many sports news outlets reported on the incident almost immediately, with all articles focusing on Gu Cheng's two amazing ball skills.

As for the other participants, they almost all became cannon fodder in the Junior Zagreb Cup.

Faced with these two amazing skills, not many people are optimistic about the other players. Some have even dug up the video of Gu Cheng and Verin's final in the Australian Open wildcard tournament.

When the skills displayed by a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy were showcased, viewers who watched the final video were nothing short of awe-inspiring.

The influence of tennis skills in the Prince of Tennis is no joke.

And at this time.

a hotel.

Carlo was still a bit frustrated and complained to his doubles teammate: "I actually had a chance to win the Zagreb Junior Cup, but I was eliminated in the first round. It's so unlucky! Luckily, I signed up for the doubles competition, otherwise I would have had to go to China to participate in the Shenzhen Jindi Junior Cup at the end of the month."

Carlo's teammates had successfully advanced through the first round, defeating their opponents 2-1. However, they were somewhat lost in thought as they looked at the doubles match information sent by the organizers: "Haven't you seen who we're playing against in doubles yet?"

Carlo shrugged: "Does it matter who it is? I lost the singles match, but that doesn't mean anything. My doubles with you has never lost a single tournament in Croatia."

"Then you should take a look!"

Carlo took the phone from his teammate with a puzzled look and glanced at it.

The front features the rectangular Croatian flag, with a length-to-width ratio of 3:2. The flag consists of three equal horizontal stripes, red, white, and blue from top to bottom. The national coat of arms is depicted in the center, composed of the red and white checkered emblem symbolizing the Croatian nation and the emblems of the five constituent regions of Croatia.

There are just too many European flags with a red, white, and blue base.

"Render unto God the things that are God’s, and unto Napoleon the things that are Napoleon’s."

Carlo's teammate is also Croatian, and the two share the same national flag.

Looking further back, I saw the same national flag.

A vibrant red color catches the eye, with five yellow five-pointed stars adorning the upper left corner of the flag. One star is larger, with its circumscribed circle having a diameter of three-tenths of the flag's height, and is positioned on the left; the other four stars are smaller, with their circumscribed circles having a diameter of one-tenth of the flag's height, and are arranged in an arc to the right of the larger star.

This is the five-star red flag.

Carlo's mood inexplicably became somewhat tense, and his previously relaxed expression almost completely disappeared the moment he saw the five-star red flag.

No way?
The feeling that something was wrong grew stronger.

Carlo stared blankly at the five-star red flag, his body gradually tensing up. At that moment, Yu Haoyang's name came into view.

Below, the familiar Croatian script appeared in his eyes, and Carlo seemed to be startled. His body convulsed violently, his fists clenched instantly, and his face turned extremely pale.

In an instant, his face turned pale.

"It's him!"

"It's over!"

Carlo felt like he was suffocating, his mind a complete mess.

"Should we... just withdraw from the competition?!"

Seeing Carlo's dejected appearance, his teammate suddenly laughed: "Even if you lose the singles match, there's no need to forfeit, right? This is doubles, not singles. Doubles has its own rules, and it's a match between two people."

"I know your opponent is strong, but... don't you trust me and your doubles? We've never lost a doubles match."

Carlo ignored him, letting out a wooden laugh. Looking out the hotel window at the tennis court in the distance, his expression suddenly turned ferocious: "You don't understand. That guy is terrifying. Playing against him, the despair of not being able to even touch the ball except for serving is something I've never experienced before in my life."

"what?"

Caro's teammates looked bewildered, but their smiles quickly returned: "Let's put the singles loss aside for now. If you can win the doubles title, your ranking will still improve by a few places."

"Double champions?"

Carlo glanced at his teammates: "I only realized today that signing up for the Junior Zagreb Cup was a mistake. I shouldn't have signed up for it just because it was closer. I should have chosen other tournaments."

"Paine, let's get ready to head to China..."

After he finished speaking, he immediately added, "No, Sweden, we're going to Sweden."

That guy is from China, he'll definitely participate in the Jindi Youth Cup.

"what happened to you?"

"So what if you lost the first round? You weren't like this before."

Carlo wasn't surprised at all, and gave a wry smile: "You'll find out this afternoon. At that time, you should be able to understand how desperate I was this morning."

"afternoon?"

"Double?"

(End of this chapter)