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

Chapter 24 Russian Players Are Easily Ignited
After smashing his racket, Medvedev tossed it aside, muttering curses in Russian.

This was mainly because he was very frustrated by his loss in the first game, which left him feeling resentful.

Tennis matches can sometimes be quite unpredictable.

Even though you're in good form when serving, you might suddenly drop out in a game, and your opponent is very good at seizing opportunities.

Because of smashing the racket, Mei was given a verbal warning by the referee.

"here you go!"

"Keep it up, brother!"

"Win one more game and advance to the finals!"

"Believe me, that Russian is just tall!"

"..."

Meng Hao's victory in the first set surprised many audience members.

Of course, this is also the charm of competitive sports—its unpredictability.

The head umpire in a tennis match sits on a raised chair so that he can see further from a higher position.

Due to the principle of avoiding refereeing based on nationality, the referee for this match was from a neighboring country and was appointed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

Meng Hao stepped forward and said in very broken English, "Referee, it's a bit hot, I want to wash my face with cold water!"

The man glanced at the time, nodded, and replied in equally broken English, "Okay, but you must be back within 5 minutes."

The communication between the two was not very smooth, and they kept gesturing with their hands.

One speaks fluent Japanese-accented English, and the other speaks fluent Chinglish.

When President Mei saw this, she was somewhat displeased.

He spread his hands and yelled, "What do you mean? The second set is about to start, and you actually agreed to let him go to the toilet!"

The referee said helplessly, "His request is in accordance with the rules; his break time hasn't started yet!"

Mr. Mei also felt very hot, but he was too lazy to get up to go to the toilet. He could only lie on the chair like Ge You, muttering curses under his breath, and then simply took a bottle of mineral water to wash his face.

"That Russian has a really bad temper!"

"That's how Russian players are! I've been watching football for years, do you know Safin? He's even more hot-tempered!"

The referee, feeling somewhat aggrieved, hesitated for a moment but said nothing.

Endure it!

He didn't want the other side to think he was favoring Chinese players.

Five minutes passed in a flash, and Meng Hao slowly walked back from the restroom, looking energetic and much better.

He looked up at the sky; it was a clear blue expanse, and the time was exactly noon.

The scheduling of tennis matches is really cruel, especially since they're played outdoors.

After the start of the second set, Meng Hao clearly felt that Medvedev's form fluctuated significantly and he made some basic mistakes.

After all, it's normal for one's performance to decline around noon.

Mei managed to hold her first service game with difficulty, while Meng Hao held his service game smoothly.

His senses were sharp, and he could vaguely sense that the guy opposite him seemed to be playing with emotion.

Of course, this was entirely within his expectations.

In his previous life, Medvedev was known as the ATP's master of creating drama, often getting into all sorts of trouble.

He's frequently penalized with points, sets, or even outright forfeit, not to mention he's the ATP's biggest fine payer.

On several occasions, the fines he was fined during Grand Slam tournaments exceeded the prize money he earned from the matches, truly deserving of the title of the first person to "pay to work" for the ATP.

"That's out of bounds? Where are your eyes?!"

In one of the second sets, Mei felt that her shot was beautiful and in bounds, but that damn umpire thought it was out of bounds.

Meng Hao, however, remained expressionless, coldly watching President Mei and the referee argue.

In his past life, he had witnessed countless arguments between Messi and the umpire while watching live tennis matches. Now, seeing it firsthand was quite interesting. Messi spread his hands, muttering incessantly, while also mocking the umpire's terrible English pronunciation.

The referee was quite frustrated and could only keep explaining.

The onlookers, enjoying the spectacle, continued to jeer and jeer from time to time.

"I know you're protecting the other side! After all, you're both from East Asian countries!" President Mei said angrily. If this guy had even a little knowledge of history, he wouldn't have said such a thing.

Meng Hao understood, rolled his eyes, and didn't bother to argue.

President Mei has indeed gone mad again.

In fact, these youth competitions only have one referee, and there isn't even a linesman.

Therefore, it is normal for the referee to make a wrong call, and everyone knows that.

If it were a referee with a fiery temper and strict enforcement, they might even disqualify the opposing team from the match.

But the referee on this day would never do that, and he had absolutely no intention of showing favoritism towards Meng Hao.

Meng Hao isn't an American player, why should I protect him?
After grumbling and cursing, Mei continued the game.

Meng Hao remained unusually calm. It seemed that he had also encountered a misjudgment. He had clearly hit the ball on the sideline, but the referee ruled it out of bounds.

After exchanging a few words with him, he continued to focus on the game with a blank expression.

"That guy is probably trying to find a balance!" Meng Hao knew this perfectly well.

The referee did that to prove he wasn't biased towards Meng Hao.

"I don't expect you to take my side!" He was prepared for this and wouldn't care about the gain or loss of just one ball.

Let alone junior competitions where there are no line judges, even in the tour, misjudgments are commonplace unless the "Hawk-Eye system" is introduced.

"Stay calm and patient!"

These are the two qualities that Meng Hao longed to possess, and he was not affected by this misjudgment at all.

AD: 40!

Another break point appeared in the second game!

It was extremely rare for Mei to double fault on her serve.

The second game of the second set was a period of agonizing tension and stalemate.

Meng Hao missed several break point opportunities, while Mei also missed several hold point opportunities.

The score kept switching back and forth between "AD:40", "40:40", and "40:AD".

"Even if I miss break points time and time again, there's nothing to be disappointed about! Because that's part of tennis!" He has a very open-minded attitude.

In such high-level tennis matches, you often find yourself unable to break your opponent's serve even when you have a 40-0 lead.

"There have been almost 10 instances of 40-point draws already, right?" he couldn't help but think.

Meng Hao bent over slightly, gripped the racket with both hands, and stared intently ahead.

At this moment, President Mei was covered in sweat and his hair was disheveled.

The serve went in, but the ball speed also slowed down!
Meng Hao acted on his impulse, took a step, and then extended his racket.

With minimal effort, just a light tap, it sent a straight line flying towards the opponent's wide-open space.

This is a miracle ball, and there's also an element of luck involved.

Mei could only watch the ball go unplayed.

Meng Hao finally seized the opportunity to break through the opponent's serve!

"It's broken!"

Mei's composure immediately crumbled, and she raised her racket and slammed it hard into the ground once again.

He has already broken two rackets during this match.

……

(End of this chapter)