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

Chapter 80 The alluring Bouchard, a clash with Nadal (3000 words)
Li Na's retirement ceremony was exactly the same as in her previous life, with virtually no differences.

The Diamond Stadium, with a capacity of 15,000, was packed to capacity, and many movie stars came to show their support.

Nadal, as a special guest, entered the stage holding flowers, which drew cheers from the entire audience.

At this moment, seventeen-year-old Meng Hao stood in the corner, like a lackey, unnoticed by anyone.

"Young man, don't be nervous, relax!" A female voice suddenly rang in Meng Hao's ears.

Nervous? Why am I nervous?
It's just that I'm not used to being surrounded by a group of big, beautiful women.

The perfume scent is so strong, it's overwhelming.

Meng Hao turned his head and immediately recognized the speaker as Ana Ivanovic, the beautiful female player from Serbia.

"Hmm, she's still pretty, but compared to when she won the French Open, she's really not as good as she was back then! She was so youthful and radiant back then!" he thought to himself.

After all, the other person was only in their early twenties that year, but is now approaching thirty.

Of course, Sharapova is also getting old and her peak is over.

"Beautiful ladies, I'm not nervous. It's just that this is the first time I've been surrounded by so many beautiful foreign women!" Meng Hao's English had improved somewhat; he could understand and communicate.

Ivanovic was amused and replied, "You're quite funny, lad."

Interesting? Do you want an older man to date a younger woman?
The female tennis players do indeed have a habit of dating younger men.

For example, Wang Qiang's boyfriends were all younger than her.

Ivanovic recently announced her relationship with German player Schweinsteiger during the Brazil World Cup.

However, the relationship didn't end well.

Ten years later, Ivanovic had three children, while her husband cheated on her.

She then returned to Serbia with her three children.

However, she now looks a bit like a married woman.

But Meng Hao had no interest in becoming a traitor to Cao Cao.

Although he had a good impression of Ivanovic, to be precise, he had a good impression of all the beautiful women in the WTA.

"I heard you just beat Zverev to win the championship! That's amazing, I believe you will definitely make a name for yourself in the ATP!" Ivanovic exclaimed.

"..." Meng Hao was speechless.

Why is it Ziwei again? Now everyone praises him for beating Ziwei whenever they meet him, but have you ever considered Ziwei's feelings?
“I believe this won’t be the last time!” he replied confidently.

Wait, isn't that Bouchard, hailed as the next Sharapova? She's here too!
Bouchard is from Canada and has achieved fame at a young age.

This year, he reached the Wimbledon final and was ultimately selected for the WTA Finals roster.

Of course, what left a deep impression on fans was her beauty and various bikini photos.

Tennis beauties naturally face many temptations.

After becoming famous, Bouchard's competitive performance declined rapidly due to the excessive attention he received, and he eventually became a borderline internet celebrity.

At that moment, Bouchard also noticed that Ivanovic was chatting with a handsome young man.

"Hmm, he looks familiar," Bouchard thought to himself, then asked, "Handsome, didn't you just beat Zverev in the final?"

"..." Meng Hao was speechless for a moment.

From Nadia to Ivanovic, and now to Bouchard in front of me, they all talked about the same thing.

Ziwei, you're really giving away reputation points!

“Yes, I won, and I don’t think it was luck!” Meng Hao nodded in response.

“Great! That German was too arrogant, you won well!” Bouchard praised, clapping his hands playfully.

Sponsors approached him, and the beautiful woman also got to know him.

Meng Hao believed that he was the first person in this timeline to benefit from Ziwei's success.

However, Bouchard, though beautiful, is far too promiscuous. One cannot be too close to her, yet one can be.

……

Following Li Na's retirement ceremony, a warm-up match between Meng Hao and Nadal was arranged under the strategic planning of "Baibaoli".

The two sides only played one game, which can be seen as a way to give back to the fans in the arena and also as a warm-up for the upcoming Shanghai Masters.

Nadal was not in good form at this year's China Open, and was eliminated in the quarterfinals, while his old rival Djokovic won the China Open title for the fifth time, and is now the undisputed "King of the China Open".

Both sides aimed to use the competition as a training exercise.

Nadal smiled and said in a friendly manner, "Young man, I heard you just beat Zverev? Unbelievable! He's my most promising young European player. You're excellent!"

Well, the result of this mere Challenger tournament has even reached the ears of the King of Clay.

“Raphael, this is my normal level!” Meng Hao chuckled and said confidently.

Nadal also glanced at the confident young man in front of him with some surprise.

Both debuted at the same age and were full of youthful vigor, and Nadal vaguely felt that he saw his own shadow in the other person back then.

“Okay, although this is just a warm-up match, I will still give it my all!” Nadal nodded in response.

Like Federer, he is eager to win the Shanghai Masters.

Djokovic and Murray have both won this tournament before, and both have won twice.

With Murray's rise in the past two years, the competition among the four has become extremely fierce.

"15,000 people! This is the first time I've played tennis in front of so many people, and on such a magnificent diamond court!" Meng Hao gently patted the tennis ball.

It feels great to be the center of attention.

Da Da Da~
The faint sound echoed softly under the lamplight of the night.

It was clear how quiet the entire room was at that moment.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Meng Hao bent his knees, tossed the ball, pushed off the ground, turned his body, and then swung his racket.

The movements were fluid and elegant, executed in one smooth motion. The tennis ball flashed by like a green streak of light, lifted off the ground, and immediately flew into the distance.

"Good serve, but it looks like it went out of bounds!" Nadal gestured, indicating that he wanted to "challenge" the serve.

He's a very meticulous guy, and he especially loves the "Hawk-Eye Challenge".

Watching the slow-motion replay on the big screen, it was clear that Meng Hao's serve did indeed touch the sideline, and only by a few millimeters.

"My opponent is strong, I have to be serious!" Nadal also tried to get himself into the game.

Meng Hao's first serve was still beautiful, but Nadal's return was of even higher quality.

The ball landed deep and had strong spin, which put some pressure on him.

But Meng Hao's nimble and light steps allowed him to adjust his posture in a very short time.

Then, he turned to the side, creating space for his shot.

bang~
This time, Meng Hao chose to take the initiative and hit the ball with great force, like a cannonball.

Caught off guard, Nadal's return shot was a bit too short.

At that moment, Meng Hao had already rushed to the net and easily scored with a volley.

The entire audience erupted in applause.

It's really wonderful.

In the following balls, Meng Hao made no other mistakes except for one shot that grazed the net and went out of bounds.

In the first service game, I only lost one point; I was incredibly steady!

At this moment, even Nadal, one of the Big Three, was slightly shocked.

It wasn't because of Meng Hao's serve speed, nor because of the quality of his shots, but because of his tactics.

Such a young player has a clear shot plan in mind and can anticipate the next few shots.

This is so rare!
Players of this age are usually full of energy and just go for it.

No wonder he was able to beat Ziwei, he's so smart on the court!

Now it's Nadal's turn to serve.

Although his strength on hard courts is not as good as on clay, he has won the Australian Open and the US Open, and is definitely a historical figure.

At this moment, Meng Hao also witnessed what experience and ease truly meant.

In particular, Nadal is a left-handed player, which gives him a certain advantage over right-handed players.

First, a powerful, high-spin forehand cross-court shot put pressure on Meng Hao's backhand, creating a huge opening. Then, a casual forehand straight shot sealed the point.

As the greatest clay court king of all time, tactics, willpower, and physical fitness are still perfectly under Nadal's control, even now that he is still at his peak.

Meng Hao has always believed that he has a strong ability to stay in the game, but after playing against Nadal, he felt for the first time that he was being suppressed.

Although the China Open is also a fast hard court, the ball speed is not as fast as the US Open, resulting in a lot of rallies between the two sides.

"Nadal is really playing!"

"He didn't hold back just because it was a warm-up match!"

"The King of Clay demonstrated his professionalism, fighting for every single point!"

This was the first time CCTV had broadcast Meng Hao's match live, and the commentator was veteran tennis host Zhang Sheng.

This person was ridiculed by fans as having a "jinx" because he often opened champagne ahead of time.

A thrilling match can make viewers lose track of time.

In the blink of an eye, the match has been going on for almost an hour, and the score is now 5-5!

This was a score that surprised many people.

Meng Hao actually managed to drag the game to this score.

In his fifth service game, Meng Hao's serve visibly declined, and with the score at 15-40, Nadal earned two break points.

This is actually the gap between many top players and superstars.

When a match is nearing its end, a superstar can continue to deliver consistent performance and may even improve their level, while the form of a top player will fluctuate.

But at crucial moments, Meng Hao saved both break points with a serve-and-volley and a sudden drop shot tactic.

He then pressed on and held onto his serve.

Meng Hao's sixth service game was still full of twists and turns for him.

At 30-40, Nadal has another break point.

Once again, the two sides were locked in a long stalemate.

The two figures darted around the field.

Suddenly, Meng Hao appeared on the right side in front of him, then pushed off the ground with his right foot and lifted his left foot.

“This is…” In a daze, Nadal thought the person standing in front of him had become Djokovic.

This is Djokovic's signature "one-legged" backhand shot.

The winning shot was a sharp diagonal line!
Once again, the break point was averted.

"He has the shadow of Novak and Roger, it's incredible!" Nadal was in a daze when Meng Hao served two more high-quality first serves in a row, winning the game.

6 is better than 5!

Nadal was also a bit frustrated, having failed to convert any of his three break point opportunities.

In the past, this situation seemed to only occur with Federer, Djokovic, and Murray.

……

(End of this chapter)