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

Chapter 81 The "Curse" of the Clay Court King

Meng Hao leads 6-5!
The worst outcome of this warm-up match against Nadal is losing the tiebreaker.

The fact that he could tie Nadal, one of the Big Three, at 6-6 in regular time and then force a tiebreaker is something to be proud of.

Moreover, given the tendency of Chinese sports media professionals to boast without thinking, they'll probably spout all sorts of sycophantic praise.

Some reporters have already started writing their articles in advance.

"At Li Na's retirement ceremony, Nadal and Meng Hao put on a thrilling battle, with Meng Hao ultimately losing in the tiebreaker!"

The manuscript is complete and ready to be sent!
At this point, the situation on the field changed again.

Nadal made a rare double fault, allowing Meng Hao to tie the score at 40-40.

In fact, Nadal's serve is slightly weaker than Djokovic's and Federer's, and he is not a player known for his powerful serves.

Compared to his outstanding skills in other technical aspects, his serve is ranked outside the top ten in the ATP.

"It's a draw!"

"This game is tied at 40!"

Will a miracle happen?

Zhang Sheng, who is known for his jinxing, spoke up.

Nadal scores in the first shot!
Meng Hao pushed off the ground with both feet, then held his racket horizontally in front of him, bent over slightly, and lunged to the left.

He looked a little unsteady and disheveled.

However, this turned out to be a "divine hair extension".

The tennis ball flew fast and flat, heading straight for the wide-open space.

Da Da Da~
Nadal quickly arrived, glided, and swung his racket!
However, Meng Hao's incredible serve return this time clearly affected the quality of Nadal's return.

He took a step forward, stepping onto the field.

One beat, then a second beat, and then a third beat!
Meng Hao launched three consecutive forehand attacks with unwavering determination, almost every shot causing the more than 1 spectators in the stadium to gasp in surprise.

On the third attack, he finally broke through Nadal's defense.

AD: 40!

Meng Hao secured the break point and took control of the set.

Since this warm-up match was a single-set match, he also reached match point.

Even as a superstar and seasoned veteran, Nadal felt a slight sense of suffocation in this magnificent Diamond Court, facing the gaze of 15,000 people.

One shot and the net is down!
Nadal took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm, and then flicked the Nike headband on his forehead with his finger.

"Baobaoli has a really good eye!" For some reason, this thought suddenly popped into his mind during such an intense competition.

Second serve hits the net, re-serve!
At such a tense moment, the entire audience held their breath.

Nadal continued with his second serve, while Meng Hao moved forward a step, almost touching the baseline, which was also a deliberate attempt to put pressure on his opponent.

Second shot, finally entered the zone.

A strong topspin, accompanied by a high bounce.

Even though Nadal couldn't pursue speed on his second serve, he still managed to make this serve extremely difficult.

It's not easy to get a second serve on this kind of ball.

Meng Hao decisively swung his racket and returned a defensive shot.

The ball landed deep, putting pressure on Nadal's backhand.

Nadal pushed hard, knowing that the more crucial the moment, the more important it is to gain the upper hand in terms of momentum.

Thus began a spectacular and intense battle of attack between the two.

Swing, push, and then unleash your power!

The crisp sound of the ball hitting the court echoed continuously. It must be said, tennis is like a cat toy for the adult world.

The heads of the entire audience swayed from side to side, following the tennis ball as it flew back and forth.

In the blink of an eye, the tug-of-war between the two sides had lasted for more than ten rounds.

Suddenly, Nadal let out a roar, further increasing the power of his shot.

A sharp diagonal shot hurtled towards Meng Hao's opening.

Meng Hao was ready to go, swinging his racket with all his might, while letting out a deep roar.

The two shouted in turn, but Meng Hao's voice came later and drowned out Nadal's.

The tennis ball transformed into a streak of light, traversing the entire court!
Before Nadal could adjust his balance, his footwork became slightly erratic as he tried to regain his footing, and he felt the tennis ball flash past his side.

It turns out that Meng Hao borrowed the power of Nadal's shot, and combined it with his own powerful backhand, directly hitting a winning point at a speed of 170 kilometers per hour.

This 170 km/h speed isn't the speed of a serve, but rather the speed of a single shot during a long rally, enough to be earth-shattering and leave the opponent sighing in despair.

The break-even point has been realized, and it's also a time for reflection.

There won't be a Game 7!
Meng Hao surprisingly defeated Nadal 7-5 in this warm-up match.

It was clear to the naked eye that Nadal's expression became increasingly serious and focused as the match progressed.

Even so, Meng Hao still managed to win a game against this superstar.

Although it was just a warm-up match, the entire stadium erupted in applause.

"We lost! Oh well, it's just a warm-up match!" Nadal was quite open-minded, considering it was just a warm-up game anyway.

They can use the competitions as practice and earn some appearance fees at the same time.

Nadal shook hands with Meng Hao: "Young man, you are excellent. It seems that your victory over Zverev was not just luck! I hope you will have a good performance at the Shanghai Masters."

Meng Hao smiled and said, "Thank you! I also wish you the best of luck in winning the year-end finals championship soon!"

Nadal laughed heartily upon hearing this and gave Meng Hao a thumbs up.

Kid, you're really good with words.

After all, Nadal is currently the only active professional tennis player to have achieved a Grand Slam.

Federer is missing an Olympic singles gold medal, while Djokovic not only doesn't have one, but he hasn't even won the French Open.

Who could have imagined that in the end, Djokovic would be the one who achieved the greatest success?

At this moment, Nadal is moving towards another ambitious goal: the "Super Golden Slam".

Olympics + four Grand Slams + year-end finals!
"Young man, thank you for your kind words!" Nadal said happily.

Little did he know that Meng Hao had a different thought in mind.

"Old Na, this is difficult! Unless you hold the year-end finals on clay, you don't have much of a chance." Meng Hao thought he was just saying that to be polite.

Clearly, Nadal has a good impression of Meng Hao.

In a post-match interview with Chinese media, Nadal praised Meng Hao's skills highly, believing he has great potential.

However, he said something that left Meng Hao unsure whether to laugh or cry: "Listen to me, Meng Hao will definitely win a Grand Slam title someday! If he doesn't, then I don't understand tennis!"

That sounds so familiar!

This isn't from the original timeline. Did you say those words to Ziwei? They're exactly the same!

As a result, Ziwei was cursed by your words and could never win a Grand Slam.

"The strongest player in history with zero Grand Slam titles"—it's hard to tell whether this is a compliment or a sarcastic remark.

……

(End of this chapter)