Chapter 41: Pre-Finals Interview!

"Should we go see Jiang Hong and cheer him on, hoping to keep this championship title in our country?"

"Better not. Going to see Jiang Hong now would probably just add more pressure on him. Reaching the finals is already an unexpected bonus!"

The middle-aged man shook his -head. Having a background as an athlete himself, he knew how immense the psychological impact before a match could be.

"In that case, never mind then!"

"By the way, how are the arrangements coming along on your end?"

Both of them were members of the organizing committee, discussing matters regarding the tournament.

This year, the ITF Futures tournaments held domestically had seen all the previous leg titles swept away by foreign players.

Although the performance of the men's tennis team had always been mediocre, this outcome was somewhat expected.

However, with the emergence of the dark horse Jiang Hong, they naturally hoped to secure more.

If a domestic player claimed the championship, this leg of the tournament would undoubtedly attract more attention, which would also benefit the organizing committee!

Jiang Hong remained unconcerned about all of this. In his mind, there was only one single thought: "Claim the championship!"

His opponent in the finals was Jun Yamashima from Japan, ranked around the 670th place in the world.

Throughout his professional career, he had mostly hovered around ITF-level tournaments and Challengers.

Born in 1981, he was twenty-six years old this year, making him quite a veteran.

As for Japanese players, Jiang Hong's impressions were mostly limited to Kei Nishikori and Naomi Osaka.

When Jiang Hong arrived at the court, he found the stands already packed with people.

Yet, at a single glance, he knew this was definitely not spontaneous!

Because the vast majority of the spectators were children.

The organizing committee had presumably contacted some school and brought a bunch of primary school students here to fill the seats and show support!

"Hello!"

Just as Jiang Hong entered the court, a female reporter around thirty years old, holding a microphone, suddenly stepped in front of him.

"Hello!"

Jiang Hong was momentarily stunned upon seeing her, but quickly recovered, nodded, and greeted her back.

He hadn't expected the tournament organizers to actually bring in journalists!

"First of all, congratulations to Jiang Hong for successfully reaching the finals. Advancing all the way from the qualifying rounds to the finals, you've truly become a dark horse."

"May I ask what your expectations are for this match?"

With that, she extended the microphone toward Jiang Hong.

Jiang Hong raised his head, gazed up at the stands, looked at the reporter, and said firmly, "The championship!"

Hearing Jiang Hong's words, the female reporter couldn't help but freeze for a second.

"You... you mean the championship?"

To be continued...

Knowing that most athletes during this era belonged to the state-run sports system, they usually spoke in diplomatic clichés during interviews.

Things like playing out their style, displaying team spirit, putting friendship first and competition second.

Players who directly blurted out the word "championship" like Jiang Hong were indeed rare.

The female reporter didn't want to heap extra pressure on Jiang Hong. In case things went poorly during the match and this interview was broadcast later, it would undoubtedly invite sneers and mockery.

Therefore, she gave a dry cough to smooth things over for Jiang Hong.

"There seemed to be some static on the microphone just now, and I didn't catch that clearly. Could Jiang Hong please state your goal once again!"

She hoped Jiang Hong would utter some safe, run-of-the-mill platitudes instead.

"Standing on the court of the finals, if your goal isn't the championship, then you certainly have no chance of winning the match."

"After all, if you don't even believe in yourself, who else will?"

Jiang Hong repeated his statement once more.

By this time, the female reporter was certain that Jiang Hong was simply a very straightforward person.

"Since Jiang Hong is so confident, I'm sure you will deliver a brilliant match."

"At the same time, I wish Jiang Hong the outcome you desire," the female reporter immediately said with a smile.

"Alright, the match is about to start. I'm going to go prepare," Jiang Hong said, glancing toward the court.

"In that case, we won't disturb Jiang Hong any further. We'll interview you after the match," the female reporter nodded with a smile.

As soon as Jiang Hong walked away, the cameraman beside her couldn't help but vent his thoughts.

"This kid is really arrogant!" He then turned to look at the female reporter. "Sister Zhao, do you think Jiang Hong can actually win the championship?"

"I don't know!" The female reporter shook her head, paused, and continued, "Still, what he said makes a lot of sense. How can an athlete succeed without a competitive drive?"

Then, she gestured to the cameraman and said, "Alright, let's head over to the seating area too. This is my first time watching a tennis match."

They weren't professional sports reporters; they had simply been dispatched by their superiors.

After all, tennis wasn't particularly popular at this time, and even with the organizing committee's invitation, the television station wasn't overly enthusiastic.

Not to mention, this was the lowest-tier tournament—keep in mind that the ATP Finals were currently taking place in Shanghai.

What did an ITF $10K tournament even amount to in comparison?

...

As soon as Jiang Hong stepped onto the court, he heard cheering.

"Old Jiang, go for it! Beat that guy!"

"Come on, take the title!"

"Jiang Hong, you can do it!"

To be continued...

Glancing toward the sound, he realized it was Zhang Long and his fellow training partners.

Lately, Zhang Long had been feeling somewhat triumphant. After crashing out in the first round previously, he had faced merciless mockery.

Over the past couple of days, as Jiang Hong swept through the draw with unstoppable momentum, soaring forward all the way, everyone's attitude toward him had shifted as well.

It wasn't that Zhang Long lacked skill; it was simply that Jiang Hong was too formidable.

If Jiang Hong won the championship, he could consider himself the honorable runner-up.

Moreover, they genuinely hoped Jiang Hong could vent some frustration on behalf of the Chinese men's tennis players.

Jiang Hong raised his racket and waved back at them.

The members of the organizing committee sitting in the stands witnessed this scene.

"Looks like Jiang Hong isn't nervous at all!"

"Let's hope he can perform at his best level. Regardless of the outcome, he has already made a name for himself in Chinese men's tennis!"

...

Furthermore, the organizing committee was quite inventive, having even hired an announcer for live commentary.

"Standing on the left side of the referee is Jun Yamashima from Japan, ranked 678th in the world, and also the top seed of this tournament!"

"Standing on the right side of the referee is our young Chinese player, seventeen years old this year, with no previous major tournament experience. He has surged from the qualifiers into the finals as a dark horse. Let's give them the warmest round of applause!"

Prompted by their teachers, the children immediately began to clap enthusiastically.

Jiang Hong and his opponent walked to the net, listening to the referee confirm their identities and explain the match rules!

The coin was tossed, and Jiang Hong won the service game.

The two players engaged in a series of pre-match exercises to warm up.

"Pre-match preparations are over, let the match begin!" the referee announced.

The announcer sitting in the broadcast booth immediately started the commentary.

"Alright, the match is underway. Our player Jiang Hong has secured the service right and is preparing to serve!"

"The service motion is very fluid—magnificent! An inside-out ace serve! The opponent didn't even touch the ball, and it landed just past the baseline. The score is now 15:0!"

"It's worth mentioning that from the start of this tournament up to now, Jiang Hong has already hit 71 aces. Serving appears to be his specialty!"

"Hopefully, he can maintain his previous form..."

Compared to the Japanese player, Jiang Hong was undoubtedly playing a home match, so the commentary naturally leaned in his favor.

To be continued...