After returning to the United States, Howles seemed to be a different person. He no longer went out to play football at night. Instead, he rested early every day and devoted all his energy to training the next day.
This trip to Spain had a great impact on Halls. He witnessed the two major football giants Real Madrid and Barcelona and even experienced a training match there. He finally saw the world's top football youth training. What is it like.
All this gave Halls a desire. He was eager to go to Real Madrid or Barcelona to train, eager to enter their echelon and become a member of them. He was even more eager to get better teammates and face better teammates. opponent.
However, due to dwarfism and epiphyseal line closure, Real Madrid and Barcelona clearly rejected him. This also hit Halls' self-esteem, and this blow quickly became the motivation for his training. .
As Dai Li said, only when people have a clear goal will they work hard and fight for it.
This is what Halls is like. Although he also wanted to play in Europe in the past, after all, he had never really seen the top clubs in Europe, so his desire to play in Europe was very illusory. Nowadays, Halls has been to Spain, to the two giant clubs of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Playing in Europe is no longer a fantasy dream, but a goal to be pursued.
Howles knows that his height is the main reason why he was rejected by the two giants. He suffers from dwarfism and has closed epiphyseal lines. This is something he cannot change. At this time, Howles realized more deeply that Dai Li's training here had become the last straw for him to grow taller.
Compared with others, dwarfism makes Halls inherently disadvantaged, and those teenagers who have entered the Real Madrid and Barcelona echelons already have a higher starting point than Halls. He is inherently deficient, and his opponent has a higher starting point. Under this double disadvantage, Howles must put in more effort and sweat than others.
Howles already understands this. He knows that his road will be more bumpy and difficult than others, but he will not give up. He will charge towards the goal in his heart.
…
At 10 a.m., Dai Li was still formulating a training plan for a client in the office when his cell phone suddenly rang.
Dai Li picked up the phone and looked at it. The caller ID surprised him.
"It's Xu Zhongyi, why is he calling? It should be early morning in China now." Dai Li calculated in his mind that there is a 16-hour difference between the Western Time in the United States and the domestic time. Now that the United States is in daylight saving time, the Western Time in the United States is also different from the domestic time. There was a gap of 15 hours. It was morning here in Dai Li, but it was actually early morning in China, which was when he was fast asleep.
"Old Xu, please call me now, I'm afraid it's something important." Dai Li didn't hesitate and immediately picked up the phone.
"Hey, Lao Xu, you stayed up in the middle of the night and called me. What's the matter?" Li Dai asked directly.
"Aren't we afraid that it will affect your rest?" Xu Zhongyi chuckled and continued, "I really have something to ask of you."
"What's the matter? Tell me." Dai Li said angrily.
"Our provincial sports team has a coach who teaches Chen Jianguo. He is a tennis coach. Have you heard of him before, right?" Xu Zhongyi asked.
"I have the impression that there is such a person." Li Dai paused, and then said: "But tennis has always been a weak point in our provincial sports team. There are not many athletes, and there are not many coaches."
"Indeed, except for those first-tier cities, tennis is not developed at all in other places, and the policy and financial support given are also very limited." Xu Zhongyi did not get too entangled in this issue. He continued: "Chen Jianguo and I are We are old acquaintances. He has a son named Chen Zhen, who has been practicing tennis with him since he was a child. This young man is quite talented. He won the third place in the National Games when he was 18 years old. In recent years, he has also participated in some international competitions. , Chen Zhen is ranked in the top 200 in the latest world rankings."
"It is a very good achievement for our country's male athletes to be ranked among the top 200 in the world." Dai Li praised.
"And he is ranked among the top 200 in the world this time, which means that he can participate in the qualifying rounds of the US Open. It has been a long time since any male player in our country has been able to participate in the four Grand Slams." Xu Zhongyi said. .
There are a total of 128 quotas for the main draw of the four major Tennis Opens, 104 of which are based on world rankings. The top 104 players in the world are eligible to directly enter the main draw of the four major Tennis Opens. However, there are always Some players retire due to injuries or other unexpected factors, and the players behind them will have the opportunity to substitute. Therefore, under normal circumstances, as long as the world ranking is before 110, there is a chance to directly advance to the main draw of the four major tennis Opens.
There are also 8 places for wild card players. Some big-name players who have not played for a long time due to injuries will drop out of the 104th place in the world rankings. At this time, they will often obtain wild card qualifications given by the tournament, and the host players will be eligible for wild cards. There are also certain discounts. So at the Australian Open, a few Australian players will get wild cards. At Wimbledon, British players will get wild cards. At the French Open, French players will get wild cards. At the U.S. Open, it will naturally be the United States. Players can get this wild card entry.
The final 16 places for the main draw are determined by the qualifying round. Before the main draw of the four major Tennis Opens, qualifying rounds will be held in advance. A total of 128 people will participate in the qualifying round. The qualifications are also based on world rankings. There will be a total of three knockout rounds. If you win all three rounds, you can advance to the main draw.
According to the rules, if no one withdraws due to injury, players ranked 104 to 232 in the world can participate in the qualifying rounds of the four Grand Slams. However, considering that some people withdraw due to various reasons every year, basically Anyone ranked within 250 in the world will have the opportunity to participate in the qualifying round.
Chen Zhen's world ranking has entered the top 200, so he can safely enter the qualifying round.
"You're looking for me just because of this Chen Zhen thing, right?" Li Dai asked.
"Yes, Chen Jianguo wants to take Chen Zhen to the United States in advance to adapt to the American environment. It is best to find an American tennis coach to give Chen Zhen some guidance first. You are more familiar with the American side, so I want to ask you Help me." Xu Zhongyi said.
"No problem, you can ask coach Chen Jianguo to contact me directly." Li Dai said.
"By the way, Chen Jian's country is not very wealthy. The average working class relies on dead wages. Training Chen Zhen to play tennis is very expensive, so don't find him an expensive coach." Xu Zhongyi continued He ordered.
"That's right..." Li Dai hesitated for a moment and then said: "Old Xu, you are also a coach. You must also know that in the field of sports training, the price of a slightly capable coach is not low. The higher the level of the coach, the higher the price." , the salary requirements will be higher.”
"I know, I know, that's why I called you in the middle of the night and wanted you to think of a solution. You are doing well in the United States and you must have a wide network of contacts. You may be able to help Chen Zhen." Xu Zhongyi said.
"How about this? Let him come to my training center. I have several well-known tennis players among my clients, all of whom are ranked in the top 50 in the world. Let Chen Zhen train with them first. Although it is physical fitness Training, but after getting familiar with those players, you might be able to learn something. If possible, I will try to recommend Chen Zhen to be their sparring partner," Li Dai said.
"In terms of fees, you can get a discount. I know your fees are not generally high." Xu Zhongyi said deliberately.
Li Dai understood what Xu Zhongyi meant. He chuckled and said, "If I don't give other people's face, how can I not give it to you, Old Xu! Anyway, it's only a few days until the US Open, so I won't accept it." They have money.”
…
Three days later, Chen Jianguo and Chen Zhen's father and son arrived in Los Angeles.
Chen Jianguo was also the coach of the Hanbei Provincial Sports Team, but Li Dai was not very impressed by him. Firstly, the scores of the two events were different, and secondly, tennis was a junior in the Provincial Sports Team. It is a popular competition event and does not receive much attention.
Chen Zhen is a young tennis prodigy of the new generation in the country. Li Dai also scouted him. His B+ level talent is enough to dominate the country. It is also possible to participate in some low-level international tours, but to compete in the four Grand Slams level competition, that is, barely reaching the threshold to participate in the main competition.
Tennis is a relatively popular sport in the United States. There are many professional tennis schools in the United States, which produce a large number of tennis players every year. Among Li Dai's clients, there are also several well-known tennis players ranked in the top 50 in the world. Since it is close to the US Open, they train more frequently, especially in terms of physical training, which is the top priority of the training content.
Under normal circumstances, the US Open lasts about half a month. Most of its unseeded players will not only participate in individual singles competitions, they will also participate in doubles or mixed doubles. Some players even have to deal with individual singles and doubles at the same time. The competition actually consumes a lot of physical energy, so they are willing to focus their training on physical fitness for a period of time before the game.
For Chen Zhen, these top 50 tennis players in the world are already "idols" that he rarely meets.
Chen Zhen's world ranking has just entered the top 200. It is said that the difference between him and the top 50 in the world is only 150 places. The gap does not sound like it is completely unreachable, but in tennis, 200 meters and 50 places are really different. It's just a gap between heaven and earth. Many 200 athletes will not encounter an opponent smaller than 50 in a whole year's competition.
Tennis competitions basically rely on world rankings to determine qualifications. For example, among the ATP competition levels, the highest level is the four Grand Slams, followed by ATP1000 level, ATP500 level, and ATP250 level. The top 10 players in the world will basically not participate in ATP250 level competitions, because for For them, the level of ATP250 competition is too low.
Then there are the Challenger League 125K + H level, the Challenger League 125K level, the Challenger League 100K level, the Challenger League 75K level, the Challenger League 50K level, and the Challenger League 40K level. It is difficult to see the world rankings in the Challenger League below 100K level. Figures of the top 100 players. Under the Challenge Tournament, there is also the Hope Tournament. The lower levels of the Hope Tournament are for players who are not ranked in the world.
Therefore, for a player ranked 200 in the world, at most he can participate in some challenger-level competitions. Unless he relies on wild cards, it will be difficult to participate in competitions above ATP 250, and naturally he will not meet the top 50 players in the world. player.
Even in Grand Slam competitions, the top 232 players in the world can participate in the qualifying rounds, but for the players ranked 200th in the three rounds, each game is a journey of death. They want to To advance to the main draw, you must defeat opponents with a higher world ranking than yourself in three consecutive games, which means you need to upset each game. The possibility of an upset is okay, but the possibility of three consecutive upsets is really slim.
Therefore, in the qualifying rounds of the four Grand Slams, the players who can eventually advance to the main draw are those players ranked before 150 in the world. Players ranked above 150 are basically unable to advance to the main draw.
…
On the training ground, Chen Jianguo looked at Chen Zhen who was training, with a loving smile on his face. He said: "When Chen Zhen picked up the racket for the first time, he was not as tall as the racket. At that time, I had just retired. , was assigned to the team as a tennis coach. At that time, he was like my little tail. I was training athletes on the court, and he would pick up the ball next to him. Later, I saw him imitating those athletes’ swings, so I started Try teaching him how to play tennis."
"Chen Zhen's talent is very good. At least among the athletes I train, his talent is the best. He only needs to learn a lot of things I taught him once to remember them. From then on, I I decided that even if I lose everything, I must train him well. I really look forward to the day when he can stand on the stage of a tennis Grand Slam competition and fulfill the dream that I failed to achieve back then."
When Chen Jianguo said this, he sighed: "When I was an athlete, I also hoped to play in the four Grand Slam matches. Even if I only played one, I would be satisfied. But in our era, that was It’s impossible. Tennis players of our era basically had no chance to compete abroad. Especially after the defection of tennis players in the 1980s, it was even less likely that we would have the opportunity to compete abroad. Until I retired, I never played abroad."
Dai Li next to him nodded. He had read some relevant information on this matter. At that time, a tennis player took advantage of the opportunity to compete in the United States and left the team without permission to stay in the United States. In order to stay in the United States, he even applied for so-called political asylum. But think about it carefully, only people who have been raped are eligible to apply for political asylum, and athletes are not influential politicians. Who would rape an athlete when they have nothing to do? So the athlete's behavior at the time was nothing more than wanting to stay in the United States, and under the circumstances at that time, the U.S. government was happy to use it as a political tool. If it were today, the U.S. Immigration Service might have deported the person directly.
Just listen to Chen Jianguo continue to say; "At that time, I saw the latest world rankings and saw that Chen Zhen's ranking entered the top 200. I was really happy because he had the opportunity to participate in the four Grand Slam competitions. This is my lifelong dream. Although I have not realized it, my son can help me realize this dream!"
When Chen Jianguo said this, his tone became excited and his expression became a little excited.
Li Dai looked at Chen Jianguo's appearance, but he couldn't bear it. With Chen Zhen's current level, let alone the main draw of the four Grand Slams, even in the qualifying rounds, it would be quite difficult to survive the first round. .
"It's not easy to engage in tennis in China." Li Dai knew what the domestic tennis environment was like. He looked at Chen Zhen who was training. Chen Zhen looked very serious, but Li Dai could feel Chen Zhen seemed a little nervous.
This is not a competition, just ordinary physical training, but Chen Zhen will be nervous. This is not because Chen Zhen's mental state is not good, but because he feels the importance of this kind of training. He cherishes his current training and the opportunity to train with the top 50 tennis players in the world, even if it is just physical training.
"It seems that Chen Zhen also knows that he carries the dreams of two generations. He comes to participate in the US Open this time not only to represent himself, but also to realize his father's dream!"
Dai Li finally made a decision. He planned to help the father and son who were pursuing their dreams.