The Next Day.
At the Qin Prefecture Sports Center, before a tennis match sponsored by a certain sports brand, Han Qi, dressed in professional athlete attire, rubbed his slightly indiscernible dark circles and let out a long yawn.
"Oops."
He was feeling a bit drowsy.
Although Han Qi had turned off the lights with great determination last night, what troubled him was that after the lights were out, his mind was filled with imaginative plots from "Tennis Prince." The more he tried to sleep, the more elusive it became until he dozed off in a daze, unaware of how long it took for slumber to take over.
"Ready."
The coach's voice echoed.
After warming up, Han Qi finally stepped onto the court.
This was a moderately sized tennis match within Qin Prefecture, where the significance of winning or losing wasn't exceedingly high. But today, Han Qi had no intention of losing, especially because his friends were watching from the stands. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of them.
Amidst the cheers of the audience below,
The tennis match began!
Han Qi's opponent was a seasoned player with respectable skills, who initially had the upper hand in the score, partly due to Han Qi's lack of proper rest the night before, leading to his relatively lower concentration today.
"Stay calm."
Han Qi reminded himself inwardly.
In sports, strength is as crucial as stamina. Although the veteran opponent had rich experience, precisely because of this experience, his stamina couldn't match that of the younger Han Qi. As a result, the intensity of the opponent's tennis shots gradually decreased.
After regaining focus,
Han Qi evened the score.
Both sides gradually entered a tense state.
In a situation where the overall skill levels were not significantly different, the later stages of the match were essentially a contest of willpower and mentality. This was different from the flashy and dashing descriptions in "Tennis Prince"—
"I must be going mad!" Why am I thinking about novels again!
This is still a match! Forcing down these odd thoughts, Han Qi almost tangled evenly with his opponent. The suspenseful outcome engaged the audience, and commentators enthusiastically speculated about the match's direction.
"It's truly unpredictable." The commentator excitedly said, "Han Qi's initial state seemed off, but as the match progressed, he gradually found his rhythm. Meanwhile, Han Qi's opponent, a seasoned player, shows us how experience and wisdom play tennis, even in a state of declining physical strength..."
Breathing heavily,
The match reached the half-hour mark.
In the sixth game, the deciding point, both sides had previously reached a draw. The outcome of the match teetered on this game. Consequently, both players adopted extremely conservative strategies, hesitant to risk aggressive play as the stakes were too high.
"Snap!"
Han Qi lost a point, amplifying his disadvantage instantly.
Even his opponent, amidst tremendous fatigue, couldn't conceal a broad smile. The final course of this match became apparent with Han Qi's lost point.
"Am I going to lose?"
At this moment, Han Qi unexpectedly recalled "The Prince of Tennis." The series depicted numerous scenarios, some akin to Han Qi's current situation. "What would Ryoma do?"
Han Qi felt as if he had gone mad.
The novel depicted too many idealized scenarios and many techniques that were more show than substance. But what was even more absurd was his decision in the following serve. Against all odds, he called out, "A twist serve!"
This wasn't a standard frontal serve. Han Qi opted for a sidespin serve, swiftly slicing the ball's surface. Using a rapid internal rotation of his forearm, he exerted force, sending the ball flying.
His opponent was caught off guard.
As the tennis ball landed and bounced out of bounds, Han Qi unexpectedly scored a significant point. The entire court erupted, the commentator's voice saturated with excitement and astonishment: "A beautiful twist, ACE!"
In tennis matches, an ACE refers to a serve where the ball lands within the service area but the opponent fails to touch it, leading to a direct point. If the opponent touches the ball and it goes out or hits the net, it's termed a service point, not an ACE.
"I won!"
Amidst countless cheers, Han Qi's face flushed red. He had shouted as if in a childish fight, mimicking an incredibly embarrassing posture and yelling "Kamehameha," just like one of two kids in a fight.
Overflowing with a peculiar brand of self-indulgence!
Thankfully, no one around heard his shout; everyone was too busy cheering for their own serves. Probably only the referee heard it, otherwise, the opponent's gaze wouldn't have been so peculiar.
Teammates rushed up to celebrate.
Back in the locker room, the coach looked at Han Qi with surprise and bewilderment, "When did you start practicing twist serves, and in such an odd manner? The opponent never even guessed the direction of your serve."
"If I tell you, you might not believe it."
Han Qi's expression was odd, "I learned it from a novel."
The crowd burst into laughter, assuming Han Qi was joking.
But during the subsequent interview with reporters, when asked about his thoughts on the final shot, Han Qi again mentioned the book in front of his teammates, "I've been reading a series called 'The Prince of Tennis' lately, it's written with a lot of expertise. So, during the match, I suddenly had an inspiration. Of course, there was an element of luck in this shot, and my opponent deserves respect."
The reporter: "..."
Teammates: "..."
Sports journalists were somewhat confused on the spot, and Han Qi's teammates suspected he might be getting paid for promoting "The Prince of Tennis."
The keen senses of literary journalists never miss such excellent material.
The following day, one of the hot topics in the cultural section of the Qin Prefecture publications read:
"Famed tennis professional Han Qi claims to be a fan of 'Tennis Prince' and asserts that the book has inspired numerous insights into playing tennis."
As this news broke, readers of 'Tennis Prince' were taken aback!
"Is it for real?"
"So even professional tennis players vouch for the professionalism in 'Tennis Prince.' I used to think all those tennis moves in the book were fabricated. This is truly exceptional."
"I like 'Tennis Prince' even more now."
"Isn't the most impressive part that Han Qi is actually learning techniques from 'Tennis Prince'?"
"Haha, that must be a joke, for sure."
"It's not entirely a joke. During yesterday's tennis match at the Qin Prefecture Sports Complex, Han Qi's winning shot was an almost identical replica of a twist serve, the only difference being that Ryoma was a lefty, while Han Qi employs his right hand!" confirmed a reader who attended the match.
Subsequently, many readers knowledgeable about tennis began affirming through various channels that 'Tennis Prince' indeed contains highly professional knowledge about tennis.
In fact, this point had been mentioned before, but few paid attention to it until a professional tennis player endorsed it, drawing everyone's genuine attention to this detail.
A revelation no one in the fiction industry could have anticipated.
A connection almost breaking through the dimensional wall emerged between Qin Prefecture's professional tennis player and 'Tennis Prince,' resulting in a nearly surreal crossover!
On that day, the sales of 'Tennis Prince' unexpectedly surged once more!