"Don't put too much pressure on yourselves. Today is just a simple internal test. After all, this is a completely new event, and you've only been working together for a month. You may not even have fully figured out the tactical patterns and the specific details of your coordination yet. So no matter which side loses, it's not a big deal."
"Of course, we absolutely won't draw conclusions about you based on this one result. We'll conduct many more tests over the next six months, until we finally find the most stable and strongest pair."
Cai Guodong spoke beautifully, but the players still wore grave expressions, without the slightest sign of relaxation.
It wasn't that the head coach was lying. Everyone simply understood that although there was still plenty of time ahead, participation in the imminent Qatar Open was directly tied to this internal test.
As the dominant force in table tennis, Chinese table tennis had always held to one principle: either don't enter, or enter to win the championship.
So, if they wanted a spot at the Qatar Open, they had to produce something convincing enough.
If they could win the mixed doubles title at the Qatar Open, the players would gain unparalleled confidence, instantly opening up a huge gap between two originally evenly matched partnerships.
This wasn't idealism. It was an effect that existed in every sport, proven by decades, even centuries, of history.
Cai Guodong realized this as well. After pausing briefly, he asked Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan directly, "Can you beat Scarlet Gossip now?"
By Scarlet Gossip, he meant Xiao Fei and Liu Wen. The name took one character from each of their names and used a homophone.
Naming combinations was also a long-standing tradition in Chinese table tennis.
Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan exchanged