On the afternoon of the third day of the Brazil Open main draw, at 1:30 p.m. local time.
As Lin Li walked into the arena, his face was slightly flushed.
As a veteran who had fought countless battles, he had not felt nervous in a very, very long time.
After defeating Bai Feng yesterday in a grueling seven-game quarterfinal, he had summoned enormous courage and proactively made a bold declaration during the routine post-match interview: "Wang Chao, I'll be waiting for you in the final."
Those words did not suit his usual personality and left many people astonished. After the interview, he received immense attention from fans all over the world. Some praised his courage, while others mocked his overestimation of himself. Sun Tianlong had told him to focus on preparing for his match and stay off the internet until before the final, but while Sun Tianlong was away, he had still gone online to take a look.
Of course, he was not being willful, nor was he deliberately defying his coach. He merely wanted to find greater motivation amid the overwhelming ridicule from the outside world.
"Lin Li, Lin Li, what an overestimation of himself."
"Does he seriously think he can beat Wang Chao?"
"What's gotten into Lin Li? He's been so steady all these years. Did Qin Huachang leaving make him let himself go?"
"If Lin Li wins the title, I'll eat this monitor on the spot!"
"Come on, whether Lin Li can even reach the final is still a question. Do you really think he can beat Fan Xiaodong now?"
"Obviously, he's overthinking it. After beating Bai Feng, he thinks he's good again, but the truth is that neither he nor Bai Feng is any good. It was just two weaklings pecking at each other."
"Hahaha, Chinese