Semi-Professional

"The singles match between Japan Team and England Team is about to begin."

"Japan Team's Saeki Muneyoshi vs. England Team's Rod Laver!"

"Please bring both teams onto the field."

On the court, the two stood facing each other.

Rod Laver looked at Saeki Muneyoshi's youthful face and, recalling the opponent's performance in the last World Tournament, felt a little out of breath.

Although his opponent was defeated by Amadeus at the time, he did not succumb to despair; instead, he has now come face to face with him.

There was even a rumor that Saeki Muneyoshi had already reached the Stage Two.

Rod Laver initially scoffed at this claim.

After all, he has only just overcome this difficult hurdle himself, so he is very aware of the hardships involved.

However, when he actually faced Muneyoshi, he sensed a faint but dangerous aura emanating from him, and a voice in his heart reminded him that the news was probably true.

This made Rod Laver's face turn pale and then red, and as he muttered something, a phrase from England's national language slipped out.

"Fuck!"

Rod Laver clenched his left fist and gripped the racket handle tightly with his right, venting his frustration.

He hadn't expected that Saeki Muneyoshi would reach this level at such a young age; it felt like he was training a dog instead of himself.

Both Muneyoshi and Rod Laver were preoccupied with their own affairs.

None of them had even the slightest intention of going up to shake hands.

At the referee's signal, Muneyoshi announced his choice: a coin toss.

As the coin was tossed high into the air by the referee and landed with a clink, Rod Laver picked up his racket and walked to his service line.

Once he reached the baseline, he calmly took a tennis ball out of his pocket and lightly tapped it twice on the ground with his long, strong fingertips.

He then looked up at Muneyoshi's position and gave Saeki Muneyoshi a sinister smile.

Bang!

The tennis ball was tossed into the air, and the strings snapped.

Rod Laver doesn't use any fancy moves at all; having already begun his professional training, he pursues everything in a very simple way.

The tennis racket landed on Muneyoshi's half of the court as soon as the ball was tossed.

His tennis shots are not only very fast, but also very tricky in angle.

Moreover, Muneyoshi was certain at a glance that the other party had definitely watched the recording of his match.

Because the shots he hits are almost exactly the kind of shots that Saeki Muneyoshi least likes to handle.

Simple, efficient, and full of power.

Muneyoshi's eyes flickered, and a serious expression appeared in them.

"As expected of a near-professional player..."

Tap tap tap...

Saeki Muneyoshi's footsteps pounded the ground. Having missed the expedition during the second semester of his second year while recovering from his injuries, he felt like his body was about to rust.

Now that he's in Europe, he's encountered such an opponent, and Muneyoshi can use him to get used to the intensity of professional matches.

Therefore, Muneyoshi did not intend to reveal too much at the beginning.

Bang!

After catching up with the tennis ball, he extended his racket downwards, and with a swift motion, he swept the ball back diagonally with his strong arm.

"So fast!"

"Is this Muneyoshi's current strength?"

"What? That guy on the other side actually managed to catch the captain's shot?"

The players from Japan Team and England Team watching from the sidelines stared wide-eyed.

The two players' performance on the court was truly amazing. Although they didn't display as many powerful techniques as they do at other times, this back-to-basics tennis was still incredibly impressive.

After all, many players on the Japan Team didn't even see Rod Laver's serve.

From the England Team's perspective, the mustard yellow ball that had just been fiercely attacking in Saeki Muneyoshi's half suddenly passed through Rod Laver's legs at an even faster speed after Muneyoshi's strike.

When facing such an opponent, you must not back down, otherwise you will be exploited and defeated.

Since the other party's attack was intended as a show of force, he should respond accordingly.

This was Saeki Muneyoshi's response.

After all, when it comes to provoking opponents in tennis, Muneyoshi is arguably one of the best in the Japan Team.

Compared to the powerful responses Muneyoshi makes against other opponents, this return wasn't particularly strong.

However, wearing a crotch strap is still extremely humiliating.

Upon realizing Muneyoshi's intentions, Rod Laver's previously smiling face instantly darkened, and his stern eyes were filled with coldness.

His eyelids twitched slightly, seemingly out of anger.

However, Rod Laver reacted quickly and moved with great agility, first lifting his right foot and taking a large step back.

Then, with the help of this backward force, he leaped backward, his body turning to the side providing him with space to counterattack.

With a single stride and leap, and a twist of the body, he deftly and efficiently resolved the crisis and provocation posed by Muneyoshi's shot.

However, Rod Laver was filled with anger at this moment, and with his arched arm and raised racket, he delivered a brilliant short and powerful volley to the bouncing tennis ball.

"Your movements are good, your basics are solid, but if you're slow at one step, you'll be slow at everything else. Let me teach you a lesson, you're welcome!"

Saeki Muneyoshi remained expressionless, chuckled lightly, and then spoke coldly.

As soon as he finished speaking, he was already in front of the net.

The opponent's counterattack had just crossed the middle of the net.

Instead of using a powerful smash, Muneyoshi employed a gentle, short pass.

"What?!"

To Rod Laver's astonishment, Saeki Muneyoshi's return shot gently fell to the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, he skillfully Drop Shot, instantly securing the first break point for Muneyoshi.

"15-0, Japan Team's Saeki Muneyoshi scores."

The referee accurately announced the score. Muneyoshi smiled faintly after putting down his racket and then returned to his receiving area.

Across from the stadium.

Inhale... exhale...

Rod Laver took a deep breath and then exhaled gently, calming himself down a bit. It was only the first ball; the preceding stages were just a process of mutual probing.

After reaching the baseline, he gently twisted his foot, took out a tennis ball, and started hitting it again, using this opportunity to adjust his condition.

Rod Laver received an excellent elite education, and after only one or two brief interactions, he quickly discarded his underestimation of Muneyoshi.

Even in that brief encounter, he realized that Muneyoshi's foundation was incredibly solid.

Moreover, through the intelligence gathered from various sources and the video recordings of the matches, he was quite clear that this seemingly harmless boy was not as gentle as he appeared.

If he's careless, he might become a laughingstock before he's even truly entered the professional world.

P. S.: "After this match, I'm going to give the main character a nickname~"

It's almost the end of the year, and everyone's usually quite busy with work. If you're not busy, please accept my envy.

But rest assured, we will still try our best to maintain regular updates.