Before the French Open even started, Cheng Che had already become a sensation in Europe.
The message came from Roland Garros' official account: a photo of Cheng Che standing on a clay court, captioned with just one sentence. "Welcome to Paris."
The number of comments exceeded 10,000 within half an hour.
The female fans in the English-speaking region are still the same as before.
"He looks so good in his terracotta training uniform."
"I originally only planned to watch Wimbledon, but now I'm watching French Open flights."
"Friends in Paris, please take lots of photos for me."
"He looks completely different standing on red clay compared to hard ground; he seems heavier, but also more handsome."
Does anyone know his training schedule? I want to wait for him.
The comments section in Spain was much more lively.
"The red clay of the French Open suits him so well; the color makes his skin look especially good."
"I've already bought tickets for the first round, just to see him."
"I flew in from Madrid, it took three hours, it was worth it."
"He had better make it to the finals, otherwise my ticket money will have been wasted."
"I'll play until whichever round he gets to."
The style of discussion groups is quite different in Japanese.
"The way he moves on clay is a bit like Federer."
"Don't talk nonsense. Federer's clay-court gliding step is the result of twenty years of practice."
"But his prediction was actually quite accurate."
"Who's our first-round opponent? If it's a clay-court specialist, things might be a bit tough."
"No matter who I fight, I'll buy the ticket first."
Meanwhile, in Xia Country, fans have already started forming teams.
A WeChat group called " Che Baby French Open Expedition Group " was filled with 500 members within three days.
The group admin is a female student studying in Paris. She posted a detailed guide to watching the game in the group, including how to buy tickets, how to take the metro to Roland Garros, which entrance is closest to the players' tunnel, and what time the training ground opens.
Below that was a string of "Received" and "Thank you, sister."
Someone posted a screenshot in a group chat showing the remaining tickets for the first round on the official French Open ticketing page, with the caption. "Tickets are still available, grab them quickly."
The group chat was instantly flooded with "purchased".
Someone even posted about it at the airport.
Two girls Paris from Beijing to Paris bumped into each other at Charles de Gaulle Airport. They didn't know each other at first, but when they saw the support banners in each other's hands, they both paused for a moment.
"Are you going to see Cheng Che too?"
"Yes! You too?"
"What a coincidence! I'm on the same train!"
The two stood by the baggage carousel and chatted for half an hour, talking about everything from Cheng Che's Australian Open final to adapting to clay courts, from the French Open draw to Ning Qing's new song.
Several girls holding up banners also joined in, and the group ended up sharing a table in the airport cafe.
Cheng Che knew nothing about any of this.
After arriving in Paris, he was still jet-lagged and Qin Lie dragged him to Roland Garros early the next morning.
The organizing committee arranged a training ground for him, with clay as the same material as the competition venue.
He stood behind the baseline, dribbled the ball twice, and then started running.
Red clay and hard courts are completely different things.
The rhythm of pushing off the ground that he's used to on hard surfaces will make him slippery on red clay.
The ball bounced a little slower, but it rose higher and spun more deeply.
He skated back and forth on the baseline a few times, bending his knees lower than on hard surfaces and taking shorter strides.
After practicing for about forty minutes, he stopped to drink some water, and then heard someone shout behind him.
"Procedure."
He turned his head.
Federer stood by the training court, wearing a white polo shirt, holding a racket, with a coach-like figure beside him.
He was smiling, a very relaxed smile.
Cheng Che put down the water bottle and walked over.
The two shook hands, then Federer opened his arms, and Cheng Che also opened his arms, and the two hugged.
The photographer next to him pressed the shutter.
"Are you getting used to clay?" Federer asked in English, speaking very slowly.
"I'm still getting used to it," Cheng Che said. "Sliding on hard courts is completely different."
Federer nodded. "Clay is the ultimate test of patience. You have to learn to wait, to wait for the ball to bounce to your most comfortable position. But you can't wait too long, because the ball accelerates after landing on clay, faster than you expect."
Cheng Che listened very attentively.
Federer has Champion the French Open and is one of the most knowledgeable people on clay.
"You played very well at the Australian Open," Federer said. "I watched it live. The match where you came back from 0-2 to win 3-2, Zverev couldn't keep running after that, but you were still running. That match reminded me of something."
Cheng Che knew what he was talking about.
Federer was also known for his physical strength when he was young, and he rarely lost five-set battles.
"Thank you," Cheng Che said. "Actually, I first found out you were paying attention to me during the Hang City Youth Games. Later, you posted a message on social media saying you wanted to see me compete. That message was very important to me."
Federer smiled and said, "I'm rarely wrong about people. I knew you were different from that time on."
The two chatted for a few more minutes.
Federer said he would watch Cheng Che's first-round match, and if time allowed, he might even go to the stadium.
Cheng Che said he hoped to see some improvement on the field.
As he was leaving, Federer patted Cheng Che on the shoulder. "Take your time on clay. You're young, you have time."
Cheng Che nodded.
After Federer left, Cheng Che returned to the training ground and practiced for another half hour.
He tried to incorporate the rhythm Federer mentioned into his slide step.
Wait until the ball bounces to its highest point, then push off.
He didn't slide into the right spot the first time, the second time was a little better, and the third time he slid into that spot, hit a forehand shot, and the ball landed in the corner of the baseline.
He stood up, glanced at his hands, and then smiled.
The photo of him embracing Federer spread across the entire internet within half an hour.
It immediately surged to the top of the trending searches in China.
Federer Cheng Che #
Federer spotted at French Open training facility#
Federer favors Cheng Che #
The comment section was filled with jubilation.
Federer personally came to watch his training!!! What a show of respect!!!
I've looked at that photo of the two of them hugging ten times.
[ Federer came to the French Open even after retiring, just to watch Cheng Che train?]
[He didn't come to watch Cheng Che train; he came to the French Open on business and happened to watch Cheng Che train. But even that was pretty impressive.]
Did you see what Federer said? "You played very well at the Australian Open, it reminded me of something."
What level of recognition is this?
Cheng Che showed no fear in front of Federer, standing firmly in his position.
[My Che Baby's status is undeniable, he's definitely an international superstar!]
On the international internet, that photo has been shared hundreds of thousands of times.
In the comments section, English, French, Spain, and German were mixed together, but the core meaning was roughly the same:
Federer and Cheng Che stood together, the faces of two generations of tennis, old and new, in the same frame.