18 Mixed Doubles
◎【Three-in-one】Men and women team up for doubles... Can they cooperate?◎
Xu Dong, who had just returned for a short rest, couldn't help himself. He took out the address book from the drawer and used the landline in front of him to make a call that had been unused for five years.
After just two rings, the other party answered the call.
As if he knew who was calling, the other party didn't say anything.
The two of them were silent for at least three seconds before Xu Dong said softly, "It's me."
"I know, what's wrong?" the man said lazily.
Hearing this familiar voice, the past emerged like a kaleidoscope.
Before making the call, many questions popped up in Xu Dong's mind.
You gave this child to me, do you hope that I will contact you on my own initiative?
Why haven't you sent me a single letter in all these years?
If I don't call you, are you planning to never see me again in your life?
But the call actually went through.
These questions became a mess and I couldn't remember anything.
Finally. Xu Dong suppressed his trembling and feigned calmness. "Why would you let that child follow me? The national team has many experienced coaches who have trained successful players. The other coaches have more skills and experience than me and know how to secure the singles roster for the three major tournaments... And me... How could you bear to entrust such a promising child to me? Aren't you afraid that I'll delay her?"
There is competitiveness among the players on the national team.
There is also competition among coaches.
Only when the players under his command can achieve good results can the coach obtain more resources to help his players win places in the three major competitions.
It's a cycle of some kind.
As a young coach who has just been in the national team for half a year, Xu Dong has never been able to get any resources no matter how good they are.
The man on the other end of the phone chuckled: "Because you're the only one who won't let her follow my old path."
Xu Dong fell silent, and the two of them were silent for a long time before the man slowly spoke, "Based on my understanding of the old men on your women's team, if she goes there, she'll be suppressed and their efforts will be used to dampen her spirits. This girl is a stubborn ass. The more pressure she gets, the more rebellious she becomes. If she gets upset, she might just pack up and quit the team and go back to Jianghuai. Only an encouraging person like you is best for her. Don't let her get bullied. She'll win a Grand Slam for you."
Xu Dong reached out and wiped his face, realizing that he had been crying without knowing when.
As she cried, she smiled bitterly and cursed viciously.
"He Qianlu, you bastard."
/
Xu Dong is He Qianlu's ex-girlfriend.
Zhu Qi knew about this.
We are childhood sweethearts, and we are as passionate as fire.
Very normal.
It was not He Qianlu who told her, but after He Qianlu was cleared of the prostitution incident in his previous life, someone also dug up this heartbreaking love story from the 1990s.
He Qianlu and Xu Dong were both promoted from the Heihaibin team. Xu Dong is three years younger than He Qianlu. Logically speaking, the brothers and sisters who came from the same provincial team should have a good relationship.
But for some reason, the two of them started arguing as soon as they met.
The noise spread from the training ground to the cafeteria, from the cafeteria to the playground, and from the playground to the dormitory building.
He called her, "Slow fat rat."
She called him, "Shameless stupid dog."
Tiantan East Road witnessed the pure and hateful years of the two children.
In a battle of the sexes, He Qianlu defeated Xu Dong, and Xu Dong ran away crying, covering her face.
He Qianlu followed him out and searched around the entire management center, and finally found Xu Dong lying by the pond crying.
The older boy said to the younger girl, "I'll let you win from now on."
Then, the two of them got together somehow.
By the time the coaches found out, the two had already been together for two years.
Puppy love within the team.
It can be regarded as one of the three most serious mistakes of the national team.
According to national team regulations, male players under the age of 24 and female players under the age of 22 are immediately dismissed from their provincial teams if they start dating, and relationships outside the team are also prohibited. After the age limit, only one of the two players with better grades can remain, unless the relationship is with someone outside the team, so that the players can focus on the game without distractions.
After all, the country uses taxpayers' money to support you, not to let you come here to fall in love.
It is under such extremely harsh regulations that Chinese table tennis has been glorious for a long time in the history of sports.
It can also select some athletes with purer competitive spirit to stay in the national team.
The team's coaches held a meeting overnight to break up the couple.
But the well-known good girl in the team was so persistent for the first time and said to her head coach, "Being in love will not affect my game."
The Buddha was so angry that he fell backwards. After scolding him all night long to no avail, he turned his fire on He Qianlu.
"This kid has evil intentions! He seduced female players! I demand that the national team immediately expel this bad apple! Otherwise, how can we discipline the other players?!"
He Qianlu also told Ren Xinhua, who was the head coach at the time, "I am willing to withdraw from the provincial team. I can still play again."
Ren Xinhua and Fo Ye's hair turned half white with worry overnight.
Tiantan East Road also witnessed the year of their purest love.
Ren Xinhua couldn't bear to part with He Qianlu, and Master Fo couldn't bear to part with Xu Dong.
At that time, Xu Dong was more important to Master Fo than Chang Hongxia, and was the object of his entire attention.
Every day when I open my eyes, I think about what games Xu Dong will have recently, how to prepare, what opponents she might encounter, what targeted training she should do, and how many sparring partners would be more appropriate for her... How can I give up so easily on a female player who has been trained so well and still has a lot of games to play?
But the two were afraid that it would be difficult to control others after they took the lead.
So they decided to split up.
The male and female dormitories that were originally on the same floor were separated and allowed to live separately.
The men's team moved together and squeezed in with the national badminton men's team next door.
Many people tried to persuade them to calm down and focus on the game.
As a result, He Qianlu got into trouble not long after.
The Buddha was so happy that he almost set off firecrackers outside the women's table tennis training camp.
From then on, Xu Dong and He Qianlu became people from two completely different worlds.
Star-crossed couples have existed since ancient times, but everyone only remembers Liang Zhu.
But since this incident has been buried in everyone's memory by the national team, no one dares to mention it again.
Furthermore, since the "football betting" scandal ended, Zhu Qi felt that she had challenged the Buddha in public and caused many players in the team to be punished by running for watching the fun. There must be many players who have opinions about her.
He Qianlu said that Master Fo was a very petty person, so she subconsciously thought that Master Fo would definitely find a way to make things difficult for her.
I also imagined a series of plots that often appear in movies and TV dramas, such as internal exclusion and cold violence.
But unexpectedly, after several days, the Buddha always had a calm expression when he saw her, and he didn't find any fault with her.
He even stood by and watched her training for a while, gave Xu Dong some training suggestions, and urged the logistics department to make a jersey and a salary card for Zhu Qi.
blind?
What's going on?
Is she judging others by her own mean standards?
Sister Xu Dong said that Mr. Fo is a harsh person in words, but in fact he is very protective of his people.
As long as you are a player under his team, he can scold you to death behind closed doors and will not let you go until he sees you crying your eyes out. But outside the door, he will be very protective of his players. He almost went to the International Table Tennis Federation over a table with an external association.
And those who were punished to run did not isolate Zhu Qi because of that incident.
On the contrary, when he saw Zhu Qi, he came over to say hello warmly and curiously asked her about her legendary story of single-handedly entering the World Cup.
Later, after a long time, Zhu Qi began to understand.
In the competitive sports circle where strength is paramount.
She is now at the top of the pyramid.
It is human nature to admire the strong.
Competitive events are even better.
As long as you play well and achieve good results.
You are the boss of the team, your words carry weight, and those who are not as good as you will be suppressed.
So everyone wants to make a name for themselves, and everyone wants to be at the top of the food chain.
The law of the jungle, so to speak.
very good.
This is the sense of recognition and respect that strength brings.
Life in the national team is a bit boring. Every day I just sleep, eat and train.
The only change is that Zhu Qi inexplicably became the leader of Xu Dong's team, followed by a little tail - A Shui.
In the past few days since joining Xu Dong's team, the girl named A Shui has had the most contact with Zhu Qi.
His talent level cannot be said to be outstanding, but he is humble and eager to learn in his daily life.
Zhu Qi promised to teach her how to serve, and she really waited for him on the seventh floor every morning with steaming hot buns.
Sometimes, when Ah Shui was criticized by a senior team member from another group, he would not feel unhappy and would accept what the other party said humbly regardless of whether he was right or wrong.
To put it bluntly, this kind of optimistic personality makes people a little easy to bully.
Ah Shui adored Zhu Qi to death. In addition to bringing breakfast to Zhu Qi every day, he would also run to the seventh floor in the evening with hot water he had prepared, fill Zhu Qi's foot basin with hot water, and then run back to his dormitory.
Capitalists must like people like A Shui.
It was clearly a business of equal exchange, she provided physical strength and Zhu Qi taught her the techniques.
But A Shui was very grateful to himself.
stupid!
/
Maomao knew clearly what Coach Cun said.
He was the winner of the World Cup before joining the team, and he was a crushing presence even in the Tiantan East Road where there were many talented players.
The players in the national team are friends and competitors fighting side by side.
Her fasciitis is so severe that she has been able to do only simple rehabilitation exercises for a week.
It has only gotten a little better in the past two days. There is no need for joint puncture. Just apply some plaster and it will be fine.
It’s a little late when I get back to the dormitory.
When I opened the door, the room where Zhu Qi was was pitch black. He was probably asleep.
Maomao tiptoed to her wash basin, then stood in front of the mirror. She took off her sportswear, tore open the blood-activating patch, and when she tried to apply the patch on herself, she couldn't see the exact location of the injury, so she kept applying it crookedly or wrinkling it.
After wasting two posts, the cat wants to give up.
When he turned around, he saw Zhu Qi standing next to the sink and reaching out to him.
She took a patch from Maomao, tore off the tape and looked at Maomao: "Where should I put it?"
Maomao was very happy and said to Zhu Qi with his back to her, "Right shoulder blade... here, a little lower... thank you."
"Call me if you need a sticker." Zhu Qi said, turning around and preparing to go back to the house.
The conversation was brief, but the cat felt a sense of closeness to her.
I'm used to playing alone in the national team.
Maomao really appreciated her action of standing up for A Shui.
Although everyone is in the same team, to be frank, there is competition among each other.
There are only two places for the competition, and everyone has the mentality that if she gets in, I can't.
Listen to the players in Xu Dong's group.
Whenever Zhu Qi gives you guidance, he will go straight to the point and help you improve your game without reservation.
Many of the older players on the team would approach the younger players for practice, and most of them weren't very friendly. Because they were ahead of the game and had joined the team early, they loved to act cool in front of the newer recruits.
The lighter ones are making fun of the newcomers and laughing at the embarrassed smiles of the young players; the more serious ones are gambling on the games like Jin Lili, bullying the weak.
Maomao has rarely seen a player like Zhu Qi who has a cold exterior but a warm heart.
Good people!
If Zhu Qi knew that Maomao thought so highly of her, she would be shocked and wave her hands frantically, "No, no, no, don't give me a persona. I'm just being humble and grateful."
Maomao followed and stood at the doorway, asking, "Coach Xu didn't scold you about what happened with Jin Lili, did he?"
"No."
"Thank you for applying the plaster for me. I usually come back late because I need treatment. If you make too much noise while washing, please tell me so I can be more careful."
"It's okay." Zhu Qi said. "I sleep late at night anyway."
Maomao looked at the little girl. Although she was only four years younger, she was already nineteen and Zhu Qi was only fifteen.
This was the kind of communication between adults and minors, but she felt that Zhu Qi spoke and acted very maturely.
She actually wanted to ask Zhu Qi why he cared about her, but she felt it was too pretentious.
What other reasons do you need for people to help you?
But if Maomao asked, Zhu Qi would tell her that it was because she went to find the captain during the "betting on football" incident. This behavior actually put Maomao herself on the opposite side of Jin Lili.
According to A Shui, Maomao has always focused on himself in the team and rarely interferes in other people's affairs.
Zhu Qi thinks that the cat may not be "not wanting to meddle in other people's affairs", but rather does not want too many people to know that it is "meddling in other people's affairs".
Hi.
Isn’t it advocated that girls help girls now?
After all, we are roommates living under the same roof.
It’s better to have a good relationship than to have a bad one, right?
What if someone like Ma Jiajue shows up?
"Coach Xu is so good to you guys. Coach Cun is nice to me too, but he can be a bit too harsh sometimes. I heard Coach Xu never scolds the players and is very patient and gentle with them. Is that the difference between a female coach and a male coach? Oh, by the way, you're the only starter under Coach Xu. The others are all newcomers just picked from the second team. You'll definitely be included in next year's qualifying tournament."
Zhu Qi sat on the edge of the bed and looked up: "What direct competition?"
"It's the national team's internal qualifying tournament for the Tokyo World Games next year. Each coach will nominate two players from their group for a round-robin tournament. Then, the top six players will be selected, twelve in total for both men's and women's table tennis. That's why it's called the 'Century's Strongest Twelve Selection Tournament.'" Maomao counted on her fingers. "These twelve players will then be selected for the Tokyo World Games. The national team will provide them with a year of special training. The World Games roster will be determined based on their performance in major competitions and the results of their training camp."
Hear this.
Zhu Qi probably understood.
Isn't this the same as the selection process for the National Youth Training Camp to join the National Second Team?
The World Games are of utmost importance.
In any year when the World Games are held, the national team, from the coaching staff to the players of the second team, has no holidays.
Maomao said: "The General Administration of Sports requires an absolutely fair and just selection system, so the direct-entry competition exists."
Zhu Qi didn't say anything.
The next World Games are in two years.
She was just a newcomer to the national team, so it was impossible for her to enter the World Games.
But Zhu Qi likes to break all impossibilities.
She wants a singles spot and shines in Tokyo.
When Maomao looked at Zhu Qi, he also felt that the young were formidable.
The General Administration of Sport stipulates that table tennis is the national sport, with doubles and team events secondary. However, singles competitions require World Games experience, even with a P-card. Unexpected singles entry is not permitted.
Zhu Qi has basically no hope of getting a spot in singles.
Logically speaking, it is unprecedented to be able to participate in the World Games two years after joining the national team. Even the mixed team p card is the first time in the history of the world.
But this girl is young and healthy, so her future is full of possibilities...
The cat touched its shoulder, feeling somewhat melancholy: "I hope it won't let me down when the time comes..."
Zhu Qi glanced at her, feeling a little dazed as he thought about Maomao's defeat at the Tokyo World Games in his previous life.
I'm afraid that in his previous life, Maomao was defeated in the Tokyo World Games because of a shoulder injury.
That’s right, injuries are a heavy blow to athletes.
The blocking injections at that time were not as advanced as they would be twenty years later, and the side effects were very serious.
When hit, the damage to the human body is from the spinal cord to the nerves.
The slogan that one shot of injection can shorten one year of sports career is no joke.
It's twelve o'clock.
They each lay back down on their beds in their rooms.
The bed is a bit narrow and I can only turn over.
Zhu Qi lay down by the window, opened the curtains and looked at the dark night sky and the emerald-like stars outside, his mind empty.
When she first joined the national team, she dreamed all night long.
It felt like I returned to my previous life in the dream.
This life is just an illusory dream.
She was still the insignificant little coach, on standby 24 hours a day, running around to the leaders and team members, carrying their bags, picking up their trash, and acting as a human guide.
When I look in the mirror, I can see the scar on the top of my head where hair will never grow.
As soon as I turned on my phone, I was bombarded with calls from credit cards and rent collection agencies, as well as text messages from my husband and stepmother cursing and bombarding me with insults, and my younger brother begging for money in various ways.
In the past, Zhu Qi hated the unfairness of fate to her. She worked hard to live and escape from her original family, striving for everything within her limited conditions.
But he didn't even give her a chance to live. When she was lying on the hospital bed with a little consciousness before her death, the man told the doctor to give up treatment and then started discussing the insurance claim after his death with his beloved son.
The three of them were discussing by Zhu Qi's bedside how they could live a life of luxury with the compensation they received after his death.
Zhu Qi often dreamed of similar nightmares after he was reborn.
During that time, it was her aunt who stayed with her every night.
Hold her in your arms to comfort her and sing her to sleep.
My aunt’s embrace is very warm and smells like soapberry powder, just like my mother’s.
In this life, she also has someone who loves and cares for her.
Not only her uncle's family and her aunt's family, but also her master.
He Qianlu, this guy, suddenly lost contact after sending her to Chaojing. I don’t know if he was busy opening the gym or sleeping again.
When Zhu Qi woke up the next day, he saw a note stuck on his door and a cardboard box next to the door containing a large bag of white powder.
The note was left by Maomao for her, and it read:
[I brought this from home. It has oat milk, walnut powder, and it tastes delicious! You didn't sleep well last night, so I didn't wake you up. I just left it at your door.]
Girls' friendship can easily start from the details.
A Shui called her outside the door to go out for exercise, and Zhu Qi carried the cardboard box back into the house.
After the "football betting" incident ended, A Shui was very worried.
"Jin Lili is a very petty person. What if she tries to trip you up?"
Zhu Qi didn't care: "What tricks can a little brat have? It's just a fight between elementary school students, let her do whatever she wants."
"You are three years younger than her, why are you calling her a little brat?" A Shui didn't understand.
The physical age difference is only three years.
According to her psychological age, Jin Lili should call her aunt.
"I heard you have a younger brother on the Jianghuai provincial team. Is that because eldest children in families tend to be more mature? I'm so envious! I wish I had a brother or sister, but unfortunately, my parents only had me, and it's too late to try for a second child now. My parents are so busy with their business that they don't even have time to see us. But Baobao, why are you helping me?" Ah Shui finally asked the question that had been bothering her for days. "Is it because I lost so badly that you couldn't bear to watch me? You're so kind..."
Zhu Qi interrupted her mumbling: "Not really, I really want to make money from her."
“…”A Shui.
"One ball costs one hundred dollars. If the captain and Master Buddha hadn't arrived quickly, I could have made her lose everything." Zhu Qi disagreed.
"But you're different from her. You wouldn't bully someone whose skill level is too far below yours. I know that~" Ah Shui held her face in her hands, her eyes twinkling. "Bao Bao, I love watching you play. You're so captivating when you play! So charming!"
...From that day on, Zhu Qi and Maomao often went out and returned to the dormitory together as roommates, and the three girls gradually began to form a team.
After that, A Shui also became a frequent visitor to the seventh floor.
The days passed one by one. I got up at seven o'clock every day, did exercises, had breakfast, washed up, went to training, had lunch break, went to training, had evening training, checked dormitories, and went to bed.
It seems like we are doing the same thing every day, but we all find some fun in the boring training.
"Look! This is the latest flip phone my dad brought me from abroad!" As soon as Ah Shui sent off his parents who came from Shanghai Province to visit him, he immediately ran to the seventh floor and jumped in the small living room.
Nowadays, people have few means of communication and basically go to telephone booths to pay with coins to make calls.
Upon hearing that his daughter had made it to the national team, A Shui's father spent a huge amount of money to buy a Japanese mobile phone that had just been on the market for less than a month.
The cat came over curiously, looked down and couldn't let go of it. "This is the first time I've seen a flip phone. Does it have the same functions as a PHS?"
"It's the same! But my dad didn't buy the white one. They say the white one overseas is a hundred bucks more expensive than the black one! What a rip-off, he could only afford to buy me the black one. But I'm not picky! You can even play games with this one! Snake, Planes, Tetris... BOOM! Do you want to try it? I got 10,000 points last time!"
A Shui put his cell phone into Zhu Qi's hand. Zhu Qi looked around and found it very novel.
When I was this age in my previous life, I had never seen a flip phone, let alone a PHS, a pager, or a mobile phone.
Pagers are still incredibly expensive these days.
An ordinary one costs seven or eight thousand, while one with Chinese characters costs as much as ten thousand.
Although many people's financial situation has improved a lot after the reform and opening up, they still can't just buy things casually.
After graduating and passing the coaching qualification exam, Zhu Qi transitioned directly to the Nokia era.
However, the hunger marketing method of rare colors being more expensive is something I haven’t gotten tired of even after twenty years.
Maomao teased her with a smile: "A Shui, I finally know why Jin Lili targeted you."
When Ah Shui heard Jin Lili's name, he pouted and asked, "Why?"
Zhu Qi raised his eyes and said, "You are showing off your wealth."
Although it may be a bit exaggerated, many children from the second national team see the players from the first national team as if they were their idols.
After all, he is a talent selected from thousands of people in the country, a genius among geniuses.
When A Shui was still in the second national team, he felt extremely honored to be able to help the players of the first national team pick up the balls.
If a member of the national team was willing to play ping-pong with her, she would even faint from happiness.
So when he was just promoted to the first team, Jin Lili wanted to play a game with him, and A Shui was very happy and nodded in agreement immediately.
Later, as the number of times increased and the amount of money Ah Shui lost increased, she felt that something seemed to be wrong. But at that time, she did not dare to refuse easily, for fear of missing the opportunity to practice with the senior players.
Until Zhu Qi appeared...
"I want to be your sparring partner for the rest of my life!" Ah Shui's expression was even more determined than when he joined the party.
Zhu Qi glanced at her, and his coaching DNA stirred: "Aren't you planning on competing in the direct-entry tournament next year?"
"I'm just being silly. I don't dare to even think about it." Ah Shui shrank back. "I'm a left-handed player who switches from a straight to a horizontal stroke, and I have a special long rubber stroke. That's why I was selected for the national team. I know in my heart that my role on the team is just a sparring partner."
With the rubber specifications set by the International Table Tennis Federation, many of the previously colorful and diverse rubbers have been thrown away, and the only ones that can be used are anti-rubber, long rubber, positive rubber, and raw rubber.
However, what is actually used more in international competitions is anti-glue rubber, because anti-glue rubber is suitable for fast attack style of play.
There is not as much room for the development of special playing styles as there is for anti-glue.
The tactics that can be used are too few compared to those of players who use anti-slip rubber.
Once you are familiar with the special rubber, it will be easy to attack.
Therefore, players with special playing styles are generally not given too many singles opportunities in large-scale competitions.
But the national team still needs some players with special rubbers in case of emergency.
In case a special rubber comes out from abroad, there must be a player with the same special playing style at home who can serve as a sparring partner for the absolute main player.
A Shui has a clear understanding of his own positioning.
But Zhu Qi thought she had no ambition: "Spinning rubber is all the rage now. Long rubber is the nemesis of spin. If you practice well, you can surprise and win. You shouldn't give up on competing for singles qualification in the three major tournaments so early. No one can predict the future."
Maomao was also a little curious. She took A Shui's racket and began to study the rubber carefully.
Maomao and Zhu Qi are both anti-rubber players. The surface of the rubber is very smooth and the particles are sandwiched inside the rubber.
The long rubber particles are on the outside of the rubber. The exposed long particles can effectively offset the spin of the opponent's ball and allow the ball to rub inside the particles.
Very restrained rotation flow.
After hearing what Zhu Qi said, Ah Shui's confidence increased. "Really? Jin Lili said before that my long rubber had no future. And I'm also a fake left-handed player. My feel isn't as good as my real left hand, and I can't even pull against my right hand. I was really sad for a long time..."
A Shui is actually right-handed.
I usually use my right hand to eat, pick up things, and use scissors.
But when she was young, her enlightenment teacher found that A Shui's left hand had higher swing speed and higher rate of appearing on the table than her right hand. In addition, the provincial and national teams were short of left-handed people, so it would be easier for her to attract the attention of the coach, so she was allowed to play with her left hand.
"Actually, there are advantages to using a fake left hand. You can practice with your right hand. After all, your right hand is your dominant hand, so you'll definitely be quicker," Zhu Qi said. "If I were a fake left hand, I would definitely practice with both hands from a young age. But it's not too late now. In ten years, you'll only be 24. I can't say you'll be as good as your left-handed self since childhood, but you should be able to catch easy shots. Who knows, you might even be able to score in a crucial moment. I used to... oh, I mean, I had a friend before. She started practicing at 15, and by the time she was 25, no one could beat her except the national team."
Ah Shui's eyes grew brighter as Zhu Qi spoke. "Really? What's her name? Is she from Jianghuai Province too?"
"'She'...'She' went to be a coach. We haven't been in touch for a long time. You started earlier than 'her' and have the foundation. You can definitely do it too."
Maomao exclaimed in admiration: "Baobao, you really know a lot."
"Sprinkle some water." Zhu Qi.
Although Jin Lili lived next door to Zhu Qi and shared a suite with Chang Hongxia and Ding Shushu, for some reason Zhu Qi rarely saw her after their last fight.
Occasionally, they only met in the training hall through members of other groups.
Jin Lili acted as if she didn't see Zhu Qi when she saw him, and walked right past Zhu Qi to talk to someone else.
Zhu Qi didn't bother to pay attention to her. Instead, Chang Hongxia often came to her room door and asked if she needed any help.
"Sister Xia's retirement application has been rejected again." Maomao pulled Zhu Qi and A Shui and said in a low voice.
Ah Shui sat up straight. "Ah? The captain is retiring? That's right. Sister Xia and our Coach Xu are about the same age, right? They're from the same generation. Coach Xu has been retired for almost three years, and she's still a main player on the front line. Who will be the captain of the women's team in the future? Master Buddha won't let Ding Shushu or Jin Lili take the position, right? No way..."
"Xiajie definitely won't retire just yet. She still has to prepare for the Tokyo Games," Maomao sighed. "In two years, Xiajie will be 29, and she's got a lot of old injuries. It's going to be very difficult for her to fight, but she has to keep going... Baobao, Xiajie is actually quite optimistic about you."
Zhu Qi didn't respond. She couldn't say, "Don't worry, neither of you will get a card in two years."
Maomao then added, "Everyone knows it very well. The reason the national table tennis team can return so safely this time is because you won the World Championship. Otherwise, we would have been scolded to death..."
really……
Ding Shushu couldn't hold on, and Jin Lili's performance was unstable.
So even the captain started paying attention to the next batch of Maomao and Zhu Qi.
Maomao's age is just right. In two years, he will be 21, which is the prime of his life. However, his shoulder injury keeps recurring...
Ah Shui muttered, "It's not easy for Sister Xia either. She's dedicated all her youth to the national team. By the time I was 29, I would have retired and gotten married..."
/
The coaches are naturally aware of the current lack of young talent in the team.
Zhu Qi will only be 17 years old in two years, and she has only been in the national table tennis team for a short time. Can such an important task be entrusted to her?
Xu Dong ignored all this mess for now.
She also started out as a player, and now she has become a coach, so her way of thinking is naturally different.
The relationship between athletes and coaches is even closer than the relationship between athletes and their parents.
After all, some of these children have been training with city and provincial teams since they were seven or eight years old. They have entered the state of being half-social people while still being children.
For athletes, a coach is a guide, parent, and teacher all in one.
It is necessary not only to teach athletes skills and tactics, but also to teach them how to be human beings and cultivate their moral character.
Since He Qianlu handed this child to him, he is another excellent rough diamond.
No matter what, she must take good care of it!
So Xu Dong bought a notebook and wrote Zhu Qi's name on it.
Date of birth, height and weight, muscle mass, training indicators, physical fitness test, 200-meter sprint record, 400-meter record, 800-meter record...
...The more I wrote, the more things I had to remember, and I even included some random observations.
I like to eat steamed buns for breakfast because they are easy to carry and I can eat them on the way to training.
I like to go to the South Cantonese Restaurant for lunch because the chef who cooks Cantonese food doesn’t have shaky hands.
She hates all insects. Last time a flying insect landed on her towel, she washed it eight times.
I hate all sour foods, including sour fruits...during my period...
"Oh my god, are you raising a child? Is it really that serious?" Chang Hongxia was holding a document and was standing behind Xu Dong at some point, clicking her tongue.
"Go away and stop talking nonsense. What are you doing here?" Xu Dong closed his notebook and chatted with Chang Hongxia with a smile.
They used to be teammates, and Chang Hongxia took over the position of captain of the women's team from Xu Dong.
Before coming to see Xu Dong, Chang Hongxia had been looking through Zhu Qi's game records in the provincial team.
No wonder Chairman Ren always talks about this kid.
Since Zhu Qi was thirteen, he had hardly ever lost in domestic competitions. At fifteen, he was practically undefeated…
This is the "Wu Qu Star" that fell from the sky.
Little God of War.
The red mark representing the winning rate alone is enough to make one marvel when it comes into view.
He is truly worthy of being He Qianlu's disciple.
Chang Hongxia is only one year younger than Xu Dong, and is a fierce warrior from the same era as He Qianlu and Gao Xiaofeng.
However, He Qianlu had an accident, Xu Dong retired due to injury, and Gao Xiaofeng had been away from the team for a year, so I was the only one still playing.
Table tennis players generally retire between the ages of 25 and 30. At her age, she should have retired long ago to enjoy her retirement.
But Mr. Fo said, "Ding Shushu has been given up by the coaching staff, and Jin Lili is too impetuous and not fully focused on playing. Bring Maomao out, and I'll pay special attention to her in next year's direct tournament."
Chang Hongxia subconsciously said, "Zhu Qi is not bad either."
Of course, Master Fo knew that Zhu Qi was also good. After thinking for a moment, he gave Chang Hongxia a hint: "What do you think of Zhu Qi's doubles?"
Chang Hongxia felt that the old man was getting old and his mind might be a little off. "Zhu Qi is a singles athlete, it would be a waste for her to play doubles. And if you want her to play doubles, who do you want her to be paired with? Jin Lili? Impossible, neither of them would agree!"
Of course, Master Fo knew that what Chang Hongxia said was right, but he also had his own concerns.
But soon, Chang Hongxia reacted.
Two years later, Zhu Qi was only 17 years old, and the General Administration of Sports had regulations that it was impossible to allow someone without World Games experience to get a singles spot.
The pressure of the Tokyo World Games is so great. As Japan's home team, they will definitely try their best to win the gold medal. It may be the most difficult Games in the history of Chinese table tennis.
Buddha may want Zhu Qi to start with doubles to familiarize herself with major competitions and participate in the women's doubles in the mixed team.
Chang Hongxia then volunteered: "How about this, if you want Zhu Qi to play doubles, let me pair with her. I can help her get used to the competition, and once she's practiced enough, I'll let her and Maomao play the regular women's doubles."
This was exactly what the Buddha had been waiting for, and he nodded immediately: "Let's do it."
So... Chang Hongxia came to find Xu Dong.
When Xu Dong learned that Master Buddha planned to let Zhu Qi practice doubles, he did not react much.
Everyone knows that it is impossible to let a 17-year-old newcomer play such an important position as singles in an important competition with national attention like the World Games. It would be good if he could participate in mixed team first.
As a former teammate, Xu Dong asked, "Old Chang, tell me the truth. What do you think of the overall level of Bao Bao and Maomao?"
She is Zhu Qi's head coach and loves every child she has.
Of course, Xu Dong was more inclined towards Zhu Qi, so he wanted to talk to Chang Hongxia.
By the way, let’s speculate on the Buddha’s “holy will”.
Chang Hongxia was silent for a moment, then began to balance things out: "The tracks are different, so it's impossible to compare. After all, for so many years, fans haven't been able to tell who's stronger between He Qianlu and Gao Xiaofeng. Perhaps a behind-closed-doors match will reveal who's stronger."
Maomao's ball is more about power and speed, fast and fierce! Many male players feel shaking when playing with Maomao.
Zhu Qi's ball relies primarily on spin, supplemented by speed. The course is unpredictable, the arcs are frighteningly exaggerated, and the speed of the swing is dazzling and overwhelming.
The competition between the twin stars on the same stage is also a regret of "If there is Yu, why is there Liang?"
"But there is one interesting thing about Zhu Qi." Chang Hongxia suddenly interjected.
Xu Dong raised his eyes: "What?"
"Zhu Qi has excellent match-adjustment skills and is a player who can handle pressure. I watched her match against Japan's Miho Hashiro at the World Championship Cup. Almost half the crowd was Japanese, cheering Hashiro on while also making a lot of noise from the sidelines. But Zhu Qi wasn't affected at all. Instead, she got better and better..." Chang Hongxia pinched her chin, intrigued. "She has a strong core."
/
When Ren Xinhua heard about Zhu Qi's plan to practice doubles, he came over to participate.
"I think she can be paired with a male team member." Ren Xinhua stood next to the men's team training ground with a smile on his face, and began to scan the boys below with the eyes of "picking a son-in-law".
"Male players? Mixed doubles?" Xu Dong hesitated. "Would Master Buddha agree?"
"When Zhu Qi was on the provincial team, she often practiced against the male players. I heard that she had to let the male players hold the ball in order to play. Isn't she the chosen mixed doubles seed? Being able to catch the opponent's male players' balls is a huge challenge for the female mixed doubles players. I heard that when the Japanese practice mixed doubles, they prepare a style of play in which the women defend and the men attack. If we can send out a double attacker here, wouldn't we be invincible?"
Xu Dong thought it made sense and nodded: "Then who should we let Bao Bao team up with?"
"Don't worry about this for now, go and ask her what she means first."
Xu Dong repeated what Ren Xinhua said, but was directly rejected by Zhu Qi.
"I won't fight."
"Why?" Xu Dong lay beside him, looking at Zhu Qi who was stretching on the soft rubber floor, and began to coax the child.
"I haven't fought, I can't."
"It's okay. If you've never played before, you can practice first. Doubles is a new field. It's like playing one against two, which is more challenging!" Xu Dong patiently persuaded. "And in mixed doubles—there will be men on the other side! Haven't you been practicing masculine play? This is a great opportunity! Think about it, if you can catch the ball from the men on the other side, and even score against them, wouldn't it be even easier to play against those foreign women? Just two or three hours a day to practice your coordination won't interfere with your singles. Anyway, give it a try. It's good to learn some techniques! If you really can't keep up, I'll break you up later..."
Xu Dong tried to persuade him earnestly for a long time, and Zhu Qi finally said, "I don't like playing with male players. These young masters are so demanding and pretentious. They're terrible at playing and like to shirk responsibility. I don't like that. Oh, and some of them have sweaty feet. Last time I passed by the men's locker room, they almost suffocated me. No, no!"
Because of the huge disparity in strength between the men's and women's teams, when it was first announced that people would be selected to practice mixed doubles, many male players had complaints about the mixed doubles event.
It is believed that the quality of the balls used by female players is too poor and does not help improve their personal skills.
Sometimes the women's team would call a few men's team members to come over for sparring, but it would take a long time, and after practice the women's team would have to help them clean up.
Zhu Qi couldn't stand this.
Let me fight the boy, yes.
Let the boy partner with me, damai.
Practicing with me? It would be your honor!
Xu Dong understood immediately: "Then I'll find you someone who's quiet, honest, and obedient, with a good appearance, clean, and pleasing to the eye! Okay?"
Seeing how patient she was, Zhu Qi felt a little soft-hearted.
After carefully considering what Xu Dong had just said, Zhu Qi added, "Don't slack off, don't argue with me, and don't refute my tactics. You must obey me unconditionally in terms of tactics. Otherwise, I will cancel it at any time. Keep focusing on singles."
Xu Dong turned around and repeated the words to Ren Xinhua.
"He needs to have a good personality, good looks, and be a good player." The men's team's head coach shook his head as he listened nearby: "Are you choosing a partner? Or a son-in-law?"
Ren Xinhua narrowed his eyes and smiled: "What's the big deal? I can make one right away. Call Song Linzhou over."
【Author’s words】
This chapter is still three in one!
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