The Absolute on the Tennis Court - Chapter 174



Only Krnovel

Episode 174

Cincinnati Open (9) – Benchmark

#. 4:20 PM

#-1 USA, Mason

#-2. Asiana Korean Restaurant

The best thing about touring in the United States is that you can easily find Korean restaurants.

‘Asiana Korean Restaurant’, located about 20 minutes away by car from the stadium, was the only Korean restaurant near Mason, and I was invited to come here again.

I made an inquiry via social media DM, and even though it was normally break time, they opened the store for me.

When the lady asked for an autograph and a photo in return, I answered that I could do more than that.

“Fuck you magger. “Even if I use chopsticks, it doesn’t improve.”

“What about the one I bought you?”

“I know. “That’s too bad.”

“It’s better than messing around like that.”

“Shit… “I’ll have to use a fork.”

“Tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk.”

There was already a fork on the table.

However, Coach Ace insisted.

He didn’t want everyone to be good at using chopsticks except him, but eventually he gave up and picked up a fork.

I finally feel a little more at ease.

“But I have one question.”

“what?”

“What were you talking about with Dimitrov earlier?”

“yes?”

“After the match. “We had a long conversation.”

“ah-”

At Coach Philip’s words, Coach Andrei, who was obsessed with bulgogi, also raised his head as if he was curious.

“Roger asked what it meant.”

“huh?”

“I interpreted it this way.”

Do you want to be like Roger Federer?

I answered him like this:

“no. “I want to beat him.”

“… .”

“… .”

“Hwii-”

The final whistle was blown by Coach Ace.

Other people looked like they needed more explanation.

So we started talking again.

“I want to be like Roger Federer. But that doesn’t mean he wants to be exactly like him. “I want to learn a lot from his play and become a better tennis player.”

“In some ways, it’s natural… .”

“How did Dimitrov react?”

“He said he would know why we lost.”

“So, that’s what you said?”

“yes. “Now that I know why I lost, I will become stronger in the future.”

I didn’t think it was a big deal, but Coach Andrei looked more serious than I thought.

When I asked the Ace coach next to me what I did wrong, he answered just the opposite.

So you think I did a good job?

What on earth?

“It’s an adult’s worry.”

It’s an adult’s problem.

Then you have to respect it first.

When I was worried, my parents and coaches helped me organize my thoughts by myself without asking questions.

Because I ask for help if I need it.

But who does the coach ask for help?

I stabbed Coach Ace in the side again.

“well… But, I trust Andrei.”

“yes. “I am doing so.”

“Okeydokey. “Then that’s it.”

Mr. Atticus joined us just in time, and in addition, the chicken stir-fry soup that the owner made for me was served.

When I told him I couldn’t eat bulgogi because I don’t eat red meat because it was a competition, he said he couldn’t do that and served me food that wasn’t on the menu when I told him I could eat something else.

The coaches and Mr. Atticus showed interest in the large pot filled with fried chicken.

“Da—am. “Is this a chicken?”

“yes. it is delicious. “Try it.”

“I think the red one will get angry at the spicy one… .”

“no way. Nim, jjol?”

“what?! “Do I look like a scared person in front of something like this?”

“Honestly, it feels a little tight right now.”

“Phew.”

Atticus’ words, which were the first to get on Coach Ace’s nerves, made Coach Ace, who jumped into the fried chicken soup with excitement, quickly start sweating.

His eyes were half-opened and he leaned against the back of the chair, unable to keep his mouth shut as he continued to lick his appetite.

“Would you like some milk?”

“… That, Kellogg. Huh. “Will you do that?”

“haha.”

I asked for some milk and focused on eating too.

From the neat side dishes, there is nothing that is not delicious.

The most important things to eat after a tennis match are sodium and carbohydrates, and it is very important to eat a balanced, high-calorie meal within 30 minutes of completing recovery training.

Considering that, Korean food centered on rice and vegetables is a very good menu for tennis players.

If you eat this much now, dinner can be as light as potatoes/eggs/pancakes/chicken breast.

It is a fat/caffeine/sugar free diet.

“Are you telling me to upload all of this too?”

“huh.”

Today, I decided to post what I ate all day on social media, so I got permission from Mr. Atticus and posted the photos I took at the restaurant.

comment.

I enjoyed it so much.

#Asiana Korean Restaurant

#team

#Cincinnati Open

#quarterfinals

Just like in the morning, the response was truly explosive.

* * *

#. 7:00 pm

#-One. USA, Mason

#-2. Spring Hill Suites by Marriott

For Marin Cilic, the Masters Series was a stage that did not lead to victory.

Even in 2014, the best season of her career when she won the US Open, her best result was reaching the round of 16 at Indian Wells.

Then, this year, he advanced to the quarterfinals of the Masters Series for the first time, and reached the semifinals at this year’s Cincinnati Open, breaking his career Masters tournament record.

Here, the new coach was a big help.

On July 21, Marin Cilic announced on his social media that he would no longer work with Goran Ivanisevic.

There wasn’t a particular problem.

It’s just a bit of a conflict of opinion.

After being eliminated from Wimbledon, Goran Ivanisevic insisted that his serve needed to be further improved, and Marin Cilic believed that he could not reach the title because of factors other than his serve.

The two had many conversations afterward, and reached an amicable agreement, ending the contract as of July 21.

During this process, Goran Ivanisevic helped find a new coach for Marin Cilic.

As a result, Jonas Björkman, who joined Andy Murray’s team last year and was recognized for his abilities, was recruited.

Bjorkmann, who is credited with further developing Andy Murray’s stroke game as his assistant coach, was a popular man among tennis coaches living outside the country.

And through this Cincinnati Open, he is once again proving his capabilities.

“Much better than Wimbledon.”

“That’s how I see it.”

“… Good. “That’s a great shot.”

“You can only do this if you have talent.”

“okay.”

Marin Cilic, who returned to the hotel after the match, is eating food that one of his teammates had moved ahead of time.

Mason is a small town, so there were no restaurants serving dinnertime food.

Especially since Chilichi was not inconvenienced by delivery food, when participating in a tour with this kind of environment, one of the team members would always pack food and bring it to the hotel during recovery training.

Even now, Marin Cilic is eating slightly cooled pasta and watching Shin Universe’s match with his teammates.

“oh-! “Now that’s a really good shot.”

“Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, I would have crossed.”

“He’s creative and has confidence in his shots.”

“Fifteen.”

“Oh my god… “That’s a foul.”

“That’s right.”

During his active years, Bjorkmann was the best doubles player of his time.

There are nine doubles Grand Slam titles alone.

At the same time, he had a brilliant career as a singles player, rising to 4th place in the world rankings and leading Sweden to three Davis Cup championships.

Jonas Bjorkman’s nickname is ‘Professor’.

This professor has the same meaning in Swedish and English.

In fact, he boasts excellent analytical skills.

“hmm… .”

Only Bjork, with serious eyes, quietly focused on the TV screen until Marin Cilic finished his meal.

“I get tired when the rally gets longer.”

“I think so.”

“There are too many weapons.”

Jonas Bjorkman, who has begun a full-scale analysis, presents the framework of a strategy for dealing with the New Universe.

The basics rarely change.

This is a natural part.

Since a player’s strengths are what he or she does best, it is the job of a good coach to maintain those strengths, hide weaknesses, and at the same time enable the player to attack the opponent.

“I want you to play it for as long as possible.”

“That’s why you always try.”

“know. What I mean is, he’s a little bit uncomfortable when he’s playing the forehand low.”

“really?”

“huh.”

To Marin Cilic’s surprise, Jonas Bjorkmann showed several situations as proof.

As I reached for my laptop, the TV screen moved.

“Only when you’re not running.”

“… .”

“Mistakes often occur when exchanging strokes in the same spot or when dealing with a forehand from a low point.”

“The grip… .”

“I don’t know. “It might be something you’re not used to.”

“It’s a little weird, but I get it.”

There is a complicated reason why Marin Cilic and Jonas Bjorkmann’s opinions diverge here.

Shin Woo-joo, whose main grip was originally a right-handed full-western grip, was inspired by watching Lee Ga Spiontek change his grip frequently to make strokes during the last Roland Garros.

He later met Marin Cilic at Wimbledon, but at the time, Shin Woo-ju insisted on a semi-western grip to suit the characteristics of the grass court.

However, on hard courts, the grip changed frequently, and he showed weakness in low ball handling when using a semi-western grip.

Jonas Bjorkman was able to grasp the same part that Roger Federer saw right away through video.

“I don’t think a First Strike game would be bad.”

“Well, that’s what I do best.”

“I even did things I told myself not to do.”

“That’s why I hired you.”

“I’ve said this several times, Marin. “It was my choice.”

“Is that what you think?”

Although they have only been together for about a month, their relationship seems very strong.

It’s proof that Marin Cilic trusts his coach.

“I’ll watch some more in my room.”

“yes. “It’s almost time to get a massage.”

“Well then, see you later.”

Click.

Jonas Bjorkmann left the room.

He is now.

‘I can win.’

Marin Cilic is confident of his first Masters final.

* * *

#. August 20, 2016

#-One. USA, Mason

#-2. Lindner Family Tennis Center

#-3. center court

【“Game, Kerber.”】

The 9th day of the Cincinnati Open, with only two days left, started relatively quietly.

This is because the men’s and women’s doubles and women’s singles, which are played on two courts, received relatively less attention, but many people still enjoyed the great Masters match.

Then at 2 p.m.

An alarm rang on several women’s cell phones, and the same alarm rang at the ‘TENNIS CHANNEL’ broadcast desk located next to the grand stand.

Normally, she would have ignored it or just glanced at the screen, but Thalia Gomes couldn’t do that this time.

Her eyes widened and she started fiddling with her phone screen frantically, but soon she covered her mouth.

‘Are you kidding me?’

Vogue, a global fashion magazine.

They just announced the September issue of the US edition through their official social media accounts.

Following a long-standing tradition, the cover of Vogue’s September issue, released on the 20th of every month, proudly featured a face that tennis fans would never recognize.

“Greg-?!!”

“why?!!”

“Either come here now, or check Vogue’s Twitter!!”

“what??”

“Right now!!!”

Vogue has strict standards for Asians. In addition, Shin Woo-joo, who is only 15 years old and a tennis player, was chosen as the sole model for the September issue of the US edition, which can be considered the main character.

This news, which would be surprising to anyone with even the slightest interest in fashion, instantly took the Internet world by storm.

The most notable reactions came from people who were not normally interested in tennis, which is why news articles related to Shinwoo quickly dominated the search algorithm.

“Vogue? When did this happen… .”

“Does that matter now?”

“this!”

Tennis Channel acquired IMG’s original television rights holdings for the ATP World Tour and has monopolized broadcasting of the ATP World Tour since 2006.

Wisely, instead of taking a complicated route, they chose to sell the video rights to broadcasters around the world who wanted to broadcast tennis, and they achieved great results in doing so.

Shinwooju was a very important entity for this tennis channel, and thanks to it, quarterly net profit increased several times.

It was because of Shinwoo that the Cincinnati Open, which was originally broadcast only through ‘ESPN 2,’ was aired on the main page and broadcast in 12 countries around the world.

As if to prove this, the main director’s phone immediately started blowing up after the September issue cover of Vogue was announced.

Although it was a call from higher-ups, Mark McCarty, who caught the call that was also his bread and butter, looked through the list of freelancers with orders to search for additional personnel.

Meanwhile.

“It’s dazzling.”

“therefore.”

“If only I wasn’t fifteen… .”

“why? “Can I at least try to seduce you?”

“How could it be possible for at least one night?”

“Wake up from your dream~”

The female staff of Tennis Channel were all smiles as they looked at Vogue’s September cover photo together.

“If you look good, it’s just fun.”

“I know yeah.”

* * *

#. same time

#-One. USA, Mason

#-2. Comfort Suites Mason

My cell phone was bothering me a little while ago, so I just turned it off.

“great. Let’s begin.”

“okay.”

Yesterday, the coaches were very considerate of me.

After eating at Asiana and returning to the accommodation, we played around all day, had dinner again, got a massage, and then fell asleep.

I put tennis aside for a while.

Instead, I slept a lot.

I fell asleep around 11pm while playing around with Coach Ace, but it was noon when I opened my eyes.

Then I went straight to my morning routine and ate.

So it’s already 2pm.

“Cilic’s strength on hard courts lies in his height.”

“… .”

“I guess I guess I got lucky.”

After losing at Wimbledon last time, the opponent I imagined competing against was Marin Cilic more often than Roger Federer.

And in that imagination, I lost most of the time.

If you fight 20 times, maybe win once or twice?

To that extent, Marin Cilic was a difficult opponent for me on the grass court.

I thought about what it would be like if we fought on a court other than the grass court, but I thought I would almost win on the clay court, but I couldn’t figure out how to win on the hard court.

However, the opponent had another advantage.

Because of his height, he was able to attack low ball handling, but the hard court had greater bounce than the grass court, so the ball bounced high.

It wasn’t as good as Clay, but it was enough to hide his weaknesses.

what.

How did I fight at Wimbledon?

“So, I wish I could slice it a little more.”

“During service games? Or a return game?”

“All.”

“ah… . I understood.”

Slice is considered the most strategically important element in stroke situations.

Usually, slices are thought to be important when you are on the defensive or change the flow of a rally, but in reality, it is a very effective card offensively as well.

Steve Johnson and Grigor Dimitrov, who met in this tournament, also used the backhand slice effectively.

I learned a lot about how to use it during the match, but it seemed to be even more important in today’s match.

“I want you to get the first strike with a slice.”

“ah… .”

First strike is a word that sums up the playing style of Marin Cilic, whom I met at Wimbledon.

The style of trying to score a point by immediately hitting the returned ball hard in your serve game is called a first strike, and this type has a short rally.

To be specific, this is a common type among aggressive base liners.

“Change your return method a little.”

“yes. I understood.”

There are times when the opponent’s serve is strong and the return is blocked in the form of a block, but if you intentionally aim for a slice return, the burden on the serve is much reduced.

I was already worried about my opponent’s serve.

But thinking about it this way made me feel a little more comfortable.

“Cilic will try to reduce the rally as much as possible.”

“Can I do the opposite?”

“yes. “First of all, let’s start from there.”

“yes.”

I’m already really looking forward to today’s match.

* * *

[New world, new reference point – VOGUE]