Chapter 551: 551
Noel, a famous American tennis player, lived in Los Angeles . He had previously made it into the quarterfinals of the U . S . Open .
Noel was currently ranked 25th in the world . According to the rules of the grand slam, the first 32 ranked players were seeded . So, in the upcoming U . S . Open, Noel was the 25th seed .
At the moment, a young Chinese man was training with Noel on the court . He was Noel's new training partner .
The Chinese youth was Zhen Chen .
Noel was also a client of Dai Li . Under Dai Li's introduction, Zhen Chen was given a chance to become Noel's training partner .
Training with a world-class player was a valuable opportunity . Zhen Chen valued this training . Even if he was only a training partner, he treated it extremely seriously .
For Zhen Chen, it was impossible for him to train with a player of Noel's standard in his regularly . Moreover, in the process of training with Noel, Noel or Noel's coach would give him a few reminders . These were tidbits were extra bonuses, as he wouldn't normally get them in his training .
Noel was very willing to give Zhen Chen a few pointers . Of course, Noel wanted his training partner to be stronger so his training session would go better . Besides, Zhen Chen's ranked just inside 200; it would be difficult for him to reach the main stage of grand slam tournaments, and Noel was a seeded player . Zhen Chen's ranking was not a threat to Noel so, even if Zhen Chen improved, he couldn't possibly become a threat to Noel . Noel didn't have to worry about being defeated by this disciple .
As training for the day came to an end, Dai Li appeared on the training ground .
"Coach Li, this fella that you introduced isn't bad . He's very hard working . The only thing is that he doesn't seem to be very talkative . He only spoke when I asked him something," Noel smiled as he welcomed Dai Li .
"Yeah, the kid is a bit of an introvert," Dai Li said . "Noel, I'm afraid he will no longer be your training partner anymore . "
"Why? The kid isn't bad and, besides, there are only ten days left before the qualifiers . He can stay here for a few more days," Noel said .
"I found him a tennis coach . He's going there for a week of specialized training," Dai Li lowered his voice and said, "It's Coach Wiggins' private training camp . "
"Coach Wiggins!" Noel exclaimed .
"Lower your voice . I don't want Zhen Chen to hear about this," Dai Li said .
"Oh heavens, Wiggins is the best tennis coach in the United States . His private training camp cost $20,000 a week!" Noel blurted .
"To be exact, it's $20,000 for five days . Coach Wiggins rests on the weekend," Dai Li shrugged in resignation .
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"Coach Li, forgive me for being direct, but this expenditure isn't worth it . Sending Zhen Chen to Coach Wiggins' training camp is a waste . Even with Coach Wiggins' special training, it's impossible for him to get a decent result in the U . S . Open . Even if he made it into the main tournament, it would only be for one round," Noel said .
Dai Li knew what Noel said was true . If Zhen Chen were an athlete with S+ grade talent, giving him a week of specialized training might have produced a miracle, but Zhen Chen was only a B+ talent . Even if he were to receive the best training in the world, he only had the capability to barely make it into the main tournament . It wasn't possible for him to go that far into the tournament . He might not even make it through the first round .
"In terms of a return on investment, this is indeed a bad deal . " Dai Li smiled and said, "However, if it can help realize the dream of two generations of people, then, to me, the fee is worth it . "
. . .
In the middle of the night, after a day of exhausting training, Zhen Chen had fallen asleep . Jianguo Chen was, however, hiding in the toilet, whispering into the phone so he wouldn't startle his sleeping son .
"Don't worry, we're doing fine over here . Coach Li takes great care of us . No problem in terms of lodging or food . We have enough . The money I've brought is definitely enough . I'll be bringing our son to New York for the qualifier of the U . S . Open in two days . We've already booked the tickets . After the tournament ends, we'll return to China . "
After wrapping up the conversation with his wife, Jianguo Chen called Zhongyi Xu .
"Old Xu, I'm really thankful to you . Coach Li found a coach for Zhen Chen, so he doesn't have to be Noel's training partner anymore . Yeah, a tennis coach, I've seen them . He is much better than me . That said, this is because you, Old Xu, have the right connections!"
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After chatting with Zhongyi Xu for a while, Jianguo Chen looked at the time and realized it was the work day in China .
"Is this Director Huang? I'm Jianguo Chen, Zhen Chen's father . Yes, yes, also his coach . Zhen Chen and I are currently in the United States, we're preparing for the U . S . Open . Yes, thank you, leader . I'm calling because I have something that I need your help with . The U . S . Open is about to begin, and Zhen Chen is about to compete in the qualifier . Can you contact the media and inform them?
"Exactly, Director . The higher the exposure, the more chance of sponsorship . Since the reformation of tennis in our country, the livelihood of athletes has not been as stable as before . Constantly going overseas for competitions, the expenditure on the basic necessities are indeed quite high . If there is no sponsor, it is indeed quite difficult .
"Then I really have to thank Director Huang in advance . Yes, you are right, a blacksmith needs his own hardware . He's been training really hard . He just went to an American training camp today . The coach is Coach Wiggins, I heard he's quite famous in the U . S .
"Yes, in Los Angeles . That's right, the coach is named Brad Wiggins . Even you know him!
"Oh? You've been to the U . S . for reconnaissance before and you've visited Coach Wiggins' training camp? In that case, this Coach Wiggins really is quite famous . Even our National Tennis Management center went to him to learn .
"What did you say? The fee for Coach Wiggins' training camp is at least $20,000?"
Jianguo Chen froze .
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. . .
The sound of the alarm woke Zhen Chen . Although he still wanted to sleep a little more, he knew he had to train at Wiggins', so he forced himself to get out of his bed .
Later, he saw his father seated on the sofa alone, staring out the window with a blank face .
"Dad, you're up early," Zhen Chen said . He noticed the bags under Jianguo Chen's eyes .
"Dad, did you sleep well? Insomnia? You didn't sleep the whole night?" Zhen Chen felt pain as he looked at his father .
Jianguo Chen slowly turned his head over . He let out a long sigh and told his son, "Son, once you're at Coach Wiggins' place, you better train seriously . Don't waste a second!"
Zhen Chen felt the weight of Jianguo Chen's words . It had been a while since his father used such a tone with him .
"Dad, is something wrong?" Zhen Chen asked .
Jianguo Chen shook his head, "We really owe Coach Li a big favor this time . This U . S . Open, if you don't make it into the main tournament, we really let Coach Li down!"
Zhen Chen nodded without fully comprehending everything . He didn't know that the cost of training at Wiggins' training camp was $20,000 for five days . One day cost $4,000 .Please download our sponsor's game to support us!