Chapter 13 – Heaven’s proud son
The current No. 1 singles player for the Bruins is senior Klay Thompson, who stands at 198 cm and weighs 88 kg, boasting outstanding physical attributes.
Over the past three years, his performance had been somewhat inconsistent, but in his senior year, two major changes occurred: his physical development was fully complete, and his mental game became much more stable. As a result, his overall performance has undergone a dramatic transformation.
Since August of this year, he has first won a Challenger title. Then, after losing the opening match of the fall season, he went on a 19-match winning streak, at one point climbing to the No. 1 seed in the nation, showcasing exceptional form. He currently holds the No. 2 seed, and remains one of the top players in the country.
Without a doubt, Thompson is the team’s No. 1 singles player.
However, when it comes to physical potential and tennis talent, it’s Marcos Giron who is considered the future hope of the Bruins.
Now a junior, Giron’s playing style is taking shape. Though his 180 cm, 77 kg frame isn’t particularly imposing, he excels at using his opponent’s power against them. He hits cleanly, has excellent timing, and possesses an outstanding tactical mind. His shot selection and placement are clearly ahead of his peers, and he has hidden strengths in anticipation, feel, and game sense.
In both junior and college tennis, players often rely more on physicality due to inexperience, which causes court IQ to be overlooked. Matches tend to be more straightforward, and physical advantages often stand out more clearly.
If Thompson and Giron were to face off, Thompson might still win by leveraging his superior physicality, but it would be a tough match and require significant effort.
At present, Giron is firmly positioned as the team’s No. 2 singles player.
Billy Martin (the coach) places great importance on Giron. Everyone knows that if Thompson’s form dips, it wouldn’t be surprising for Giron to step up as the No. 1 singles player.
Because of this, players often jokingly call Giron “Heaven’s chosen one”. Even Thompson joins in on the teasing.
Giron himself grew up showered in praise and has always been confident in his abilities. Though not ostentatious, he carries a quiet pride and holds himself to very high standards. From a young age, he set his sights on becoming a professional player—no one demands more from himself than Giron does.
In fact, Giron’s later professional career proved this point:
This season, he won the NCAA national singles championship, bringing the men’s singles title back to UCLA for the first time in eight years. Soon after, Giron left college tennis to go pro and quickly achieved impressive results.
Earlier than Mackenzie McDonald, Giron made a splash shortly after turning pro. He qualified for the Masters main draws via the qualifying rounds, showing strong competitiveness.
But unfortunately, injuries became a major obstacle for him. Just over a year into his pro career—during a crucial growth phase—Giron suffered a severe hip injury and underwent surgery at the end of 2015. His career was nearly derailed.
Giron himself considered giving up multiple times, but after much thought and struggle, he decided to persevere. He slowly recovered post-surgery and finally found a second wind in 2019, winning two Challenger titles and finishing runner-up in another. He also qualified for a Grand Slam main draw for the first time.
In early 2021, Giron achieved a career-high ranking, breaking into the Top 100 at No. 70. From that point, his ranking alone was enough to enter the highest-level tournaments—Grand Slams and Masters—and he even defeated several Top 20 players along the way.
In terms of talent and ability, Giron is indeed outstanding—even more so than McDonald.
From a young age, Giron has always drawn attention and admiration. Even though he never attended a professional tennis academy, he has always been a “rising star” in the NCAA.
When his teammates teased him good-naturedly, Giron didn’t mind at all. He simply walked over to the court and set down his tennis bag.
For Giron, now a college junior, if he wants to go pro, it means he doesn’t have much time left to keep improving. He needs to seize every opportunity, fully devote himself to training and competition—there are no shortcuts.
Giron gently bounced on the spot a few times to warm up and activate his body. As he was preparing for warm-up drills, he suddenly felt a piercing gaze on his shoulder. A jolt ran down his spine—as if he’d been shocked by electricity.
“Huh?”
Reflexively, Giron turned to look—and without even trying, he saw Gao Wen walking toward him with a bright, friendly smile.
“Hey, Marcos, good morning.”
Noticing Giron’s gaze, Gao Wen waved enthusiastically. His smile bloomed like a flower, and his bright eyes sparkled in the sunlight—like a puppy spotting a… poop nugget? No wait, no! Pfft! More like a big bad wolf spotting a lamb.
Wait—why am I the lamb? Shouldn’t I be the wolf?
Giron couldn’t make sense of his own thoughts.
Before he could figure it out, Gao Wen had already spoken:
“Marcos, would you mind playing against me in the practice match later?”
In Gao Wen’s eyes, Giron was indeed a lamb—one that could be nicely sheared for some wool.
He wanted to test his theory—whether Growth Potential during high-level competition varied depending on the opponent’s skill level.
As things stood, Giron was clearly more impressive than McDonald. And unlike Thompson’s power-based tennis, Giron played with finesse and agility, which meant that without being overwhelmed by brute force, Gao Wen would have more room to execute his own techniques. He could engage in a more intense and dynamic match with Giron.
Compared to Thompson, Giron was a more suitable “lab rat.”
Giron was a bit surprised.
“I thought you usually practised with Mac.”
But Gao Wen didn’t directly answer. He just smiled and said,
“Final exams really fried my brain lately. I figured if I pushed my body to the limit, I might clear my head. A physical challenge might actually help me feel better. What do you think?”
Giron: ???
He looked at Gao Wen with a strange expression.
What kind of bizarre logic is this?
While the rest of the team was desperate for a break from training after being crushed by finals, this guy wanted to do the opposite?
But sensing Gao Wen’s eyes still on him, Giron coughed twice to cover up the confusion in his mind, quickly looked away, and responded nonchalantly:
“Sure, no problem. It’s just a practice match anyway.”
“Oh yeah!” Gao Wen cheered, then turned and jogged off toward McDonald, looking just like an excited Samoyed let off its leash.
Giron tilted his head slightly, watching Gao Wen’s retreating figure, and surprisingly began to feel a bit excited himself:
Since Gao Wen was asking for a challenge, he definitely wouldn’t be going easy on him.
T/N – Usually, I am just lazy, but this time I really have an excuse for my absence. Actually, I found a job, so give me a moment to settle everything and figure out my schedule. I will try to get back to uploading more chapters soon.
T/N – If you like this novel so far please give it a rating on Novel Updates so that more people will read it…