Chapter 15 – Highly motivated
“Ho ho ho! Little prince! Little prince!”
Amid the cheering, Giron looked a bit helpless.
He had felt that Gao Wen seemed especially energised today—full of drive and courage. He could sense that enthusiasm, feel the heat of it, and even found himself itching to join in. The dull, monotonous daily training suddenly seemed a little more enjoyable.
But once everyone started egging them on like that, the mood shifted.
Giron worried about how Gao Wen might react. After all, he was still a freshman, young and full of pride.
To his surprise, not only did Gao Wen not get angry, he actually looked fired up—rolling his shoulders, fists ready, eyes bright and focused, as if fully prepared.
That excitement was infectious. Giron straightened up without realising it, pushing aside his concern. “Well? Start now?”
Gao Wen nodded. “Basic footwork?”
Giron didn’t reply, just headed straight toward the footwork training area.
Gao Wen gave McDonald a clenched-fist gesture of encouragement, then bounced after Giron, practically skipping.
Footwork training in tennis is extremely detailed and complicated. It’s not just about moving quickly—it’s about constantly staying in motion while maintaining balance and centre of gravity, and finding the best position and space to hit the ball. It’s far from easy.
The system’s footwork manual made that clear: thirty-six different drills in total, including both equipment-free exercises and those using tools—jump rope, resistance bands, balance balls, agility ladders, step boards, long planks, treadmills, soccer balls, and tennis balls.
A wide range of training methods ensures that footwork becomes as instinctive as walking or running—an automatic response that turns into a built-in metronome, allowing the body to control balance and rhythm during movement. The goal is to handle every situation in a match without needing to think.
Naomi Osaka, born in 1997, struggled with lazy footwork early in her professional career, which made her performance inconsistent. Even with her exceptional physical talent, she couldn’t achieve the results people expected. Then, in 2018, she changed coaches to Sascha Bajin.
Bajin had been Serena Williams’ hitting partner for eight years, and although coaching Osaka was his first job as a head coach, under his guidance, Osaka’s footwork transformed completely. Later in her matches, you could often see her slapping her thighs before returning serve, reminding herself not to slack off with her movement.
After Bajin took over, Osaka’s world ranking shot from 68th to 4th, and she went on to win four Grand Slam titles.
Of course, Naomi Osaka’s rise to the top owed a great deal to her physical talent, but footwork training was undeniably one crucial element among many—something that could never be overlooked.
Before long, Giron noticed something unusual about Gao Wen.
It wasn’t that he was finishing the drills unusually fast, but that the quality of his training was exceptionally high—
Gao Wen was completely absorbed in the exercises, utterly focused, paying meticulous attention to every detail to make sure each set met the standard. At the same time, his physical state was excellent: his footwork was light and agile, his movements almost featherlike. As he hopped, crossed, shifted, and spun, his dazzling footwork was truly impressive.
Like a cheetah—no, more like a lynx.
Practising beside him, Giron could feel the pressure, and despite himself, a competitive instinct flared.
He was only twenty, after all—young, proud, and demanding of himself. Without meaning to, he pushed harder and harder to keep up with Gao Wen. Within just fifteen minutes, he was drenched in sweat, his training shirt soaked through, sweat dripping off him in rivulets.
The other teammates had all turned to stare, stunned.
Why?
Because winter training came with strict limits—no exceeding the daily quota. On average, they had less than two hours of official training per day. That meant they couldn’t overload during team sessions. Strength work, hitting drills, and footwork—those were things players had to do on their own time, balancing them with homework and exams.
During scheduled training, they normally just warmed up lightly to avoid unnecessary injuries, then moved straight into practice matches. The head coach would point out technical and tactical issues, helping players maximise their strengths and hide their weaknesses, then arrange targeted drills if needed.
In other words, right now was supposed to be just a warm-up. Yet Gao Wen and Giron were already going all out, sweating buckets, which left everyone speechless.
“What’s up with Gao Wen today? Did he confess to his crush and get rejected?”
Someone whispered to McDonald, trying to pry out the truth.
McDonald, honest as he was, still managed to defend his friend with a stiff reply, “Can you not project your own experiences onto others?”
“Hahaha!”
The whole group burst into laughter.
Grant, however, looked worried. Winter training had only just begun—were Gao Wen and Giron pushing themselves too hard, too soon? He glanced at head coach Martin.
Billy Martin had been watching for a while as well, but he simply shook his head, a hint of a smile in his eyes.
“Don’t worry,” he said softly. “This might actually be a good thing.”
Strictly in terms of static talent, Gao Wen’s feel for the ball and touch were truly extraordinary. In Martin’s view, the Bruins hadn’t seen a young player with this level of natural feel in more than twenty years—and even Giron fell far short of him in that regard.
Although his dynamic athletic ability was comparatively weaker—his lack of strength and explosive power limiting his long-term potential—it had only been four months since Gao Wen joined the team. Anything was still possible. Martin couldn’t help looking forward to seeing how Gao Wen’s development curve would unfold.
After one fall season and then a winter training cycle, Martin was eager to see what shape Gao Wen would be in when he starts his first spring season.
With that thought, an idea formed.
After warm-ups ended, Martin didn’t call the players together. Instead, he raised his voice and announced, “We’ll run a mini scrimmage. First group: Gao and Giron. Second group: Thompson and McDonald. Third group: Di Giulio and Searle. Get ready.”
Buzz.
Buzz.
The players exchanged looks, excitement and adrenaline rising—not because scrimmages were unusual. Normally, practice matches were starters versus substitutes, and occasionally starters faced each other. No matter the lineup, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
The real reason was Gao Wen’s energy and initiative this morning. His bright, vigorous spirit had been refreshing, and young players loved to stir things up—if nothing was happening, they would find something to make noise about. Soon, they were chanting and hyping themselves up.
“Ho ho ho! Go! Bruins!”
“Ho ho ho! Go! Bruins!”
Grant glanced at Martin, who looked calm and confident, the strategist at work. Suddenly, he seemed to understand what Martin was aiming for…
For young players – morale and momentum were the most important things.
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