An average of more than 7,000 swings a day, “Basket Boy” Wang Fa – Swing to chase dreams, flashes on the field (on the way to pursue dreams)
Holding a racket with a black handle, throwing, swinging, and hitting the ball… Under a series of smooth serving movements, the yellow tennis ball whirls in the air, drawing a beautiful arc. On a tennis training ground next to the Sports Bureau of Langfang City, Hebei Province, a dark-skinned teenager and his teammates are practicing doubles under the guidance of the coach.
The boy’s name is Wang Fa, he is 15 years old, and he is a member of Langfang Wild Elephant Tennis Club. Last summer, at a youth tennis match in Guangzhou, Wang Fa appeared on the court with a bamboo basket on his back, which left a deep impression on many people, who affectionately called him “Basket Boy”. In that game, Wang Fa finally won the men’s singles championship in the under-14 group.
Wang Fa’s panniers came from his hometown, a village called Manghui in Lincang, Yunnan. Six years ago, he followed Zhang Xiaohong, the head of the Wild Elephant Tennis Club, out of the mountains and embarked on the tennis road of swinging and chasing dreams.
“When I picked up the racket, I felt very excited.” Wang Fa still remembers the scene when he first came into contact with tennis. In the second half of 2016, he and nine other children followed Zhang Xiaohong for training. “I practice throwing balls every day. The big basket can hold more than 300 balls, and the small basket can hold more than 200 balls. I have to practice more than five or six baskets a day.” Wang Fa said.
Because of too much practice, Wang Fa retreated: At the beginning of 2017, during the holiday before going to Kunming for training, Wang Fa did not return to the team as scheduled after returning home. “In the end, Coach Zhang picked me up by himself.” Wang Fa said, after that, every night, the coach would spend an hour telling the young players “bedtime stories” about tennis players and the history of tennis, inspiring Their interest in tennis.
Gradually, “becoming an athlete like the famous tennis player Federer” became Wang Fa’s dream.
Morning exercises are held before dawn, and the training ground is not available until the sun goes down. Serving, tossing, hitting…on average more than 7,000 swings a day, Wang Fa gritted his teeth and persisted. “When the wall-beating training was the most tiring, the wall was more ‘tired’ than us, and peeling and holes were common occurrences.” Wang Fa joked.
In the Chengdu station of the “Nike Cup” Youth Tennis Tour Series in 2020, Wang Fa won his first national championship in his life. The sweat of hard training finally paid off for the shining moment on the field, and Wang Fa was very excited. Learning theoretical knowledge, strengthening physical training, and enhancing actual combat ability… Since then, Wang Fa has trained even harder.
He wore out nearly 60 pairs of shoes, swung his racket more than 9 million times, and traveled through more than 10 provinces. “Tennis has changed my life and allowed me to see a wider world.” Wang Fa said. At the end of September last year, Wang Yi, Wang Fa’s 7-year-old younger brother, also became a member of the Langfang Wild Elephant Tennis Club after a test and selection. “To win the championship in the arena like my brother” has become Xiao Wang Yi’s goal.
“At the next National Games, try to get a good ranking.” Wang Fa’s diary records every day of his pursuit of dreams, training and preparations. “In the future, I hope that I can play professional games with my younger brother, enter the international arena with a backpack on my back, and win glory for the motherland.” Wang Fa said, hoping that more and more “boys with a backpack” will walk out of the mountains like him and go to a higher level. wide world. (Reporter Shao Yuzi)