Takagi Sakuya, eh?
From what I see in his match with Yukichi,
he seems like an all-rounder who's devoted to fundamentals and has few blind spots.
That's a rather casual way of deciding who serves.
Okay, bottom.
Top it is.
My serve.
He didn't even check. He already knew.
Regardless, I have to win.
Good luck.
It's amazing.
Bro's made it to the top eight now.
Yeah.
His first round was one thing,
but his second round was against Ide, after all.
Ide was among the top eight players at
the All-Japan Indoor Invitational,
and he's at a level where even national players watch out for him.
He isn't someone you can beat by a fluke.
It's been only two years since he started tennis.
I've never seen an athlete improve so rapidly.
That shows how hard Maruo has worked.
He thoroughly practiced the fundamentals, which everyone hates doing.
And the biggest reason for his growth
is how he never stopped thinking about tennis.
An old philosopher once said that man is a "thinking reed."
What? Feet can think?
"Ashi" as in "reed," not "foot." You know, the plant that's similar to silver grass.
It means that people are weak, but they have the ability to think.
In other words, thinking is mankind's greatest weapon.
Both while training and during matches, Maruo has always put that into practice.
Thinking, huh?
Those notebooks are proof of the amount of effort Maruo has put in.
Today he's facing Takagi, who was in the top sixteen in last year's All-Japan Junior.
And I lost to him!
Maruo's goal is to win the All-Japan Junior.
That means, regardless of who his opponent is, he has to win.
Maruo doesn't have a lot of experience.
Even if he doesn't win today,
he needs to gain experience by facing a lot of strong players,
so he can win the national tournament in three months.
He should be careful during this match.
Takagi's a tough one to play against.
He's a really nasty opponent.
Yes!
As expected from a fourth seed.
His hits are deep and seem to stretch away from my reach.
But...
We're still just warming up!
Why is he hitting so hard?
He really is a strange person.
Psychological Warfare and Self-Control
My opponent is the rising star everyone's eyes are on.
But there's a reason I can't possibly lose this match.
You were always, always
ahead of me, Nabae.
That's why, if you ran ten kilometers,
I would run fifteen.
I thought if I did that, I could beat you one day.
If he practiced his forehand for three hours,
I made sure to practice longer than that.
As a result, I got stronger.
But I couldn't defeat Nabae.
That's why I always did more.
Hey.
It's already late. Let's call it a night.
No way.
Don't run away just because it's not going your way anymore.
What?
You're afraid you'll lose to me for the first time, aren't you?
That's not it.
It's almost midnight.
We've got practice tomorrow, too.
We can finish this another time.
Even an official match gets postponed once the sun goes down.
This isn't an official match!
It's a showdown between you and me!
I'm saying I won't accept all that!
What's with you today?
Do you want to win that badly?
Don't patronize me!
That's right.
I don't care if it's lame or distasteful. I want to beat you just once!
Fine.
If you're gonna do this, you better give it your all.
I know.
4-3. Here it comes!
I'll reflect on my actions after I win.
If I can't win at least once, I can't move forward!
Best of three set match.
Takagi to serve.
That's fast!
He has good control on his backhand, too.
15-love.
His basic shots like serves and ground strokes are high-level.
This isn't the time to think about how strange he is.
Yeah!
30-love.
It's my return game, so being pushed back can't be helped, but...
What really bothers me is that
he's been glaring at me this whole time!
He's winning points just fine, so what's his problem?
E-Excuse me for a second!
Wha—
Why did he...
Why did he serve?!
That serve is invalid.
Maruo's call was made before the shot.
See? He's starting to play his tricks.
Huh...
Yukichi-kun did say all that stuff about him.
That Takagi guy is really, really nasty, so be careful!
That punk was leading 4-2 in the first set,
and he hit an unnecessary and unexpected underhand serve!
Maybe this is what Yukichi-kun was talking about.
He has a good arm.
Even playing normally, he'd be a tough opponent for Maruo.
Game: Takagi. 1-0.
He's still glaring.
Seriously, what's with him?
When he's acting this weird, I can't help noticing.
But that doesn't change what I have to do during play.
Just relax and hit a first serve with maximum efficiency,
and hold my serve as quickly as possible.
Fault.
Rushing it threw off my tempo...
Yeah, bring it!
Love-15.
I see. I'm starting to get it.
All these things that seem so weird are his strategy.
He's trying to shake me psychologically in order to get the upper hand.
I need to stay composed at times like these.
I shouldn't let him get to me every time.
Even if I can't do that, I'll handle it the same way
I dealt with my pressure two days ago.
15-all.
Yes!
Don't.
I can't fall for his strategy.
It's not like I can score a point by glaring back at Takagi-kun.
Was that Takagi-kun tossing the ball back?
H-Hey!
Make sure I'm ready before you toss the ball back!
Huh?
Takagi-kun, that was unacceptable.
If I have to call you out on your etiquette again,
you will be issued a warning, so please be careful.
Okay.
I'm not even running, and my heart rate has gone way up.
But Takagi-kun seems completely fine.
And he didn't even get a warning for that,
so I'm the only one hurt by it.
He's strong enough just playing normally.
Why does he do these things?
Why is Nabae-kun friends with this guy?
Hmm... I get it now.
He's pulling all kinds of tricks.
You see?!
He's the type who'll do anything to win!
I'm the one who suffers by reacting to his attempts to rattle me.
Playing with an increased heart rate
will just tire me out that much faster.
I can't by swayed by that psychological warfare.
I should take my time, and take a deep breath.
Fifteen seconds.
30-15.
Yes! That was good.
Don't rush, and focus on control.
As soon as I have the advantage, attack swiftly!
40-15.
And don't make eye contact.
Game: Maruo. 1-all.
All right! I can hold.
I'll keep this up and break his serve when I can!
He seems like he'll fall for it, but he doesn't.
He's good at controlling his emotions, all right.
Otherwise, there's no way he could've beaten Ide in a close match.
Well, I figured from your results that you'd be this much of a threat.
But I won't lose this match.
I'm going to face Nabae, no matter what!
There it is!
Underhand serve!
If it's within the rules, I'll do whatever it takes!
I will be the one to defeat Nabae!
It should have less speed.
But with that much control, if I don't hit it back...
He can't hit it down the line from that stance.
15-love.
It's faster than what I expected from the video I saw.
And it's a type of shot I've had almost zero experience with.
I need to deal with it more quickly.
He's glaring again.
I should just ignore it,
but when it's his serve, I have to match him to some extent,
so it can't be helped.
Regardless, he'll serve within twenty seconds,
so just concentrate on the ball,
and be wary of another underhand serve, just in case.
He's taking forever!
His timing is fast!
30-love.
That was a quick serve...
He can do that, too?
Looks like he's practiced a lot of different styles.
Quick serves are difficult to pull off.
You have to hit it before the toss comes back down.
This is harder than I thought.
He pulls off tricky shots without breaking a sweat.
It's proof that his technique and mental strength are well-polished.
More than anything, I can actually feel his determination to win.
But that shouldn't mean he can get away with anything!
Takagi Sakuya Maruo Eiichiro
I can't put my finger on it,
but his tennis style is like Nabae's in some way.
He's perfect as target practice to crush before playing Nabae in the semifinal.
Even if I can't take the lead right now, there's no need to rush.
If I can just find that chance to make my move...
But until then, I have to hold serve.
Time.
And for that to happen, I have to make my first serve!
Yes!
Sorry.
I wasn't ready.
What?!
Maruo, your first serve again, please.
B-But I got an ace!
He got Bro again!
The way he cuts it so close tells me he's used to it.
Looks like he'll need something other than
the mental strength he used to beat Ide.
Focus.
They've both held serve all the way to the ninth game.
He's doing well.
Even with the technical and psychological attacks,
he's managed to keep his first serves effective.
I guess it's difficult playing against such an erratic player.
That may be true.
Maruo's greatest weapon is the ability to disrupt the other player's tempo.
But against an irregular style like this, upsetting his tempo is no simple task.
Yes!
Love-30.
Here it is! My chance to break!
Yeah, Bro! You can do it!
Excuse me.
Huh? What is it this time?
I feel some discomfort in my leg. May I take a medical time-out?
M-Medical time-out?
Again...
If I remember correctly, medical time-outs are three minutes, right?
Yeah, if a player gets hurt
or feels ill during a match, and requires a doctor's evaluation or first aid,
he can call a medical time-out.
But three minutes here is...
He should be extra careful.
A time-out like this can change the flow of a match.
Is he okay?
He seemed completely fine a moment ago.
Game: Takagi. 5-4.
Yeah!
He changed the flow of the match.
Bro...
That was his chance to break serve!
It seems like his leg is totally fine!
So he faked it?
Even if not, I can only assume he was exaggerating it.
Don't tell me he utilized the medical time-out
to escape the disadvantage he was in?
Who would do that?
At this point, it's kind of incredible.
He's already a strong player,
but he takes advantage of the rules in unbelievable ways.
How does he think up these things?
Even once you come up with them,
how do you pull it off without disrupting your own tempo?
Does that mean he has as many tricks as Nabae-kun does, in a different way?
No, this isn't the time to be impressed.
The question is how to deal with it.
Time.
All right...
If Takagi-kun is going to use his tricks against me outside the game,
I'll fight back with my own tricks within the game!
After a sliding slice comes a bouncing spin!
I'll combine different hits, speeds, courses, and styles
so he can't predict where or what kind of ball is coming.
Changing the pace theoretically has infinite attack patterns!
15-love.
Yes!
The opponent is the opponent.
I am myself.
I just have to fight using my own strengths.
Sliding and bouncing... Talk about annoying shots.
Game: Maruo. 5-all.
Yes! I held!
If he doesn't break next...
It might not be that easy to do.
But with the mental strength he had when he beat Ide...
It may have been mental strength, but it was a battle against his own pressure.
This, on the other hand, is a battle against his own self-control.
They're similar, but not the same,
so it might be difficult for the inexperienced Maruo.
30-40.
That sound just now... I thought he moved up.
Ugh, again!
Endure it, Maruo.
Yes!
Game: Maruo. 6-all.
Tiebreaker.
I managed to hold.
He ended up in a tiebreaker.
He's endured that erratic style well thus far.
But this is where it gets crucial.
Even if it's 6-all, I've won more points so far.
I have the upper hand if it's a tiebreaker to seven points.
Concentrate only on my own play!
Now the score is 6-3.
It's over.
If you depend on tricks like trying to fool your opponents
and break their concentration, your tennis will never improve.
Next!
We've played nine sets already. Just stop this.
Don't try to run away from a match by lecturing me!
I'm finally getting the hang of it!
If you're tired, just lose and you'll feel a lot better.
I've practiced more than you have, if nothing else.
If it's a battle of endurance, I have a chance to win.
Just so you know, tennis can't be won on stamina alone.
I won...
I beat
Nabae!
Yes!
4-3, Maruo.
Takagi Sakuya Maruo Eiichiro
If we're neck-and-neck and I take the first set,
I'll immediately have the upper hand.
I need this set in order to corner him in the second set.
I have to break somehow!
After I defeated Nabae that day, I undoubtedly moved forward.
In order to move ahead even more,
I'll beat Nabae in this tournament, too!
I'm different from you.
You don't know how miserable it feels not to be able to win!
That's why I'll do whatever it takes!
Good serve!
A drop shot here?!
He can go for the left, right, or above...
Or maybe he'll hit it low this time?
Right at me?!
Why did he go for such a risky shot?!
Oh, no!
Next Time
It's the rules that decide good and evil on the court.
Takagi-kun is just playing with his own style.
I just have to play with my own style, too!
What's with that face?
If you think you can do it, just try!
I've come this far. All I have to do now is crush you in one blow!
I don't know what Nabae sees in this guy,
but I refuse to accept it!
Next time on Baby Steps,
Good, Evil, and Rules
"Good, Evil, and Rules."
End