Difference between Pro's

~Erin POV~

'This is kind of sad' I thought while watching the match.

To say it was balanced would be pushing it.

The match was completely one-sided. Throughout the game, Grey struggled to keep up, unable to reach the ball fast enough. Each time he served, Sean was already there, anticipating the shot, and would effortlessly return the shot, sending it to the corners of the court where Grey couldn't reach.

"Grey really doesn't learn his lesson now, does he?" Anthony remarked, shaking his head as he warmed up near the bench.

Chris nodded in agreement. "What do you expect? The only things he cares about are tennis, women, and well, trying to beat Sean once," he replied, his gaze fixed on the ongoing match.

I turned towards them, puzzled by the lack of surprise in their reactions. "Does this happen a lot?" I asked as they didn't seem surprised at all by how the match was unfolding.

Chris chuckled as Sean once again scored a point and then turned towards me. "We come here a lot for practice, and on those days, Grey would call Sean and try to get him to show up just so he can go against him," he explained.

"Yet on the rare occasions he does show up, this happens," Anthony added from the side, a hint of resignation in his tone.

"Has Grey ever won?" I asked, curious about the history of their matches.

"Never," Chris replied, his amusement evident. With that reply, I couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed at the reply.

"How come? Shouldn't Grey have improved after facing him so many times?" I asked, feeling disappointed and confused by the outcome of their matches.

Anthony looked at me, then glanced at Sean before responding. "Even though we're all pros here, there is still a huge gap between us and Sean," he explained.

I looked at him, puzzled, waiting for him to continue.

"Even though it may not seem like it right now, Grey is currently the official second-ranked tennis player in the world," he added, causing my eyes to widen in surprise at the sudden revelation.

'Then how is he struggling so hard right now?' I questioned, still trying to make sense of the situation.

Sensing my confusion, Anthony looked back at me with a smile. "Even though he's retired, your dad is still one of the best tennis players to ever live. Even the current top ten tennis players wouldn't be able to win against him," he explained, his words sinking in and causing me to be even more shocked.

'One of? Top ten?' I couldn't help but dwell on those words as my eyes landed back on Sean, newfound admiration and awe filling my thoughts.

It didn't take long for the match to come to an end. On one side, Grey looked tired and was drenched in sweat, while Sean remained composed as if it were just a warm-up.

I couldn't help but stare at Sean. The match ended so quickly, and it didn't even seem like he was exerting much effort the whole time.

'How good would I have to be in order for Sean to try against me' I thought as I watched them pick on the tennis balls that were used.

Soon Anthony and Chris walked towards the court as Sean and Grey walked towards me. As soon as they got to the bench Grey sat down completely tired. I turned towards him and was about to ask him a question but before I could, I heard a cough coming from in front of me. Standing in front of me was Sean standing there proudly waiting for some praise.

I couldn't help but look at him completely dumbfounded.

'For someone who looked so cool during the match, he is completely shameless.' I thought while looking at Sean who just stood there waiting for some praise.

"You looked really cool, especially your serves and returns, they were really fast," I said. Even though I said it because he wanted praise, I still meant every word I said.

Grey scoffed and looked over at him. "Just wait, I'll definitely beat you one day," he claimed with determination. Sean merely shrugged him off and turned back towards me, a proud grin on his face. "Right? Isn't your dad cool?" he exclaimed, his pride evident in his voice.

I nodded unconsciously as I thought back to the match. Soon Chris and Anthony's match started. 

Unlike Sean and Grey's match, theirs was completely different. After a simple coin flip, Anthony started off with a powerful serve. However, instead of remaining idle, Chris swiftly shifted his feet and executed a fast return, sending the ball straight back toward Anthony's side of the court. At this moment, Chris's typically lighthearted demeanor vanished, replaced by a serious expression.

Anthony, though slow to get to the ball, managed to send it back with a powerful return that Chris couldn't stop, making it 15-love.

The first set went back and forth, with Anthony overwhelming Chris with his powerful returns, winning the first set. 

 The second set was a completely different outcome.

Chris spun the ball in the air for a while, then caught it and just stared at it. Before I could question what he was doing, he hit a crazy fast topspin that ended up being out due to lack of control, sailing past the court lines. The score ended up being 15-love in Anthony's favor.

"Shit," Anthony muttered, observing Chris intently as he retrieved another ball.

'What the heck was that?' I said to myself, my eyes widening as I watched Chris. He appeared slightly annoyed but quickly regained his composure, grabbing another tennis ball and repeating the routine of spinning it in the air.

"Oh, topspins huh," Grey remarked, looking less tired than earlier.

This time, after serving, the ball flew up and dropped right behind Anthony, landing out of his reach. Anthony turned around and looked down, clearly annoyed by the unexpected tactic.

Anthony tried over and over again to receive the serve but couldn't. When the score reached 45-love, Anthony found a way to receive the serve but after he sent the ball back, Chris relaxed his wrist and forearm making the racket lag for a while before sending a heavy topspin back towards Anthony which he couldn't get.

The score was 1-1 after Chris scored a set point and after a little break, the third set started. 

Anthony was once again serving and now I had an idea of the type of tennis players they were. Chris was a more speed-heavy player who does a lot of fast serves and returns while Anthony is a more power-based player who uses his powerful serves and returns to overwhelm his opponents.

The match went on like this but it was clear who was winning. Even though Anthony had powerful serves and returns, Chris having faster serves and being able to return the ball made it easier for him while Anthony struggled to keep up with the fast returns. Chris also had a faster reaction time than Anthony and it showed as he was able to reach the ball and return it before Anthony could.

The match ended with Chris's victory with a score of 6-3.

*****

After a few more rounds of games between them, Sean suggested that I join in, but I was more interested in watching them play. Eventually, they headed back to the locker room to get dressed again, and we made our way back to the third-floor room. I learned that these rooms were reserved alongside tennis courts for those who rented them out.

We walked down to the second floor where all the stores and cafes were, Sean led us to a hang-out spot where there were a lot of benches and seats. 

I sat down at one of the seats and then looked around. I couldn't help but notice the number of people staring at Sean. From teenagers to adults, eyes followed him, and whispers rippled through the growing crowd.

"Oh my god, it's him!" I heard someone exclaim amidst the murmurs.

"I can't believe he's here!" another voice chimed in.

Conversations like these buzzed around the area, yet the person in question remained oblivious to the attention, seated in front of me, gazing away from the crowd. To his right sat Chris and Anthony on the left, engaged in their own discussions, unaware of the crowd forming behind them. However, when I turned to my left where Grey was seated, I noticed a hint of amusement in his expression, as he looked behind them.

"You anti-social lazy bastard, turn around," Grey said, motioning for Sean to look behind him. As Sean complied, his expression shifted from confused to one of surprise then annoyed for a fleeting moment before muttering, "There's a reason why I don't come here anymore."