After the end of Chapter 569
"...No, I don't think he is like any other player on the tour. He is who he is. He is Gawain. He uses his own way of playing and wisdom. The ability, tactics and will he shows in the game, as well as his innate temperament, are unique."
When the reporter asked Nadal which of the Big Four Gao Wen was most similar to, Nadal firmly rejected the reporter's statement.
"Of course, I know that after Gawain won the Grand Slam, he became the focus of everyone's attention. You tried to find the shadows of several of us in him, but as long as you watch Gawain's game, you will know that he is Gawain, not another Roger or another me."
"His game is aggressive and strategic at the same time. When needed, he is always able to find loopholes and mobilize his best state to turn the situation around."
“Honestly speaking, I was a bit lucky to win today’s match. I just won the last crucial point in both sets. If I had a little deviation, I might have lost both sets.”
"Gawain put a lot of pressure on me during the match, just like when he played against Roger, Novak and Andy, so I was very excited to win the last point. Both of us played to our best. I'm glad the match didn't go to the deciding set, otherwise the result might be different."
“I think Gao Wen has the ability and mentality. He is now a Grand Slam champion. We should be able to see him in the top ranks more often in the future.”
"I like him and his temperament during the game, it's very special."
Following the pre-match press conference, Nadal once again gave Gawain a very high evaluation. The slightly different thing was that after the real face-to-face confrontation, the feelings were more profound and Nadal's words were obviously richer.
The reporters at the scene could also deeply feel the sincerity and earnestness in Nadal's words. They were definitely not just polite words. This was a small surprise.
So, reporters immediately asked about the topic related to "the world's first".
Because before the game, Nadal said that Gao Wen might become the world number one in the future; and after the game, Nadal reiterated his point of view.
"indeed."
"I still believe this. I should say that after this game, I am more certain of this. We should see Gao Wen more often in the future. I believe we will have many opportunities to meet in the future."
Highly praise!
At the post-match press conference, although Nadal won the final victory, he did not hide his admiration for Gawain in his words and deeds.
In fact, it can be seen from the final score and the course of the game that the contest between the two sides was very, very close.
In both sets, Gawain had brilliant performances in saving consecutive set points and match points, truly pushing Nadal to the limit; in terms of the total score of the game, "77:75", literally, Nadal only got two more points, and this was a battle of millimeters.
A fierce battle! "Narrow victory VS regretful defeat".
Although Gao Wen lost the game, he won respect and affirmation.
The situation that Tobias was worried about did not occur. He had worried that after the US Open, Gao Wen had too many off-court activities, his entire training was not systematic, and his condition and touch had obviously declined. Once he lost, he would most likely become the focus of media criticism, and even because expectations were too high, it might cause the opposite effect.
However, it did not.
Because Gawain proved himself with his unyielding fighting spirit. Even though he was not in the best condition, his deep desire for victory and the desire for competition remained the same. This spirit was undoubtedly extremely valuable.
This shows that a historic Grand Slam championship trophy did not make Gao Wen complacent and stand still, and he still yearns for more.
So, what more can the media ask for?
At the post-match press conference, the media did not make any trouble, which undoubtedly eased the pressure on Kobe in his home game, but Sampras still had his own concerns.
Along the way, Gao Wen's development was too smooth and too rapid. It was not that there were no difficulties or challenges, but that every time he faced difficulties, he was able to continue to break out with unstoppable force, without encountering bottlenecks or lows, and then he soared into the sky.
Fifty-nine consecutive victories, this is the most direct evidence.
When facing the media, Gao Wen can joke with reporters in a cheerful and cheerful manner about whether the victories in the NCAA and the Challenge Tournament count; but for the players, the most real and intuitive thing is that they have not lost a game in eight months.
As for the level of the competition, the nature of the event, and the weight of the championship, those are all different matters. Victory is victory.
It is also because of this that it is very common for people like Zverev to go to challenge tournaments specifically to find their touch, confidence and victory.
Victory will form a habit. The inner confidence and belief will often allow players to perform at their highest level in extremely difficult situations and turn the tide. Only by accumulating enough confidence through victory can the transformation be completed.
So when Sampras suffered his first defeat in eight months, he was conflicted.
On the one hand, he was glad that he finally lost the game, so that he could finally relieve the pressure of the winning streak and start from scratch.
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On the other hand, he was worried about losing because it would be a severe blow and everything would be reset to zero.
In the professional tennis arena, how to face victory and failure rationally is always a subject that will not stop throughout the entire career.
The mental state of the players is also an aspect of the game that cannot be ignored.
Just look at Sampras himself. After winning his 14th Grand Slam title at the US Open, he slowly faded out of the game and never participated in any competition again because he was afraid of failure, because he didn't want to turn around and leave after a messy career, and because he hoped to leave with dignity.
To put it nicely, it means saying goodbye at the best moment; but to put it bluntly, it means losing the confidence to continue winning and the courage to face failure.
Even Sampras, who has been playing professional tennis for more than ten years, was like this, let alone Gao Wen, who was just starting out. So, after the press conference, Sampras went to the locker room and waited for Gao Wen at the door, thinking about how to communicate and guide him.
But after waiting for a long time, Gawain still didn't come out, so Sampras became a little worried. After thinking about it, Sampras couldn't control his temper after all, and pushed the door open directly.
This was also his first time as a coach, and everything was new and unfamiliar to him. He had a lot of experience to impart, but he didn't know how to impart it.
Sampras was also a little nervous.
However, there are some things that must be faced, and must be faced as soon as possible and calmly, before losing becomes a habit and before failure becomes a demon in the heart.
(End of this chapter)