Chapter 1000: The War Smoke Rises Again
The plane took off, leaving the sunny Los Angeles. Dimitrov went south, diving into the heat wave of the southern hemisphere; Gawain went east, crossing the Atlantic Ocean to the heart of another desert.
The first Grand Slam of the year has ended, but the new tennis season has just entered February.
Like Doha at the beginning of the year, Dubai, located in the center of the desert, continues its tradition of wealth and power and cultivates a new sports trend in the desert oasis.
In recent years, more and more top events have been held in these cities, and the facilities and conditions have become more and more mature, gradually evolving into different flavors.
Tennis is no exception.
From the perspective of scheduling, this week's events in South America seem to be more convenient. Whether it is Alpuerco or Buenos Aires, their physical distance is closer to the upcoming Indian Wells and Miami.
But objectively speaking, it is not that close.
At the same time, with the same hot temperatures and being surrounded by deserts, the similarities between the competition environments of Dubai and Indian Wells also make Dubai an excellent preparation venue for the "Sunshine Double". The two competitions in South America have their own advantages and disadvantages, and any choice can find a suitable reason.
Of course, Dubai and Doha are world-famous for their wealth, and the excellent overall environment and supporting facilities are also important reference factors.
The most straightforward and intuitive point is that the total prize money for the Dubai Open is 2.5 million US dollars, which is second only to the Australian Open among all the events so far this year. It is not only higher than the 250-level events, but also much higher than the 500-level events of the same level.
The total prize money for the 500 events in Rio de Janeiro, Acapulco, Rotterdam, etc. is around 1.5 million US dollars.
This is Dubai’s confidence.
Looking at the lineup of participants in Dubai this year, you can deeply feel the "grandness" that comes to your face. Compared with Doha, it is not much less:
Djokovic, Federer, Gawain, Murray, Berdych, half of the top ten players in the world are here and are seeded in the top five.
In addition, Gulbis, Lopez, Auger-Aliassime, and Goffin also all signed up for the competition. In the end, the top eight seeds were all ranked within the top 20 in the world. The new generation of players such as Pouille, Thiem, and Coric were also among the participating players.
For a competition with 500 points, it is definitely star-studded.
The draw ceremony attracted everyone's attention——
Because this is Gao Wen's first tournament after becoming the world's third; at the same time, except for Nadal who went to Buenos Aires to compete to find his touch, the three giants are all in place. Whether the top four seeds can reach the semi-finals and how to allocate the upper and lower halves are hot topics of discussion.
final.
In the upper half, “No. 1 seed Djokovic VS No. 4 seed Murray”.
In the lower half, “No. 2 seed Federer VS No. 3 seed Gao Wen”.
Thunderous applause! To be honest, any combination of the top four seeds would be good-looking.
Although Djokovic and Murray were drawn into the same half again, and although Djokovic and Gawain repeated their Australian Open final lineups and failed to enter the same half, but!
Gawain and Federer finally faced off.
Since the US Open came out, in just six months, Gao Wen has already faced a series of top ten players in the world:
Djokovic, Nadal and Murray, of course, need no introduction; Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Berdych, Raonic and others have all also fought against each other.
So far, Gao Wen's record against the top ten players in the world is an amazing nine wins and three losses.
In other words, Gawain is not at all inferior to the current top players and can even take the initiative. This is the reason why Gawain is so powerful.
However, there was still one piece missing from the puzzle: Federer.
Due to a series of coincidences, Gawain and Federer were never able to meet, which is undoubtedly a great pity.
However, luck is indeed a metaphysics.
Just like the old rivals Federer and Nadal, they have faced each other on countless occasions, big and small, but the only thing missing is the US Open.
Every time, the two old rivals always seem to be lacking a little bit, and when they come to Flushing, they just can't get in front of each other.
Even until the distant future that Gao Wen is familiar with, the "Federer-Nadal Final" has not been able to be staged in Flushing Meadows. This has almost become an obsession for New York audiences; what's more, with the physical condition, competitive state and other factors of Federer and Nadal, the probability seems to be further declining.
But I don’t know if I can see it before they retire?
Sure enough, drawing lots is a metaphysics.
Now, Gawain and Federer are finally in the same half of the draw, but it is unknown whether the two players can meet in the semifinals.
if you can!
It is not only the first meeting between Gawain and Federer, completing the last piece of the puzzle of "Gawain vs. the Big Four"; it is also a focal topic: Gawain is currently continuing his 12-game winning streak this season. Who can stop his unbeaten streak? This is also a hot topic for major news media.
On one hand, Federer had a good season but was unexpectedly eliminated from the Grand Slam stage. It seemed that his career was facing another challenge.
On one side is Gao Wen, who has continued last year's upward momentum since the opening of the new season, and even achieved the feat of defeating three giants in a row at Melbourne Park.
So, what will the showdown between the two look like?
nervous.
Stimulate.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
expect.
All of this makes the potential "Federer vs. Gawain" duel attract more attention.
No one can refuse.
Get ready.
Eager to try.
The same is true for Gao Wen, who arrived in Dubai with great expectations.
Last year, after the US Open, my entire biological clock was disrupted. When I arrived in the capital, I was completely out of shape. It was also the first time I stepped onto the training ground in two weeks, and I had no feel for it at all.
Naturally, the only way is to practice through competition, looking forward to fighting in one game after another, and slowly getting into shape.
This year is different.
After the Australian Open, I was able to work and relax at the same time. Recovery training and basic training were also carried out step by step, and all my schedules were in order.
After seeing the draw, Gao Wen was looking forward to finally meeting Federer and challenging the king of tennis.
For ordinary fans, if the world number one is the king of tennis, then Djokovic is the current king of tennis. But for players of Gawain's generation, they have witnessed the ten-year strong collision between Federer and Nadal. The positions of these two players in their minds are still different.
"King of Tennis" always represents Federer and Nadal.
Gao Wen has always hoped to meet and compete with the Big Four. Even if he loses, he can see the gap between himself and then keep improving.
Moreover, Gao Wen hopes that the time can be earlier. Only in this way can he meet the Big Four during their peak period and experience the top of professional tennis head-on.
This time in Dubai, Gao Wen's chances are better than ever. Most importantly, Federer is in great shape, and he is also in very good shape. If they can have a strong clash, then they will definitely be able to learn a lot from this match, and even -
It would be great if I could get closer to the bottleneck and feel the pain of improving my strength again.
Therefore, Gao Wen himself was also full of expectations.
However, Gawain remained rational and did not aim too high or lose his mind.
On the road to the semi-finals, one game at a time must be played down-to-earth. If one does not want to miss the best opportunity to challenge Federer, then every round ahead cannot be lost.
(End of this chapter)