Chapter 1042: Beware of Arrogance and Impatience
"Out of Bounds!"
The linesman's voice was firm and clear, and he made an out-of-bounds gesture with a determined look and made the call without hesitation.
Gao Wen raised his chin slightly, glanced across the court at where his return ball landed, and then nodded slightly in agreement:
This ball was indeed out of bounds.
His unforced errors.
This also means:
"0:3".
Gao Wen lost three games in a row at the beginning.
So surprising!
Gao Wen, who was highly expected, the focus of everyone's attention and the focus of the whole audience, and the biggest star, the hottest and the most popular player in the Auckland Davis Cup, unexpectedly fell into trouble at the beginning.
How is that possible!
You know, Gao Wen is currently ranked third in the world, while his opponent Michael Venus is ranked 399th in the world. They are not in the same league at all, okay?
It was so unexpected and shocking that the audience couldn't help but exclaim, completely forgetting their identity as the host.
In this situation, they should have applauded and celebrated instead of sighing and regretting. Some of them were even more upset than Li Zhe and Wu Di on the sidelines of the court.
Across the net, Venus couldn't believe her ears. She looked around in astonishment, her eyes filled with doubts about her innocence and grievance: things shouldn't be like this? Where's the home advantage? Half a beat late.
The audience finally reacted and realized that something was wrong with them, and sparse applause broke out to cheer for Venus.
However, his eyes were still vaguely focused on Gawain:
What's going on?
Could it be that he hasn't adjusted to the time difference yet? Or has the shadow of losing to Federer not dissipated? Yes, what's going on? As the person involved, Gao Wen was very calm. He was not angry, panicked, or annoyed. A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, blooming gently:
Underestimate the enemy.
The reason is actually not that complicated or serious. To sum it up simply, it is underestimating the enemy.
After two lives, Gawain has become more mature and more rational. He is able to calm down and avoid arrogance and impatience, because he clearly knows:
The moment pride and complacency set in, is the beginning of cessation of growth and progress.
Moreover, he is still far from reaching the peak, and there are countless challenges waiting for him. How can he be satisfied? It is precisely because of this that Gao Wen always maintains a good attitude. Whether he is a challenger to attack the Big Four or a defender to face other players, Gao Wen can always show his best competitive state, without any complacency, pride or contempt for his opponents.
Gao Wen never forgets his original intention.
Despite this, there is one more objective fact: even though he has lived two lives, all the situations Gawain faces now are "fresh, strange, and unprecedented", a brand new experience.
In his previous life, he couldn't even become a professional player, let alone a Grand Slam champion, third in the world, or a top player.
In recent times, Gao Wen has been in a state of top confrontation, self-challenge, and breaking through limits. The opponents standing on the other side of the net are all at the level of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. His mind is full of excited thoughts of continuous challenges, continuous breakthroughs, and continuous sprints.
Including Dubai, all those who can advance to the main competition are top players ranked in the top 100 in the world.
That’s the overall atmosphere.
Especially after losing to Federer, Gao Wen's fighting spirit was aroused. He was eagerly looking forward to the next match and his training motivation was full.
Suddenly, the confrontation mode switched, the opponent was a doubles player ranked 399th in the world, and the game mode returned to the simple and rough style of the challenge tournament.
The situation has subtly changed.
Perhaps, Gawain himself did not think so, and warned himself not to think so, but subconsciously, he also believed that he should be able to catch it easily.
In fact, they not only demand a victory, but also look forward to a resounding victory as a perfect debut for their country.
However, tennis matches are not that simple. To be more precise, competitive sports are not that simple.
The more you want to prove yourself, the more you want to crush your opponent, the more you want to win a complete victory, the more you can't do it.
Just look at Messi's performance in the national team. It's not that it's bad, but it's different after all under a state of expectation, pressure and proof.
Besides, Venus’s game was indeed… a little special.
Michael Venus, 28 years old, was born in the United States and also took the path of turning professional through the NCAA. Unfortunately, there are many talented players in North America, and Venus' performance is not outstanding even in the NCAA.
Because in the early stage of her career, Venus has always focused on singles, but the cruel thing is that her singles talent is not as high as imagined.
In 2010, after graduating from college, Venus also faced a crossroads in his life. He longed to become a professional player, but he could no longer find financial support in the United States. So, Venus became a New Zealand citizen, received financial support here, and continued his professional career.
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Over the years, Venus still has his obsession and dream in the singles arena. Moreover, New Zealand lacks new generation talents. Venus and Statham are the top two singles players respectively, so he can continue to pursue his dream. But as he gets older, he gradually realizes:
The singles competition may be just a beautiful dream.
Not to mention the ATP events, even in the Challenge Tournament, it is not easy for Venus and Statham to reach the top and win the championship.
Gradually, Venus began to get involved in doubles competitions, and unexpectedly discovered her doubles potential.
At present, Venus still focuses on both singles and doubles, with a focus on singles. However, the prize money from the doubles competitions is enough for him to make a living.
It is also because of this that Venus's playing style is slightly special.
First of all, he is a typical NCAA player, with a strong serve and a powerful forehand. At 191 cm tall, he is slightly stronger than Gao Wen.
Secondly, the habits he developed in doubles games made him dare to go to the net, making him a half-serve-and-volley player, and the pace of the whole game was faster.
In the opening stage, Gawain was a little impatient, trying to quickly suppress the opponent; while Venus' shots were very clean, with increased rhythm and speed.
During the exchanges, Gao Wen made too many unforced errors, and the entire layout and control seemed a bit rough. Facing the impact of Venus, she lost points quickly.
In fact, it can be seen that Venus has no baggage at all and travels lightly.
Treat this game as a loss and then go all out to attack, not for today's victory, but to pave the way for tomorrow's subsequent games, to consume Gao Wen's physical strength and energy, to pave the way for his teammates, to see if he can upset Gao Wen.
Especially since Statham was just about to defeat Zhang Ze, this not only gave Venus confidence, but also made Venus determined to fight to the death.
then--
"0:3".
Venus leads.
Two Venus serves and one Gawain serve.
Such a start was indeed unexpected, and even the host audience sighed for Gawain.
(End of this chapter)