Chapter 1109: Continuous Participation
Gao Wen, in just eight months, made a brilliant debut like a comet.
The media went crazy.
However, behind the madness, there are always uneasy doubts. Therefore, when the performance in the Asian season last year was sluggish and when he lost to Federer in Dubai two weeks ago, the backlash of pressure was like a tsunami that hit him on the head. In the final analysis, the foundation was still unstable.
Now, things are changing—
Because Gawain won the Indian Wells Championship, and more importantly, because Gawain once again won the Masters Championship by defeating two giants in a row and unlocking the "Defeat the Big Four" badge.
This view is slowly becoming popular.
"The 'Fifth Pole', has it really appeared?"
Of course, this still needs time to prove, but there is no doubt that this view will become another focus of discussion throughout the season.
The only thing that is 100% certain is that Gao Wen is indeed very popular, and his attention, discussion, and popularity are rising steadily.
Nike has once again become the biggest winner as its jerseys are selling like hot cakes again. Some people are even looking forward to Gavan's jerseys for the clay court season.
However, the media reporters did not have time to stay in Indian Wells and rushed to the airport to the next stop.
because--
The Indian Wells Masters came to an end, and the Miami Masters came on stage immediately afterwards. There was no rest time, no adjustment gap, and it was a seamless transition.
The first foot was still in the middle of the deserted desert, hitting the ball.
Then he ran wildly surrounded by the blue sky and sea.
Naturally, the focus of the discussion changed:
Can Gao Wen win the "Sunshine Double Crown"?
If successful, Gawain will go on to make history.
Not only will he become the eighth player in history to accomplish such a feat, following in the footsteps of Courier, Michael Chang, Pete Sampras, Agassi, Rios, Federer and Djokovic, but he will also become the first player in history to reach the top three times in a row after winning the Masters for the first time.
Three times in a row!
There has never been anyone like this before, and there will probably never be anyone like this again. Even the Big Four have not been able to accomplish such a feat.
Wait, that's it? Is that all the historical record for Gawain's Miami summit?
Of course not only!
Assuming that Gao Wen can really accomplish such a feat, it also means that since last year's US Open, Gao Wen has only lost the championship at the Shanghai Masters.
Starting from the last week of August 2014, there will be two Grand Slams, the US Open and the Australian Open; and four Masters tournaments, in Shanghai, Paris, Indian Wells and Miami.
In addition to Shanghai, Gao Wen has made history continuously. After reaching the top of the Grand Slam/Masters for the first time, he won the championships back to back.
Tough!
Strong!
outstanding!
Such dominance is indeed comparable to the Big Four in every aspect. Even if he has only been in the market for eight months, what does it matter? It is precisely because of this that after he won the Indian Wells championship, the reporters went crazy collectively, and one or two of them were even more excited than Gawain.
A championship is good, very good, and it couldn't be better, but more importantly, there is another championship and a series of historical records waiting ahead.
All eyes are focused on Miami. No one wants to miss it, and heated discussions have even started on flights across the North American continent.
What's more, going to Miami every year is like a vacation, where I can relax and work at the same time, and then look forward to witnessing history again.
It's perfect.
If there's a discussion about the most picturesque tournaments on the professional tennis tour, Miami is bound to be on the list.
This event is not held in the city center of Miami. The venue is located in Biscayne Bay, separated from the city of Miami by a bridge. It is an isolated resort island. The permanent population has not fluctuated significantly for a full ten years and has remained stable at 12,000 people, making it suitable for retirement.
The small island is surrounded by the sea, with bright sunshine, fine sand and few people. The open and clean view completely breaks the towering skyline of the city. The Caribbean blue fills the sight in an intoxicating way, making you feel relaxed and happy, as if as long as you open your arms, you can immerse yourself in the endless blue.
There is no doubt that the Miami Masters has always been one of the most popular and beloved events on the tour.
By the way, in the professional tennis world, the two coastal cities of Monte Carlo and Miami have always been the two first choices for professional players to reside.
The pleasant climate, complete training facilities, leisure city atmosphere and attractive tax policies have attracted countless players to settle here.
For this reason, a large number of players will definitely not miss the games in Miami. After all, this is their home court and they can just go to the stadium from home.
The title of "Sunshine Double" has risen strongly in recent years, both in ATP and WTA, and its status is second only to the four Grand Slams.
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However, Miami has indeed encountered some crises in recent years.
In addition to the previously mentioned financial situation and the battle for the "fifth Grand Slam" title, the most important issue is the scheduling of professional tennis.
The ATP and WTA's annual schedules are getting longer and fuller, the events from the beginning of the year to the end of the year are becoming more and more crowded, and there are more and more mandatory events to participate in, which makes professional players busy, especially those blue-collar players who have to participate frequently for a living.
I'm afraid even a layman would have a rough idea of what the consequences of fatigue competition are.
Among them, the situation in Indian Wells and Miami is one of them.
Both events are top-level events. ATP and WTA are the highest-level events after the four Grand Slams. At the same time, these are the only two two-week events outside the four Grand Slams throughout the year, and they are closely linked. What does this mean? The advantage is that the publicity and bundled sales of the "Sunshine Double Crown" have indeed formed a brand effect, which is unique in the professional tennis world.
The disadvantage is that the schedule is too long. Continuous participation means participating for four consecutive weeks, which is a challenge for any player.
I have discussed many factors that make the four Grand Slams unique before, and one of the biggest challenges is that -
The competition lasts for two weeks.
Although the players play every other day, they must be in top form over a two-week period in order to beat all the top players and win the championship.
This places strict demands on physical strength, energy, training, state adjustment, etc., which also makes reaching the top of the four Grand Slams a daunting task.
Now, Indian Wells and Miami are holding competitions for four consecutive weeks, and the difficulty can be imagined.
Of course, this also has its pros and cons.
On the one hand, as the difficulty of winning the championship increases, the value of the "Sunshine Double" also rises, almost comparable to the Grand Slam championship.
On the other hand, the physical and mental challenges have reached a whole new level, and if you are not careful, you may get injured during the heavy schedule.
The result is predictable.
A large number of players often choose to participate in one event and give up another to ensure their physical health. This is also a real crisis that Miami needs to face.
(End of this chapter)