Chapter 1301: The Attention of All
Whether the results are good or bad, this needs to be considered as a reference -
A student who was always at the bottom of the class suddenly improved by ten places. Even if he was still tenth from the bottom, it was already a joyous growth experience.
A student who always ranks first in the grade may occasionally perform poorly and drop to third place. Even though his performance is still outstanding, it is still disappointing.
Expectations, that's what it is.
The same is true for Gawain.
Judging from the reports and comments from major news media, people are expecting him to perform even better and even overturn the existing landscape of men's tennis.
Whether it is the "Fifth Pole" or the "New Giant"; whether it is the "New Generation Leader" or the "Representative of the Challenger Alliance", the title is not important. What is important is that the expectations and standards have risen to a new height, and we look forward to Gao Wen's more dominant and powerful performance.
As a result, the performance in the clay court season was disappointing. Despite winning the Barcelona Championship, he failed to reach the finals in the three Masters tournaments.
As you can imagine——
Those haters who have always been dissatisfied with Gao Wen and have been finding fault with him are always ready to stir up trouble, let alone now that they have finally found an opportunity and obtained evidence. They are collectively jumping around like crazy, and all kinds of words of taking advantage of the situation are spreading across the social network.
A storm of criticism came upon us.
The pressure also slowly accumulates.
In response, Gao Wen's fans seemed very positive and optimistic, and saw positive meaning in the attacks:
Those haters are demanding Gawain to perform at the level of a giant. Does this mean that, although they are unwilling to admit it and have been doing their best to deny it, deep down in their hearts, they also agree that Gawain must now be demanded at the level of a giant in order to be in line with reality? "One mouth says one thing and the other says another."
"It's okay, it's okay. We all know and understand that you already think Gawain is a giant, but you are too ashamed to admit it."
"It's not a problem for him to deny it verbally. His actions have proven everything. We believe that Gao Wen will repay this trust with his performance on the field."
It can be seen at this time that the fans/fans really follow their idols, and Gao Wen fans also showed high quality and wisdom, accurately grasping the lifeline.
For a while, supporters and opponents once again started a tit-for-tat debate, and the pressure from social networks remained high.
And this is not all, pressure is only one side of the dilemma.
On the other hand, there are expectations.
In fact, in essence, pressure and expectations are two sides of the same coin. One is presented in a negative way, and the other is presented in a positive way, but in the final analysis it is the same thing, and finally condenses into a solid dark cloud, firmly covering Gawain's head.
It is an objective fact that Gao Wen has won two Grand Slam titles in a row. Whether people like it or not, this is a fact that cannot be ignored.
Naturally, when the Grand Slam moment comes again, people will inevitably list Gao Wen as the favorite to win the championship, and start a huge discussion about it -
Can Gao Wen win three consecutive Grand Slam titles and continue his history-making career?
Furthermore, can Gawain achieve the feat of winning four Grand Slams in a row to complete the Grand Slam? Although it is still a long way from the goal of "Annual Grand Slam", if he can reach the top of the French Open, then the historical moment of the New Year's Grand Slam will be just around the corner. Are you sure we don't want to discuss it?
Can Gawain win the French Open, completing a feat that Djokovic and Murray have not been able to achieve so far, and join the ranks of Federer and Nadal? Don't forget that Gawain has won all five-set three-win Grand Slams in his career so far. How long can this record last at the French Open? Hope! Hope! Still hope!
History! History! History again!
As the French Open is about to kick off, this is a fact that no one can ignore. Like it or hate it, this is an ironclad fact.
Of course, everything is still uncertain, which is also the source of controversy.
Judging from his performance so far in the clay court season, Gao Wen has not yet been able to establish his dominance. Perhaps as the first clay court season in his career, Gao Wen has delivered a good answer; but is this strong enough to reach the top of the French Open?
A big question mark needs to be put.
However, from another perspective, this year may be the best opportunity.
The reason is very simple. Nadal, the "King of Clay", is experiencing the worst clay season in his career and his form has never been at its best.
This is no longer a secret, but a fact known to everyone, but Nadal is Nadal. Every year when he comes to Roland Garros, he can always improve his level, not just on the clay. When he steps on the Roland Garros court, he seems to have magic.
Throughout Nadal's career, he has indeed demonstrated strong dominance on clay, but the venue where he performed best has always been Roland Garros.
It is no wonder that people half-jokingly say that maybe after Nadal retires, this venue should not be called Roland Garros, but Rafael Nadal.
So, never underestimate Nadal, especially at Roland Garros.
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After the Rome Masters came to an end, major media outlets compiled a list of favorites to win the championship, and sports betting companies also gave out odds for winning the championship.
Currently, Djokovic leads with an absolute advantage.
He won the Monte Carlo and Rome Masters titles, defeating Nadal and Federer respectively on his way to the titles. He has stood the test of both the number and quality of titles. Moreover, he is one of only two players this year who have remained undefeated in the clay court season, and his form and touch have reached their peak.
At the same time, Djokovic is the only player who can challenge Nadal on clay in the past three years. Even though Nadal has been in good form in the past two years, he has been able to defeat Nadal on clay at least once every year, something that Federer could not do in his peak period.
As people say, Djokovic is now second to none on clay, and he is just half a step away from the French Open championship.
This year, Nadal is in poor form, and there is no doubt that Djokovic's championship index has skyrocketed.
Then, the names of Murray, Federer, Nadal and Gawain were lined up. Although the odds were high and low, they were generally similar.
Murray, the Munich and Madrid champion and Rome round of 16 winner, remained undefeated on clay this year and came from behind to become the second favourite to win the title.
Federer, the Istanbul champion, showed good form by reaching the final in Rome despite early elimination in Monte Carlo and Madrid.
Nadal, Madrid final, Monte Carlo semi-finals, Rome quarter-finals, Barcelona round of 16. Objectively speaking, such results are not bad, but like Gawain, a vertical comparison is needed. This is obviously not the performance of the "King of Clay" that people expected. It can be said to be the worst performance in Nadal's career.
Despite this, Nadal is still the favorite at the French Open, there is no doubt about that. The difference is that this time he is no longer the number one favorite.
At the same time, Gawain's name quietly emerged in the forefront.
(End of this chapter)