Chapter 1303 The Distance of Hearts
After much hesitation, Sampras finally spoke.
As a father to a father, and as a friend to a friend, he took a step towards breaking the boundaries between public and private.
"...At least, I believe him."
The words were simple, a little teasing, but 100% sincere.
It’s not about believing that Gao Wen can win the championship or be able to win, but believing in Gao Wen’s tenacity and perseverance, believing in Gao Wen’s fighting spirit and belief.
No difficulties can stop him from moving forward. Those thorns, those bumps, those storms... in the end, all of them will become tools for Gawain to hone himself, and evolve into nutrients for Gawain to thrive, witnessing Gawain's transformation step by step and his brilliant glory.
He has confidence.
so--
Yes, he believed him.
Gao Hongli turned his head and glanced at Sampras. He was a little surprised that he could feel the weight behind those ordinary words.
In Gawain's coaching team, everyone is very professional. They regard their job as their job and try to avoid the entanglement of personal life and keep their distance. But the slight difference is that Sampras consciously keeps his distance and almost never talks about his personal life except for his professional attitude.
Pelt is always serious and rigid, but surprisingly, in private, he occasionally shares some details of his life, photos of his children, and chats with Gao Hongli and his wife about their children. Obviously, they are from the same world and have the same parents, and they all need to face the same problems in their children's growth.
Not to mention Agassi. Although the couple are very low-key in front of the media, because of the relationship between Graf and Jiang Yanyun, the two families are very familiar with each other. When they were in Melbourne, they went out to dinner together, and Gao Hongli and his wife also hosted their family in the small villa where they lived.
Objectively speaking, a team is a team. From a work perspective, Gao Wen is their boss, and it is necessary to maintain a certain distance between their personal lives; but the particularity of tennis is that the team follows the players around the world, and in addition to their work relationship, they also live together.
Whether you like it or not, personal lives overlap to some extent, so friendships often develop outside of work relationships.
It is precisely because of this that Gao Wen and his team have established a relationship of both teacher and friend, and are no longer just partners in training and on the field.
However, Sampras is different. He always keeps his mouth shut and keeps his distance. The boundary between work and life is very clear.
Gao Hongli and his wife were not surprised by this, and did not force it.
Sampras became famous at a young age and has been a banner of tennis for a full decade. He has experienced a lot of harassment and harm from the media, so after retiring, he has always been very protective of his family and tried his best to keep his family and friends away from the spotlight.
Until now, the Sampras family of four has appeared in public several times, but has never accepted any form of interview.
After joining Gawain's coaching team, Sampras' retirement life was disrupted again. As Gawain achieved more and more success, more and more attention and lights focused on him began to appear. This was also an important reason why Sampras became alert again and consciously kept his distance.
But today, Sampras' words conveyed a closeness beyond that of a coach, as if he were Gawain's uncle, expressing his concern.
Sampras noticed Gao Hongli's gaze and responded with a smile, a little reserved but with a calm expression.
The boundaries are still there; but apart from being a coach, I have gradually come to feel the significance of being a friend and family member, and occasionally crossing the boundaries doesn’t seem so bad.
He and they are all growing up and changing slowly.
A smile also appeared in Gao Hongli's eyes, and then he nodded.
"I believe in him. I always have."
The conversation ended here, but from Gao Hongli's breathing and expression, it could be seen that the conversation was not over yet, he was just a little hesitant.
Sampras did not interrupt.
After waiting for a while, Gao Hongli seemed to have finally made up his mind, "But, what should we do?"
Sampras smiled. "It's enough to stand behind him and show support silently. Gao Wen is a smart kid. He knows everything. So, we just need to do our best and he will be able to feel our support."
“At the end of the day, tennis is an individual sport.”
"When players are on the field, they need to think for themselves, sort things out, and find ways to deal with the chaos."
"They need to fight against their opponents, but they also need to fight against themselves. Every champion has a strong heart. The best support we can give is that belief, telling them that even if the whole world is against him, we are still behind him."
Belief is invisible and intangible, but it can play a key role on the field.
Especially in extremely difficult situations, when players begin to doubt themselves and their confidence begins to waver, their support groups need to play such a key role, like a stabilizing force, to stabilize the situation. Their performance is the only way for the players to replenish their energy.
Gao Hongli seemed to be thinking about something.
On the court, Gao Wen is constantly learning and growing.
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Outside the arena, they also need to learn and grow.
This is one of the reasons why Sampras particularly likes Gao Wen:
Everyone says that Koeman has been reborn under the guidance of Sampras and Agassi, and that he has absorbed a lot of nutrients from the two Grand Slam champions; but Sampras himself knows that he and Agassi are also learning from Koeman, and the retirement life of the two old guys has become exciting again.
Just now, Sampras carefully crossed the line he had drawn and had more intersections with his life outside the court. He thought he would not be able to adapt and would probably have a burning sensation in his stomach; but no -
Not only that, but I could even feel a little more cheerful.
Then, Sampras' tone became cheerful again, "I heard from Martin that you prepared hometown food for Gao Wen tonight. Did Yan Yun cook it herself?"
Gao Hongli's expression gradually relaxed. "Didn't Andre tell you? You are also among the invited guests."
Sampras:? Gao Hongli shook his head slightly, "Pete, have you done something bad again to offend Andre and Martin?"
The subtext is, that's why you were ostracized? Sampras looked at Gao Hongli, not expecting such a blow, and opened his mouth in astonishment: I didn't expect you to be such a Gao Hongli.
Gao Hongli finally smiled, his expression light and mischievous.
Sampras shook his head slightly. "Now I finally know where Gawain got those tricks from."
In fact, Gao Hongli hadn't had time to send out the invitations yet, and the entire coaching team didn't know about it. At this time, Gao Hongli officially said, "Sorry, please be sure to come to the party tonight, otherwise my wife may start to worry about the disposal of leftovers. She cooked a full table of food tonight."
The unexpected invitation made Sampras laugh heartily. "Don't worry, I can eat a lot. You don't have to worry."
(End of this chapter)