Chapter 1626: Eager to Try

"Hey. Hey! Brother, if you continue like this, I might vomit blood on the spot."

"Instead of thinking about Tonya Harding, why not just practice and see you in the North American season?"

Gao Wen, with a casual joke, easily broke up the heavy and confusing atmosphere, and in a blink of an eye, the feeling of joy and lightness was restored.

Tanya Harding, an American figure skater, was suspected of hiring someone to injure her main competitor Nancy Kerrigan's right thigh before the Olympic trials in 1994. Later, in 2017, the incident was adapted into the movie "I, Tonya", which recreated the incident.

Although with the widespread use of the Internet, various doubts and contradictions of the incident have surfaced, and the truth has been questioned again; but in the past twenty years, the whole incident is so famous and shocking that "Tanya Harding" has become synonymous with attacking opponents.

After hearing the joke, Dimitrov could no longer control himself and burst into laughter. He also followed Gawain's words and joked back.

"Very good, I will seriously consider your suggestion."

Wait, which advice? Train and fight another day, or...Tanya Harding?

When he loosened his arms, Dimitrov could see Gawain's dumbfounded expression, and his hearty laughter burst out like bubbles emerging from the water.

The spectators at Stadium No. 1 witnessed this scene with their own eyes. It was not just about "friendship first, competition second", but also a fighting camaraderie of mutual appreciation, mutual encouragement, mutual help, and mutual stimulation, urging the opponent to become a better player, continue to grow, continue to transform, and climb to the top.

Just like Federer and Nadal.

Of course, this does not mean that the two young men in front of us can be on par with the two legends, nor does it mean that the two young men can be regarded as the successors of Federer and Nadal; but it is an expectation and hope for the new generation. The excitement and glory of the future of men's tennis are slowly unfolding before our eyes.

Gao Wen has always been a leader of the Youth Storm, standing out from the crowd. However, for competitive sports, one representative figure is far from enough.

The glory of the Big Four comes from the strong collision and competition among the four players; the excitement of the Challenger League comes from the flourishing of the Mesozoic and New Generations. In addition to Wawrinka and Gawain, players such as Berdych, Tsonga, Anderson, Simon, Karlovic and others also performed well.

In short, competitive sports require confrontation. Otherwise, if one person stands out and sweeps away all the opponents, it may be fun to watch, but it will inevitably become boring.

This is the case with the new generation today. Gawain is far ahead, and the two new generation representatives who emerged first, including Raonic and Dimitrov, seem to find it difficult to catch up with Gawain. This also shows the weakness of the new generation. The better Gawain performs, the more disappointed people are with the new generation.

Today, Dimitrov, who was in deep depression, finally showed the spirit of the new generation born in the 1990s and joined hands with Gao Wen to present this classic.

Expectations, rekindled——

Perhaps, more outstanding players will emerge in the new generation; perhaps, Gawain and Dimitrov can join hands to create a new era in the new generation; perhaps, the strong confrontation between Gawain and Dimitrov can bring excitement, and finally allow the new generation to usher in a qualitative transformation and rise in an all-round way.

This is the key point.

Clap, clap! The applause continued to rise.

Because of the deep friendship between Gawain and Dimitrov both on and off the court, because the two players presented the best match since the start of Wimbledon, and because the two post-90s players finally presented a strong match that met people's expectations, the surging enthusiasm could no longer be suppressed.

Clap , clap! The whole stadium roared! After Gawain and Dimitrov shook hands with the referee, the two players packed up their equipment expertly, raised their hands high, and applauded the packed audience to express their gratitude. Without those cheers and applause, the excitement of this game might have been greatly reduced.

Finally, amid thunderous applause, Gawain and Dimitrov walked side by side, talking and laughing as they left the court, exactly the same as before the start of the game.

"…I'm not sure yet. That day, Pete suggested that I should find a coach first, then spend a week with him before deciding on the North American itinerary. What do you think?"

"I believe in Pete's advice. Of course, you need more games now, but the role of a coach is not only to develop new tactics and growth directions, but also to make more comprehensive arrangements starting from the schedule. So, in terms of coaching, are you going to seek information from John, or what?"

Although they are rivals on the court, they are friends off the court. Dimitrov is asking for Gawain's advice.

The experience at Wimbledon has given Dimitrov more confidence, and he can't wait to get ready for the upcoming North American hard court season.

The ultimate goal is the US Open at the end of August.

However, before heading to North America to compete, the coaching vacancy caused by Rashid's departure remains a problem.

"I..." Dimitrov was about to respond, but then he noticed Gawain looking forward with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Dimitrov stopped and looked in the direction of Gao Wen's gaze. The next second he saw Sharapova standing in front of him with a faint smile on her face.

Sharapova glanced at Gao Wen and said, "One second you were fighting fiercely on the court, and the next second you were talking and laughing. Aren't you mentally ill?"

In women's tennis, Sharapova has a very famous statement: I have no friends in the WTA.

Although the original words were not this, this is the meaning conveyed.

Sharapova believes that in order to maintain the fighting spirit and murderous intent on the court, they cannot be friends, especially the friendship between women, which is often full of impulse, emotion, and sentimentality; therefore, she believes that the so-called friends in the tour are just playing around.

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After these words were spoken, they immediately offended a lot of people, including the once-powerful Russian Pink Army, leading to Sharapova being isolated.

But Sharapova doesn't care. She still firmly believes in her point of view that if she is prepared to crush her opponent on the court, then they cannot be friends.

Of course, WTA and ATP are different. Similarly, everyone’s approach and mentality towards winning and losing, and facing competitions are also different.

As soon as she came on stage, Sharapova was on full fire.

Gao Wen still had a smile on his face, and met Sharapova's gaze with a smile, "So, are you now standing up for your boyfriend's loss?"

The little teasing immediately made Sharapova feel helpless and she rolled her eyes.

Since that brief conversation in Miami, Gao Wen and Sharapova have met several times in the past few months, and it can be detected that Sharapova's attitude has indeed undergone some small changes.

Sharapova could also see that Gawain and Dimitrov were indeed good friends, and that Gawain was sincerely helping Dimitrov.

Although Sharapova remained skeptical, at least she did not show her edge.

When Dimitrov saw Sharapova's expression, he walked up to her, gave his girlfriend a big hug, and smiled.

"Just now on the court, I got my revenge."

(End of this chapter)