Chapter 1636 Elite Eight

A bold hypothesis:

If Karlovic beats Murray in five sets, the second giant after Nadal will be eliminated early, completely subverting the tournament draw.

This is bad news for Wimbledon. The elite eight, which was supposed to be the start of a wonderful drama, lost two superstars so early.

But for Gawain, it was great news, because Karlovic's overall strength was inferior to Murray's, and Gawain's draw pressure was relieved by half, at least he didn't need to repeat the Melbourne Park miracle and face three giants in a row to challenge for the championship trophy.

As for the audience?

Obviously, local fans will be heartbroken and disappointed, but fans of Federer and Djokovic will be relieved. After all, the strongest opponent in the championship battle was unexpectedly eliminated in the fourth round, which means that the possibility of the No. 1 seed and the No. 2 seed meeting each other has skyrocketed.

——“7:6 (5)”.

On the other side, the fourth set between Murray and Karlovic was over and the result was out.

In the end, Murray won.

After a tough four-set battle, Murray defeated Karlovic and advanced to the quarterfinals, continuing his unbeaten streak in the grass court season.

Thus, all the worries, all the speculations, and all the fogs are dispelled; at the same time, the bustling expectations can officially begin to boil over.

"Gawain vs. Murray" is about to begin!

So far, Gowan and Murray have faced each other twice in their careers, with each player winning one game. However, in the semi-final at Melbourne Park earlier this year, it was the young and energetic Gowan who had the last laugh. This time at Wimbledon, in the grass court duel that Murray is best at and likes best, everything is new.

As the leader of the "Challenger Alliance", Gao Wen is the youngest player to achieve the feat of "defeating the Big Four". He has undoubtedly become a banner. Every encounter between Gao Wen and the Big Four can be described as sparks and excitement, which has become a major attraction besides the internal confrontation among the Big Four.

Expectations are boiling.

However, there are also hidden dangers in the competition.

Injury.

In the third-round match against Seppi, Murray suffered an injury to his right shoulder, which seriously affected his serve and led to a 1:6 defeat in the third set. Fortunately, after on-site treatment and bandaging, Murray recovered in time and eliminated Seppi in the last four sets, but this still became a time bomb.

Coming into this match, Murray's right shoulder was wrapped in a thick bandage, and his serve was a bit clumsy, which directly affected the quality of his serve, and he had to change his serve strategy; in the end, Murray withstood the test and defeated Karlovic after a three-hour battle, but reporters still expressed concerns after the game.

After all, Gawain is a tough opponent. Even on the grass field that is most unfamiliar to Gawain, this young player has proven himself. Even though reporters usually complain and provoke him, at critical moments, they still subconsciously regard Gawain as a dangerous opponent.

From these details, we can feel that Gao Wen is using his actual performance to establish his position in professional tennis step by step. Maybe doubts still exist and provocations will not disappear, but compared with the clay court season, the recognition from reporters and the public has reached a higher level.

“Everything is moving in a positive direction.”

Murray said this.

Although injuries have not disappeared and are still a part of the game, from another perspective, injuries themselves are a part of professional sports. Professional players fight with more or less serious injuries. Learning to endure pain and face injuries is basic professionalism.

Murray answered reporters' questions. It had been three days since he was injured and he had one more day to rest. He had been undergoing basic physical therapy. He had withstood the test of the three-hour match against Karlovic, which made him believe that he would be ready when he stepped onto the court in two days.

Compared to the worried local reporters, Murray seemed much calmer.

Obviously, this is not his first time fighting with an injury and it will not be the last. His target has turned to Gawain and he is looking forward to a wonderful duel.

Very surprisingly, at the post-match press conference, the person who sparked the most discussion was not Murray's next round opponent Gawain, but Kyrgios.

Unlike other top players, Murray and Kyrgios have always had a good personal relationship; similarly, Kyrgios also thinks Murray is the most pleasing to the eye among the Big Four. Although Kyrgios has complained about Murray's poor record against the other Big Three more than once, Murray always makes fun of himself with ease.

Murray believes that Kyrgios' rise to fame was too sudden. He was standing in the spotlight at the age of 18. It is difficult for people to understand how difficult it is to grow up in the spotlight, nor do they know how terrifying it is to bear heavy responsibilities at such a young age. What Kyrgios needs now is the right guidance and help.

Federer, Djokovic, and Murray, after becoming famous at a young age, they all experienced the same difficulties, but none of them were as rebellious as Kyrgios. However, the times and generations are different, and behind the different ways of expression, they hide the same growing pains.

but--

When reporters mentioned Gawain, who won the Grand Slam championship at the age of 19 and was surrounded by the spotlight but never collapsed or exploded, Murray made a rare joke.

"Oh, very, very occasionally, we always see some monsters."

"For example, Rafa, and Gawain."

The light and simple joke successfully eased the tension, but no one expected that the topic would later extend to Gao Wen's press conference:

Reporters tried to sow discord, tying Murray and Kyrgios together, thinking they had joined forces to target Gawain, and asked Gawain for his opinion.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

In response, Gawain showed no sign of panic, and replied meaningfully, "Oh...it seems that our definition of monster may be slightly different."

This? After chewing on it carefully, the reporters gradually realized that Gawain's ironic remark was obviously a complaint, and Kyrgios was the monster.

He did it effortlessly and lightly, without mentioning Murray or Kyrgios at all, but he had already completed the counterattack invisibly.

Of course, more importantly, there is no need to be so serious and just brush it off. Such an attitude will prevent reporters from continuing to fan the flames.

High! Really high!

However, Murray was not targeting Gawain, but felt the same way.

"Actually, emotional management is not something I'm good at either."

"I have improved a lot compared to my early twenties, but even now there are still fans who don't like my emotional management on the court. They accuse me of shouting and having too many negative emotions."

"I also admit that I still have room for improvement. This year's Australian Open semi-final is the best example of how much better I can do. Although Gao Wen is younger than me, he kept his mentality stable and calmly found a way to turn the situation around, so he became the final winner of that game."

"Facing him at the All England Club this time, emotional management is still the homework ahead. He is a very smart player and I need to stay calm."

“So, let’s wait and see.”

(End of this chapter)