Chapter 1639: Rain Disrupts the Situation
"Pah! Andy!"
"Pah! Andy!"
At the centre court of the All England Club, thunderous cheers echoed throughout the stadium like thunder. The dark clouds hovering over Wimbledon seemed to gradually dissipate, and a ray of golden sunlight shone through the dense clouds, slowly outlining the contours of the court which was an intertwining of dark green and dark purple.
Boom, boom, boom…
The uniform clapping and cheering were like a huge bell hitting the heart. The roars created ripples on the eardrums, and the boiling blood spread to the limbs. The tingling and trembling feeling was like being electrified, and then the soul began to tremble slightly uncontrollably.
Rough seas!
Overwhelming!
Puran had forgotten to breathe.
She thought that after the last game, she had begun to adapt to and even enjoy the game, and she was able to face the atmosphere on the scene calmly.
However, it is not.
A brand new game, a brand new beginning, everything is different, yet everything is the same, the tension, the excitement, the fear, the happiness, the panic, the anxiety and so on, those intricate flavors are still surging on the tip of the tongue, familiar yet completely different.
——Quarterfinals, Central Stadium.
When the singles quarterfinals were all decided, Wimbledon announced the schedule as soon as possible.
Center court.
The first game, Murray VS Gao Wen.
The second game, Djokovic VS Cilic.
Court No. 1.
The first game, Wawrinka VS Gasquet.
The second game, Federer VS Simon.
Federer was squeezed out of the center court; or to be more precise, the world No. 1 and defending champion Djokovic entered the center court.
As for the duel between Murray and Gawain, there was no controversy about it being scheduled on the center court, and even Wawrinka's supporters did not raise any objections.
At 1:00 p.m. local time in London, Murray and Gao Wen took the stage one after another, kicking off the battle for the quarterfinals.
The scene was star-studded.
In the VIP box, Beckham appeared with his son Romeo, and Ozil also came with them; not only that, Princess Kate also appeared.
In addition, Manchester United's legendary head coach Sir Alex Ferguson, new generation actress Emma Watson, Hollywood legendary star Tom Hanks and others all appeared in the VIP box, sparking a lot of heated discussion before the game.
Even if you don't know much about tennis, the massive enthusiasm on social networks has made it clear that this is the key battle at Wimbledon this year.
No one should miss out.
Social networks were bustling with activity. Regardless of whether they were present at the event or not, netizens participated in this highly anticipated competition in their own ways.
However! The match was interrupted by rain after less than 25 minutes. The heavy rain interrupted all the matches in progress at the All England Club.
The spectators also had to go indoors to avoid the rain, but there were still a few fanatical fans who wore raincoats and continued to sit stubbornly and lonely in the heavy rain, quietly looking at the stadium in front of them that was covered by waterproof cloth, like the watchmen in the wheat field, waiting for the moment when the rain would stop and the sky would clear up.
——I was full of expectations, but I was met with a bucket of cold water. I had to stop working before I could even get excited. This also verifies the old saying:
Good things come to those who wait.
In Gao Wen's not-so-long career, this is the first time he has experienced a rain interruption in a Grand Slam tournament, and everything is new.
What should players do when the rain continues?
Keep warming up.
Carry out simple and basic warm-up exercises, such as stretching, cycling, yoga... which are very similar to pre-match warm-up, and they need to keep their bodies warm.
At the same time, these basic trainings are also a means of maintaining focus.
Although the game is interrupted, they cannot be distracted by off-field interference, nor can they be dazed by the long wait. They need to return to the game at any time. Once their focus is away from the scene, it may take some time to regain the rhythm and state of the game.
Of course, the more experience you have, the easier it is to "come back", but there is no shortcut. It all depends on practical experience, learning and accumulating little by little.
Sampras said that the heavy rain itself has never been the point, but the consistency of rhythm, state and environment is the point.
Gao Wen could understand part of this, but the rest only became clear after he actually experienced it.
For example, today.
In fact, the downpour was like a three-year-old child, rolling on the ground one second and smiling the next. The thunderstorm lasted less than twenty minutes; then, the caddies on the scene quickly lifted the tarpaulin and cleaned the course to avoid any interference from accumulated water.
By the time we were waiting for Murray and Gawain to return to the court, exactly twenty-seven minutes had passed since the last point.
Less than half an hour.
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From the perspective of warm-up training, this heavy rain did not last long, and the players' attention is still on the game, so they should be able to get into the game quickly.
However, after stepping onto the court again, Gawain immediately noticed something different.
The wind, the temperature, the humidity.
Everything has changed.
People always say that London is a special city where you can experience four seasons in one day. Gawain has always thought that this is an artistic way of describing it, emphasizing the ever-changing weather; but at this moment, Gawain truly understands that there is absolutely no artistic processing involved.
Before the heavy rain, it was summer.
After the heavy rain, it is winter.
Standing in the center court, the cold wind was howling.
No wonder before he came on stage, Pelt asked Gawain to wear a short-sleeved inner layer, in order to absorb sweat and keep warm. Especially in cold and windy weather, once you sweat, your body temperature will easily drop and you will easily catch a cold. Therefore, an inner layer with good sweat absorption performance is very important.
Gao Wen didn't pay attention to the thermometer, but his body temperature should have been below ten degrees Celsius; at the same time, the howling wind was even more exaggerated than that in Indian Wells. Just now, Murray served a ball during warm-up, and the tennis ball bounced off the ground and was directly pushed away by the wind, changing its flight trajectory.
——Rhythm. State. Environment.
Everything needs to start from the beginning, which means that now and just now are basically two different games, and even the tactics formulated before the game need to be adjusted.
Now, Gao Wen understood what Sampras meant.
Rain interruptions happen all over the world, of course, but no city has changed as drastically as Wimbledon.
Moreover, this match was held at the Centre Court of the All England Club, one of the most historic courts, and the whole atmosphere was completely different.
Although it has stopped raining in Wimbledon, thick dark clouds still hang overhead, giving a sense of the end of the world.
In this regard, Gao Wen is indeed a novice.
Don't forget that on the other side of the net is Murray, one of the Big Four; at the same time, Murray is also the one among the Big Four who is best at thinking and tactical layout. Although his ability to respond is slightly insufficient when dealing with unexpected situations, seizing the initiative is his strong point.
So, when the game resumed, Murray quickly improved his condition and went all out, ready to seize the opportunity of heavy rain to break the balance of the confrontation.
(End of this chapter)