Chapter 1703: Fighting Side by Side
How did this story begin?
Gu Xiao could hardly remember it, but paying attention to and liking Gawain slowly became a habit.
In just one year, I got used to victory, got used to championships, got used to applause and cheers, got used to turning the tables in desperate situations, got used to breaking historical miracles, and got used to the glory of constantly writing myths...
As a fan, he was so spoiled that he slowly began to take all the brilliance and splendor for granted. Once a setback occurred, he couldn't help but turn away, as if not being too harsh was the greatest rationality.
But.
The story didn't begin like this.
At the beginning, the reason why I liked Gawain was because of his indomitable spirit, his perseverance, his fighting spirit, and also because of his dedication, his focus, and his wholehearted devotion.
It has nothing to do with winning.
In fact, it has never been about victory. He just likes to watch Gawain walk onto the court alone and compete with his own hard work and will in the huge venue. It is the strength, speed, rotation, as well as wisdom, will and spirit that interpret the sport of tennis in a different way.
While falling in love with Gao Wen, I also fell in love with tennis.
However, from a certain moment on, everything slowly changed. He, like those media and fans who blindly followed others, began to focus on victory, championships and records. He enjoyed the glory of Gawain constantly setting records, enjoyed the joy and excitement brought by the halo of victory, and gradually lost himself.
Since the glorious end of the Sunshine Double, Gao Wen's winning rate has dropped significantly since entering the clay and grass seasons, and the number of championships has shown a cliff-like downward trend. In a full three months, he only won one Barcelona 500 championship, and even the finals were only once in Barcelona.
It is still excellent, but the magical aura seems to be gone.
Slowly, slowly, they began to feel disappointed, dissatisfied, questioned, and cooled down. They had become accustomed to victory and to the high standards of expectations.
The Roland Garros semi-finals and Wimbledon semi-finals, even such excellent results could not meet their expectations.
Things shouldn't be like this -
Just like today.
He thought the game was over, he thought the defeat was inevitable, so the game was not worth paying attention to, "It's a loss anyway, isn't it?"
The fact is, it is not so.
The game is not over, and the excitement is not over either.
Gawain, not for the first time nor for the second time, proved with practical actions that the game is not over as long as the match point is not fulfilled, and as long as the game continues, it means that the battle will never stop.
And, they can trust that this won’t be the last.
Gu Xiao couldn't help but hold his breath.
He couldn't believe how much he had missed.
More importantly, it was not until this moment that Gu Xiao realized that the spirit and belief that once attracted him and changed his attitude towards life had unknowingly entered hibernation, and was gradually smoothed out in the busy and mediocre life, and finally evolved into the person he hated the most.
What happened to him? Staring at the TV screen, Gao Wen was sweating profusely as if he had just been fished out of the water, his feet were red, and his knees were shaking.
However, his eyes remained firm and focused. He was in a state of complete oblivion, completely unaware of winning or losing, and was only focused on the game in front of him.
That belief is burning.
Plop. Plop. Plop—
Uncontrollably, his heart pounded against his chest. Gu Xiao even forgot to sit down. He just stood in front of the TV, blankly.
Match point. Deuce.
Match point. Deuce.
Break point. Deuce.
Match point. Deuce.
Break point. Deuce.
The game became tense again, with the opponents going back and forth. The atmosphere in the center court reached an unprecedented height.
Like a pirate ship.
To the left, to the right; to the left again, and back again.
Federer's fans and Gawain's fans were all in a sea of fire.
Sprint.
run.
Go all out.
On the court, Gao Wen was running, running with abandon.
Federer's volley at the net was light and tricky. He hit the ball with a small backhand diagonal line and found the sideline of Gao Wen's forehand position. It landed accurately on the sideline, splashing a cloud of lime powder, and then flew towards the area outside the doubles line, light and floating.
Gao Wen disappeared from the screen like a high-speed train, and the live camera could no longer capture his figure.
He threw his whole body toward the audience seats and hit the tennis ball with his forehand. Before the tennis ball was about to hit the ground, he relied on inertia and the swing of his forearm to whip it hard.
Whoosh! The tennis ball, like a fireball, follows the "outside-in" route, from outside the doubles line, sticking to the tennis pole, and cutting into the sideline of the court.
Finally, he landed two steps behind Federer and found a spot inside the bounds.
Breaking the net, success! ——Buzz.
Everyone in the center court stood up and raised their arms to cheer. There was a roar in their ears! "It's amazing!"
"God, we couldn't even see Gawain on the screen. After hitting the ball, Gawain jumped directly into the audience to cushion the impact."
"But, the net was broken successfully!"
"Gao Wen found the route and the landing point with an incredible 'outside-in' shot, and scored the defensive winning point."
“The eighth match point was saved again!”
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"God!"
"The eighth one!"
"If you include the three in the fourth set, Gao Wen has saved 11 match points!"
"incredible!"
"Federer's performance was already top-notch, but Gawain's unyielding fighting spirit brought this match to a whole new level."
"The entire center court has stood up. At this moment, winning or losing has lost its meaning. Federer and Gao Wen both deserve our respect."
Difficulty breathing.
When the scoreboard returned to "40:40" for the thirteenth time, no one watching this scene could breathe.
Federer, missed eight match points.
Gao Wen missed four break points.
This is an extreme challenge for everyone.
Then!
"ah!"
Federer screamed.
“Ahhhh!”
Federer roared continuously, which was rare. He jumped high, clenched his fists, and roared like a king towards his player box.
Mirka also stood up with a fist, joining the crowd's enthusiasm.
ACE.
Another ACE after another, endless ACEs, ACEs like a fire captain. Federer served the 23rd ACE of the game and got the match point again, the ninth in this game and the twelfth in the whole game.
Federer needs such points, simple and efficient points. He needs to get rid of the suppression of Gawain's subtle advantage at the baseline. He needs to end the battle in the first three shots as much as possible. He needs to pull the rhythm of the game to a familiar pattern as much as possible. He needs to grasp the key scores.
After missing eleven match points, I became more and more nervous and weaker in my hands as the game progressed.
Federer himself noticed this fluctuation, so this ace was even more valuable.
On the other side of the court, Gawain remained calm, still slightly trying to hit his forehand. In fact, his prediction was correct, but his shot was a little slow. Federer served at 130 miles per hour (210 kilometers) and he gritted his teeth to complete the breakthrough, so that Gawain could not touch the ball.
A little regrettable.
But Gao Wen did not fluctuate at all, because he knew that Federer had such ability. If Federer could serve an ACE, he could only watch the ball and sigh, because the initiative was not in his hands.
Now, all Gao Wen could do was to stay calm and steady, and prepare for the next point again.
"AD:40".
District 2.
(End of this chapter)