Toronto, midsummer, sunny.
MacDonald was like a frightened rabbit lost in a vast forest, moving cautiously among the crowd, clearing for mines all the time.
He thought he had seen many big scenes, including the final stage of the U.S. Championship, the training ground of UCLA, the overwhelming news reports, etc., especially the recent Davis Cup related reports that filled every corner of his vision. Even if he didn't pay attention to it, it would appear on his timeline.
With Gao Wen as the center, the rolling heat waves spreading out from the hustle and bustle are continuously breaking cognition and writing page after page of glorious records.
He believed that he had a full understanding of this and was mentally prepared. Even if he was just a friend and a batting partner, he would step into the spotlight and be surrounded by the crowd, the shouts, and the flash lights. He needed to keep a calm mind and face this storm calmly.
However--
He was wrong.
When you actually step into the training ground, you will witness with your own eyes the surging crowds inside and outside, densely filling every corner. Even though there is obviously no space left, you can still see people approaching one after another, trying to squeeze in, find a gap, and get closer and closer.
On the roadside, a young boy is trying to ride on his friend's neck, like riding a wooden horse, to climb to a higher point and break the shackles of the crowd; next to them, three young girls can be seen trying to break through from below, like drilling through a dog hole, breaking through between their calves.
The upper three routes, the lower three routes, different means and different tricks all appear.
It is simply not on the same level as the "noise" I have experienced and witnessed in MacDonald so far, and that's probably how carnival is.
McDonald found it hard to believe that this was just a training session.
According to the official schedule of the Rogers Cup, Gao Wen booked a two-hour training session at the No. 7 training ground from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Training and opening up.
Therefore, before half past eight, the training ground was already crowded, so much so that the first reaction in McDonald's mind was,
"Did I go the wrong way?"
MacDonald has always had a clear understanding of Gawain's popularity and popularity, at least, that's what he thinks.
After all, the wave of heat on social networks is simply impossible to ignore. Wherever you see tennis, you will definitely see Gao Wen, filling every corner.
Before leaving for Toronto, McDonald had already prepared himself mentally. Judging from the heated discussions about the Davis Cup, Gawain's popularity continued to rise.
It was the first time that a mere Davis Cup could spark such a discussion. Gawain's game highlights, game highlights, top five goals, etc. were spread all over the Internet in the form of photos and videos. Young female fans and professional media spared no effort to spread the message.
but!
After actually arriving at the scene, McDonald was still shocked.
His footsteps paused slightly, and his first reaction was to flee.
He felt he was not ready yet.
However, the paused steps did not turn around after all.
So, how did Gao Wen do it? At the same time, what kind of pressure is Gao Wen facing?
For the first time, MacDonald felt as if he couldn't imagine such a scene.
Over the past year, the Bruins' games have always been filled with countless pressures. The chaotic thoughts in my mind simply cannot be stopped. The more I want to stay focused, the more I tend to daydream. The days of tossing and turning in bed and unable to sleep all night are gradually increasing, and things are becoming more and more difficult.
But now, looking at the commotion in front of him, which was just the tip of the iceberg and could easily overturn McDonald's cognition, he was a little panicked.
Go forward? Or turn around? My steps stayed where they were, and my chaotic and turbulent mood slowly settled down.
If he can't even handle the craze on the training ground, what should he do when he steps on the Grand Slam court in the future?
What about the center court?
MacDonald's dream is to one day step on the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing and show his style on that stage.
Maybe he should start preparing now.
Perhaps, this is why Gao Wen invited himself to join the North American series.
He took a deep breath, and his fingertips felt slightly cold, but McDonald still controlled his urge to flee and continued walking.
--"careful!"
A call came from his ear, and before McDonald could react, a force pulled McDonald back half a step, causing chaos.
MacDonald looked back, but before he could exclaim, "Marcos?"
The next second, I looked up following Jilong's gaze, and saw a "little monkey" climbing to the top of the tree, hanging on a branch, looking out, and an object slipped out of its shaky pocket, shaking precariously.
The little monkey should be a boy of thirteen or fourteen years old. He looked panicked and said, "Ah, a cell phone!"
McDonald took a step forward, stretched out his hands, and caught the phone with a single dart. Then he waited for the little monkey to adjust its center of gravity on the tree trunk and threw the phone up again.
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"Thank you!" The little monkey smiled widely.
At this time, MacDonald retracted his gaze and turned to look at his former teammate whom he had not seen for a long time.
“Hey, man!”
The two hugged each other.
Jilong's quiet face rarely showed a smile, "Long time no see, how come you are in Toronto? Are you ready to participate in the challenge?"
This week, the Rogers Cup is undoubtedly the protagonist of the ATP arena, but a challenge tournament is also held in a small town less than 40 minutes' drive from Toronto.
MacDonald shook his head. “Starting this week, I will accompany Gao Wen to the competition and do batting practice with him.”
Jilong was a little surprised.
MacDonald didn't notice and continued to ask, "What about you? Are you here to participate in the competition?"
Jilong nodded, "Qualifying round, we won one round, and there is one more round to come."
McDonald's smile was completely revealed. "Wow! That was a good performance. I hope I can win another game and then I can enter the finals."
The corners of Jilong's mouth also rose in a similar arc. It is always a pleasure to see old friends on tour.
But looking at McDonald and the crowds of people in front of me, my thoughts became clouded with mixed feelings.
Jilong's eyes flickered as he gestured to the training ground. "I was originally planning to come over and say hello to Gao Wen, but looking at the situation now, it may be difficult. Then I will go warm up and prepare for the qualifying match this afternoon. After the match, I will come over to say hello to Gao Wen."
MacDonald didn't think much about it and nodded repeatedly, "Okay, I'll talk to Gawain later, we can get together in the evening and drink some mineral water."
"Haha." Jilong was amused by McDonald's "drinking water", but didn't say anything more. He patted McDonald's shoulder and then took a step forward.
Moving forward along the way, passing by the bustling crowds, each and every excited and joyful face was filled with happiness, and Jilong passed by in such a low-key manner.