Chapter 1785: Revisiting the old place
In fact, for Chinese reporters, this year's US Open is another test.
Originally, the Chinese media were ready and had organized large teams according to their respective plans and were heading to New York for first-hand reporting.
Not only CCTV, but also five local TV stations. As for print media and online media, they are countless, setting a new historical record.
However, Gao Wen's sudden injury not only disrupted Gao Wen's plan, but also disrupted the media's plan.
The "uncertain future" immediately made all the media hesitant. The main reason was that if Gao Wen's injury could not be recovered in time and he was eventually forced to miss the title defense, the value of their going to New York to report on the scene would no longer exist, and their efforts and gains would not be proportional.
So, what should they do? After much hesitation, CCTV finally showed its courage.
They set out according to the original plan with the original team and size, and their visas and hotels have been booked. They are not going to back down.
After all, this is the first time that Gao Wen has stepped onto the Grand Slam stage as the defending champion.
After all, they hadn't expected the unexpected surprise last year, so there was no reason to back out this year.
After all, after the tests of Roland Garros and Wimbledon, their confidence and expectations in Gawain have gradually become a belief.
After all, this is where the dream begins.
CCTV is still CCTV after all. Its magnanimity and domineering attitude are extraordinary.
Although two local TV stations eventually canceled their trips, it is a little hard to believe that there were more than 300 people in the official and unofficial interview teams from China. This is the statistical number when the two TV stations canceled their trips. Such a scale is comparable to the Olympics.
The difference is that the Olympics has more than two dozen different events and hundreds of athletes, whereas the U.S. Open has only one event and barely a dozen players, including those in the qualifiers.
The scale is evident from this.
There is no doubt that this is a first.
At this moment, one can feel from all angles that Gao Wen's influence in the Chinese mainland and even in the whole of Asia has indeed reached a new peak.
The reference and comparison is the Neon Media Team.
Like Gao Wen, Kei Nishikori withdrew from the competition in Cincinnati due to injury. In addition, Nishikori's overall performance this season is far below expectations. Although he is still ranked sixth in the world, he needs to defend the points in the quarterfinals of the US Open last year, and he is also facing a crossroads.
Neon also sent more than 50 reporters. In addition to paying attention to Kei Nishikori, their attention was also focused on Gao Wen.
As Asian players, after experiencing the glory of Flushing Meath last year, Gao Wen and Kei Nishikori are both looking forward to replicating the miracle again this year.
More importantly, the Asian media are looking forward to Gao Wen becoming the world's number one and filling the gap in professional tennis. In the doubles field, Asian players have already accomplished such a feat, but in the singles field, both male and female players have never been able to fill this gap.
But now, if Gao Wen wants to continue the suspense of the ATP world's number one at the end of the year, he must perform well in New York. This is a necessary condition.
So, when Gao Wen announced his arrival in New York, other Asian reporters, including Ni Hong, also applauded, unable to contain their excitement and joy. Even compared with the fans and netizens, the noise in the media center was no less.
It's really amazing! Perhaps this is another charm of competitive sports, breaking through the boundaries of race, culture, country, and ethnicity, and truly focusing on the challenge of humanity.
Yu Jia couldn't help but feel her heart beating fast.
When he came forward, Yu Jia saw two familiar faces and his smile blossomed.
"Teacher Zhan, Teacher Hu."
Zhan Jun was also in high spirits at this time, and gave Yu Jia a hug. "We just saw the news, it's good that you're here, it's good that you're here."
Exactly one year ago, Zhan Jun and Hu Litao witnessed a miracle here. In the blink of an eye, a year has passed. CCTV is also eager to bring some good luck, so it once again sent the two old partners to revisit the old place, ready to witness another journey and another battle, and look forward to a perfect ending.
However, the mood and mentality have completely changed.
Hu Litao tried hard to remain calm, but his constant swallowing of saliva still revealed the turbulent emotions in his heart, and his adrenaline was being secreted and burned wildly.
"The next step is to look at the draw."
"Last year's draw was terrible. Hopefully I can get a good draw this year."
Although Zhan Jun didn't say anything, he understood what Hu Litao meant.
No one knows how Gao Wen is recovering. After all, the timeline is too tight, and he still needs time to recuperate after straining his abdominal muscles.
Therefore, Gao Wen needs time to slowly regain his touch and form, which also means that the draw will play an important role——
If Gao Wen encounters a seed killer in the first week of the competition and releases all his energy recklessly at the beginning, the situation may become very difficult.
But if there are no strong opponents in the early stages and Gao Wen is given enough time to adjust and improve, then the second week of the competition will be completely different.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
Entering the second year of his professional career, compared with the four Grand Slams in the past year, Gao Wen needs a little more good luck than any other time.
Zhan Jun could sense the confusion in Hu Litao's short words. In fact, they both felt the same way. He let out a long breath and said half-jokingly, "We've already experienced the hellish draw at Melbourne Park. I think any draw should pale in comparison."
The atmosphere became relaxed again.
They should believe in Gawain, not because Gawain can always perform miracles, but because Gawain will do his best at any time and in any situation.
The live draw is about to begin——
Amidst the rustling and chattering, one could clearly feel that the atmosphere in the entire press conference hall and media center had calmed down but was beginning to become slightly tense.
Countless eyes were all focused on the TV screen.
Then!
Gawain in a suit and tie and Serena Williams in a bright red dress appeared on the stage carrying the championship trophies respectively.
Ah, how could they forget that, except for Wimbledon, the draw ceremonies for the three Grand Slams were all done by the defending champions themselves.
In other words, their luck will determine their draw position.
The US Open is the youngest and most trendy of the four Grand Slams. They once tried having the defending women's singles champion draw lots for the men's singles and vice versa, but later realized that such gimmicks were not exciting enough, so they returned to the "control your own destiny" mode.
At this moment, watching the scene of Gao Wen carrying the championship trophy onto the field, the sense of reality that had passed a year ago rushed quickly from the soles of his feet to the top of his head like an electric current.
Now, his fate is in Gao Wen's own hands, to see what draw he will make for himself.
So, is this a good thing or a bad thing?
(End of this chapter)