Chapter 1912: Follow the routine
Exactly one year ago, when the unknown Gao Wen embarked on the Grand Slam journey for the first time in his career, Chinese tennis was facing a crossroads of fate, and the continued upward momentum might suffer a fatal blow.
However, one year later, the expansion and spread of the tennis market in China has not only not stopped, but has continued to break through and climb to a new height, and finally broke out in full swing when the US Open comes again.
Once upon a time, thousands of fans overcame their habit of staying in bed late and got up early to watch the live broadcast of the NBA Finals with sleepy eyes.
Once upon a time, millions of fans ignored the jet lag and stayed up all night just to wait for the grand opening of the Champions League final.
Once upon a time, millions of football fans turned their days and nights upside down, sacrificing sleep and changing their schedules to match the World Cup schedule.
Now, for the first time ever, tennis is enjoying this treatment.
The men's singles final will start at 4 p.m. local time in New York, which is 4 a.m. for Chinese fans.
And it was four in the morning on Monday.
This is really unfriendly.
However, after experiencing the miracle of a comeback in the Australian Open final, the regret of being eliminated in the semifinals of the French Open and Wimbledon, and the unexpected setbacks in the hard court season in North America in the summer, Gao Wen actually returned to the final stage in New York, and there was only one step left to defend the championship.
No one wants to miss out; and no one should miss out.
It is a rare sight that the discussion and attention of the men's singles final continued to soar. Fans who watched or not watched, and passers-by who understood or didn't understand also joined in. For the first time, a frenzy comparable to the World Cup was created on China's social networking platforms, not just the NBA or Champions League finals.
Fans are seizing the tail end of this summer, celebrating, partying, reveling, and waiting to witness.
Originally, Jiang Yanqing was also planning to go to New York with Qiao Wangsheng, but the embarrassment and hardship of real life eventually tied her feet.
But that doesn't mean she can't join in on the fun.
The harder life is, the more we need moments like this, to believe in dreams, to believe in miracles, and to believe that we can create a tomorrow with our own hands.
Right now. At this moment.
Jiang Yanqing looked at the mighty black tide before him that spread all the way in the night, and his heart surged uncontrollably.
No matter what the result of the final is, they will stand behind Gao Wen, fight together, feel together, experience together, and remember it together.
"Fight!"
Jiang Yanqing raised his empty beer glass high and cheered.
The surging crowd in front of them shouted in unison in response.
“Continuously!”
No one sleeps tonight.
That heat wave crossed the Pacific Ocean, the entire North American continent, and over mountains and rivers, and arrived at the other side of the earth with great fanfare, exploding and burning.
"Gawain!"
"Gawain!"
"Gawain!"
When Gao Wen arrived at the training ground to start basic training in the morning in preparation for the final that would kick off in the afternoon, the enthusiasm on the scene was fully ignited.
There were three layers of people inside and outside, densely surrounding the training ground. McDonald was shocked, but Gawain chuckled.
McDonald was also a little helpless and scratched his head. "I thought I had gotten used to it after two weeks, but the reality is that there are always unexpected surprises."
In just a few weeks, accompanying Gawain, MacDonald saw a whole new world. He thought he might not be able to learn anything. After all, tennis is an individual sport. In the end, you still need to rely on yourself. The only person you can rely on on the court is yourself.
However……
This is a magical journey that is priceless.
MacDonald took a deep breath and covered his chest. "Is this normal? It was you who was playing this afternoon, but I was more nervous than you."
Gao Wen just laughed, "Normal."
"It's just like when we were in school, watching other people's games was always more exciting than our own games. The players were calm and composed on the court, but we were like ants on the hot pot and couldn't stop."
He prepared as he spoke, without any panic at all.
It’s not the calmness that comes from accumulated experience. In fact, when Gawain first stepped onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium last year, he was already like this—
Rather than being nervous, I feel more excited and expectant. When I think about challenging masters, facing the best players in the world, and facing legendary giants, I can't help but get excited and eager to try. This is the greatest charm of competitive sports.
At least that's what Gawain thought.
Of course, this is already Gao Wen's fifth Grand Slam journey and third Grand Slam final. Some things are the same, the excitement, the thrill, the joy; but some things are completely new, brand new games, brand new situations, brand new confrontations, which cannot be judged by past experience.
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Everything just needs to be done step by step.
MacDonald glanced at Gawain's actions, "...Is it okay? I mean, don't you need to cover it up?"
Gawain is wearing an ankle brace.
Although the ankle injury is not a serious problem, the ankle has not been able to get enough rest due to continuous high-intensity competitions and is still a vulnerable link, so it needs to be protected.
McDonald meant, is it necessary to conceal the information to prevent Djokovic from formulating corresponding tactics? Gao Wen laughed directly, "This is no longer a secret. Moreover, I think we are all professional players and have experience with the impact of injuries. We all know that no matter what the off-court situation is, it all depends on the on-court performance. An ankle brace cannot explain anything."
"Maybe this is also a smokescreen?"
MacDonald looked at Gawain's confident smile and couldn't help but laugh.
Outside the court, fans also saw Gao Wen's actions.
Qiao Wangsheng expressed some concerns, which might become an uncertain factor in the final.
Although he didn't speak, Gu Xiao seemed to understand the fans' thoughts. After all, he himself was the same. "Starting from Toronto, there is an uncertainty. No one knows his situation better than Gao Wen. All we need to do is to support him and be his backup."
Qiao Wangsheng immediately realized that he was obsessed - they were eager for victory and the championship, there was no doubt about it, and witnessing history on the spot was undoubtedly exciting, but they were more eager to fight and strive.
Qiao Wangsheng didn't say much. He looked at Sampras, Agassi and others who arrived at the stadium one after another, as well as Dimitrov who followed them, and his eyes lit up.
Although losing the semi-finals was a heavy blow to Dimitrov, this time was different from any previous defeat. He gained courage and confidence, and still stayed in Flushing, playing the role of Gao Wen's hitting partner. His whole mental outlook was different.
Then, Qiao Wangsheng raised his arms high.
"Fight!"
When Gu Xiao heard this, a smile appeared on his face. He raised his arms and shouted, jumping continuously and beating the rhythm with his body.
"Fight!"
One sound after another, the energy gathered together.
(End of this chapter)