The hustle and bustle, the excitement, the crowds, even just a list of participants or a schedule can easily spark heated discussions in the media.
The ATP, which has entered the era of giants, has finally welcomed fresh blood to break the balance and push the glory of the golden age of tennis to a new height.
However, we still need to wait for the European indoor hard court season, and even the Asian season.
Davis Cup weekend ahead!
Perhaps, the Davis Cup's appeal and discussion cannot be compared with the Grand Slam, and the participation rate of top players is slowly declining.
But thanks to the agreement between the ITF and the Olympics, if a player is preparing to represent his country in the Olympics, he must meet the Davis Cup appearance requirement. In addition, the Davis Cup is currently the only team competition with the highest honor in the tennis world, so the event still has a special status.
Especially China.
Because of Gao Wen's strong rise, China advanced to the world group play-offs for the second time in history, with only one game left to enter the world group.
As early as the second week of the US Open, Gao Wen performed well and returned to the quarterfinals. China has already begun to warm up for the Davis Cup.
Indeed, this is indeed their best chance——
In fact, judging from the draw, China's luck in the World Play-offs was really bad, as they drew the Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic, the third seed in this year's Davis Cup, is undoubtedly in the first tier in terms of overall team strength. However, they unexpectedly lost to Australia 2:3 in the first round of the World Group and had to fight for relegation in the play-offs. However, they are undoubtedly the toughest and most formidable opponent in the play-offs.
What's worse, China was drawn to play away.
This not only means that there is no home advantage, but also means that they do not have the right to choose whether the competition venue is hard court, clay, grass or other. They must go to Prague and fight for the qualification for the World Group on the venue chosen by their opponents.
It’s difficult, harder than climbing to the sky.
After all, the Davis Cup is a team competition, and relying solely on Gao Wen may not be able to lead the entire team.
but!
This is still a rare opportunity for China.
First, Gawain.
Not only because of Gawain's own strength and appeal, but also because Gawain's presence has instilled confidence in the Davis Cup team inside and out, from top to bottom.
Secondly, the Czech Republic is facing its own difficulties.
Their top player Berdych has fallen into the slump of his career, performing poorly in various competitions, and is also troubled by some injuries, so Berdych missed all the Davis Cup matches this year. This also means that the Czech Republic's strength has been greatly reduced and there is a lack of a leader to lead the team.
The Czech Republic is indeed a tough nut to crack. It is not easy for any country to encounter them. China's luck in the draw is really... hard to describe; but from another perspective, there may be a chance, and they need to give it a try.
Afterwards, China and the Czech Republic announced the rosters for the World Group play-offs:
Czech side.
Vesely plays the first singles. This young player who once defeated Djokovic is actually a post-90s generation, born in 1993, only two years older than Gao Wen. He is currently ranked 40th in the world.
Rosol plays second singles, and his upset victory over Nadal at Wimbledon was the only bright spot, but his current world ranking of 79th still places him firmly in the top 100, and he is also a regular in the Grand Slam main draws.
Vesely and Rosol each took two singles.
There is a surprise in the doubles roster, with veteran player Stepanek bringing young player Adam-Pavlasek, who was born in 1994, to compete in doubles. The latter is currently ranked 145th in the world in singles and is also a rising star.
Judging from the list alone, even in the absence of Berdych, the Czech Republic's overall strength is still strong and indeed worthy of the title of Davis Cup third seed. On the Chinese side, there are some surprises but still many difficulties.
Gao Wen will play first singles, which is an arrangement without any suspense. He will be responsible for two singles matches, which is very stressful. All hopes rest on his shoulders.
There is no room for error in these two singles matches. If Gao Wen loses any of them, China's hopes of winning will instantly plummet. Everything depends on Gao Wen, which is more difficult than any Grand Slam tournament.
Because this is a team competition.
Now Gao Wen finally understood how German table tennis player Timo-Boll felt. This must be how it felt every time he challenged the Chinese team on the team stage. Even if he won alone, he might not be able to guarantee victory, but as long as he lost, there would be no hope.
But this is exactly the meaning of the team competition——
They are a team. Playing well alone does not mean victory. The core is for the whole team to unite firmly to face difficulties and challenge their limits, just like the Chinese women's volleyball team.
Zhang Ze served as the second singles player. After finally breaking through the first round of the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, Zhang Ze was plagued by injuries again and never recovered to his best. He failed to win the qualification to play in the main draws of the subsequent three Grand Slams.
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Despite this, Zhang Ze is still the player in the Chinese team with the second highest world ranking after Gao Wen. He will also be responsible for two singles games. Like Gao Wen, he has a heavy burden on his shoulders and he needs to make a breakthrough.
Like the Czech Republic, China's doubles roster is also a combination of old and new, with Li Zhe leading the young Zhang Zhizhen, and we look forward to creating new sparks.
Zhang Zhizhen, a brand new face, was born in 1996, even younger than Gao Wen. He trained with Medvedev at the tennis school in Nice, France. Although his talent is not top-notch, he has a kind of tenacity and perseverance. The mental outlook and mentality adjustment in the game are undoubtedly his strong points.
As early as 2013, Zhang Zhizhen, who was not yet seventeen years old, partnered with Wu Di to win the men's doubles championship at the National Games; this year, he was spotted by the retired Ljubicic, who served as his agent, allowing him to gain more valuable experience in competing in different competitions and grow step by step with his feet on the ground.
Currently, Zhang Zhizhen is ranked only 583rd in the world, but after careful consideration, coupled with the injuries of Wu Di and Bai Yan, and of course Gao Wen's success, Zhang Zhizhen finally made the Davis Cup team.
Regardless of the outcome of this year's competition, at least they should start preparing for the future. In addition to Li Zhe, the entire team is using young players born after 1990 as the main force, and they look forward to gaining more competitiveness next year and the year after.
Young people always represent the future, and any competitive sport is no exception.
As a result, China formed a team with the youngest average age in history and embarked on the journey of the Davis Cup play-offs, ready to give it a try.
On Saturday, September 19th, the third day of the 2015 Davis Cup officially kicked off.
Hua Xia arrived in Prague to challenge the Czech Republic away.
Slightly different from expectations, the Czech Republic did not choose the clay court but instead chose the hard court. This is a small good news for China.
Red soil?
It is a tough surface for both Zhang Ze and Li Zhe, but Zhang Zhizhen, who grew up and trained in Nice, is no stranger to clay.
Hard ground, really, is the best.