Chapter 1987: Unmovable
"Novak, next, will you consider changing the schedule and adjusting your subsequent competition plans?"
The final of the Shanghai Masters ended, and the post-match press conference was crowded with people. The whole venue was dark, and countless eyes flocked to the two players.
Everything, all revolves around the battle for the world's number one.
The reason is simple and intuitive——
Djokovic, defending the title in Beijing, was in the semi-finals last year and the runner-up this year in Shanghai, with a slight increase in points.
Gao Wen, the Imperial Capital was in the quarterfinals last year and is the runner-up this year, the Magic Capital was in the semifinals last year and is the champion this year, and his points have increased significantly.
It's clear at a glance! Djokovic is still strong, continuing his trend of rising points this season and surpassing last year; but at the same time, facing the pressure of maintaining points, Gao Wen also showed a more mature attitude, showing a perfect performance in the head-on confrontation, and finally shortened the points gap between the two.
White-hot! Really white-hot!
This scene reminds me of the clay and grass seasons.
At that time, Gawain's performance was already good enough, but Djokovic performed even better, thus widening the points gap.
Now, Djokovic is performing at the top level, but Gawain is performing better, thus narrowing the points gap.
Naturally, an obvious question arises:
Is Djokovic prepared to add more matches to his schedule? "No. I won't."
Djokovic was obviously prepared for this. He did not hesitate or leave any room for maneuver. He did not say anything like "I will discuss it with the coaching team". He gave a negative answer cleanly and directly.
"I will still finish the season at my own pace and rhythm. I believe I am on the right track."
"I am personally very satisfied with the results of the Asian season. There are good and bad results, but this is a process of improvement. Next, we need to review and summarize."
“I look forward to stepping onto the O2 Arena in London in the best possible condition and facing the challenge of the year-end finals with the best mental attitude.”
Calm and composed.
Steady and calm.
In a blink of an eye, Djokovic has been playing in the professional arena for nearly ten years and has been at the top for five years. His background is naturally different.
Indeed, in the Asian season, Gawain continued his strong performance, but Djokovic also performed well. Judging from the points numbers, Gawain's narrowing of the gap is really limited, and now there is a gap of more than 2,000 points between the two.
For Djokovic, instead of changing the schedule and choosing a tournament with 500 or 250 points, it is better to stay focused on the year-end finals. As the defending champion, he needs to maintain 1,500 points in London, which is the real key to the year-end world ranking.
Naturally, Djokovic's attitude was very firm and unshakable.
The same question was also thrown to Gawain, and reporters were expecting a different answer. After all, Gawain was the one chasing, and a small amount of points is still meat. Fifty points and two hundred and fifty points may not mean anything to Djokovic, but Gawain may seize the opportunity to turn the situation around.
However--
"No, I'm not going to add more games."
Decisive.
Like Djokovic, Gao Wen did not waver at all, not even a little bit of hesitation, and this attitude once again shocked the media.
Instead, Gawain once again displayed a mature demeanor that was totally inconsistent with being nineteen years old.
"Of course, I look forward to becoming the world's number one. It is a dream and a goal. If I can achieve it, I will wake up with a smile on my face."
“But I always believe that this is a process, not a task.”
"I should focus on the present, play the game step by step, quarterfinals, semifinals, championship, and then, when it is supposed to happen, it will happen."
"There is an old Chinese saying: 'When things are done, they will come naturally.'"
"My priority right now is to prepare for each tournament according to my condition and look forward to performing well. Being No.1 in the world is an added bonus."
"For me, this is my first full season in my professional career. As I enter the end of the season, everything is new. I still have a lot to learn about how to adjust my state and body. I don't think being too hasty and ambitious will help me. I need to calm down."
"So, the most important thing right now is the next race in Vienna."
The passion and enthusiasm in my bones are burning, but I haven't lost my mind.
This is Gawain.
The so-called top players not only perform on the court, but also outside the court. How to arrange training, how to arrange schedules, and how to learn to make choices. This is a kind of wisdom. To some extent, it even plays a vital role, but its existence is often overlooked.
Perhaps, in the eyes of media reporters, the battle for the world's number one has already begun, and it is undoubtedly the highlight and the hottest spot in the second half of the year.
However, whether it is Djokovic or Gao Wen, they focus on the competition for the world's number one, but they are more focused on the collision of the schedule.
For the players, the more intense the situation, the calmer they are.
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For the media, the calmer it is, the more intense it is.
This is also a scene.
The two players standing at the core of the eye of the storm both followed the steps, embarked on the journey at their own pace, and strictly adhered to the plan to move towards the end of the season.
The Asian season ends and the European indoor hard court season begins.
The third stop is Vienna.
In this event, there were many upsets and surprises.
Tsonga, Thiem, Raonic, Anderson, Karlovic and other players were all eliminated in advance. At this time, they could deeply feel the meaning of Gawain's words -
As the season draws to a close, both the physical and mental levels have hit a low point. The more serious one is injuries, and the less serious one is the decline in touch and condition. For all players, how to arrange the schedule and how to adjust the condition are difficult problems.
You see, the calls for "shortening the schedule" are getting louder every year, from ATP to WTA. The extra schedule of the Davis Cup has also been criticized repeatedly. This is also a problem that tennis must face on the road to advancing its commercial development. The contradiction between players and schedule is irreconcilable.
Therefore, Federer only arranged the Shanghai Masters for the entire Asian season. After being eliminated in the first match, he did not add any more games to the schedule, and there was still only one stop in Basel.
Therefore, Djokovic always kept a calm mentality in the face of fierce competition from the world's number one, and did not rush to disrupt his plans.
Not only in Vienna, but also in Moscow, Stockholm and other events, there were also many upsets.
However, amidst all the upsets, the top players still stood firm and once again showed their mastery.
At the event in Vienna, everything went as expected.
Galvin defeated Monfils and Dimitrov defeated Ferrer, and the two leaders of the Youth Storm successfully met in the final, perfectly responding to Vienna's promotion plan. From the beginning to the end of the Youth Storm, the young and energetic Vienna has indeed ushered in a new atmosphere.
In the final, Gao Wen defeated Dimitrov in straight sets, defeating his friend for the second time after Wimbledon and becoming the champion.
The Vienna Tournament, which was upgraded to a 500-point event for the first time this year, came to a perfect conclusion amid great anticipation and attention.
The same is true for journalists.
(End of this chapter)