On the other side, Nadal slid forward and saved the ball at his limit.
On the other side, Gao Wen made a diving header to intercept the ball in front of the net.
In the exchange, both players have demonstrated their bodies and abilities to the fullest, burning without reservation and burning to death. After pushing to the extreme, both of them lost their balance. It was a rare scene. The entire O2 stadium was briefly engulfed in magma and smoke.
There was complete silence.
Everything is quiet.
One second, two seconds, the sound of time passing gently hits the heart, and the tiny ripples slowly spread out, and in a blink of an eye they turn into raging waves that swallow up all reason and create a tsunami in the brain.
Ah! Crazy.
Ahhh! Completely mad, madly caught up in the heat wave.
The match point was achieved, bringing this unparalleled peak showdown to an end in an incredible way. The ultimate roller coaster experience finally came to the end.
After a fierce battle of two hours and fourteen minutes, although Nadal saved two match points and broke Gao Wen's first serve to win the match, Gao Wen still showed his growth and transformation on the third match point and successfully converted it with a diving header and volley in front of the net.
The game is over——
"6:3", "3:6", "6:4".
Gao Wen, wins.
Unbelievable, wonderful, who can refuse such a moment? Cheering, screaming, jumping, roaring, venting, blooming, partying, not only because of the victory, but also because of the perfect performance of the two players, once again interpreting the greatest charm of competitive sports, showing the spirit of human beings constantly challenging themselves and challenging their limits, worthy of being a battle between two gods of war.
A mighty wave of heat filled the entire venue.
On the court.
Gawain lay flat on the ground, somewhat exhausted, his knees trembling slightly, every nerve and every cell in his body protesting, but he felt neither tiredness nor emptiness, but a pure and simple sense of satisfaction, a kind of joy that bloomed in every corner of his body like fireworks.
Strictly speaking, it is not even joy or happiness, but a kind of pure exhilaration, a kind of relaxation after challenging oneself and pushing one's limits.
A smile just crept up to the corner of his mouth.
Then, a figure appeared in front of him——
Nadal.
He was sweating profusely, his face was flushed, and there was fatigue between his brows that could not be concealed, but the smile in his eyes and at the corners of his mouth was slightly raised. He stretched out his right hand towards Gawain, raised his left eyebrow, and exchanged a playful glance with him.
Gawain raised his heavy right hand and slammed it hard against Nadal's right hand. With his hands clasped tightly, Gawain stood up with the help of Nadal's strength. The two good friends hugged each other, and everything was said without words.
Right now. At this moment.
Words are too pale and too light. Their respect and admiration for each other have been poured into the game and expressed in the form of fighting. When the game ended, they had given it all.
Maybe Nadal is still not in 100% condition, maybe what he showed on the indoor hard court was not the best Nadal, but one thing is certain -
Playing against Nadal, I can always bring out the best in myself.
Every encounter is a test, a challenge, but also a tempering and a polishing. They become better versions of themselves through the collisions on the court.
This is the most rare thing.
Gawain patted Nadal on the back and said, "It's an honor, man."
Nadal smiled, "I tried. Believe me, I really tried."
Gao Wen understood immediately, "And you will continue to fight, right?"
Nadal grinned. "How about it? Have you prepared a training plan for the off-season?"
Gao Wen responded with a dumbfounded expression, then shook his head repeatedly, "Brother, slow down, slow down, let's focus on the semi-finals first, how about that? I'm a little regretful now, it seems that I tried too hard today, and my calves are starting to cramp."
Nadal was a little worried. He immediately looked down at Kirk's calf and realized that Gawain was joking. But he still asked with concern. After all, Gawain fell during the last point's diving header. "Are you okay?"
Gawain laughed happily, "Don't worry, I will survive. How about, see you in the final?"
Nadal's left eyebrow once again raised vividly, "Slow down, slow down, brother, let's focus on the next game first, how about that?"
Nadal borrowed the same sentence from Gawain and teased him back.
"Ha ha!"
The two friends exchanged glances and then laughed heartily.
The game is over——
This is why Gao Wen likes playing against Nadal. He is conscientious and hardworking. It is all about tennis. You can feel his love for the sport, a pure emotion.
In fact, Nadal has been working hard in the tour for a full ten years. It is inevitable to get tired of doing anything over and over again for ten years, including the other Big Three. They always need some breathing space; but in Nadal, one can always feel his love and passion. He has been showing his professionalism down to earth for ten years.
This is really rare.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
Both Sampras and Agassi experienced professional burnout at different times. They wanted to stay away from the court and completely isolate tennis from their own world. After retiring, they did not return to the tennis world immediately.
What's more, Nadal has experienced the test of injuries time and time again, and has always maintained an innocent heart and never forgotten his original intention amidst boring training, painful rehabilitation and countless setbacks.
Occasionally, Gawain would think about what he would be like in five or ten years, but he never had a picture in mind. After all, it was only the second year of his professional career and the future was too far away. But now, he hoped that he could continue to challenge himself and continue to love challenges like Nadal.
Finally, standing in front of the net, the two friends hugged each other again.
"good luck!"
"good luck!"
After wishing each other well, they opened their arms, shook hands with the referee one after another, and then walked towards the players' rest area.
When Nadal packed up his equipment and left, Gawain was the first to straighten his back and lead the applause for Nadal, and then a rare scene appeared on the court.
"Pah! Rafa!"
"Pah! Rafa!"
The entire audience stood up and showed their respect with applause and cheers. Nadal could leave the court with his head held high. He was definitely not a loser.
In fact, the audience had extremely high expectations for this year's year-end finals, but they never expected that the suspense of the group stage would be decided early on. Even the match between Federer and Djokovic was below expectations and failed to show the style of the peak battle on Mount Huashan.
On the contrary, Nadal, who had recovered at the end of the season but did not receive much attention, performed better and better. In the end, he teamed up with Gawain to present a perfect duel. This was the game that the fans and spectators had been eagerly waiting for.
The game itself went beyond winning or losing and brought a feast to the London Stadium.
Nadal, it's worth it!
It was not until Nadal left the court that Gao Wen returned to the court. The sound waves above the O2 Arena gathered little by little until they turned into a huge storm.
Listen, that's the sound of the heart beating against the chest.
"Fight!"
"Fight!"
"Fight!"
Gowan, continue to conquer the O2 Arena.