To be precise, tonight is not game night. Games are just "dessert after the meal".
Tonight, Nadal, Gawain, Dimitrov and Murray went out for dinner. Murray, the host, took them to an Italian restaurant. Not only did they dine, but they also enjoyed a moment of leisure. The four of them chatted and joked in the restaurant for more than an hour.
The most outrageous thing is that there were paparazzi following them and taking pictures of the four of them having dinner.
At this moment, the news should have spread across social networks, with people discussing what the four of them were talking about.
Judging from the photos, the four people were having a great conversation, and Nadal was clapping and laughing towards the sky. The cheerful atmosphere penetrated the photos.
After dinner, Gawain and Dimitrov came back to play games, but Nadal said he needed to rest early and did not join them. The two of them relaxed for half an hour, and then the scene just now happened.
So, Tobias and Calveley obviously chose this time to visit after careful consideration and without disturbing anything.
Having said that, we still need to be polite, which led to the conversation just now.
Gawain paused and looked at Calveley again, his expression somewhat hesitant. "Sorry, please forgive my impoliteness. I want to ask if we have met before?"
Such a cliché opening line, often used to pick up girls in bars.
But obviously, that is not the case at this time.
Calveley glanced at Tobias, not hiding his surprise, "John, are you sure you didn't tell Gawain anything in advance?"
"Gawain, you actually remembered!"
"Yes, we have seen it. This year at Roland Garros, Nike had a special plan. I am the general manager of the tennis department of Nike's international marketing department. It was the first time we planned such an event for tennis. I made a special trip to Paris just to see the filming of the show at the forefront."
"We had a brief encounter at the scene."
"Oh, Jesus Christ, I didn't expect you to remember."
Calveley was genuinely surprised because it was just a very brief encounter and they didn't even introduce themselves to each other or have a conversation.
Gao Wen shrugged lightly and said modestly, "I'm just guessing."
Calveley's mouth curled up, "I also hope I have this kind of blind guessing ability."
Gao Wen also smiled and did not continue the small talk. He got straight to the point. "So, is Nike planning any activities during the off-season?"
Calveley looked at Tobias politely, and Tobias made an invitation gesture, so Calveley did not refuse any further.
"Nike certainly did a lot of planning."
"After the offseason begins, we estimate that we will be busy for a while, but there is no rush for these things. We can wait until the year-end finals are over before discussing them slowly. There is no need to rush for one or two days."
Although the words were brief and did not go into detail, one could feel the excitement between Calveley's words.
Clearly, Nike is planning something big.
However, judging from the tone and context of his words, Calveley did not come for this.
"Tonight, I am here on behalf of the ATP."
With a turn, Calveley's words caught Gawain's attention. He cast an inquiring look at Tobias, and Tobias gave Gawain a definite response with his eyes.
ATP?
Gao Wen blinked his eyes and said, "I completed the urine test on time today."
Calveley was stunned for a moment, then realized that Gao Wen was joking, "Haha, I believe you followed all the rules and there were no problems."
Gao Wen raised his hands in surrender and complained seriously, "Believe me, I have absolutely no intention of complaining about the excessive number of urine tests this year. If it were me, I would definitely ask to check on that guy a few more times to see what's going on with him."
Calveley's smile became even brighter. "If it were me, I wouldn't do that. My major is marketing. I believe that as long as I watch your games, I will understand how those incredible results came about."
Gao Wen's mouth corners also rose slightly. "So, Mr. Calveley is speaking in the name of Nike or the name of ATP?"
You hit the nail on the head. This is the key.
Calveley turned his head and glanced at Tobias. "With such a keen eye, it's no wonder he's a top student at UCLA."
Tobias spread his hands, "Now you know how hard my job is, right?"
Calveley's mouth and eyes were full of smiles, and he looked at Kirk again, "I am still responsible for Nike's work, but I also work part-time as an ATP global marketing consultant. I am making some attempts and some innovations to see if I can expand the influence of tennis around the world."
Gao Wen was a little surprised——
He didn't know that he could work part-time? But thinking carefully, he didn't know much about the management structure of ATP and WTA, so he didn't know whether part-time work was an isolated case or a common practice.
For now, the only thing that can be confirmed is that the ATP chose Calveley to visit Gao Wen, which is a signal of goodwill, and that is enough.
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Gao Wen did not hide it and raised his chin slightly, "So, I guess your appearance today should be a good thing?"
Calveley nodded in affirmation, "Indeed."
Then, there was no more going around in circles.
"This is what happened."
"A few days ago, at a press conference, a reporter asked you what you thought about the rise of young players, and you gave some opinions."
"In fact, the ATP has been considering this matter."
"On the one hand, from the perspective of the training and growth of young players, we like the era of giants and we welcome the continuation of the era of giants, but at the same time we also need young players to rise."
"On the other hand, from a marketing perspective, we need to expand the influence of tennis in other markets, not just Europe and North America, so over the years, ATP has been increasing the number of events in Asia and South America; at the same time, we need to expand the appeal of tennis to ordinary audiences."
Although Calvery did not say it too clearly, his meaning was clear enough.
Just like when Federer and Nadal emerged out of nowhere to attract global attention, the Big Four have now dominated the professional tennis world for more than a decade. Their global influence is unquestionable, but at the same time, their fan base is relatively fixed.
If ATP wants to continue expanding its territory, it needs fresh blood.
So the situation at hand couldn't be clearer.
The answer is obvious: the new generation.
Compared with the challenger league such as Wawrinka, Berdych and Ferrer, it is a wise choice to start with the youth storm because they represent the future.
No wonder Calveley didn't mind Dimitrov staying. Obviously, Dimitrov can also play an important role in this blueprint.
But the problem is——
"What do you need me for? I'm just a player. I don't know anything except tennis."
Gawain wasn't being modest.