Bob was confused, bewildered and hesitant. He tried to express himself, but how could he express himself if he hadn't even thought it through?
As he was talking, Bob realized that his speech was incoherent and disorganized. He stopped immediately and pulled the corners of his mouth but couldn't raise them up.
Then, Gawain's voice came into Bob's ears.
"Maybe... midlife crisis?"
Bob raised his head suddenly and could see Gawain's serious expression at a glance, but the more serious he was, the funnier it was, just like a seminar.
Bob rolled his eyes mercilessly, "You are the one having a midlife crisis. Your whole family is having a midlife crisis."
"Haha." Gao Wen laughed heartily. "Bob, the more you deny, the more guilty you feel. We should just accept it calmly."
Bob refused to engage in conversation with Gawain and held up a finger, the middle one.
"Hahaha." Gawain laughed even more brightly.
Actually...Gawain has some guesses.
According to the development trajectory of his previous life, Bob has indeed been plagued by injuries. Although there are no major injuries, there are constant minor injuries. Those endless minor injuries are a torture to the body, mind and will. In the 2018 Madrid game, a bomb was detonated, resulting in serious injuries.
Hip joint.
Bob almost lost his fighting spirit and thought he would retire completely.
But, he didn't.
Bob chose hip replacement surgery, which is gradually becoming more popular, but is rare among professional players because hip surgery often means complete retirement. Wearing a metal joint can ensure daily life, but it cannot return to the intense competitive arena.
However, Bob returned.
Although Bob never won a Grand Slam title again, his best result was only the quarterfinals of the 2019 Australian Open. However, when he was 40 years old, he returned to the court after undergoing a potentially life-changing surgery, and fought all the way until 2020, retiring at the "advanced age" of 42.
He finally completed a battle of his own.
When people discuss similar inspirational stories, the protagonists always seem to be as firm as a rock and unmoved, with clear goals and striving all the way, but real life is not like this.
Bob is a flesh and blood man. He has his own fears and worries, hesitations and confusions. The pain of each injury and the difficulty of each rehabilitation keep repeating again and again. The pain is simply indescribable in words. Every time he falls, it takes more effort and courage to stand up again.
Sure, Gawain could give some soul-stirring words and tell Bob that everything would be fine, but they both knew that wasn't the truth.
After a brief joke, Gawain thought for a moment, "Bob, do you realize that your troubles are the answer?"
Bob looked at Gawain, his eyes full of confusion, "Are you sure you are speaking English?"
Gao Wen's mouth curled up, "Well, actually what we just said was all in Chinese."
Bob said seriously, "Yeah, that's what I said."
Gao Wen had to explain, "I mean, your troubles are actually your fighting spirit."
Bob was stunned.
"Yes, your body is protesting, your condition is slowly declining, so you panic, you are afraid, you are uneasy, and you begin to feel pressure. All of this is because you are eager to fight, you want to maintain the top level, constantly challenge yourself and constantly challenge your limits."
"All you fear is taking that step."
"Because we don't know how much it will cost to overcome age and injuries. But you didn't give up. You already had the answer, didn't you?"
Deep down, Bob still longed to fight.
Bob shook his head slightly, covered his face with his hands and rubbed them vigorously, "I'm afraid... I'm afraid of holding Mike back..."
Then, Bob put down his hands and looked at Gawain with some sadness in his eyes.
"Gawain, you don't know that without me, Mike would still be competitive and he could still win the Grand Slam."
Gawain didn't let Bob continue, and nodded in agreement, "I believe you."
This is true.
While Bob was recovering from his hip replacement, Mike and Jack Sock continued to compete in doubles and achieved great results.
Including three championships in 2018: Wimbledon, US Open and the year-end finals.
But is Bob really a burden?
The partnership of Bob and Mike also won the 2018 Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami, and reached the finals of the Monte Carlo and Madrid clay court masters; after Bob returned from injury, they still partnered to win the Miami championship, and their competitiveness remained the same.
In fact, later on, Mike's competitive state also declined. After all, time is fair to everyone in the face of age.
"But, Bob, you are worried about Mike, and isn't Mike worried about you, too?"
"Maybe you should talk."
"You are not only doubles partners, but also twin brothers. You share the glory together, and naturally you also need to share the difficulties together."
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
"If Mike knew about our conversation today, I think he would be sad."
Bob didn't speak immediately, but just sat there quietly, with thoughts surging in his mind.
for a long time.
Bob raised his head and looked at Gawain, "Are you ready for tomorrow's game?"
Gao Wen shook his head. "Not ready. When facing Novak, you can never be sure if you are ready."
Bob laughed. "So, is it because you've won so many times that you're starting to feel burdened? This should be the first time this year that the pre-match predictions slightly favored you to win, right?"
Gao Wen's smile rose. "If the predictions before the game were accurate, this year might be a different situation."
Bob just laughed out loud.
Gao Wen continued, "No, I have no burden. I don't think I have anything to lose. After all, getting here has far exceeded my expectations. My only thought now is to go out on the court tomorrow and give it my all. That's all."
Bob didn't believe it, "So, you didn't think about being the world's number one at all?"
Gao Wen pinched his thumb and index finger, "A little bit, maybe a little bit."
Bob laughed happily again, looked at Gawain quietly, and the curve of his mouth slowly narrowed, "You are indeed ready for battle."
Gawain nodded, "Yes. And I can't wait. Bob, challenges like this don't come along every day."
Bob: "What if we lose?"
Gao Wen spread his hands. "If you lose, it means there is another challenge and another goal to be achieved. This is the motivation to keep moving forward. I believe it's the same for you and Mike. Even though you have been in the professional arena for so many years, you must still have your own goals."
Pause, "For example, win tomorrow's match and keep the hope of being the world's number one at the end of the year?"
Without realizing it, Bob nodded slightly and clenched his fists quietly. The fire that he thought had been extinguished was rekindled.
"Bob, you should know that I'm the less experienced one, right? Why am I the one giving you advice now?"
"Are you showing off your youth to me?"
"Ah, I've been discovered. So, are you sure it's not a midlife crisis?"
"roll!"