Chapter 276: Surrounded by Reporters

"...Here, please look here, yes, both players please look here..."

"Change the angle, Sasha, can you get closer? It looks like there's the Grand Canyon between the two of you."

"Smile, Sasha, please smile, okay?"

The photo session after the award ceremony was definitely a torture for Zverev. He was like a poor boy who was forced to smile unwillingly. He had a fake smile the whole time. His watery eyes were really pitiful. His stiff body language gave people reason to suspect that he was a robot in disguise: If you are kidnapped, just blink.

Finally, the photo session was over. Zverev turned around and ran away with big strides, escaping from the press conference in two steps.

Hurrah! The crowd of reporters followed Zverev's footsteps and rushed away like a flood. In the blink of an eye, most of them disappeared, and the court became deserted again. Only two or three kittens stayed in front of Gawain, looking at each other in silence.

If it were a Masters or Grand Slam, such a scene would never happen. There are official procedures for photo taking and interviews, and reporters and players only need to follow the organizer's procedures. But the Binghamton Challenge is not like that. It is just a small event.

Everything became chaotic.

Looking at the deserted scene in front of him, the tournament director felt embarrassed.

Obviously, Gao Wen was the final champion, but all the reporters were concerned about Zverev who lost the game. This is unfair.

On the contrary, Gao Wen looked calm.

Honestly speaking, Gao Wen really doesn't envy Zverev at all, because the reporters are like a group of vultures, they swarm over when they see a rotten corpse. They must be targeting Zverev's explosive point, how could they let him off easily? I'm afraid Zverev will not be able to get through today without losing a lot of skin.

In comparison, there is no need to interview the news about the dark horse winning the championship, because the focus is already on the score numbers.

Gao Wenyao wishes Zverev good luck.

Charles-Lee, the tournament director of the Binghamton Challenge, is not a celebrity, nor does he have any connections or resources, but he was deeply impressed by the 2014 tournament. Many years later, when he was interviewed by the media, Charles recalled that year.

From the decision of Zverev and Stakhovsky to participate in the competition, to the controversy caused by the allocation of training venues, to the hot topic caused by the reporter's provocation of Zverev, and finally to the incredible final, everything is still vivid in my mind.

Of course, there was the awkward moment after the game when Charles was impressed by Gawain.

"He didn't care. I thought he would be angry, sad and disappointed, but he didn't."

"I apologized to him, but he thanked me for the great organization of the event and for giving him some great memories."

"He showed grace and charm that was hard to come by, and even though he was a freshman on the tour with no world ranking, he showed a lot of heart and wisdom."

Charles also said that many years later he no longer remembered what happened after Zverev was surrounded by reporters, but he still clearly remembered the interview with Gao Wen in front of only three reporters, especially when the reporter asked Gao Wen how he felt about winning the championship.

"He said he hoped my name would be remembered."

Until many years later, when Charles recalled that scene, he seemed to be able to see Gawain's calm and confident smile, and he couldn't help but feel his blood boiling.

It's not just Charles.

The three reporters who stayed at the scene had similar memories.

They were deeply impressed by Gawain's calmness and wisdom in the embarrassing situation. Later, they gradually realized that from that time on, Gawain had already shown a strong heart that could not panic in big situations. This was in contrast to Zverev, who was almost on the verge of collapse after encountering setbacks.

Perhaps, at this time, it is already possible to see Zverev's psychological shortcomings at critical moments.

Instead, the reporters who surrounded Zverev Jr. got nothing.

"Sasha, after this game, do you still think Gao is not worth mentioning?"

"How would you rate your performance in this match?"

"Can you remember your opponent's name now?"

"What happened in the second set? You were unable to recover and even collapsed. What was the reason?"

"What do you think today's score says?"

"Sasha, do you regret your arrogance?"

“Do you feel you need to apologize to your opponent?”

"You only won two games in the whole game. Are you still confident in the North American season?"

"With such a devastating defeat, do you think you underestimated your opponent and ended up like this?"

"Did you expect the score to be so different? Is this the first time you've been cleared in your career?"

Boom! Boom boom boom! The reporters did their best to rub salt into Zverev's wounds, concentrating their firepower to launch a full-scale attack, mercilessly firing at the bloody pain, to the extent that even passers-by would not be able to bear it, but all of them were directed at Zverev without any cover.

However, Zverev seems to have accepted the advice of his agent.

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He didn't say a word the whole time.

Facing the bustling circle of reporters, Zverev Jr. never uttered a word, as if he was a ruthless avatar standing there soullessly, silent amid the bombardment.

No questions or provocations will be responded to.

It was precisely because of this that all the reporters returned empty-handed.

However, even this did not stop the journalists from writing brilliantly.

"The unknown player defeated the top seed, and Zverev paid the price for his arrogance."

"Being defeated by a player he thought was unworthy, Zverev finally shut up."

"Zverev's refusal to respond to his defeat in the final was completely unprofessional."

No matter what, the reporters can conjure up any flower, and the overwhelming attacks are once again directed at Zverev. It is obvious that things will not end because of Zverev's silence.

It was not until later that Zverev talked about his defeat for the first time in an interview with German local media.

“I wasn’t in the zone.”

"Obviously, I haven't been in my best form since arriving in the United States, and the same was true in the final. I was too eager to win but never showed my full potential. I only played 20% or 30% of my strength, otherwise the game process and the outcome would not be like this."

"I'm ready for our next meeting."

Zverev did not mention Gao Wen's performance at all, but firmly believed that it was mainly due to his own poor performance. The subtext was that if he played at 100%, Gao Wen would have no chance.

It is foreseeable that the next match between the two players should be very interesting.

Second update.

(End of this chapter)