Chapter 307 First Round Opponent
Even in a best-of-five match, Isner was able to maintain the quality of his serve in the deciding set. This was his greatest strength.
In the match where he made history with Mahut, Isner served a total of 112 aces. For reference, some players may not be able to serve 100 aces in a whole year; and this does not include the number of points scored directly from serves.
Any player, including the Big Four, needs to be vigilant when facing Isner. Even Djokovic and Murray, who are excellent in receiving serves, are no exception. This is a player who cannot be neglected, especially in the first round of a Grand Slam.
If Gawain met Isner...
But what if it's Kei Nishikori or Milos Raonic instead of Isner?
"No, no, no..."
Zone 2/4 is indeed the death zone, with traps everywhere. Even Rossol and Becker are very skilled in this area, so it is best to avoid this zone, and then enter Zone 3/4, which would be even better.
“No no no no no no…”
Zhan Jun didn't realize that he had clasped his hands together unconsciously and was praying silently.
However, perhaps this is the North American continent, and the signal reception of Buddha Tathagata was poor, so he was unable to hear Zhan Jun's prayer in time. The next second, a familiar voice came from the microphone.
"Wen-Gao, Huaxia."
call……
Zhan Jun was a little discouraged. He raised his eyes and saw that Gao Wen's name tag was pasted opposite Isner. It was a foregone conclusion.
It was Isner! Zhan Jun turned to look at Hu Litao and smiled bitterly. Their earnest expectations not only did not bring good luck to Gao Wen, but seemed to have done more harm than good.
Last year's Wu Di and this year's Zhang Ze both played against unseeded players in the first round, but now Gao Wen has to face a seeded player, and it's such a tough nut to crack.
This is really...
Fortune telling is indeed a mystery.
Hu Litao also shook his head gently, then patted Zhan Jun's arm, "At least I hope he can play to his best level. This is his first time at a Grand Slam tournament, so just treat it as a chance to learn."
Zhan Jun let out a long breath again, still feeling a little reluctant. He looked at the sign-in sheet in front of him again, but ultimately said nothing.
On this side, Tobias also learned the result of the draw for the first time, and his heart sank a little.
These days, he has been keeping a close eye on the draw.
Dimitrov's draw was very good, and he had a smooth journey to the next round. He faced no challenges in the first three rounds, and would not encounter a strong opponent until the round of 16. This made Tobias feel happy. He also used his connections to successfully contact Federer's agent, and let Dimitrov and Federer practice ball for an afternoon.
Dimitrov's prospects look good at this US Open.
Originally, Tobias' only worry was that Dimitrov's first-round opponent was temporarily vacant, that is, a qualifier or wildcard player. If Gawain and Dimitrov met in the first round, that would be the worst result.
But when the draw results came out, Tobias suddenly realized that it would be better for Gawain and Dimitrov to meet directly. At least he could ask Nike representatives to come and see Gawain's potential. But now?
Isner?
"John?"
"John!"
Gawain's call came from far away, and Tobias, who was immersed in his own thoughts, suddenly reacted. He thought Gawain wanted to ask about the result of the draw, but he didn't expect that Gawain gestured to Tobias' feet.
"Can you throw all those balls over here? I don't have any more balls."
Tobias: ??? His stomach was burning, but this young man was so calm?
"Don't you care about the result of the draw?"
"Oh, are the lottery results out?"
“…Yes, it’s out.”
"Yes, I understand."
Seeing Gawain's calm face, as if he was marking "read" on a memorial, Tobias couldn't help but relax.
After all, he still had too high expectations, always expecting Gawain to have a better performance in the US Open, so he was worried about gains and losses, which made his mentality unbalanced. On the contrary, Gawain's calmness and composure showed the style of a great general, which also allowed Tobias to quickly regain his familiar calmness and composure.
"Zone 2/4, first round against Isner."
"Isner?"
Gao Wen was a little surprised. He paused for a moment, then continued to pick up the tennis balls on the floor. Finally, he picked out a few and put them in his trouser pocket.
Toss the ball! Push off the ground! Turn! Hit the ball! Bang! The tennis can on the serving area across the court fell to the ground.
Bang! Another one! Bang! Another one! From left to right, from top to bottom, nine tennis cans in total, one knocked down with each serve, truly able to hit whatever he pointed at, with an accuracy of within the range of a finger, nine times in a row, and then all the tennis cans fell to the ground.
Only then did Gao Wen nod slightly with satisfaction and speak louder.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
"It seems that we are destined to be together."
Two weeks ago, at the Winston-Salem Gold Tournament, Gowan's wild card was canceled at the last minute and then replaced by Isner, disrupting Gowan's schedule.
However, Isner still did not adjust to his best, and seemed to have an injured left ankle. He won two games in a row to advance to the quarterfinals, and then withdrew from the game before the quarterfinals began, allowing his opponent to advance to the semi-finals.
Now, after a long journey, as if by some joke of fate, Gao Wen is about to face Isner in the first round of the US Open.
Of course, for Isner, he probably doesn't know what's going on with his wild card, as all these things are handled by his agent, but for Gawain, this game still has special significance.
Moreover, even if Isner had an injury to his left ankle, his withdrawal from Winston-Salem should be for the purpose of protecting the ankle injury, rather than withdrawing because he could not compete. Now that he is on the US Open stage, Isner will definitely be a tough opponent.
This also means that Gao Wen will face a player ranked in the top 20 in the world for the first time in his career, and this will be in a Grand Slam tournament.
A little excited!
No.
He must be very excited! Gao Wen felt that he needed to calm down a little and avoid being too excited, so he picked up the tennis ball again and started to practice serving. When playing against Isner, the stability of his serve was even more important. Only by doing his best could he ensure the continuation of the game.
When Sampras returned to the training ground from the bathroom, he saw Gawain practicing his serve with full force, emitting a high morale, like a Super Saiyan.
Sampras was confused and turned to look at Tobias, "What's wrong with this little guy?"
Tobias was a little surprised, but after thinking about it carefully, it was natural. This was Gawain——
Not only was he not discouraged by the strength of his opponent in the first round, but he ignited his fighting spirit and was ready to attack his opponent with full enthusiasm. It was this warrior temperament that attracted Tobias and made him sign him eagerly. Now it has further proved that his choice was correct.
"It's okay, the draw results are out."
"Oh? Who is the opponent?"
"Isner."
“…”
(End of this chapter)