Chapter 308 Center Court
Buzz buzz buzz.
Buzz buzz buzz.
The air is boiling.
"Gawain, you should be able to handle the reporters, right?"
“Even though this is a big event and the number of reporters may be several times greater, it still comes down to the same thing. Just be yourself.”
"This is not a live broadcast, but the whole process is recorded by cameras. I don't mean to scare you, I just want to remind you."
"Very good, very good, very good, I like your calmness."
"Phew, I think everything will go smoothly today, yes, absolutely no problem."
From the beginning to the end, Tobias was just talking to himself. Sampras looked at Gawain with a calm face and a smile appeared in his eyes.
Tobias cannot be blamed. Even Sampras was a little worried. It was because he had experienced countless Grand Slams that he knew more clearly how terrible press conferences can be and how ferocious reporters can be. Many players even collapsed after the press conference.
This is especially true in Grand Slam tournaments.
But the news media is an indispensable link. Grand Slams and Masters Tournaments have strict regulations. There are pre-match press conferences and post-match press conferences. These are all mandatory links. If you refuse to attend, you will be warned and fined for the first time, the fine will be increased for the second time, and you may be banned for the third time.
The ATP, WTA, ITF and the organizers of the four Grand Slam tournaments have reached a consensus on this matter. They are not joking.
This was the first time that Gawain had ever attended a press conference, and he started off at the Grand Slam level. His opponent happened to be the local favorite Isner, so Sampras was a little worried.
Obviously, a little background is needed to explain why this pre-match press conference was so special.
Just like any other tournament, the host players always get some preferential treatment. It is the same all over the world, and the US Open is no exception.
The U.S. Open is the youngest and most vibrant of the four Grand Slams. The existence of night matches, breaks between games and live DJs playing music to liven up the atmosphere are all lively scenes that cannot be seen in the other three Grand Slams. Even the long-set decider system was the first to be abolished.
There are three main stadiums and seventeen small stadiums here, which can hold twenty games at the same time. The three main stadiums are Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, and Grandstand Stadium, which are Stadiums No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 respectively, and the audience capacity decreases in sequence.
Arthur Ashe Stadium is the No. 1 court and also the center court. It can accommodate 23,000 people. All five finals of singles, doubles and mixed doubles are held here.
Everybody wants to play in Arthur Ashe Stadium, and the official international signals are often directed toward this stadium, but obviously, not everyone can do so; moreover, the night game is also a special treatment unique to Arthur Ashe, and because of the extremely high ratings, often only the most popular players can enjoy this treatment.
For example, the Big Four, such as Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova.
However, if Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer all have matches on the same day, who will enter the Arthur Ashe Stadium? Who will enter the night session to take on the important task of the whole day's main axis of the ratings? This is very particular. Federer, who has a "global home court", is often the darling of the event organizers, followed by Nadal, the "King of Clay".
The 2018 Wimbledon Championships encountered such a problem.
In the first week of the tournament, Federer and Nadal took turns playing on the center court, while Djokovic was only scheduled to play one round on the center court. The other three rounds were played twice on Court No. 1 and once on Court No. 2. This made Djokovic furious, and he launched a righteous protest to the tournament organizers through his agent, fighting for his right to enter the center court.
Finally, after careful consideration, the organizers of the event moved Federer to Court No. 1 on the day of the quarterfinals, while Djokovic and Nadal continued to sit on the center court.
This incident also caused quite a stir and controversy.
Apparently, the same is true for the US Open.
The arrangement of each day's events is very particular, especially for the four Grand Slams, except for Wimbledon, the first round of the other three Grand Slams are played over three days, so the arrangement of the center court events is worth careful consideration.
This year, the opening match of Arthur Ashe Stadium was led by women's singles second seed Simona Halep, followed by Venus Williams and Stan Wawrinka; the night session started with Sharapova and ended with Djokovic.
Murray, who also made his debut on the first day, was gathered at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The next day, Ivanovic opened the Arthur Ashe Stadium match, followed by Isner and then Kvitova; the night match was scheduled for Federer and Serena Williams.
The key is here——
Isner.
In fact, "Isner vs. Galvin" was not the focus of the first round, but! Because Isner is a local favorite and the highest-ranked player in the United States, he naturally attracted countless attention. Relying on the advantage of playing at home, he successfully entered the Arthur Ashe Stadium on the second match day.
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Therefore, Gao Wen got the opportunity to land on the center court.
Some players will never be able to stand on the center court of the four Grand Slams in their entire lives, but Gao Wen entered the center court for the first time in his career. So, is this draw a good thing or a bad thing? What is so special about the center court? It is big. First of all, it is big. With 23,000 seats, it is one of the largest tennis venues in the world. This not only means that there will be a lot of spectators on site, but also means that the international signal can attract the attention of the global audience. Such pressure is definitely not something that ordinary players can handle.
The second reason is still size, but here we are talking about the impact on the physical level. The entire sense of space, light, and wind direction are all different. If you are used to playing on a small court, you may feel dizzy when suddenly entering a large court. The three-dimensional sense of hitting the ball can be easily disrupted, and the feel will be lost.
Just like the spotlight, you may perform well outside the spotlight, but once you are in the spotlight it is like being put under a microscope and your performance becomes out of character.
Arthur Ashe Stadium can be a source of motivation, but it can also be a source of pressure that destroys.
First it was Isner, and then it was Arthur Ashe Stadium. For Gawain, who came out of nowhere, it was basically pie in the sky. Naturally, at the pre-match press conference, the reporters' offensive power might increase exponentially.
In fact, the center court is a good thing, at least it is good for publicity and exposure. Tobias should like it. Dimitrov doesn't even have such an opportunity; but Tobias is not happy. Instead, he is worried.
Everything just came flooding in, and the scale of the press conference naturally grew.
Not to mention Tobias, Sampras was also a little worried.
Because it came too fast and too fiercely, Gao Wen missed the opportunity to hone his skills in the Golden Tournament, and ended up rising several levels in an instant. Is there really no problem? (End of this chapter)