Chapter 336: The First Unpopularity

Zizizizi.

Sizzle.

Eric Robinson had just finished washing up and left the bathroom when his cell phone vibrated. His tense and sore muscles relaxed, and he was ready to take a good rest. When he saw the caller ID, Robinson didn't want to answer the call.

It's break time now, please don't answer any work calls.

However, the phone kept vibrating. After it was hung up the first time, it paused and then vibrated again. It seemed that he would keep calling until Robinson answered the phone or the phone ran out of battery.

Robinson was a little impatient, but he finally answered the phone.

"Reese, it's already midnight here. Don't you know there's something called jet lag on Earth?"

The North American season has temporarily ended with the start of the US Open, and the NCAA is in the off-season again. As a Nike scout, Robinson has no way to sit idle, so he went to Europe to continue his work. Now he is in Marseille, looking for potential talents in the local tennis school.

"If you are asking about Daniil Medvedev, it will take me some time. I have only watched two training matches so far..."

"Eric, no, I don't care about Medvedev. What I want to ask is, Gawain, do you really think Gawain is a genius who can be cultivated?"

Gawain?

Robinson was stunned for a moment, then became extremely angry.

"I told you at the time that the kid was a very, very promising talent. We shouldn't look at his physical fitness or technical level, but his playing style."

"He is a very intelligent player. He knows how the game should be played and can grasp the pulse of the game. He can improve his condition and give full play to his ability at the critical moment. This trait is enough for him to occupy a place in the top 20 in the world rankings."

"I warned you at the time, but you ignored me. Is it too late now? Adidas must have gotten there first, you guys!"

With a crackling sound, Robinson shouted angrily.

Reese Bennett, who was on the other end of the line, was Robinson's immediate superior, but at this moment he was scolded by his old friend to the point of being speechless.

"Eric, calm down, calm down!"

"Are you serious? Is he really in the top 20 in the world?"

Robinson snorted and ignored Bennett's question.

Bennett also knew his old friend's temper. "Eric, Adidas hasn't signed Gao Wen yet, but the competition will soon become fierce."

"In the first round of the US Open that just ended, Gao Wen defeated Isner unexpectedly."

"Next, regardless of whether he wins or loses in the second round, it is certain that Gao Wen will rise very quickly in the Asian market, but we need to determine what Gao Wen's potential is. Is this upset mainly due to luck or strength?"

Gurgling.

Gurgling.

Robinson's thoughts were churning. He had not paid any attention to the US Open and had not expected that Gawain would bring such a huge surprise.

Gawain actually defeated Isner?

It seems that Nike must have been very surprised. Suddenly, Gawain emerged unexpectedly and made history. It was like a bolt from the blue that caught everyone off guard.

If the double championship of the U.S. Championships and three Challenger Championship trophies are still not enough, then the upset victory in the first round of the U.S. Open is enough for me to make a move.

Although Gao Wen downplayed the incident at the press conference, for marketing, this was a moment of making history and writing records. There is no doubt that Gao Wen's commercial value skyrocketed instantly.

Of course, if he only wins one round and then loses in the second round, his commercial value will inevitably be affected and the upper limit will be visible to the naked eye; but for the Chinese market, this is enough, because the gap in male tennis players has been missing for too long.

If we trace back carefully, since the women's doubles won the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, for a full ten years, China's men's tennis has not been able to create more value in the commercial field. Brands including Nike and Adidas are actually a little anxious.

Now, Gawain has appeared, and they have no reason to miss it.

Bennett was genuinely shocked, and only then did he realize how important Robinson's advice and suggestions three months ago were.

However, large companies like Nike need to race against time and every second counts; at the same time, they also need to consider carefully, as a slight deviation may mean millions of dollars.

So Bennett contacted Robinson anxiously, he needed first-hand information.

Robinson understood.

Not to mention Bennett, even Robinson was stunned and did not react at the first time. He believed that Gawain would achieve results sooner or later, which could be seen from his growth speed in the U.S. Championships. But Robinson did not expect that Gawain's transformation would be faster than he imagined.

In his Grand Slam debut, he defeated Isner. You know, Isner's world ranking has been stable in the top ten in the first half of the year. He is definitely not an ordinary unseeded player.

No wonder Nike is anxious.

So Robinson didn't answer in a hurry, but thought about it seriously.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

"Reese, I'm serious."

“Although I cannot guarantee whether Gao Wen will be able to rank among the top ten in the world after entering the professional arena, or how many championship trophies he will win; but what I can be sure of is that -

Gao Wen has the qualities to be a top player."

There are so many factors that influence competitive sports, and no one can guarantee the future of a player, but some players do possess certain qualities that enable them to stand out. As for whether they can stand out, they still need to be polished and tempered through competition.

Bennett could tell that Robinson was sincere.

"I see."

"I will report all this information to them, and then see if they will make a decision right away or wait and see how they perform in the second round of games. It's up to them to decide."

Between words, Bennett revealed a rare bit of sincerity, and then paused.

"Well done, Eric."

The phone call was hung up just like that.

Robinson's hair was still dripping with water. He stood there and recalled carefully, a smile slightly rising at the corner of his mouth. Without any special movements, he turned back to the bathroom and began to wipe his hair with a towel.

Here, undercurrents are surging, the surface is calm, and there seems to be no movement. One can only vaguely sense frequent movements behind the scenes.

Over there, a single stone caused a thousand ripples, and all major media outlets around the world were in an uproar. A tsunami of applause was sweeping across the globe with Flushing as its center.

Because, when the second day of competition came to an end, the title of the biggest upset was still as secure as a rock.

"Wildcard player Gao Wen unexpectedly defeated No. 13 seed John Isner", which was also selected as the first upset since the start of the 2014 US Open.

Sorry, the chapter number is wrong.

(End of this chapter)