Chapter 554: Non-stop
Busy and bustling, bustling with activity.
In all aspects, one can truly feel that the "Gawain fever" is still heating up, and it is further reaching its peak with the powerful publicity of Gawain's local operations.
Like it, dislike it; curious, watching the show; paying attention, passing by... countless eyes continue to flow.
Then, a mood diary sparked heated discussion on social networks.
This diary records the feelings from the first time I met Gao Wen to witnessing Gao Wen's miracle of winning the US Open and then to the close contact with him on the Diamond Stadium.
The plain and simple text can deeply feel the process of falling in love step by step until finally falling in love with it from the bottom of one's heart, making readers unable to help but follow the ups and downs and immerse themselves in it. In a blink of an eye, it became popular on different social networking platforms and sparked incredible discussion heat.
Post from Jiang Yanqing.
She wrote the post just to record her feelings, especially the close contact with Gao Wen after the game today. The feeling was particularly strong and hot. She recorded it in words under the impulse of passion, hoping to treasure the memories, but she ignored it after she finished writing.
It was Qiao Wangsheng who tapped her in the group chat, "Did you write this?"
When Jiang Yanqing saw that the number of reposts had exceeded 300,000 and the number of views had exceeded 5 million, he was dumbfounded and couldn't believe what was happening before his eyes.
Jiang Yanqing was a little amused and embarrassed. Although he was very surprised, he still replied.
"It would be great if someone could truly like Gao Wen and cheer for him because of this."
One victory, just one victory has once again created a huge wave, truly demonstrating Gao Wen's strong influence in the local area in all aspects.
However, as the center of the storm, Gao Wen has no time to pay attention to the Internet craze -
As he said after the game, he is still adjusting his condition. He needs more training and more games to regain his touch. Training is the top priority.
What's more, the Imperial Capital Open is different from the US Open. It only lasts for one week, with matches every day. This also means that the second match will be held the next day immediately after one match ends, with no adjustment time in between. It is the same schedule as the previous challenge tournament, which is a different rhythm.
After defeating Mayer to advance to the second round, Gao Wen will next challenge Latvian player Ernests-Gulbis.
Gulbis, born in 1988, is a new player ranked among the top ten in the world this year. Due to his wealthy family background, fans affectionately tease him as a rich second-generation and call him "Gu Shao". His quirky, outspoken and hot temper on the court also leave a deep impression on people.
In 2013, during the French Open, Gulbis was asked about his opinion of the Big Four, and this is what the outspoken teenager said.
"I respect Roger, Rafa, Novak and Andy, but in my opinion, they are all boring players."
"Federer's image is that of a flawless good man. I say again, I respect him, but he is the initiator of the boring style of tennis. Many young people go to learn from him. When I hear them say, like Federer, 'The reason for the victory is that I did better at some point,' I am almost driven crazy. They originally regarded their opponents as idiots, but they had to act hypocritically during the interview."
This year, also at the French Open, Gulbis will face Djokovic, his childhood friend who trained in the same tennis school. He commented that "money and honor changed him", which caused another verbal battle off the court.
Of course, compared to these remarks, the incident in 2009 when Gulbis illegally solicited a prostitute and was arrested on the spot by an undercover female police officer during the Stockholm competition was undoubtedly more sensational and more lively, so much so that he announced that he would never go to Sweden to compete in the future.
In fact, since turning to the professional arena in 2004, Gulbis has been struggling to find his own playing style. Although he had reached the French Open quarterfinals in 2008, it was not until this year that he really got the hang of it: at the French Open held in May, Gulbis defeated Federer unexpectedly and made it to the semi-finals, creating his best personal Grand Slam record and also entering the top ten in the world rankings for the first time.
This young master's playing style is very distinctive. His forehand back-to-back action has a large amplitude, just like the characters in fighting games who need luck before using big moves. His forehand is also full of ritual, and each move has a distinct characteristic, so his forehand shots are often difficult to conceal.
It is even larger and more obvious than the forehand swing of Gawain's first-round opponent Mayer, so much so that it has become his personal characteristic.
Precisely because of the lack of concealment in his forehand, Gulbis's unique skill that made him famous in the tour is his backhand, which is known as a violent double backhand. It is solid and tough, able to resist and hit, and the entire impact and tail power are very strong; coupled with excellent baseline movement and good serving ability, he is very competitive on both clay and hard courts.
However, due to his hot temper and distraction from off-court affairs, his performance on the court fluctuated greatly, which also affected Gulbis's competitiveness. He was not able to stay in the top ten in the world rankings for too long; later, his ranking dropped due to injuries of varying degrees.
But no one can underestimate Gulbis, and it will always take some effort to defeat him.
In Gulbis' career, he defeated Djokovic in Brisbane in 2009, defeated Federer twice on clay in 2010 and 2014, defeated Murray in Montreal in 2013, defeated Berdych twice in Grand Slams in 2012 and 2014, and won two consecutive victories over Tsonga in 2013 and 2014. These are all his outstanding records.
In the second round of the US Open not long ago, Gulbis played against Thiem. After winning the first two sets, he was defeated by Thiem in three consecutive sets.
In the post-match interview, Gulbis said, "Next time I meet him, I will take the initiative to admit defeat, because this will help him save energy"; but surprisingly, Gulbis and Thiem became friends.
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Objectively speaking, Gulbis, like Mayer, is at the peak of his career this year. His overall condition and touch are at their best. Even if Gawain is in his best condition, he needs to go all out against Gulbis. What's more, Gawain is not at his best now. He has not recovered from the first round and he has to go straight into the second round.
At this year's Imperial Capital Open, Gulbis was seeded seventh and advanced to the next round by defeating Italian player Fognini in straight sets in the first round.
Sampras believes it was a tough battle.
But Sampras also said that facing players with solid baseline ability like Mayer and Gulbis in a row is an important help for Gao Wen to regain his form and touch.
The second round also partially confirmed Sampras's idea.
The correct part is that Gulbis is indeed a very solid and difficult player. His baseline hitting ability and coverage area are both among the top ones, a whole level higher than Mayer. This also means that Gawain's offense and defense need to be further improved.
The slightly off-base part is that Gulbis is also experiencing "Grand Slam Syndrome".
(End of this chapter)