Chapter 568: Mutual Appreciation
Squeak.
Squeak.
The sharp sound of footsteps rubbing against the ground echoed above the Diamond Stadium. It was the sound of Nadal running at his full speed and Gawain's footsteps moving sideways quickly.
After finishing the high-pressure ball, Gawain immediately noticed Nadal's lightning-fast figure. His tense mind remained highly alert and he did not relax at all. Then, he started to move immediately.
Nadal did not give up chasing the ball, and Gawain followed him across the court, covering the net with his tall figure, compressing Nadal's return line, and staring at Nadal intently.
Then--
Gao Wen saw that Nadal, in the extreme situation of losing his center of gravity and position, incredibly used the force of the opponent's ball to create an incredible straight line.
Whoosh! At a certain moment, the tennis ball seemed to disappear from sight. When it reappeared, it was already in the blind spot behind him.
Turn decay into magic.
Gao Wen finally witnessed Nadal's miraculous hitting ability on the court, and finally understood the complexity of facing Nadal across the net.
The game is over, but we still have to admit that Nadal's shot was brilliant.
"7:6(5)", "7:5".
The fierce battle lasted for a full 105 minutes. Although Gawain saved three match points and both sets were close, in the final moments, Nadal, who was tougher, more determined, more mature and more experienced, finally won the game.
Victory and failure are intertwined and misplaced like this.
The game came to an end.
Gawain stood there, looking at Nadal, who was almost dehydrated but bursting with incredible passion and fighting spirit. An indescribable sense of loss and bitterness pulled his heart slowly down, and his brain went blank for a moment.
Then, I felt deeply tired, so much so that my body began to feel heavy, as if it had weighed a thousand pounds, and it seemed that my knees could no longer support the weight of this body.
Lost.
Since winning the second chance, his first defeat in the official competition, though belated, finally came. After the gradual growth in the NCAA, the test of the Challenge Tournament, and the full outbreak of the Grand Slam, his winning streak finally came to a halt.
In fact, Gawain always knew that this moment would come sooner or later.
Just like he told reporters, no one is invincible, victory and defeat are an integral part of professional tennis, but when it really happens, emotions still explode in an instant.
He had almost forgotten how great and bitter the defeat was. Full of disappointment and regret surged in his chest, as if a stone was pressing on him, making it hard for him to breathe.
but……
At the end of such a tough game, the one who performed better won the victory, especially on the key points, Nadal was still better.
He fought until the last moment, he struggled until the last point, he fully mobilized all his states, and burned all his energy unyieldingly. Therefore, he had no regrets and he could turn around and leave with his head held high.
"Come on, Gawain!"
"Gawain, good job!"
"We will always support you!"
He raised his head, looked at the audience who were standing up and applauding, let out a long breath, and the smile returned to his lips, but unfortunately, he could no longer celebrate his victory with the audience today.
Straightening his back again, Gawain walked towards the referee's seat, waiting for Nadal.
Nadal's celebration lasted only a moment. He quickly stood up, took off his headband, and trotted towards Gawain. With a humble and sincere expression on his face, he gave Gawain a hug.
“It was a very exciting game.”
"The guy who performed better won the game. How on earth did you do that last goal? Honestly, I was a little weak in the knees watching that."
Gao Wen, I am serious.
Nadal was a little uncomfortable. He looked up and saw a sincere light flashing in Gawain's eyes. His expression showed a little shyness and he spoke awkwardly in English with a strong Spanish accent.
"You can do it, too. It's just that today, I did a little better."
Hearing this, Gawain raised his right hand, marked the knuckles of his index finger with his thumb, and spoke with a very serious expression.
"A little bit like this?"
Nadal was amused by Gawain's tone and laughed innocently.
Nadal has always been poor at speaking, and his English proficiency also limits his ability to express himself. Among the "Big Four", he is the most dull and simple one. He always prefers to take action rather than speak.
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So Nadal put his arm around Gawain's shoulders, without saying anything, but gently patted his shoulders to show his friendliness, which was a kind of comfort, encouragement and connection.
The two men didn't say anything else. After shaking hands with the referee, they walked towards the rest area.
Gao Wen quickly packed his luggage, waved to the audience, and strode out of the stadium. The audience bid farewell to Gao Wen with the warmest and most solemn applause.
Nadal also stopped changing his jersey, raised his hands high, and applauded Gawain, using practical actions to pay tribute to his young opponent whom he had just met for the first time.
Gao Wen won this respect with his fighting spirit, his performance and his strength.
After the game.
There is no doubt that Gao Wen has become the focus of attack again, because this is Gao Wen's first tournament in his home country and also his first tournament after winning the US Open. It is undoubtedly a pity that he could not go further.
Also, this was Gao Wen's first loss since he entered the professional tennis world. From the Challenge Tournament to now, he had won 24 games in a row. If you add the NCAA tournament results, then it would be the end of a 59-game winning streak.
In any competitive sport, this is a very rare and terrifying winning streak. In the end, it came to an end. How could the reporters let it go easily? At the press conference, Gao Wen still showed his calmness and wisdom, and had a humorous conversation with reporters. He faced the defeat calmly and said that the end of the winning streak was also a release of pressure in a sense, and -
"I never knew you guys cared about the NCAA and Challenge Tournament winning streaks."
Objectively speaking, the so-called winning streak should be counted from the US Open, which means nine consecutive wins in ATP-level events, which is far from being so rare; Gao Wen's subtext is that in order to create gimmicks and hype news, reporters also added the NCAA and Challenge Tournament victories that they never paid attention to.
You hit the nail on the head.
Gao Wen saw things too clearly and soberly, and he exposed the media reporters' tricks. Unconsciously, the pressure of ending the winning streak was lifted and then lightly let go.
As expected, the reporters were once again at a disadvantage in their confrontation with Gao Wen.
However, Nadal made no secret of his admiration for Gawain in the post-match press conference, especially in the Spanish interview, where Nadal skillfully expressed richer and more sincere thoughts in his native language.
“I like him!”
(End of this chapter)