Chapter 598 The Deadly Comedian
"GOAT", which is the abbreviation of "Greatest-of-All-Time", means the best in history. The phrase after the abbreviation is the same as the word for goat, so "the best in history" is also nicknamed "goat".
In any competitive sport, when people discuss "GOAT", there is always a lot of debate, because everyone has a different definition of the best in history:
For example, the number of championships, the stability of the past decade, the degree of invincibility in a relative period of time, the number of historical records, the epochal significance of the sport, and the historic rivalry with a powerful opponent...
And so on and so forth.
The same is true for tennis.
When people discuss the best in history, fans of different eras, ages and regions always have their own answers. It may be difficult to reach a consensus, but what is certain is that the Bryan brothers will definitely be included in the discussion.
And it's definitely not just because of their number of championships and brilliant statistics.
The Bryan brothers, with their incredible performances and wonderful matches, truly made more fans and audiences realize the charm of doubles matches.
It has not only made significant contributions to the promotion and popularization of tennis doubles matches around the world, but also continuously proved its commercial value, from ratings to sponsors, thereby winning more sponsorship, more attention and more prize money for doubles events and doubles players.
It can be said that the Bryan brothers are a watershed in the doubles competition of tennis. The attention and popularity of the entire event are two completely different things. It is precisely because of the existence of this pair of twin brothers that more and more young players are willing to switch to doubles competitions and continue their professional careers.
For competitive sports, a constant supply of fresh blood and a healthy and reasonable alternation of the old and the new are the key to extending the life of the project.
The Bryan brothers gave the sport a different meaning.
So, there is no doubt that the Bryan brothers can occupy a place in the "best of all time" team, and it is a very important place.
In fact, 2014 was the last year of the golden peak of the Bryan brothers' career. After all, they were already 36 years old:
At the Australian Open earlier this year, the Bryan brothers were unexpectedly eliminated in the third round.
This is the second time they have been eliminated in the third round of the Australian Open since 2003. In the past ten years at the Australian Open, except for the quarterfinals in 2008, they have reached the finals in the other nine years. At the same time, this is also their worst record in the Grand Slam since they were eliminated in the second round of the French Open in 2010.
This seemed to foreshadow the shaking of the two brothers' ability to dominate, and just like the challenges faced by the "Big Four", professional media couldn't wait to discuss whether this pair of greatest doubles players in history had begun to decline.
But as the season progressed, the Bryan brothers recovered strongly, reaching the French Open quarterfinals, Wimbledon finals, and US Open championship, regaining their form step by step, and aiming to defend the year-end world No. 1 title for the sixth consecutive year, once again proving with practical actions that they are still the strongest doubles players in professional tennis.
At this moment, no one could have imagined that the 2014 US Open would be the last Grand Slam title won by the Bryan brothers.
Later, Bob suffered a fatal hip injury - the same injury that almost ended Murray's career.
Although Mike and Sock won two more Grand Slam trophies, proving that they were still competitive at the age of 40, their glory was gone.
After Bob overcame his injury and returned, the Bryan brothers continued to compete, reaching the Grand Slam semi-finals and finals many times, but unfortunately they were never able to win the championship again. After the 2020 Australian Open, the 42-year-old Bryan brothers officially announced their retirement, and a generation of legends came to an end.
They came, they witnessed, and they left behind their own legends.
So, when Gao Wen saw the twins in person, a smile involuntarily crept up the corners of his mouth, and he felt the excitement of a little fan seeing his idol.
It's just like how I felt when I saw Sampras and Agassi.
"You know, when I first saw the doubles draw, I immediately had a goal in my mind for the doubles event, to beat Kubert and Lindsted, and then stand in front of the Bryan brothers and play against them."
“Now, the goal has been achieved, so I can just relax and enjoy the game.”
With a smile on his face, Gawain greeted the Bryan brothers. His tone was so relaxed that it sounded like they were old friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time. Tim turned around and looked at Gawain. He was a little surprised that Gawain had friends all over the world, but he quickly kept smiling and looked at the Bryan brothers.
result--
"Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself."
"This is Dominic."
"I'm Gawain."
"We are a devil team."
Tim's forehead began to sweat. So, Gawain and the Brian brothers didn't know each other at all? But Bob didn't mind at all. He laughed heartily and bumped into Mike, seeming very satisfied with Gawain's self-introduction.
"See, I told you Gawain was a funny little fellow."
After saying this, he ignored Mike's helpless expression, turned to look at Gao Wen, and spoke in a familiar manner.
"We wanted to say hello to you at the US Open championship celebration party, but we were tripped by reporters. By the time we came to our senses, you were already drowned by reporters, so we missed the opportunity."
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"I told Mike before, I like the way you celebrate..."
Words were not enough, he immediately followed up with actions, beating his chest hard and imitating the howl of a wolf, making "Awoo awoo" sounds without paying any attention to the eyes of others.
Tim broke out in a cold sweat. He was really not good at expressing his emotions so directly and exaggeratedly. The gazes from all directions made him particularly uncomfortable.
But what can he do?
Then, Tim heard Gawain's extremely serious voice coming from his ear.
"Sorry, sorry, this is limited to the stadium. You asked me to perform outside the stadium without a game. This is not my character."
Tim stared at Gawain with wide eyes, and the Brian brothers were also very surprised by Gawain's reaction, but because Gawain was too serious and too earnest, there was an inexplicable sense of humor.
Bob showed a look of doubt, "Is this true? Why do I feel like you are lying?"
Gao Wen still had a very serious expression, "Of course it's true, have you forgotten? I'm Asian, and Asians are shy and introverted. How could it be possible with my humble and low-key personality?"
Gawain? Humble and low-key? Now it was finally confirmed that Gawain was joking.
"Haha, I told you, this guy must be funny." Bob laughed happily, bumped into Mike, and said excitedly.
After Tim realized what was happening, he couldn't help laughing, but he didn't expect that Gawain would use this method to "calm" everyone down.
Gao Wen still maintained his grim attitude and shook his head slightly, "After the last game, it's not funny at all."
(End of this chapter)