Chapter 710 Arrival in London
London, the Foggy City?
No, the “foggy city” was a stereotype of London in the last century and has long been a thing of the past. Today’s London has successfully gotten rid of the troubles of industrial fumes.
However, winter in London is still grey.
The misty drizzle enveloped the city like smoke and fog. Large patches of gray of varying shades spread across the field of vision. Even the red telephone booths and red double-decker buses were covered in a layer of misty light gray. The whole world was filled with an lingering dampness and coldness, as if the sound of water could be heard in one's bones.
call……
The revolving door of the hotel lobby was pushed open, and a gust of wind rushed in, mixed with water vapor and stumbling into the warm air inside the room. You could inadvertently see passers-by walking hurriedly outside the door in windbreakers, and it was hard to tell whether the windbreakers were blue or black because they were wet by the rain.
But in a blink of an eye, the revolving door continued to move forward, blocking the storm outside, and the hotel lobby returned to its tranquility, covered with a layer of light lemon yellow.
The raging seas outside make people yearn for the tranquility indoors even more.
Looking around, you can see a surging crowd of people gathered in groups of three or four in the hotel lobby. A rough sweep reveals at least thirty people, which is in stark contrast to the sparse crowds on the street, so much so that the footsteps of those who had just entered could not help but pause.
The figure was carrying a large tennis equipment bag and was wearing simple casual sportswear, with a dark blue hoodie on. His facial features could not be seen clearly, but one could vaguely feel a visual sense of oppression from his slender and strong figure.
He did not stop for too long, just paused for a moment, walked towards the hotel front desk, waited patiently in line for a moment, and then it was his turn.
"Room 1414, Gao."
"Yes, I have twelve rackets that need to be strung. Could you please make an appointment for me? Can I come and pick them up before 8 am tomorrow?"
The strings of professional players' rackets need to be replaced every day.
Because the strings have a poundage, in simple terms, it is the elastic curvature that creates a trampoline effect.
The higher the poundage, the less the string bed deforms, the less force is generated, and the more control is provided.
The lower the poundage, the greater the change in the string bed shape, the greater the force generated, and the weaker the control.
At the same time, if the strings are pulled tighter, the faster the internal molecular structure changes and the worse the performance is maintained, which means that the strings break faster. During training and competitions, the frequency of replacing rackets will naturally increase.
Some players prefer a higher poundage, while others prefer a lower poundage. This affects the control and adjustment of the feel of the shot.
Strictly speaking, it is not just about adjusting based on the player’s personal style and preferences. Even the same player will adjust the string weight in different venues.
For example, the poundage of clay courts needs to be reduced because the tennis ball will stick to the clay and become heavier; also, the ball speed is slower on clay courts and there are more rounds, so reducing the poundage can increase the power of the shot.
At the same time, at different stages of their career, players may adjust the poundage of the strings according to their physical condition and playing style. Most importantly, as their physical functions decline, players may reduce the poundage of the strings, on the one hand to maintain the power of the shot, and on the other hand to reduce physical injuries.
The most famous one is Federer, who not only adjusted the weight of the racket strings, but also adjusted the size of the racket face.
Overall, the average string weight in men's professional tennis is 54, with a distribution range of 40 to 62:
Federer's vertical line is 48 pounds and the horizontal line is 45 pounds, Raonic's vertical line is 44 pounds and the horizontal line is 46 pounds, Kei Nishikori's vertical line is 49 pounds and the horizontal line is 51 pounds, and so on.
Among them, it is very worth mentioning that Jack Sock, a new generation American player, has a string weight of 40 pounds, which is very rare among all male and female players; for reference, Radwanska, who adjusted the weight of her strings because of her weak strength, has a string weight of 51 pounds.
From this we can see that the weight of the racket string is crucial for professional players.
Naturally, if a racket is used a little more often, the poundage may change, so in a game, generally speaking, professional players will change their rackets when they change to a new set of balls.
According to tennis rules, in order to ensure the flexibility of tennis balls, a new set of balls needs to be replaced every nine innings; and at the beginning of the game, because the first set of tennis balls have gone through the practice stage, the first set of balls will be replaced after seven innings.
This is the same as badminton and even table tennis.
Because of this, every player often needs to carry multiple rackets when playing, ranging from five to eight or nine; and, when the game is in progress, the players will also ask the caddies to send their used rackets back to the players' lounge and restring them on the spot.
Stringing a racket is a technical job.
ATP and WTA both have officially registered stringers, who, like medical teams, massage teams, etc., are a must for every tournament and are responsible for helping players string their rackets.
Objectively speaking, the feel of each stringer is slightly different. For players who require a delicate feel, these details are even more sensitive. So generally speaking, each player has his or her own familiar stringer in different competitions, and this stringer is responsible for stringing his or her own racket.
At this time, Gao Wen, who had just finished training to adapt to the court, was making an appointment to restring his racket.
The year-end finals are slightly different after all.
Firstly, there is only one venue, the O2 Arena, where all matches between the eight players are played throughout the week.
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As you can imagine, the time arrangement for adapting to the venue is even more troublesome.
Secondly, there are eight players participating in the competition, and everything needs to revolve around these eight players. As a substitute, Gao Wen may not be able to play at all. It is not surprising that there is no priority in the arrangement of related situations.
But not having priority does not mean that nothing can be arranged. Even if you are a substitute, all the things that should be arranged will still be arranged.
Just like today.
The eight players participating in the year-end finals put on suits and went to take promotional photos to promote the upcoming Huashan Sword Contest.
As a result, the O2 Arena was temporarily vacated, giving Gao Wen valuable time to adapt to the venue.
In addition, in order to ensure that the time for stringing the rackets will not delay the eight participating players, Gao Wen also needs to make an appointment in advance, rather than suddenly requesting stringing at any time, or stringing when the time comes, to ensure that his plan is there to avoid disrupting the plans of other players.
Everything can be arranged, it just takes a little more thought.
"Of course, no problem, it's my honor to serve you, Mr. Gao."
The attitude of the hotel front desk staff was very friendly. The Gao Wen in front of him did not have the arrogance and conceit of a successful person at all. His smile like a spring breeze is always pleasing to the eye.
"Also, the massage treatment Mr. Pelt booked for you..."
He was interrupted by an enthusiastic voice halfway through his words, "Gawain! You're here too, wow, I can't believe this weather..."
(End of this chapter)