Chapter 797: Whirlpool of Jokes
"…It seems that Gao Wen has mastered the code to defeat Djokovic…"
Cough cough.
One second ago, a slight cough could be heard in the press conference room; the next second, the whole place was silent, all the reporters held their breath, and all the scorching eyes were focused on Gao Wen. Along with the voices of the reporters asking questions, the sound of the air conditioner lingering in his ears became louder and louder, and his heart almost stopped beating.
The highlight is here.
The good show that everyone has been looking forward to finally started. So, how will Gawain respond? Not to mention the reporters, even Nadal, who was sitting next to Gawain at this moment, was a little nervous and cast a worried look at Gawain.
Nadal knows this feeling all too well.
Everyone can see that Nadal is now supported by countless fans. Among the Big Four, Nadal and Federer have far ahead in fan base, which is also the part that Djokovic and Murray can never match; but many people have forgotten that Nadal was once repeatedly booed.
When he was young, Nadal emerged out of nowhere and repeatedly played the role of a killer when facing the "King of Tennis" Federer, which made him a public enemy.
One piece of data can show why Federer's fans dislike and even hate Nadal so much: in the first 20 Grand Slam finals of Federer's career, he played against 11 different players and achieved a record of 15 wins and 5 losses.
Those five losses all came to the same opponent, Rafael Nadal.
It is precisely because of this that Nadal has to face the fans' overwhelming boos and provocations in any city outside of Spain, which never stop. After all, he is facing Federer, the "global home court" - who may even be the most popular king in history.
Even in Paris, the French Open, Nadal's most successful and glorious tournament, is no exception.
The 2011 French Open final was the fifth meeting between Nadal and Federer in the tournament. At the time, Nadal was already a five-time French Open champion and was chasing his sixth championship trophy, but the local audience in Paris still overwhelmingly supported Federer, simply because they wanted to see Federer have the last laugh.
The boos, curses and suppression from the fans are a difficult issue that every young challenger needs to face, and it is also the price of overthrowing a dynasty.
In fact, it is not just the fans who are affected. Journalists are no exception.
Attacks again and again, questionings again and again, provocations one after another, all come pouring down on the challengers. The bustling and noisy waves turn into invisible swords, becoming the only way for the young challengers to complete their tempering, transformation and rebirth. If they fail, they will die.
Now, Gawain is also a challenger who suddenly emerged, just like Nadal faced Federer back then, but Gawain needs to face a stronger challenge: the Big Four.
Not one, but four.
This is the case for all the younger generation of players. It is conceivable that the pressure and challenges they need to face are definitely more than quadrupled.
Winning a Grand Slam and a Masters title, plus beating Djokovic twice, made Gao a target.
Nadal was a little worried, but Gawain didn't seem worried at all and seemed to have prepared himself mentally for such a situation.
"…So, may I ask, what do you think, Rafa?"
Wait, who?
Buzz.
The entire press conference room was stunned, and all the reporters were stunned.
The reporter who asked the question had a cunning gleam in his eyes. This move was called "making a feint to the east and attacking in the west". On the surface, the questions seemed to be directed at Gawain, but the real target was Nadal.
No one should forget that "Nadal vs. Djokovic" has been the main theme of the tour in recent years. They are replacing "Nadal vs. Federer" and becoming a new rivalry.
Gao Wen: So I am just a tool?
Nadal paused for a moment, and this honest man looked at the reporter and confirmed with his eyes, "Did you ask the right person?" After receiving the affirmative answer from the reporter, Nadal couldn't help but smile, and then scratched his head in confusion: Why am I the one who got hurt again? In an instant, he was back to the first press conference after the doubles match.
But Nadal has been on the tour for more than ten years after all. He is experienced enough to handle it easily and he quickly regained his composure.
"In my opinion, every time Gawain and Novak meet, they try their best to finish the game and win, and the one who performs better will win in the end."
"This also proves that Gao Wen is indeed top-notch now. His world ranking speaks for itself. At the same time, Novak is still the world No. 1 and he is still the best player at the moment. Therefore, every time they meet, it is full of suspense. It all depends on who can find the best form."
“Just like today’s game.”
"Compared to the score, the game was actually very, very close. There were some points where if we hadn't been able to seize the opportunities, the result might have been reversed."
Watertight.
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Nadal and Federer's press conferences are always like this, the official rhetoric is familiar and even a little boring.
The reporter wanted to make a sneak attack on Nadal to see if he could dig out something, but unfortunately, he failed again.
“I think we had some good luck today.”
Nadal continued to answer. In the eyes of the reporters, this sentence was just a humble and polite statement, but they didn't expect that as soon as he finished speaking, Nadal turned his head and looked at Gao Wen, and both of them burst out laughing.
Then, the two realized that this was a press conference. They both controlled themselves and did not burst out laughing, but smiles still overflowed from their eyes.
On-site reporter: Wait, what are you laughing at? Why don’t you say it out loud so we can all laugh together?
Gawain smiled, nodded slightly, and repeated, "Yes, I agree with Rafa. I think we have been favored by the goddess of luck today."
Nadal pretended to drink water and lowered his head, but his shoulders were still shaking slightly.
Reporters: ??? The reporter who asked the question just now realized that the two players must have their own tacit understanding. If he didn't ask the question again, he would miss the opportunity. Therefore, he didn't bother to ask about the "joke" and asked before the scene became noisy.
"So, what about Gawain? What do you think? Do you think you are Djokovic's nemesis?"
Although the question was raised successfully, the reporter felt disappointed:
It's over. According to the original plan, it should be a surprise attack on Nadal, and then ambush Gawain, but what happened? Now the whole plan has been disrupted. The whole questioning has no planning and no deterrent effect. Instead, it seems that it has fallen into a vortex of jokes and cannot be pulled out. What should I do? ... Just leave it alone? (End of this chapter)