Chapter 927 An Opportunity
There is no doubt that people always like to witness history. Precisely because creating history is difficult and rare, the moment when history is born is always particularly precious.
for example.
At the Olympic Games, witnessing the 100-meter sprinters competing and breaking world records is a moment that goes beyond a simple victory or defeat. It has become a moment for humans to challenge themselves, their limits, and even taboos. The passion and enthusiasm are enough to detonate the energy of a tsunami deep in the soul.
The charm of competitive sports is undoubtedly revealed——
"Higher, faster, further".
Professional tennis is no exception.
It is rare to defeat the top three players in the world in a row in the same tournament and win the championship. If it is a top-level tournament, it is even rarer.
Once. Twice. Three times.
In the open era, such incidents occurred only three times in top-level men's singles events.
In 1994, at the Stockholm Masters, Becker defeated world No. 3 Michael-Stich, world No. 2 Ivanisevic, and world No. 1 Sampras to win the championship.
In 2007, at the Montreal Masters, Djokovic defeated world No. 3 Roddick, world No. 2 Nadal, and world No. 1 Federer to win the championship.
In 2020, at the year-end finals, Medvedev defeated world No. 3 Thiem, world No. 2 Nadal, and world No. 1 Djokovic, including all matches in the group stage and knockout stage, and finally won the championship.
Only three times.
Of course, the specific circumstances of the specific game, from venue conditions to one's own condition to the impact of injuries, have complex and varied reasons, but no matter from which perspective, in the same event, beating the top three players in the world is a feat, which is why it is so rare in history.
same.
Since the rise of Federer and Nadal, men's tennis has undergone tremendous changes, accelerating from an era of fierce competition to an era of top superstars.
It is precisely because of this that defeating a giant more than once in the same event has become a test that every player must go through to become the champion.
Since 2004, in nearly twenty years, only four players have defeated the three giants in the same event.
In 2007, at the Madrid Masters, which was still an indoor hard court tournament in Madrid and part of the European indoor hard court season, it was later changed to a clay court. Nalbandian defeated the third seed Djokovic, the second seed Nadal, and the first seed Federer to win the championship.
Moreover, the unseeded player Nalbandian defeated Berdych in the first round and Del Potro in the second round that year. The five games he won were enough to make him a legend.
In 2008, at the Hamburg Masters, Nadal defeated Murray, Djokovic and Federer respectively to win the championship.
In 2010, at the year-end finals, Federer defeated Murray, Djokovic, and Nadal respectively to win the championship. He also defeated Soderling, who was ranked fourth in the world at that time. In other words, Federer defeated the world's first, third, fourth, and fifth respectively.
Strictly speaking, the above three times are more or less worthy of discussion.
Firstly, although Djokovic had risen to third in the world rankings in 2007, there was no concept of the "Big Three" or "Big Four" at that time. Djokovic had not yet completed his transformation and was far from dominant. It was not until 2011 that the times gradually changed.
Secondly, Murray was ranked fourth in the world in 2008, but he also did not complete his transformation at that time. He experienced ups and downs and a period of struggle. It was not until the 2012 season that he broke through himself and joined hands with Djokovic to build a new era of the Big Four.
In other words, the concept of "defeating the Big Three" should only have historical weight after 2012.
So--
In 2014, at the Toronto Masters, Tsonga defeated Djokovic, Murray and Federer to win the championship.
This is worth taking a closer look.
From any perspective, being able to defeat the top three players in the world or three giants in a row in the same tournament is a feat, and it is not an exaggeration to call it making history.
In the nearly half a century since professional tennis entered the Open Era, only seven players have been able to leave their names behind.
Especially the latter.
The "Big Four" have been a unique presence in men's tennis for the past decade. Maybe they will get injured, maybe they will suffer upsets, maybe they will be in a slump, so that their world rankings cannot firmly occupy the top three or four, but their dominance is unquestionable.
First of all, the positions of world number one and world number two can never be shaken.
Secondly, the Grand Slam and Masters titles are as solid as a rock.
In other words, the concept of the "Big Four" itself has surpassed the deterrent power of the world rankings and has become the ultimate challenge in men's tennis today.
Any player! If they can beat a big player at a Grand Slam, it will undoubtedly make the headlines; if they can beat two big players in a row in the same Grand Slam, it is definitely an achievement worth writing about, just look at Del Potro and Wawrinka.
So, what about defeating three giants in a row?
Unheard of.
As the reporter said, because the dominance of the Big Four is so strong, they often consume all their energy after defeating one giant, and end up stopping before the second giant. So far, the players who can defeat two giants in a row have basically secured the championship.
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Three?
It's harder than ascending to heaven.
Moreover, in a best-of-five Grand Slam? Daydreaming.
In fact, no player has such an opportunity, after defeating two giants in a row, to stand in front of the third giant, not a single one.
Until today, Gawain appeared.
After defeating Nadal and Murray successively and fighting his way out of the lower half of the death zone of this year's Australian Open, Gao Wen finally won the ticket to the ultimate challenge of today's men's professional tennis.
Just this moment, just this opportunity, is worth going down in history.
What's more, there is much more to it than that.
Gao Wen will also challenge another historical record and become the first male singles player in history to win back-to-back Grand Slam titles after his first Grand Slam title.
In such an important and special game, Gao Wen is about to face the third giant. Everything has created a chemical reaction.
Earth-shattering!
No one can say no, literally no one!
So, when Gao Wen got the match point tonight, the reporters' brains collectively exploded and fireworks were set off, and one or two of them were so excited that they were about to faint.
At this moment, how could they let Gawain go so easily? Looking at Gawain in front of them, it was like a pack of wolves seeing their prey, and their glowing eyes could not hide their urgency and desire at all.
All the sights, one, two, three, were superimposed on Gawain. The strong tension and expectation filled all the oxygen factors, so hot that it was suffocating, and it was enough to ignite the air without the need for flames.
A little spark? Then the whole scene is about to explode. Facing such a historical moment, the blood has begun to burn.
(End of this chapter)