Chapter 981: Far-sightedness
When Agassi arrived at the training ground, he saw Gawain running under the golden sunlight.
Bean-sized beads of sweat were pulled by the centrifugal force and flew and bloomed. He was sweating all over and looked as if he had just been fished out of the water. The brilliant sunlight coated his entire body with a thin layer of gold, as if honey and marshmallows melted together.
Peart, on the other hand, was in stark contrast, standing across from the net with no expression on his face, his eyes slightly fixed, not a drop of sweat to be found, and he devoted himself meticulously to training, a complete ice man, entering the inhumane military camp scene of "Full Metal Jacket" in a second.
However, Gawain was very, very dedicated, and the sound of his footsteps rubbing against the court made it seem as if his shoes were on fire.
Involuntarily, Agassi looked up at the sun——
It is only February in the northern hemisphere, and strictly speaking it is still winter, but the scene in front of us always gives people the illusion that "midsummer is coming".
He couldn't help but take one more look before taking a step forward.
He quietly came to Sampras and asked in a low voice, "What's going on? Why did the intensity increase?"
Sampras' eyes were completely focused, staring at the court motionlessly. He didn't turn his head when he heard the voice, but answered directly.
"Gawain has gradually adapted to the intensity and is challenging Martin's authority. So Martin has also brought out his best tricks."
Agassi was slightly stunned, then laughed, "This is indeed very Gawain."
But if you think about it, this isn't surprising.
Despite winning the Australian Open, Gao Wen still saw his shortcomings after consecutive matches with three giants, and there is still room for improvement in his performance.
This is also their work focus for the next period of time, so Gao Wen took the initiative to ask to increase the intensity of training, which is completely in line with Gao Wen's character.
Agassi noticed that Sampras' expression was slightly serious and thought that Sampras was worried. "Don't worry, this kid knows what he is doing. He won't be easily satisfied with just a championship. He should have already set his sights on the next goal, the next challenge."
Sampras came back to his senses, turned to look at Agassi, smiled, and his expression relaxed, "I know."
As if he had thought of something, Sampras even chuckled twice, completely different from the serious and focused look he had just had.
"Do you know what Gawain said?"
"Competitive sports is like rowing against the current. If you don't move forward, you will fall behind."
"Fans see Federer hitting the ball elegantly and looking cool and handsome on the court, but in private, Federer also spends countless hours training. In the final analysis, they are just a group of ducks."
Agassi was stunned. "Duck?"
What kind of metaphor is this? Sampras lowered his voice mysteriously, "Above the water, calm and graceful; under the water, struggling to paddle."
"Haha." Agassi laughed softly, his eyes full of smiles, "I feel like I have learned a lot from being with Gawain."
Sampras nodded subconsciously in agreement, but then he remembered that he was an old rival next to him, and immediately complained, "Why don't you let Gao Wen be your coach and prepare to come back tomorrow?"
Agassi was not in a hurry. He nodded slowly and said calmly, "Okay. After all, I can still make a comeback, but someone else can't."
Sampras: …
"You just like to be sarcastic." Sampras couldn't help but rolled his eyes.
Agassi ignored Sampras.
If he were young, he would definitely argue with this guy about who is being sarcastic; but now, this guy is just an old child who will never grow up, and the more he cares about it, the more he will not let it go.
So Agassi calmly changed the subject.
"If it's not about training, then what are you worried about? You looked a little serious just now."
Sampras's punch hit cotton, with no place to put his strength. He opened his mouth and wanted to fight with Agassi for two rounds, but he changed his mind and regained his composure.
If Sampras could say that being Gawain's coach brought him back his passion and enthusiasm for life, his love for tennis, and an irreplaceable sense of accomplishment, what other benefits did he gain?
He would probably say it was his friendship with Agassi.
Of course, Sampras also doubted whether there was a real friendship when they were young and frivolous, or whether it was just a show in front of the camera.
But it is undeniable that now, they can indeed sit down and have a conversation calmly, truly admire each other's achievements, and then work together to give advice to Gawain, grow with Gawain and fight together, and they are actually much closer than when they were young.
Thinking of this——
"I have something important to do, so I won't argue with you anymore." Sampras couldn't help but complained stubbornly, then got back to the point.
"That's right, there's something I want to discuss with you."
"The clay court season is coming soon, and I am a little worried."
Strictly speaking, there are still two full months left until the clay court season. The so-called "soon" is not that fast, but as coaches, they cannot cram at the last minute and must be far-sighted and make comprehensive plans.
After the start of the new season, the Australian Open is the first important task. Previously, all their focus was on the Australian Open. Now that the Australian Open has come to an end, it also means that they must adjust their plans.
According to the ATP schedule:
In the third week of February, the 500 will be held in Rio de Janeiro and the 250 will be held in Marseille and Delray Beach.
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In the fourth week of February, the 500 will be held in Dubai and Alpuerco; the 250 will be held in Buenos Aires.
The next week will be for rest and adjustment. There will be no ATP events, only Challenger and Hope Tournaments.
Second week of March, Masters, Indian Wells.
Fourth week of March, Masters, Miami.
Then, the clay court season officially begins in the first week of April.
In fact, the schedule is very clear: January, Australian season; February, South American season; March, North American spring season.
In the middle, there are stops in Marseille in Europe and Dubai in the Middle East, but the impact is not significant. Overall, the ATP's event schedule is very clear.
All of the above-mentioned events are hard court competitions.
January, culminating in Melbourne Park.
March climaxes with two Masters tournaments.
Both Indian Wells and Miami are North American events. The former is located deep in the desert of California, less than two hours' drive from Los Angeles; the latter is located in southern Florida and is known as the retirement home of North America because of its sunny weather all year round.
Both events are Masters tournaments with 1,000 points, second only to the Grand Slam.
Moreover, unlike other Masters tournaments, Indian Wells and Miami are both two-week events with a 96th draw.
That's more than the 56 picks in other Masters tournaments, and only slightly less than the 128 picks in the Grand Slams.
In addition, both events host men's and women's competitions at the same time. Apart from the four Grand Slams throughout the year, only these two events plus Madrid are the three top events where men and women can participate together.
It is no exaggeration to say that these two events are directly comparable to the Grand Slam.
It is also because of this that Indian Wells has always enjoyed the reputation of the "Fifth Grand Slam".
From scale to level to weight, these two events are indeed the focus of the first half of the year, bringing a perfect end to the hard court season in the first quarter.
(End of this chapter)