Buzz buzz.
Buzz buzz.
The air is boiling.
"Gawain, you should be able to handle reporters, right?"
"Although this is a big event and the number of reporters may increase several times, at the end of the day it's still the same, just be yourself."
"This is not a live broadcast, but there are cameras recording the whole process. I don't want to scare you, just a reminder."
"Good, good, good, I like your calmness."
"Huh, I think everything can go smoothly today. Yes, there will be absolutely no problem."
From the beginning to the end, it was all Tobias talking to himself. Sampras looked at Gawain with a calm face, and couldn't help but reveal a smile in his eyes.
You can't blame Tobias, even Sampras is a little worried. It is precisely because he has experienced countless Grand Slams that he knows more clearly how terrible a press conference can be, how ferocious reporters can be, and even more The players broke down after finishing their press conference.
This is even more true in the Grand Slam arena.
But unfortunately, the news media is an indispensable part. The Grand Slam and Masters have strict regulations. The competition has a pre-match press conference and a post-match press conference. All of these are mandatory parts. If you refuse to attend, , the first warning and fine, the second time the fine amount is increased, and the third time a ban may be imposed.
Regarding this matter, the ATP, WTA, ITF and the organizers of the four Grand Slam tournaments have reached a unanimous front. They are not kidding.
This is the first time Gao Wen has participated in a press conference. The result is that it is a Grand Slam level, but his opponent is the local darling Isner. Sampras is a little worried.
Why this pregame press conference is so special obviously needs a little context.
Just like any event, players from the host country can always get some preferential treatment. This is the same all over the world, and the US Open is no exception.
The U.S. Open is the youngest and most energetic of the four Grand Slam tournaments. The existence of night games, breaks between games, and live DJs playing music to stir up the atmosphere are all lively and lively that cannot be seen in the other three Grand Slams. The scene was such that even the long-game tie-breaker format was the first one they abolished.
Here, there are three main stadiums and 17 small courts, which can hold 20 games at the same time. The three main stadiums are Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, and Grandstand Stadium. , No. 2, and No. 3 stadiums, the spectator capacity is reduced in sequence.
Arthur Ashe Stadium is Court No. 1 and is also the center court, which can accommodate 23,000 people. All five finals of singles, doubles and mixed doubles are held here.
Everyone wants to enter Arthur Ashe Stadium to play, and official international signals are often aimed at this stadium, but obviously, not everyone can do so; moreover, night games are also a special treatment unique to Arthur Ashe , because the ratings are particularly high, often only the most popular players can enjoy the treatment.
For example, the Big Four, such as Serena Williams or Sharapova.
But if Nadal, Djokovic and Federer all play on the same day, who will enter Arthur Ashe Stadium? Who enters the nightclub to take on the heavy responsibility of ratings throughout the day? This is very particular. Federer, who has a "global home court", often becomes the favorite of event organizers, followed by Nadal, the "King of Clay".
The 2018 Wimbledon Championships encountered such a problem.
In the first week of the tournament, Federer and Nadal took turns sitting on the center court, while Djokovic had only one round of games arranged on the center court. The other three rounds were played twice on Court 1 and once on Court 2. This also made Djokovic furious, and launched a righteous protest to the tournament organizers through his agent, fighting for his rights to enter the center court.
In the end, after careful consideration, the tournament organizers moved Federer to Court No. 1 on the day of the quarterfinals, while Djokovic and Nadal continued to sit on the center court.
This incident also caused quite a stir and controversy.
Apparently, the same is true at the US Open.
The arrangement of each day's events is very particular, especially since the first round of the four Grand Slams, except Wimbledon, is played over three days, so the arrangement of the events on the center court is worthy of careful consideration. .
This year, the opening match at Arthur Ashe Stadium was led by Simona Halep, the second seed in women’s singles, followed by Venus Williams and Wawrinka; the night match was led by Sharapova It started, then Djokovic finished it.
Murray, who also made his debut on the first day, was gathered at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The next day, Ivanovic opened the game at Arthur Ashe Stadium, followed by Isner, then Kvitova; the night game featured Federer and Serena Williams.
The key is right here——
Isner.
In fact, "Isner VS Gawain" is not the focus of the first round, but! Because Isner is a local darling and currently the highest-ranked player in the United States, he naturally gathered a lot of focus. Relying on the advantage of playing at home, he successfully entered Arthur Ashe Stadium on the second match day.
As a result, Gao Wen also got the opportunity to land on the center court.
Some players will never be able to stand on the center court of the four Grand Slams in their entire lives, but Gao Wen entered the center court for the first time in his career at the Grand Slam. Therefore, is this draw a good thing or a bad thing? Woolen cloth?
What’s so special about center court?
Big, first of all, big, with 23,000 seats, this is one of the largest tennis venues in the world. This not only means that there will definitely be a large audience at the scene, but also means that the international signal can attract the attention of global audiences. Pressure is definitely not something ordinary players can mature into.
Secondly, it’s still big, but what I’m talking about here is the impact on the physical level. The whole sense of space, light, and wind direction are all different. If you are used to playing in a small court, you may be disoriented when you suddenly enter a big court. The three-dimensional feeling of hitting the ball can easily change. If it is disrupted, the feel will be lost.
Just like the spotlight, you may be able to perform well outside the spotlight, but when you enter the spotlight, it is like being under a microscope, and then your performance falls apart.
Arthur Ashe Stadium can be a motivation, but it can also be a destructive pressure.
First Isner, and then Arthur Ashe Stadium. For Gawain who jumped out of the cracks in the rocks, it was basically pie in the sky. Naturally, the pre-match press conference and the attacks of reporters The force may also increase exponentially.
In fact, the center court is a good thing, at least for publicity and exposure. Tobias should like it. Dimitrov doesn't even have such an opportunity; but Tobias can't be happy, but worried. Worried.
Everything is coming like this, and the pressure of the press conference will naturally increase.
Not to mention Tobias, Sampras was also slightly worried——
Because it came too quickly and too fiercely, Gawain missed the training opportunity of the Golden Game. As a result, he rose to many levels in one go. Is there really no problem?
