Bennett looked at Robinson's expression carefully and said solemnly, "Eric, we all know that you were very annoyed when we missed Gawain last time. You hope more than anyone else that we can seize the opportunity, but, You know we need your expertise but also your calm."
"If you had said these words two months ago, the contract we signed might have been two hundred thousand dollars per year; but now the same words might require us to add a zero at the end, Eric, I didn't give you Apply pressure, but you need to know the weight of those words."
Robinson could feel the caution in Bennett's words, and he sighed softly.
"Reese, I know nothing about business or markets. I am just a scout. If you ask for my professional advice, I will give you my professional advice. That's all."
"On the plane back to New York, I watched all the game videos of the two players Gawain and Nishikori Kei, not the highlights but the complete version."
"Honestly, I think Kei Nishikori can win."
Bennett was very, very surprised that he had never heard Robinson tell these behind-the-scenes stories.
"Two months ago, Gawain had no chance against Kei Nishikori; two months later, Kei Nishikori is in even better shape, and his entire rhythm control and touch control have reached a new level. I think even when facing Djoko, Vic or Murray, Kei Nishikori also have a chance, this year is indeed his stage."
"But Kei Nishikori lost, do you know the reason?"
This is the first time Bennett has listened to Robinson's in-depth analysis. It is no longer a bunch of data and a bunch of theories, but an in-depth analysis combined with reality. Bennett also watched the full live broadcast of Gawain's victory over Kei Nishikori. Now The feelings become clearer and more straightforward.
Robinson didn't sell out.
"Because Gawain believed that he could defeat Nishikori Kei, and he never wavered from the beginning to the end."
"Gawain knew what a powerful opponent he faced, but he did not back down. Not only did he not back down, but he showed 200% of himself, and then tried his best to snatch the victory from Nishikori Kei. Just look at the match point point and you will know——
It's not that Nishikori Kei didn't play well, it's that Gawain played too well. "
"Looking back at the entire game, many people think that Gawain's performance against the break point in the 12th game of the fourth set was the turning point. If Nishikori Kei could break serve and enter the deciding set, everything would be different; but I think, Even in the final set, Gawain has a better chance of winning."
"Because I believe the turning point of the game should be the second game of the first set."
Bennett remembers that Kei Nishikori broke Gawain's serve in the opening game. In the next game, Kei Nishikori led "40:15" in his own serve, but lost four points in a row and was broken.
"From that moment on, Gawain believed that he could win and realized that his opponent was full of firepower, so he began to use different tactical combinations to find ways to break the game."
"You know what? He found it."
In fact, these analyzes are all hindsight, and they are analyzed through post-game review. They seem sharp but are actually "nonsense." However, Robinson still saw Gao Wen's interpretation and control of the game, and even performed to the best of his abilities. state, gritting one's teeth and fighting for this historic showdown.
"Reese, you ask me, should we sign this player for two million dollars a year?"
"My answer is, hurry up, hurry up, why are we still wasting time?"
Of course, Robinson knew that this was impossible. Nike signed Bouchard for only one million US dollars per year. Even if the average signing amount of men's players is higher than that of women's players, at the top of the pyramid, women's players are not inferior to men's players, so Nike's signing is high. The article must have many considerations.
But he said this just to express his attitude——
This is not the first time, not the second time, or even the third time, but the fourth time that he has expressed his opinion and hopes that Nike can sign Gao Wen.
As for how Nike executives make decisions, it is not something Robinson can interfere with.
Harnett took a long breath and patted Robinson on the shoulder, "Eric, I know, but the decision is no longer in our hands."
Robinson curled his lips in gloating, "You deserve it. It's good to see you guys deflate once in a while."
Harnett couldn't help laughing.
In fact, there is a very, very important high-level secret, and currently no news has been leaked in the industry——
Nike's biggest reliance in the Chinese market is Li Na. It is precisely because of this that they have always been firmly on the Diaoyutai and believed that they were invincible. However, during the US Open, Li Na informed Nike through her agent that she was considering retiring. matters.
Heavy!
Having just reached the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, Li Na is still ranked sixth in the world. In other words, she is still in the competitive stage of her career. Although she missed the entire North American season due to injury, people believe that Li Na can return from injury. , is likely to come back in the Asian season.
However, the injury problem is obviously more serious than imagined.
Moreover, at this year’s US Open, Chinese players have repeatedly performed miracles——
In the women's singles field, Peng Shuai went all the way, broke his own shackles, and reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time. He will face Danish sweetheart Wozniacki in the next game. His outstanding performance also caused exclamations of exclamation.
In the men's singles arena, it goes without saying that Gao Wen's emergence has filled too many gaps, and there are even signs of soaring into the sky, completely changing the entire landscape.
It is precisely because of this that Li Na increasingly believes that even if she retires, there will be successors in the tennis arena, and she can leave the arena with confidence and devote herself to the rest of her life.
For various reasons, the idea of retiring began to sprout, then took root, and finally evolved into a big tree in the sky.
During the US Open, Sharapova's agent Eisenbud did not appear in Flushing. The real reason is that he is also Li Na's agent. He flew to China in person this time, hoping to talk face to face with Li Na and convince her. Take back the decision to retire.
But judging from the current situation, the decision to retire seems to be irreversible, and the situation is not optimistic.
Although Li Na has not made a formal decision yet, let alone an official announcement, Nike realizes that their biggest reliance is likely to cease to exist. Even if Li Na withdraws her decision to retire this time, the impact of the injury will be so powerful and far-reaching. , how could Nike, which is in the competitive sports industry, not know this.
what to do?
In an instant, Gao Wen's importance to Nike's entire strategic territory increased exponentially. Especially in the head-on competition with Adidas, the entire meaning had changed - calling Robinson back from Europe to watch the game live was In order to be more confident in their judgment and decision-making.
Of course, they will not act rashly for the time being. They do not want to leak any rumors about Li Na, which will cause Adidas to smell blood, nor do they want to contact Gao Wen rashly and ruin their overall plan. They will continue to be patient and wait and see whether the semi-finals or even Waiting for the US Open to end.
But there are obviously very, very heavy meetings to discuss within Nike.
