"Out of bounds!"
The linesman's voice was very firm and clear, and he made an out-of-bounds gesture. His eyes were firm and he made the penalty without hesitation.
Gao Wen raised his chin slightly, glanced at the landing point of his return ball across the court, and then gently nodded his head in agreement:
This ball was indeed out of bounds.
His unforced error.
At the same time, this also means:
"0:3".
Gawain lost three consecutive games in the opening game.
Shocking!
Gao Wen, who had high hopes, everyone's attention, and the focus of the whole game, the biggest, hottest and most popular player in the Davis Cup in Auckland, was actually in trouble at the beginning.
How can it be!
You know, Gao Wen is currently ranked third in the world, and his opponent Michael Venus is ranked 399 in the world. This is not the same level at all, okay?
It was so unexpected and shocking that the audience couldn't help but exclaimed, completely forgetting their identity as the host.
In this situation, they should applaud and celebrate instead of sighing. One or two of them were even more annoyed than Li Zhe and Wu Di on the side of the court.
Across the net, Venus couldn't believe her ears. She looked around in astonishment, her eyes filled with doubts about the innocence and grievances of life:
Things shouldn't be like this? What about the promised home field advantage?
Half a beat slower.
The audience finally reacted and realized that something was not right with them. They burst into sparse applause to cheer for Venus.
However, his eyes still seemed to be focused on Gawain:
what happened?
Could it be that the jet lag hasn’t been adjusted yet? Or is the shadow of losing to Federer still lingering?
Yeah, what's going on?
As a client, Gawain was very calm, without anger, panic, or annoyance. A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth and bloomed gently:
Underestimating the enemy.
The reason is actually not that complicated and not that serious. To sum it up simply, it is underestimating the enemy.
After two lives, Gawain is more mature and rational. He is able to settle down and guard against arrogance and impetuosity, because he clearly knows:
The moment complacency begins is the beginning of stopping growth and progress.
What's more, he is still far from reaching his true peak. There are countless challenges waiting in front of him. How can he be satisfied?
It is precisely because of this that Gao Wen always maintains a good mentality. Whether he is attacking the Big Four as a challenger or facing other players as a defender, Gao Wen is able to show his best competitive state without being complacent at all. , not arrogant or complacent, nor despising his opponents.
Gao Wen never forgets his original intention.
Despite this, there is another point that is also an objective fact:
Even though he has been a human being for two lifetimes, all the situations Gawain faces now are all "new, strange, and never experienced before" and a brand new experience.
In the last life, he was not even able to become a professional player, let alone a Grand Slam champion, the third in the world, a top player, etc.
Recently, Gao Wen has been in a state of top confrontation, self-challenge, and breaking through the limits. The opponents standing on the other side of the net are all at the level of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. His mind is full of thoughts. The exciting ideas of continuous challenges, continuous breakthroughs, and continuous sprints.
Including Dubai, those who can advance to the main draw are all top 100 players in the world.
The whole atmosphere, that's it.
Especially after losing to Federer, it inspired Gao Wen's high fighting spirit and he was eagerly looking forward to the next match. His training motivation was perfect.
Suddenly, the confrontation mode switched, and the opponent was a doubles player ranked 399th in the world. The game mode also returned to the simple and rough style of the challenge.
The situation has undergone subtle changes.
Maybe Gawain didn't think this way himself, and was careful to avoid thinking this way, but subconsciously, he also thought that he should be able to capture it easily.
In fact, he not only demands a victory, but also looks forward to a hearty victory as a perfect debut for his country.
However, tennis is not that simple. To be precise, competitive sports are not that simple——
The more you want to prove yourself, the more you want to crush your opponents, the more you want to usher in a complete victory, but the less you can do it.
Just look at Messi's performance in the national team. It's not that it's not good, but it's different after all in a state of expectation, pressure, and proof.
Moreover, the Venus match is indeed...a little special.
Michael Venus, 28 years old, was born in the United States and followed the path of turning professional from the NCAA. Unfortunately, North America is full of talents. Even in the NCAA, Venus's performance is not outstanding——
Because in the early stages of his career, Venus has been focusing on singles, but the cruel thing is that his singles talent is not as high as imagined.
In 2010, after graduating from college, Venus also faced a crossroads in his life. He longed to become a professional player, but could no longer find financial support in the United States. Therefore, Venus transferred to New Zealand citizenship and received financial support here. , to continue his career.
Over the years, Venus still has obsessions and dreams in the singles arena. Moreover, New Zealand lacks new generation talents. Venus and Statham are the top two singles respectively, so he can continue to chase his dreams; but with the As he grew older, he gradually realized:
The singles arena may be a beautiful dream.
Not to mention ATP events, even the Challenger League, it is not easy for Venus and Statham to reach the top and win the championship.
Slowly, Venus began to get involved in the doubles arena, but unexpectedly discovered her doubles potential.
At present, Venus is still playing both singles and doubles, and focuses on singles. However, the prize money in the doubles arena can keep him afloat.
It is precisely because of this that Venus's playing style is slightly special.
First of all, he is a typical NCAA player, with a strong serve and a strong forehand. He is 191 centimeters tall and is slightly stronger than Gao Wen.
Secondly, the habit he developed in the doubles arena allowed him to dare to go online. He is considered a half "serve-and-net type" player, and the pace of the entire game is relatively fast.
In the opening stage, Gawain was a little impatient, trying to quickly complete the suppression; while Venus's shots were very clean, and the rhythm and speed increased.
In the back and forth, Gawain made a lot of unforced errors, and the entire layout and control seemed a bit rough. Facing the impact of Venus, he lost points relatively quickly.
In fact, it can be seen that Venus has no baggage at all and goes into battle lightly——
Treat this game as lost, and then go all out to attack, not for today's victory, but to pave the way for tomorrow's follow-up game, consume Gao Wen's physical strength and energy, and pave the way for his teammates. See Can he overthrow Gawain in an upset?
In particular, Statham had just come close to defeating Zhang Ze. This not only gave Venus confidence, but also made her determined to break the boat.
then--
"0:3".
Venus leads the way.
Two Venus serves, one Gawain serve.
Such a start was indeed unexpected, and even the host audience sighed for Gawain.
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