Exploded, exploded.
Gao Wen dropped the bombshell in an understatement and completely detonated the media frenzy without any effort, so that the light of other players was completely obscured.
Even Djokovic, Nadal and others were asked about issues related to the new generation born after 1995 at press conferences, and no one was exempt.
This craze swept the entire Miami.
In the professional tennis world, people are used to "Fena Jue", "Dena Jue", "Demu Jue" and so on. The arrangement and combination of the four giants are already tired; however, outside of this, the strong players The duel has never been able to build enough momentum, and the weight of any duel seems to be lacking.
This is especially true for the new generation of young people. They are still very far away from the rhetoric of "old enemy". Both the number of duels and the quality of duels are far behind.
It’s frustrating, because the most moving and exciting thing about competitive sports is precisely the “rival showdown.” Every great era has its classic rivals.
If the new generation of players, whether they are born in the 1990s or 1995, want to truly change the landscape of professional tennis, it is not enough to rely on just a few players to hit the Big Four; they also need to contribute exciting duels within themselves, meeting again and again, The clashes sparked again and again.
Starting from the most basic and simple number of encounters, to the number of encounters in Masters and Grand Slams, to the excitement of classic duels, and finally to the inextricable suspense of victory or defeat, these factors are all the key to establishing an "old rival". Unfortunately, the new generation of players are still far from reaching such standards.
Representatives of the new generation such as Raonic, Dimitrov, Gao Wen, etc., even the number of times they have played against each other is within one hand, let alone old enemies.
The post-90s generation is still climbing; the post-95s generation has quietly emerged, and they are younger, more impulsive and more passionate. Maybe they can bring hope?
For example... "Gawain VS Zverev Jr."?
Let’s not talk about other things for now. At least from the media publicity and professional point of view, one is a hot and popular fried chicken, and the other is a talented future world number one. The youthful storm of the same age group has indeed created a situation where Mars hits the earth. The visual quality is worth looking forward to.
What's more, the two players' pre-match interviews had already sparked sparks, and there was no need for the news media to fan the flames.
Worth the wait!
Maybe, this is just the first meeting between two players in an ATP level event, but who knows, this is the first appearance of a new pair of rivals.
…
stare!
In the blink of an eye, only the participating players were left in the player tunnel. Zverev finally could no longer control himself and glared at Gao Wen.
He couldn't believe that Gawain actually embarrassed him so much at the press conference. His arrogant and ugly face was simply disgusting, but at the same time, it just proved his judgment of Gawain. This was a man who used humor to A supervillain who wears a mask to hide his evil true face.
Gawain seemed to be aware of Zverev's gaze, turned his head and looked over, and then saw the raging anger in his opponent's eyes.
However, he saw that the corners of Gawain's mouth slightly raised, and he smiled, showing a sincere and friendly smile, as if he did not notice the tension between them at all.
"This guy!"
Little Zverev was stunned and couldn't believe his eyes. Anger exploded in his chest and he almost lost control on the spot.
When he came to his senses, little Zverev realized that he was clenching his fists so hard that his veins popped out and were on the verge of bursting.
He will defeat him.
he! hundred percent! Can defeat him!
Zverev looked away, barely controlled himself before the tunnel turned into a boxing ring, and told himself over and over again.
So little Zverev didn't notice at all. Gawain glanced at him lightly from the corner of his sight, then quickly withdrew his gaze and looked forward.
Gawain, are you really that impulsive?
of course not.
In competitive sports competitions, "psychological warfare" is also a very, very important part, although tennis is not like football or (this chapter is not over yet!)
1124 Psychological Contest
Like basketball, psychological games are played so frequently, but the competition extending from the court to the outside of the court always exists objectively.
Little Zverev is indeed gifted. In terms of pure ability, the experts did not misjudge him. He does have the potential to be the best in the world.
But everything in the world is a double-edged sword, and it is precisely because of this talent that little Zverev has carried the "halo of genius" since he was a child. He is so confident that it has evolved into a kind of pride, a burden, and a constraint. , therefore, Zverev’s mental endurance has always been criticized.
Two pieces of data are very typical evidence:
Although he had won two Masters championship trophies in a row as early as 2017, it was not until the 2020 Australian Open that he reached the semi-finals for the first time in the Grand Slam.
In addition, despite being ranked third in the world, it was not until the 2022 French Open that he defeated the top ten players in the world in a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.
Is this situation because little Zverev does not have such ability?
of course not.
Psychological stress resistance and endurance are the key.
By 2022, with five Masters championships and a long-term stable top five ranking in the world, Zverev has already proven his talent, so every time he goes to a Grand Slam, he must be the center of attention; however, once he takes a shower, Under the aura of "favorite", or igniting the hope of "hitting the world's number one", the pressure will be overwhelming.
At every moment like this, little Zverev is always elated and seems to enjoy the praise and attention he gets. But when he is actually standing on the court, he always performs abnormally. He is full of energy but unable to use it. He often fails at critical moments. Dropping the chain and getting out early again and again.
To put it simply, little Zverev enjoys attention. This is how he has been treated since he was a child. He longs to be under the spotlight, which is his nourishment.
However, he was unable to accurately handle the balance between attention and pressure. He was surrounded by frustration when he encountered slight obstacles, and then defeated himself.
Later, Zverev became even more emotionally out of control. He was accused of "violent rumors" both off and on the court, domestically assaulting his girlfriend off the court and attacking the referee on the court -
Literally, in the 2022 Acapulco doubles semi-finals, Zverev was dissatisfied with the penalty and violently attacked the referee's chair with his racket, causing the racket to be directly destroyed and almost attacking To the referee's left foot.
The problem of emotional loss is getting more and more serious. Is Zverev becoming another Kyrgios?
Pressure, this is the key word for every professional athlete, and it is also the only way to the championship. No one is exception.
So, what should Gawain do?
To be precise, Gawain wasn't prepared to do anything because he didn't think it was necessary; but...
Since his opponents have come to provoke him, point their noses and curse, and show off a weakness, if Gawain still turns a blind eye, wouldn't he be betraying his opponent's sincerity?
Therefore, Gawain followed the trend, provoked a little, and then patiently waited for the matter to ferment——
Sure enough, little Zverev exploded.
1124 Psychological Contest
