Reaching the top of the U.S. singles championship earned Gao Wen a wild card to stand in the main draw of the U.S. Tennis Open, but this is definitely not everything.
So far, Gao Wen's world ranking points are still zero, with no points and no ranking, which also means that he cannot participate in any tours, not even the lowest level 250 tournaments; and, because the United States Tennis Association has
A Grand Slam wild card was awarded to Gauvin, and naturally he could not give Gauvin the green light to participate in other events.
Either Gao Wen can apply for wild cards from other gold tournaments and tours, or even qualifying wild cards; or Gao Wen must be down-to-earth and start playing in the Hope Tournament and Challenge Tournament.
Regardless of whether it is the former or the latter, this requires careful planning. Not to mention other things, the cost of traveling to these cities to compete is a huge burden. It is very undesirable to blindly compete without a destination.
After waiting for the final exams to be over, Gawain visited Martin and asked for the coach's advice.
Because it had been mentioned once before in Athens, Martin was prepared early. He suggested that Gawain should start from the challenge.
The reason is very simple. The intensity of NCAA and professional competitions are completely different. Even if Gao Wen's ability has reached the professional level, without any preparation or adaptability, he will directly throw Gao Wen into the 500 game and the 250 game.
After ten games of training, it is very likely that a seedling will be destroyed directly.
This was true for Gawain, and the same advice was given to Macdonald, Thompson, and Gillon and Martin.
In fact, the second stop of the US Open series is the Los Angeles Open, which is held at the home court of the Bruins. It is not a problem for Martin to apply for a wild card through his own connections, but such manipulation is really not advisable, so after careful consideration, Martin
, it is still recommended that they start from the challenge.
Getting used to the pace and intensity of the game is one thing, building confidence is another.
In every aspect, the Challenge is the better choice.
"At this time, there are still eight full weeks before the US Open. Considering the distribution of physical strength and energy, you participate in four to five events, slowly adapt to the intensity, and then go to the Grand Slam stage to gain knowledge and compete with the top global rankings.
If you play against hundreds of players, you can see your potential."
Martin is very optimistic about Gawain, but he still remains objective.
With Gao Wen's current strength, he still lacks the ability to make a name for himself in top professional events. Therefore, Martin believes that Gao Wen's first wild card appearance in a Grand Slam is to focus on attacking opponents and gaining experience.
Martin was worried that the young man's arrogance and harsh words might make Gawain uncomfortable, so he offered another word of comfort.
"Don't be too impatient. I believe in your talent and your strength. Take your time, step by step. Those professional players are already old guys, and the future belongs to you young people. So, take your time.
"
Gawain could deeply feel Martin's care, and a trace of warmth flowed in his heart, but he did not defend himself, but nodded obediently to express his understanding.
“It’s good to slow down and enjoy the scenery along the way.”
Martin was amused by Gawain's metaphor.
Later, Gao Wen asked Martin for his opinion on agents. Martin and Sampras had the same idea. From a long-term perspective, agents are very necessary.
Even if Gao Wen is not ready to turn professional for the time being, his agent can still play an important role in handling off-field affairs for Gao Wen.
"If Pete recommends it, you can consider it."
So, after bidding farewell to Martin, Gawain dialed Tobias's phone number.
"Hello, this is John Tobias."
Because he saw an unknown caller, Tobias's greeting was very formulaic, showing different postures in the professional field.
"Hello, this is Gao Wen, a player from the Bruins."
One second, two seconds.
The air was suddenly quiet, and just when Gawain thought there was a problem with the phone signal and the line was disconnected, Tobias' slightly hoarse voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Oh, Gao...Wow, I'm very happy to receive your call. It's an honor. You are willing to call me. This is a wise choice, a very, very wise choice."
The somewhat urgent words were filled with enthusiasm. Such a sharp temperature difference made Gawain feel a little uncomfortable. He strongly suspected that he had dialed the wrong number?
Gawain was stunned for a moment, then the smile at the corner of his mouth rose slightly, and Gawain still said politely.
"I want to inquire about the broker's cooperation..."
But before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Tobias.
"No need to worry, Gao, no need to worry."
"Are you at school now? Or somewhere else? I will go find you now and we will sit down for an interview. If you don't have time today, you can do it another day. As long as you give me a time and place, there will be no problem."
this……?
After all, Gawain couldn't hold it back and chuckled, "Mr. Tobias, your attitude is so kind, I will be proud of you."
Tobias also laughed, "It's okay to be a little proud. A real champion always needs a little bit of edge."
In fact, there is a clear difference between Gao Wen on the court and off the court.
Because the court is a battlefield. When his feet step onto the court, Gawain starts fighting mode. He is flamboyant, strong and open-minded. But when he leaves the court, Gawain's advance and retreat are appropriate, and his humor can show the oriental style.
The charm of the ancient country.
This is also an important reason why Tobias admires Gawain with admiration.
If possible, he hopes that Gao Wen can be more proud and more positive. This kind of championship temperament is what sponsors like best.
You can feel Tobias' kindness and friendliness through the phone, which makes Gawain's laughter become lighter and lighter.
"Mr. Tobias, aren't you worried about my big mouth? But the problem is that I don't have enough capital to pay your commission now."
Gao Wen has heard that the agent's commission mainly comes from commissions, but the problem is that Gao Wen currently has no competition bonuses and no sponsors, so where should the commissions come from?
Tobias was obviously well prepared for such a situation.
"Commission is obviously not something you need to worry about. You don't need to worry about it until you officially turn professional and win your first bonus, because all my services are free and I will write it down in black and white in the agent contract.
Let’s get the landmarks out and let’s focus on what’s really important, okay?”
So generous and considerate, it is really different.
Gao Wen knew that this should be a manifestation of the agent's ability to deceive. In order to achieve his goal, he continued to output sugar-coated bullets; but I have to say that the importance he felt both inside and outside the words was still very touching.
But Gawain calmed down quickly. No matter what, it was still necessary to meet and talk.
"How about this afternoon at our Westwood campus?"