The plane set off and left the sunny Los Angeles. Dimitrov headed south and plunged into the heat wave of the southern hemisphere; Gawain headed east and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to the hinterland of another desert.
The first Grand Slam of the year has ended, but the new tennis season has just entered February.
Like Doha at the beginning of the year, Dubai, located in the middle of the desert, continues the tradition of being wealthy and cultivates a new sports trend in the desert oasis.
In recent years, more and more top events have been held in these cities, the facilities and conditions have become more and more mature, and different flavors have gradually evolved.
Tennis is no exception.
From a schedule perspective, this week's events in South America seem to be more convenient. Whether it is Alpurco or Buenos Aires, they are physically close, and the next Indian Wells and Miami are closer.
But objectively speaking, it's close, but not that much closer.
At the same time, the same hot and high temperatures, the same desert surrounds, and the similarities in the competition environments between Dubai and Indian Wells also make Dubai an excellent preparation venue for the "Sunshine Double Crown". It has its own advantages and disadvantages with the two competitions in South America.
There is a suitable reason for any choice.
Of course, Dubai and Doha are world-famous for their wealth and wealth, and the excellent overall competition environment and supporting facilities are also important reference factors.
The most simple and intuitive point is that the total prize money of the Dubai competition is 2.5 million US dollars, which is second only to the Australian Open among all events so far this year. It is not only higher than the 250-level event, but also higher than the same level.
The five-hundred-level event is also a whole lot higher——
The total prize money of Rio de Janeiro, Acapulco, Rotterdam and other 500 events is around US$1.5 million.
This is the confidence of Dubai.
Looking at the lineup of Dubai this year, you can deeply feel the "atmosphere" coming to you. Compared with Doha, it is no less impressive:
Djokovic, Federer, Gauvin, Murray, Berdych, half of the top ten players in the world are here, and they are ranked among the top five seeds.
In addition, Gulbis, Fey Lopez, Agut, and Goffin also signed up for the competition. In the end, the top eight seeds were all ranked within the top 20 in the world; the new generation of Puy, Thiem,
Coric and others are also in the lineup.
For a five-hundred-point event, it is definitely a star-studded event.
The drawing ceremony attracts everyone’s attention——
Because this is Gao Wen's first event after he came to the world No. 3; at the same time, except for Nadal who went to Buenos Aires to compete in search of touch, the Big Three are all in place. Can the top four seeds gather the top four?
How to allocate the upper and lower halves is a hot topic of discussion.
finally.
In the first half, "No. 1 seed Djokovic VS No. 4 seed Murray."
The second half, "Second seed Federer VS No. 3 seed Gauvin".
Applause, thunder!
To be honest, the top four seeds will look good in any arrangement.
Although Djokovic and Murray were in the same half again, even though Djokovic and Gauvin failed to enter the same half in the Australian Open final lineup again, but!
Gawain and Federer finally faced off.
Since the US Open was born, in just six months, Gao Wen has met and competed with a series of top ten players in the world:
Djokovic, Nadal and Murray, of course, needless to say; Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Berdych, Raonic, etc. also all played against each other.
So far, Gao Wen's record against the top ten in the world is an amazing nine wins and three losses.
In other words, Gao Wen did not fall behind at all in the battle with the current top players, and was even able to take the initiative. This is the reason why Gao Wen is so powerful.
However, there is always a piece missing from the puzzle, and that is Federer——
Due to a series of coincidences, Gawain and Federer were never able to meet, which is undoubtedly a great regret.
However, luck is indeed a metaphysics.
Just like the old rivals Federer and Nadal, they have faced each other on countless occasions, large and small, but they only lacked the US Open.
Every time, the two old rivals always seem to be lacking a little bit. When they come to Flushing, they just can't get in front of each other.
Until the distant future that Gawain knows well, the "Fena Show" has still not been staged in Flushing, which has almost become an obsession of the New York audience; what's more, with the physical condition of Federer and Nadal, the competition has become even more difficult.
Depending on factors such as status, the odds seem to be declining further.
But I don’t know if I can see them before they retire?
Sure enough, drawing lots is a metaphysics.
Now, Gao Wen and Federer are finally divided into half areas, but it is not known whether the two players can meet in the semi-finals.
if you can!
Not only is it the first meeting between Gawain and Federer, completing the last piece of the puzzle for "Gawain VS the Big Four"; but there is also a focus topic:
Currently, Gao Wen is continuing his twelve-game winning streak this season. Who can stop his undefeated pace is also a hot topic that major news media are paying attention to.
On one side is Federer, who was in good form this season but was knocked out of the Grand Slam stage with a bang. His career seems to be facing another challenge.
On one side is Gao Wen, who has continued the upward momentum from last year since the start of the new season, and even completed the feat of defeating three giants in a row at Melbourne Park.
So, what will the showdown between the two look like?
nervous.
Stimulate.
expect.
All of this makes the potential "Federer VS Gawain" matchup attract more attention.
No one can refuse.
Gearing up.
Eager to try.
The same is true for Gao Wen, who arrived in Dubai with full expectations——
Last year, after the US Open, my entire biological clock was out of whack. When I arrived in the Imperial Capital, I was completely out of shape. It was the first time in two weeks that I set foot on the training ground, and I felt completely gone.
Naturally, the only way is to practice through competitions, looking forward to fighting one game at a time and slowly getting into shape.
This year is different.
After the Australian Open, I was able to balance work and relaxation. I resumed training and basic training step by step, and all schedules were in order.
After seeing the draw, Gao Wen also looked forward to finally meeting Federer and challenging the world champion.
For ordinary fans, if the number one in the world is the king of the ball, then Djokovic is the current king of the ball. But for players of Gao Wen's generation, they have completely witnessed the ten years of strong collision between Federer and Nadal.
The two players still have different positions in their minds.
"Ball King" always represents Federer and Nadal.
Gao Wen has always hoped to meet and play against the Big Four. Even if he loses, he can still see his own gap and continue to improve.
Moreover, Gao Wen hopes that the time can be earlier. Only in this way can he meet the Big Four at their peak and experience the top of professional tennis head-on.
This time in Dubai, Gao Wen's chances are better than ever. The most important thing is that Federer is in good condition and his condition is also very good. If they can collide, then we will definitely learn a lot from this game, even
——
It would be great to be able to get closer to the bottleneck and feel the trouble of improving strength again.
Therefore, Gawain himself is also full of expectations.
However, Gawain still maintained his rationality and did not aim too high and forget about the past.
On the way to the semi-finals, the games must be played down-to-earth one by one. If you don't want to miss the best opportunity to challenge Federer, then you must not miss every round of the game.