After talking and laughing, Raonic paused for a moment and asked with concern.
In fact, Raonic does not know the specific situation of Dimitrov, but as friends who have risen at the same time, they also pay attention to each other's news. Naturally, it can be seen that in the past two months, Dimitrov has
The performance was struggling a bit, and things were obviously a bit choppy.
Gawain let out a long breath.
"No, I don't think so. Although he repeatedly insisted that he was fine, he just needed to adjust his condition."
"But there are some things that you still need to solve on your own, so I just play the role of a friend and show my support. That's all."
So far, Gao Wen did not elaborate on Dimitrov's situation, but Raonic soon understood it——
They are all professional players, and they all clearly understand the intricacies of "competitive status".
Raonic nodded slightly and said nothing more, "Looking back, I'll ask Ivan to confirm the training schedule and see if we can train together."
As Gawain said, as friends, the help they can give is to stay with Dimitrov and show their support.
Gao Wen nodded in affirmation, patted Raonic's shoulder, and then Raonic stepped forward again and left with Ljubicic.
Gao Wen also opened his equipment bag and devoted himself to training day after day.
Along the way from Doha to Auckland and then to Indian Wells, jet lag is an unavoidable problem, as is the climate and weather conditions.
In addition, losing to Federer and defeating Venus, the intensity of the confrontation between the two games was also completely different, which also means that Gao Wen needs to adjust his touch, otherwise it will be difficult to achieve good results in Indian Wells.
From this perspective, it is indeed very necessary to try doubles.
The first hour of training in Indian Wells was windy.
During the second hour of training in Indian Wells, the wind picked up.
The third hour of training in Indian Wells...it was still windy.
Gao Wen was mentally prepared. He thought, after experiencing Doha and Dubai, the demonic winds of the two desert events really left a deep impression on people, so Indian Wells should be the same, but the cruel
In reality, he still learned a good lesson:
Never underestimate nature.
In Doha and Dubai, strong winds do play an important role, but in comparison, high temperature and dryness play a larger role, which also changes the spin and bounce of the tennis balls.
Indian Wells is different.
First of all, the texture of the court here is even more special. Although it is a hard surface, like Flushing, it is poured with cement, but the gravel texture is more obvious.
It should be because of the desert area. When the court is watered, the proportion of sand and gravel increases, which also causes the tennis ball to bounce slightly differently when it hits the ground.
Firstly, the ball speed is slower; secondly, it bounces higher.
Although from a physical perspective, the error may be only 0.01 seconds, you can feel that the ball speed slows down significantly during the actual hitting process.
Even slower than Melbourne Park.
Secondly, the strong wind here is completely unpredictable, blowing left and right, up and down, just like a child who loves to hide and seek, extremely naughty.
No rules! No rules at all!
Moreover, a gust of wind was blowing away sand and rocks. Even though the training ground was surrounded by a green belt, the wind and sand still blurred the vision; what is even more frightening is that unlike the fine sand and dust on the red clay court, you can actually feel the granular gravel in these strong winds.
, comparable to a shotgun.
Strictly speaking, the court in Indian Wells should be a special court between hard court and clay. Some players even complained that it was a "sand court".
then--
The ball speed on the court is inherently slow, and coupled with the interference of strong winds, the flight trajectory of the tennis ball often deviates slightly, making it more difficult to control.
Does this mean that power players can have a slight upper hand here?
Not necessarily.
Slow-speed venues tend to "absorb" power, and it is difficult for pure power players to fully perform here. It requires more comprehensive abilities.
Since 2004, among the previous men's singles champions in Indian Wells, Federer has won four times, Nadal and Djokovic three times each; the only time he fell short was in 2010, when Ljubicic defeated Roddick to reach the top.
In addition, a statistic worth referencing is that Zhang Depei has won three championships here. The number of championships is consistent with Nadal, Djokovic and Connors, tied for the second most in history, while Sampras and Courier have the same number of championships.
The number of championship trophies is only two, slightly behind.
From here we can see a little bit that the Indian Wells venue poses a test to the players' comprehensive abilities, and there are also potential uncertainties.
If you don't adapt to the venue well, you really don't know how to play here. Every time you hit the ball, you will doubt your life.
"Is this how it should be?"
"Is this the ball I hit?"
"What happened to the flight path?"
Errors, deviations, and accidents are very subtle and trivial in every shot. This also means that you need to be very alert when adjusting your steps. At the same time, you need to be more focused and devoted when shooting. In order to control, you need to be more aware of the potential.
unexpected situation.
After a training class, Gao Wen's head was full of question marks.
Looking at Gao Wen, Sampras couldn't help but laugh, "I thought you were half a player from the host country. The strong wind here is somewhat similar to that in Los Angeles, right?"
"Yes, I think so too." Gao Wen's eyes widened, full of astonishment, "After experiencing Doha and Dubai, and I have played in Los Angeles for so many years, I thought that I should have a little advantage, but I can't adapt here.
Question, but look? What's going on with those bats?"
The vivid complaints jumped between the lines lightly, making Sampras laugh happily.
Sampras gloated and turned to look at Agassi, "Maybe you can have a good exchange of ideas with Andre."
Before the training started, Agassi arrived at the venue and returned to Gao Wen's team to start the "Sunshine Double Crown" journey. This time he will accompany him throughout the whole process.
Agassi's hitting style is mainly based on quick connection, controlling the rhythm, and grabbing ascending points. He was able to reach the top four times in the Australian Open on slow and hard courts, but when he came to Indian Wells, he was affected by the strong wind.
Poor performance, he only won the championship once in his career in 2001——
He was also the last American player to win in Indian Wells.
Agassi had no intention of paying any attention to Sampras. He didn't even look at him and looked at Gao Wen, "You will be able to find the feeling if you train more."
"Signing up for doubles is the right decision." Agassi affirmed.
Gao Wen was about to respond when he saw Dimitrov and his group passing by outside the training ground. He raised his racket and waved it.
"I haven't signed up for doubles yet. I'm waiting for the gentleman's response."
Gawain replied to Agassi with a smile, and then Gawain raised his voice.
"Gregor, Andre just asked, doubles registration, what do you say?"