Gawain, in just eight months, appeared like a comet.
The media went crazy.
However, behind the madness, there are always uneasy doubts hidden. Therefore, when the Asian season last year was sluggish, and when he lost to Federer in Dubai two weeks ago, the pressure backfired like a tsunami.
The foundation is still unstable.
Now, things are changing -
Because Gao Wen reached the top of Indian Wells, and more because Gao Wen once again won the Masters championship by defeating two giants in a row and unlocking the "Beat the Big Four" badge.
A point of view that is slowly becoming popular.
“Did the ‘Fifth Pole’ really appear?”
Of course, this still needs time to prove, but there is no doubt that this point of view will continue throughout the entire season and become another focus of discussion.
The only thing that is 100% certain is:
Gao Wen is indeed very popular, with attention, discussion, and popularity rising steadily.
Nike has once again become the biggest winner, because the jerseys have begun to sell like crazy again, and some people have even begun to look forward to Gao Wen's clay court season jerseys.
However, the media reporters did not have time to stop in Indian Wells and headed to the airport without stopping to rush to the next stop.
because--
The Indian Wells Masters came to an end, and immediately afterwards, the Miami Masters made its debut, with no rest time, no adjustment gaps, and a seamless transition.
The front foot is still hitting the ball in the center of the desert.
On the back foot, I ran wildly surrounded by the blue sky and the sea.
Naturally, the focus of discussion has changed:
Gawain, can you reach the top of the "Sunshine Double Crown"?
Once successful, Gawain will continue to make history.
Not only will he become the eighth player in history to accomplish such a feat, following Courier, Chang Depei, Sampras, Agassi, Rios, Federer, and Djokovic, he will also write a glorious history;
The first player to win the Masters three times in a row after winning the Masters for the first time.
Three times in a row!
There is no one before, and probably no one since. Even the Big Four have not been able to accomplish such a feat.
Wait, that’s it?
If Gao Wen reaches the top of Miami, are these the only historical records?
Of course not only!
Assuming that Gao Wen can really accomplish such a feat, it also means that since the US Open last year, Gao Wen has only missed the championship in the Magic City Masters.
Starting from the last week of August 2014, there will be two Grand Slams, the US Open and the Australian Open; four Masters tournaments, Paris, Indian Wells and Miami.
In addition to Magic City, Gao Wen has continuously made history. After reaching the Grand Slam/Masters for the first time, he won back-to-back championships.
Tough!
Strong!
outstanding!
With such dominance, it is indeed comparable to the Big Four in every aspect. Even if it was born only eight months ago, what does it matter?
It is precisely because of this that after winning the championship in Indian Wells, the reporters collectively went crazy, and one or two of them were even more excited than Gawain.
A championship is good, very good, too good to be better, but more importantly, there is another championship and a series of historical records waiting ahead.
The sights are all crowded towards Miami, no one wants to miss it, and there is even a heated discussion on the flight across the North American continent.
What's more, going to Miami every year is like going on vacation, relaxing and working at the same time, and then gearing up and looking forward to witnessing history again.
It's perfect.
If one were to discuss the most picturesque events on the professional tennis circuit, Miami would definitely be on the list.
This event is not held in the center of Miami. The venue is located in Biscayne Bay, just across the bridge from Miami. It is an isolated resort island. The permanent residents have not fluctuated significantly for a full ten years.
The population is stable at 12,000, which is suitable for elderly care.
The small island is surrounded by the sea, with bright sunshine, fine sandy beaches and few people. The broad and clean view breaks up the towering skyline of the city. The Caribbean blue fills the sight intoxicatingly, making the heart relaxed and happy. It seems that as long as you open your arms, you can be immersed in it.
In the endless blue.
There is no doubt that the Miami Masters has always been one of the most popular and beloved events on the tour.
By the way, in the professional tennis world, Monte Carlo and Miami, two seaside cities, have always been the two first choices for professional players' permanent residence.
The pleasant climate, complete training facilities, casual urban atmosphere, and attractive tax policies have attracted countless players to settle here.
For this reason, a large number of players will never miss the game in Miami. After all, this is their home court and they can go to the stadium from home.
The title of "Sunshine Double Crown" has risen strongly in both ATP and WTA in recent years, and its status is second only to the four Grand Slams.
However, Miami has indeed encountered some crises in recent years.
In addition to the previously mentioned financial situation and the battle for the "Fifth Grand Slam" title, the most important issue is the schedule of professional tennis.
The annual schedules of ATP and WTA are getting longer and fuller, the events from the beginning to the end of the year are getting more and more crowded, and there are more and more mandatory events, which also makes professional players exhausted.
Especially those blue-collar players who have to compete frequently to make a living.
What is the result of participating in a fatigued competition? I am afraid even a layman can have a superficial understanding of it.
Among them, the situation in Indian Wells and Miami is one of them.
Both events are top-level events. The ATP and WTA are both the highest-level events after the four Grand Slams. At the same time, they are also the only two two-week events outside the four Grand Slams in the year, and they are one after another.
What does it mean to be closely connected?
The advantage is that the "Sunshine Double Crown" promotion and bundled sales have indeed formed a brand effect, making it unique in the professional tennis world.
The disadvantage is that the schedule is too long, and continuous participation means participating for four consecutive weeks, which is a challenge for any player.
We have previously discussed many elements of the unique status of the four Grand Slams. One of the major challenges lies in——
The competition lasts for two weeks.
Although the players compete every other day, they must be in top form for two weeks to defeat the best players and win the championship.
This places strict demands on physical strength, energy, training, condition adjustment, etc., which also makes reaching the top of the four Grand Slams an arduous task.
Now, Indian Wells and Miami are competing for four consecutive weeks, and the difficulty can be imagined.
Of course, this also has pros and cons.
On the one hand, as the difficulty of winning the championship increases, the value of the "sunshine double crown" also increases, almost comparable to that of a Grand Slam champion.
On the other hand, the physical and mental challenges have reached a new level. If you are not careful, you may suffer injuries during the heavy schedule.
The result is predictable——
A large number of players often choose to participate in one event and give up another to ensure their health. This is also a real crisis that Miami needs to face.