For a long time, the men's tennis team has not set up the position of captain, mainly because tennis is an individual sport.
On the one hand, even though the NCAA competition is a team competition, as long as you stand on the court, it is a personal battle.
On the other hand, due to the special nature of tennis turning professional, players with truly outstanding abilities have no problem turning professional at the age of fifteen or sixteen. This also means that college players may leave at any time when the time is right.
When the school changes to a profession, even if a captain is set up, the captain may change to a profession.
Therefore, the influence of the captain title is very limited, and there are too many uncertainties, so there is no special setting.
But recently, Martin couldn't help but think seriously. Perhaps having a captain in daily training would have a positive impact on the entire team.
Gradually, Martin felt the leadership qualities in Gawain.
Not only does he lead by example and devote himself to training, but his infectious energy revealed in trivial conversations in daily life and his affinity with teammates after training can often subtly change the players' minds, allowing them to temporarily forget about reporters' chasing and focus on
In training.
Quietly, the atmosphere of the team changed, which was more effective than Martin's reminders or Grant's chicken soup slogans.
No wonder Grant was full of praise for Gawain privately.
The reporters' attention and the fans' surroundings slightly disrupted the Bruins' daily training rhythm, but Gao Wen's concentration and investment soon regained the focus.
In addition, Jilong, who has always been the "proud son of heaven", has received countless attention before entering the NCAA. He is not surprised by such a battle, and his personality has always been low-key and introverted. Jilong also quietly devoted himself to training, and the atmosphere of the team was also
He quickly returned to his usual state.
Only Thompson and Sale, who have lively and outgoing personalities, still seem a little impetuous. They are distracted every day because of the students who come to watch the training. From the quality of training, you can feel that in their minds, besides tennis, they are also busy with other things.
Got a lot of stuff in.
In addition, Braymer's state has also fluctuated somewhat. On the one hand, it is the pressure from Gawain's progress, and on the other hand, it is the pressure from media attention. His training status has always been unsatisfactory. The mini showdown with Macdonald and Gawain,
Gradually it becomes difficult to win.
More or less, you can still feel the ups and downs of the team's status.
However, for Martin, these fluctuations are all within acceptable limits.
Having been a college tennis coach for so many years, Martin has long been accustomed to the ups and downs of young players. The impact of media attention this time has been minimized. He really can't ask for more.
Moreover, media reporters are the best touchstone. Only after being baptized and tested by the spotlight can players further complete their transformation and growth. Just like Gao Wen, who is the focus of the spotlight, his calm and elegant way of life will gradually stand out and show his outstanding performance.
More potential.
Amid the fluctuations in state and changes in mentality, the spring season schedule has not stopped, the games are still continuing, and the Bruins have completed two more games.
Fortunately, after encountering strong opponents in succession, the next two games were relatively easy. The opponents were all from the second-tier league and had limited strength. Even if the Bruins were in an unstable state, they still won precious breathing time. Martin could
Make more flexible changes in troop formation.
In one game, Geelong had the first single, Thompson had the second single, and Gauvin had the third single.
In another game, Geelong had the first single, Gowan had the second single, and Thompson had the third single.
It can be seen that Martin is trying different permutations and combinations. In addition to the first three singles, MacDonald also replaced Bremer as the fourth singles. The team is running into a new lineup and is preparing to face more powerful opponents in the future.
In both games, the Bruins won easily. Although Thompson lost one game unexpectedly, it did not affect the overall situation——
"4:1", "5:0".
With two easy wins again, the Bruins' undefeated season extended to twelve games. Then, they faced another powerful enemy:
University of Virginia.
If we discuss such a question, who is the best team in the NCAA in the past five years?
For laymen, the University of Southern California, which has completed four consecutive championships, is undoubtedly the first team to emerge. After all, the number of championship trophies does not lie; but for insiders, I am afraid that the University of Virginia
is their answer.
reason?
Obviously it has something to do with the fact that the University of Virginia has reached the finals of the National Championship for three consecutive years - the first two times it lost to the University of Southern California, and the third time it finally defeated UCLA to reach the top, it has stable performance, average strength, and comprehensive quality.
, making this team a character that cannot be ignored.
And the most special thing is that the University of Virginia does not rely on star players, but truly relies on the strength of the team to win one victory after another, just like a relay race. Obviously the team does not have top stars, but every
Everyone has solid strength, and then they unite and rush towards victory.
In the past five years, the University of Southern California has been able to achieve four consecutive championships, and the biggest contributor is Steve Johnson, the No. 1 singles player in the United States for three consecutive years.
This bearded player has won the singles championship of the United States Championship for two consecutive years, and is also invincible in the team competition——
In fact, after turning professional, Johnson was already the best-performing NCAA player in the United States in the past five years. Later, his highest career ranking reached 21st, and he reached the third round of all four Grand Slams.
The good result was the fourth round at Wimbledon.
However, the University of Virginia does not.
Taking this year as an example, except for the first singles player Mitchell Frank, who is ranked fourth in the country, the other five singles players are all ranked outside the 30th place. They lack the rankings of UCLA or Nanjing University.
The collective advantage of the University of California.
However, under the coaching of head coach Brian Boland, this team without stars has always been able to turn decay into magic. The strength of the second to sixth singles is average and the styles are very different. According to
Different opponents use different formations to gain the upper hand.
Of course, the overall strength of the tennis team in the NCAA Atlantic Coast Conference, where the University of Virginia is located, is relatively weak, and men's basketball is their strong point. However, the value of the University of Virginia's victories is not inferior at all, and it has repeatedly been able to create unprecedented achievements.
The miracle of the weak defeating the strong is amazing.
This season, the University of Virginia and the University of California, Los Angeles are the last two teams to maintain unbeatable victories so far. They are ranked first in the country and second in the country respectively. They are undoubtedly the two best performing teams at the moment.
Team.
The following showdown is also hailed as the ultimate battle between kings and kings, and may even be a preview of this year's U.S. Championship finals.