At the Central Court of the All England Club, a roar of support surged through the stadium with thunderous gestures. The dark clouds hovering over Wimbledon seemed to have gradually dispersed, and a ray of golden sunshine fell through the tight clouds, slowly outlining the
The outline of the stadium is intertwined with dark green and deep purple.
Boom, boom, boom...
The uniform high-fives and cheers hit the heart like a bell. The roars rippled on the eardrums, and the boiling blood spread towards the limbs. The numb and trembling feeling was comparable to electricity.
, then, the soul trembled slightly uncontrollably.
Stormy waves!
Overwhelming!
Pu Lan has forgotten to breathe.
She thought that after experiencing the last game, she had begun to adapt to and even enjoy the game, and she could face the atmosphere calmly.
However, it is not.
A new game, a new beginning, everything is different, but everything is the same, those tensions, excitement, fear, happiness, panic, anxiety, etc., etc., those intricate tastes are still surging on the tip of the tongue,
It seems familiar yet completely different.
——Qualfinal matchup, Center Court.
When all the top eight singles matches were settled, Wimbledon immediately announced the schedule.
Center court.
Game 1, Murray VS Gawain.
The second game, Djokovic VS Cilic.
Court No. 1.
Game 1, Wawrinka VS Gasquet.
The second game, Federer VS Simon.
Federer was squeezed out of the Center Court; or to be more precise, the world's number one and defending champion Djokovic entered the Center Court.
As for the duel between Murray and Gauvin, there is no dispute that it is arranged at the center court. Even Wawrinka's supporters did not raise any objections.
At exactly one o'clock in the afternoon local time in London, Murray and Gao Wen appeared on the stage one after another, kicking off the quarterfinals.
The scene was filled with stars.
In the VIP box, Beckham appeared with his son Romeo, and Ozil also walked with him; not only that, Princess Kate also appeared.
In addition, Manchester United's legendary head coach Sir Alex Ferguson, new generation actor Emma Watson, Hollywood legend Tom Hanks and others all also appeared.
In the VIP box, there was a lot of heated discussion before the game.
Even if one lacks understanding of tennis, the huge craze of social networks has fully proved that this is the key battle of Wimbledon this year.
No one should miss out.
There was even more noise on social networks. Whether they were at the scene or not, netizens participated in this much-anticipated game in their own way.
However!
The match was interrupted by rain less than twenty-five minutes into the match. The heavy rain interrupted all matches being played at the All England Club.
Spectators had to go indoors to take shelter from the rain, but there were still a handful of fanatical fans, wearing raincoats, who stubbornly and lonely continued to sit in the heavy rain, quietly watching the stadium covered by a tarpaulin in front of them, like a catcher in a rye.
Usually, we wait for the rain to clear up.
——Full of expectations, but faced with a bucket of cold water. Before the interest can be mobilized, the fire has to be turned off. This also verifies the traditional saying:
All good things come soon.
In Gao Wen's short career, this is the first time that he has experienced a rain interruption in a Grand Slam event. Everything is new.
What should players do when the heavy rain continues?
Keep warmed up.
Carry out simple and basic warm-up training, such as stretching, cycling, yoga... It is very similar to pre-game warm-up, they need to keep the body warm.
At the same time, these basic trainings are also a means to stay focused.
Although the game is interrupted, they cannot be distracted due to off-field interference, nor can they be in a daze due to long waiting. They need to return to the game at any time. Once their concentration leaves the scene, it may take some time to regain the rhythm and state of the game.
Of course, the more experience you have, the easier it is to "come back". There is no shortcut to this, it all depends on practical experience, bit by bit learning and bit by bit accumulation.
Sampras said that the heavy rain itself has never been the focus, but the rhythm, state, and environmental coherence.
Gawain was able to understand part of this, while other parts slowly became clear after he actually experienced it.
Such as today.
In fact, the downpour was just like a three-year-old child. One second he was rolling all over the ground, and the next second he was smiling. The thunderstorm lasted less than twenty minutes; then, the caddies on the scene quickly opened the waterproof
cloth, and clear the court to avoid any water disturbance.
While waiting for Murray and Gauvin to step onto the court again, exactly twenty-seven minutes had passed since the last point.
Less than half an hour.
From the perspective of warm-up training, the heavy rain did not last long. The players' attention is still on the game and they should be able to get into the state soon.
However, after stepping onto the court again, Gawain immediately noticed the difference——
High wind, temperature, humidity.
Everything has changed.
People always say that London is a special city that can experience four seasons in one day. Gawain has always thought that this is an artistic way of describing it, emphasizing the changeable weather; but at this moment, Gawain really understands this.
There is absolutely no artistic processing in it.
Before the heavy rain, it is summer.
After heavy rain, it's winter.
Standing in the center court, the cold wind blew.
No wonder Peart asked Gawain to wear a short-sleeved undershirt just before his debut, in order to absorb sweat and keep warm. Especially in low-temperature and windy weather, once you sweat, your body temperature will drop easily and you will catch a cold easily.
An inner layer with good sweat-absorbent properties is very important.
Gao Wen didn't pay attention to the thermometer, but the body temperature should have been below ten degrees Celsius. At the same time, the hunting wind was even more exaggerated than that of Indian Wells. Murray just served a ball during the warm-up, and the tennis ball bounced off the ground and was pushed directly by the wind.
It moved forward and changed its flight path.
——Rhythm. State. Environment.
Everything needs to start from scratch, that is to say, now and just now are basically two games, and even the tactics formulated before the game need to be adjusted.
Only now did Gawain understand what Sampras meant.
Of course, matches interrupted by rain occur all over the world, but no city has experienced such drastic changes as Wimbledon.
Moreover, this game was held at the All England Club's Center Court, a stadium with the most historical heritage, and the entire atmosphere was completely different.
Although it no longer rains in Wimbledon, thick clouds still hang overhead, giving the impression of the end of the world.
In this regard, Gawain is indeed a novice.
Don’t forget that on the opposite side of the net is Murray, one of the Big Four. At the same time, Murray is also the one who is best at using his brain and tactical layout among the Big Four, although his ability to adapt is slightly less when dealing with unexpected events.
It's not enough, but it's his strength when he takes the initiative.
Therefore, when the game restarted, Murray quickly improved his condition and fired up, ready to seize the opportunity of heavy rain and break the balance of the confrontation.