The thoughts in Macdonald's mind were raging and boiling. He had a variety of mixed feelings at the moment, and thousands of thoughts were tightly entangled together.
"Gawain, are you serious?" He stammered out this sentence.
Gawain showed his eight neat teeth and said with a smile, "No, I was just joking."
Macdonald nodded "oh oh oh" repeatedly.
Gawain rolled his eyes speechlessly, "Of course I am serious, how could I joke about such a thing."
MacDonald scratched his head naively, "Same."
Gao Wen's face was full of helplessness, but the smile still slightly raised at the corner of his mouth. He looked at the golden sun-filled stadium in front of him with some emotion.
"Mike, time flies so fast, right? In the blink of an eye, a year has passed like this."
"At this time last year, we were in a hurry to prepare to participate in the Challenger League. One or two of us were extremely excited. While imagining our celebrations after winning the championship, we were also worried about being eliminated in the first round. Everyone was imagining professional tennis.
What the world is like."
In just a few words, Macdonald's memory was awakened. Thinking of the innocence and innocence at that time, it seemed like a world away, and he couldn't help but laugh.
"Looking back now, Flushing is like a gorgeous and gorgeous dream, so beautiful that it has no sense of reality. All the bubbles will disappear if you poke it lightly."
"Pressure, pressure."
"Mike."
Macdonald turned his head and looked at Gawain. Although he said he was stressed, Gawain actually stretched himself, his face was relaxed and freehand. The inconsistency between words and deeds made Macdonald chuckle.
"I'm serious about pressure."
"One year has passed, which also means that I am no longer a newcomer, but a sophomore. People's expectations and attention have also quietly changed."
"In the first year, for better or worse, people are more tolerant. Even if the performance is not satisfactory, they will say that it is very good for a newbie on tour, or that a 19-year-old kid writes a miracle."
"But this halo will gradually disappear as we enter the second and third years."
"More than just young newcomers? Even if they have been in professional tennis for many years, players still need to face this kind of dilemma under high expectations and high pressure."
"So, defending a title is always harder than winning it."
"You should know Flushing's records, right?"
MacDonald could see the ridicule in Gawain's eyes, with a kind of cynical teasing.
But he knew that this was just a gesture, and the weight of the words itself was the key point——
It has been seven years since then, and no one has been able to defend the men's singles championship in Flushing.
The last time he defended his title was Federer in 2008. From 2004 to 2008, Federer completed five consecutive championships in Flushing.
But, after that, del Potro, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Nadal, Gauvin, the champion changes every year.
This year, the heavy responsibility of defending the title rests heavily on Gao Wen's shoulders.
"And it's not just Flushing."
"The rookie window left for me is only one and a half months left. Next, like all players on the tour, I need to face the same pressure to protect points. The difference in performance in one event may be different from that in my previous one.
The contrast is there throughout the year and continues throughout the year.”
"To be precise, from now on, this is real professional tennis."
A familiar yet brand new world.
Although Gawain didn't say it explicitly, MacDonald understood it immediately——
"The battle for number one in the world".
Throughout the entire clay court season and the grass court season, everyone has been discussing whether Gao Wen can overtake Djokovic and become the world's No. 1 player.
Especially because Gao Wen does not have any pressure to maintain points, and everywhere he looks is room to increase points, this also makes the media even more excited and excited.
But the result, everyone already knows——
Djokovic defended the world No. 1 spot with an unparalleled performance and ended his career with the Wimbledon title, preparing for the next battle for the world No. 1 spot.
As Gao Wen said, there is not much "window" left for him now, which is the US Open series.
Waiting for the restart in Flushing, the whole situation and pressure will be completely different. As the defending champion, Gao Wen has a full two thousand points to protect. Once he fails, the battle for the world's number one will be completely overturned. Djokovic will
Firmly grasp the absolute initiative in this battle.
No pressure?
That is impossible.
The problem is that Macdonald understands the truth, but he has never experienced it personally. He has never faced or experienced that kind of pressure. He only relies on his own imagination. Everything is just talk on paper. After all, he still cannot truly feel Gawain.
current situation.
Therefore, Macdonald was still a little hesitant.
Gawain didn't seem to notice and continued talking.
"Mike, I'm ready, can you believe it? I can't wait to face the challenge."
Gawain's understatement was full of excitement that could not be suppressed. Macdonald couldn't help but chuckle. He believed that this was Gawain.
"But, I need some help, a little help. Otherwise, why do you think I came back?"
MacDonald was slightly stunned and looked suspicious: Gawain came here specifically to find a batting partner?
How can it be!
"Oh. I came back specifically to see the coach and prepare for the next series." Gao Wen seemed to be able to interpret the doubts in his friend's eyes and proactively admitted, "As for the invitation, it is purely because someone cares too much about winning or losing.
, so I thought, maybe he should go outside and have a look."
MacDonald's cheeks felt slightly hot, and he immediately knew what was going on.
Snap.
Gawain patted Macdonald's shoulder, and he turned his head to look over conditionedly, and then saw Gawain's expectant smiling face.
"Mike, do you remember our original dream of starting to play tennis?"
"champion?"
"Of course, that is a very, very important part, but when I grow up, I realize that there is only one champion, and countless players have never been able to reach the ATP finals in their entire lives, but they are still fighting hard."
"Actually it's all about the bonus."
This turn of events made Macdonald feel helpless.
A smile appeared in Gawain's eyes.
"In addition to bonuses, there is also a fighting spirit to constantly challenge yourself and challenge your limits."
"Michael has also started to enter the challenge again. I cheer for him. I think you should also try it and challenge your limits."
"Perhaps, this is not as important as the championship, but it is rarer than the championship."
The words had come to this point, and Gawain did not continue -
As for whether MacDonald is willing to be his batting partner, Gawain leaves it to his friend to choose.
He believed that no matter how he chose, MacDonald would eventually find his own answer.
Perhaps, inviting Macdonald to be a batting partner is a help, but at the same time, it is also Gawain's own selfishness. All the words he just said are true——
Pressure is everywhere. Before entering the second season of his career and embarking on the journey to Flushing as the defending champion, he also needs to awaken his original intention. Therefore, if MacDonald is willing to accompany him to hit the ball and move forward together, time will come.