Jilong took a long breath and walked through the turbulence and noise. Without even noticing, Jilong straightened his back slightly and walked with his head held high.
One year is neither long nor short, but it is fleeting. Before they even have time to reflect on it, time has slipped through their fingertips. Then, they were promoted from ignorant rookies on the tour to second-year players.
Senior students are no longer new to society, nor are they no longer ignorant rookies.
This is an awkward stage -
On the one hand, they have left college, and their identities as students and teenagers are drifting away, "You are no longer a child."
On the other hand, they have not fully adapted to society, and are still young compared to those veterans.
As a result, they are trapped in a position where they are neither up nor down, trying hard to find their place in society and also in the tournament.
389 people.
This is Geelong's position in the ATP.
It doesn't seem that bad. Compared with Thompson, who is ranked over 800, he has already found some feeling in the challenge; but there is still a clear gap with his expectations, not to mention the threshold of the top 100, even the top 100.
Three hundred is still a long way off.
Before leaving college and turning professional, Giron was mentally prepared. The competition in the ATP is very cruel. He needs patience, perseverance and fighting spirit. NCAA talents are nothing in the professional arena. In the world of competitive sports
, the most indispensable thing is genius.
However……
The reality is more cruel than imagined.
The world ranking is just a reflection; if you look at the results in detail, it is even more depressing——
So far, he has not been able to win any championship, from the challenge competition to the hope competition, everything is like this. Even in the hope competition, which is mainly for teenagers, he always encounters more talented young people. A championship
The trophy is like a luxury wish that cannot be touched no matter what.
Entering 2015, the state has experienced ups and downs again, and the performance has gone up and down. He was even eliminated in the first round of the Hope Games. His best performance so far was to reach the semi-finals of a challenge tournament in Seoul, where he lost to the younger American player Taylor Ford.
Taylor-Fritz, that's all.
dark.
Confused.
Puzzled.
Jilong felt as if he was trapped in a box. Any movement might hit the wall, and he was restricted, bound, and imprisoned.
He knows that this is a problem he needs to face, but life... is really too difficult.
All this time, Jilong tried to keep a calm mind and not pay attention to Gawain——
Don't be envious, don't be jealous, don't compare, and don't be impatient.
"Everyone has his own pace. There is no need to compare. You should continue to move forward at your own rhythm and pace and walk your own path."
Jilong, I told myself over and over again, but it is easy to think but difficult to act.
Overwhelming, vast, and everywhere, there is no doubt that Gao Wen is the focus of the entire tennis world at the moment. Every move attracts countless eyes. News and discussions are constantly flowing out, filling daily life.
of nooks and crannies.
Jilong is happy for Gawain, sincerely——
In the final at Melbourne Park earlier this year, Geelong watched the live broadcast of the game in front of the TV. We were worried and nervous together, and cheered and celebrated together. When Gao Wen fulfilled his promise, he did not hold back. He clenched his fists and shouted, his blood boiling.
Reawaken high morale.
However, after the celebration, the emptiness, disappointment, and loneliness swallowed me up like a tide.
Although Jilong is very, very happy with Gawain's achievements, he knows that Gawain deserves it. His hard work, tenacity and temperament have indeed brought a fresh storm to ATP; however, back to his own
In reality, that kind of gap can easily destroy the inner defense line.
When Gao Wen's goal is to be No. 1 in the world, he must work hard for three or five points every week.
When Gao Wen defeated Nadal on clay and faced Federer on grass, he had to return to the Hope Tour to find his touch.
Life is really too difficult.
For the players in the Hope and Challenge Tournaments, there is no so-called clay court season and grass court season. Their season planning is mainly on hard courts. What they need to worry about is not changing channels but where to go to compete, how to plan travel expenses and accommodation.
How to arrange the schedule with limited prize money.
Perhaps, the prize money for an entry may only be one hundred and fifty US dollars, but the air tickets and accommodation are already more than that.
Because of this, players often like to focus on planning for competitions and reduce travel expenses as much as possible, rather than flying around the world.
Recently, Geelong has been very difficult, very difficult, with obvious fluctuations in form and unstable mentality. The competition stopped in the second round of two consecutive challenges.
Considering his mentality and state, Jilong had to return to the hope game, hoping to regain his confidence through some wins.
However, things did not develop as expected.
When my mentality fluctuates, I can't stay focused. Some balls don't feel right no matter how I hit them. I'm running around the court with all my strength, but I'm like a zombie.
All the points that should have been scored were lost, and some games that should have been won were also lost.
As a result, the points are gone, the bonuses are gone, and the confidence is gone as well.
Even in the hope match, victory is still out of reach. Only three wins were won in the two weeks of competition. Compared with the challenge period, there was no improvement but further slide into the abyss.
What a disaster.
A complete disaster.
And there's no end in sight.
what to do?
What should be done - there is no answer.
Involuntarily and uncontrollably, Jilong began to pay attention to Gawain's information——
In fact, during this period of time, Gawain's information has been extremely sparse, abnormally sparse.
Logically speaking, the US Open series has kicked off, with Atlanta in the first week and Washington in the second week, officially igniting the North American summer hard court season.
Jilong also wanted to participate, but the world ranking could not even enter the qualifying round; and, with his own condition, participating would be a waste of qualifications.
The key point is that from Atlanta to Washington, the battle is raging, but there is no news about Gawain at all. Isn't this strange?
Whether you lose or win, there should be some splash after all.
After some searching, Jilong realized that, like other top players, Gao Wen had not signed up for these two events at all. Compared with quantity, he won with quality and set his sights on the two Masters events in the North American summer hard court season.
The top showdowns between top players prepare for the US Open.
Is this the pattern?
He wanted to participate in the event but couldn't get a qualifying spot, and the top players were not prepared to participate at all.
In just one year, which neither of them realized, the gap between him and Gawain had completely widened, as if they were separated by a Grand Canyon.