The Canadian Masters, also known as the Rogers Cup, is not only the highest-level Masters tournament in the ATP, but also the highest-level crown tournament in the WTA.
The championship points, one thousand points, and the bonus are also very generous, second only to the Indian Wells and Miami Sunshine Double Championship in the first half of the year. In addition, the event signed a cooperation agreement with the US Open to form the US Open series, with exposure, attention and bonuses.
Co-operation and so on are very attractive.
There is no doubt that if you set your sights on the last Grand Slam of the upcoming year, the Rogers Cup is an event not to be missed.
It is worth mentioning that the biggest difference between the Rogers Cup and all other events on the tour is that the same event is held in different cities.
Just like the World Cup and the Olympics.
Men's events and women's events are held in different cities and swap every other year.
Last year, the men's event was in Montreal and the women's event was in Toronto; this year, the men's event is in Toronto and the women's event is in Montreal.
Next year, we will exchange them again.
Different venues in different cities have different styles. Although they are very similar, there are still subtle differences. Therefore, the difficulty of defending the Rogers Cup has skyrocketed.
Since 1990, only three players have defended their title in the men's event, Agassi in 1994 and 1995, Djokovic in 2011 and 2012, and Nadal in 2018 and 2019.
The women's event is no exception. Only two players have won consecutive championships. Seles completed four consecutive championships from 1995 to 1998, and Hingis defended the title in 1999 and 2000.
Last year’s Rogers Cup, the men’s singles match deserves special mention——
Tsonga defeated Djokovic, Murray and Federer consecutively to win the championship.
A Masters tournament, a 1,000-point event, an important warm-up match leading to the US Open, an event for top players to compete before the Grand Slam, and it is also the first major event of the North American summer hard court season.
, it is conceivable that everyone is eager to be a part of it.
Geelong is no exception.
But the point is that Geelong knows his own state and his own weight. He will not expect a high-level stage like the Rogers Cup, or even a game between Atlanta and Washington. Even if he wins the qualification, he will not expect it.
Think you can win.
He has no confidence.
However.
Geelong did so anyway, applying for a qualifying wild card from the Rogers Cup——
Don’t forget, as the singles runner-up in last year’s NCAA National Championship, Geelong had the right to choose a wild card for the US Open series. At that time, Geelong chose the Rogers Cup. Although he lost the first game, it was still a valuable experience.
This determined his determination to turn professional.
This year, Geelong once again applied for a wild card, not for the main draw, but for the qualifying round.
I had little expectations, but in the end, I passed!
Therefore, Geelong, who is ranked outside the 300th place in the world, embarked on the journey to qualify for the Rogers Cup.
Somewhat ridiculous.
Looking back on the past month, Jilong only had a poor record of five wins and four losses in the challenge and hope tournament levels, making it difficult to be competitive; but now, he has stepped onto the stage of the Masters Qualifying Tournament to become a positive player.
Fighting for a seat in the competition, no matter what you think, it feels ridiculous.
despite this……
Geelong, I still want to try it.
He admitted that the main reason was that it came from Gawain. After a year, their timelines overlapped again, but they were in two completely different places. He wanted to try it out, and he also wanted to fight it out, but it wasn't
In order to prove something to Gawain, but to prove to myself:
He didn't give up.
He will not compromise or be content, he will not be satisfied with barely making ends meet by hanging out in the Challenger League, and he will not be stuck at such a level, unable to move forward or improve.
He refused.
He still has dreams, he still wants to be on the Grand Slam stage, he still wants to stand on the center court of a Grand Slam, he still wants to compete with the top ten players in the world, he still wants to be a professional player
No matter what he struggled with on the road, he was still struggling and still fighting.
The truth is, he knows everything, his status, his situation, his mentality, etc. Maybe now is not the best time, he needs patience, he needs calmness, he needs concentration; but deep down, he is still that
The proud son of heaven.
This is his pride and his stubbornness.
He wanted to give it a try.
An adventure, a rebellion, an...indulgence.
Jilong, gave myself an excuse and an opportunity.
Although the source of everything is Gawain, Jilong knows that this is his battle. In the final analysis, it still depends on himself——
Otherwise, nothing can be accomplished if there is no enthusiasm.
The turbulent thoughts completely settled down, and Geelong regained his focus, just like back in college, when the Bruins were all firmly united, fighting side by side and moving forward side by side. Everything was about tennis and only about tennis.
a surprise--
In the first round, Geelong defeated another American player, Ryan Harrison, "6:4", "7:5", the score was very close.
More importantly, after regaining concentration, Geelong played the best game in the past month, especially the decisiveness and toughness at critical moments. This gave Geelong some confidence. In a daze, it seemed as if it had returned to its former glory.
College arena, enjoy tennis without any worries.
Next, in the second round, Geelong must face Australian player James Duckworth. Although his world ranking is not high, Duckworth won a match at the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013.
It's definitely not that easy to deal with the ball that makes it to the second round.
Tap tap tap, tap tap tap——
Jilong was running wildly, rushing from one end of the court to the other. His speed had reached the extreme, his eyes were shining, looking at the tennis ball.
He stepped on his feet and braked suddenly.
A quick backhand strike with both hands, like a baseball home run.
boom!
straight line.
"Yes!"
Jilong clenched his fists heavily and cheered——
Saving the break point by breaking the net in a straight line was very thrilling, but very determined.
At this moment, there was a commotion next to the stadium, a buzzing sound like ripples, gently rippling on the lake surface, and a rustling sound was surging.
Unlike those large stadiums, all qualifying matches are held in small stadiums. The entire space is limited. Players almost have to compete in front of the spectators' eyes. The spectator stands can only accommodate about 300 people, or even less, creating a kind of experiment.
The intimacy of the theater is just around the corner.
Naturally, everything is magnified in front of the eyes and is extremely clear. Even the actions of the audience picking their noses and dozing off to look at their mobile phones are clearly visible.
In addition, there are no walls blocking the stadium and the streets, that is, short spectator stands. The noise coming and going enters the stadium without any obstruction, and the high-pitched talk and laughter all echo in the ears.
For outfield matches, anti-interference has always been a very, very important part of tennis matches, which are even noisier than some challenge matches.
Just like now——
Subconsciously, Jilong followed the sound and looked over. It was Gawain and Macdonald.