Noisy, lively, and bustling, even just a list of contestants and a schedule can easily trigger heated discussions in the media.
The ATP, which has entered the era of giants, once again welcomes fresh blood to break the balance after a long absence, pushing the glory of the golden age of tennis to a new level.
However, the European indoor hard court season still needs to wait, and even the Asian season also needs to wait——
Davis Cup weekend ahead!
Perhaps, the appeal and discussion of the Davis Cup cannot be compared with that of the Grand Slams, and the participation rate of top players is also slowly declining.
But thanks to the agreement between the ITF and the Olympic Games, if a player is going to represent his country in the Olympics, he must meet the conditions for the number of Davis Cup appearances. In addition, the Davis Cup is currently the only highest honor for a team event in the tennis world.
, the event still has a special status.
Especially China.
Because of Gao Wen's strong rise, China has advanced to the World Group play-offs for the second time in history, and there is still one final game left before the World Group.
As early as the second week of the US Open, Gao Wen performed well and returned to the top eight. China has already begun to warm up for the Davis Cup in advance.
Indeed, this is indeed their best chance——
In fact, from the draw table, China's draw in the World Playoffs was really bad. They were drawn against the Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic, the third seed in this year’s Davis Cup, is undoubtedly in the first echelon in overall team strength. As a result, they lost to Australia in the first round of the World Group with a score of 2:3 and were forced to fight for relegation in the play-offs. However, they
There is no doubt that he is the toughest and most terrifying opponent in the play-offs.
And, to make matters worse, China was drawn away from home.
This not only means that there is no home field advantage, but it also means that the choice of whether the competition venue is hard court, clay, grass or other is not in their hands. They must go to Prague and give up a chance to qualify for the world group on the venue chosen by their opponents.
beat.
Difficult, difficult to reach the sky.
After all, the Davis Cup is a team competition, and Gao Wen alone may not be able to drive the entire team.
but!
This is still a rare opportunity for China.
Come on, Gawain.
Not only because of Gao Wen's own strength and charisma, but also because Gao Wen's existence injects confidence into the Davis Cup team, both inside and outside, from top to bottom.
Secondly, the Czech Republic is in its own predicament.
Their number one player, Berdych, has fallen into a career low, performing poorly in all competitions, and also suffering from some injuries. Therefore, Berdych will miss all Davis Cup games this year, which also means that
The Czech Republic's strength has been greatly reduced, and it lacks leadership.
The Czech Republic is indeed a tough team. It is not easy for any country to encounter them. China's signing is really...hard to describe in a word; but from another perspective, there may not be no chance, and they need to give it a try.
Subsequently, China and the Czech Republic announced the list of participants for the World Group play-offs——
Czech side.
Veseli serves as the first singles player. This young player who once defeated Djokovic is actually a post-90s generation. He was born in 1993. He is only two years older than Gao Wen and is currently ranked 40th in the world.
Rosol serves as the second singles player, and his upset victory over Nadal at Wimbledon was the only highlight. However, currently ranked 79th in the world, he is still firmly in the top 100, and he is also a regular in the Grand Slam main draw.
Veseli and Rosol each accounted for two singles.
There are surprises in the doubles list. The old leads the new. The veteran Stepanek brings the young player Adam-Pavlasek, who was born in 1994, to the doubles. The latter is currently ranked 14th in the world in singles.
Fifteen is also a rising star.
Judging from the list alone, even if Berdych is absent, the Czech Republic's overall strength is still strong and indeed worthy of the title of third seed in the Davis Cup. However, China has a slight surprise but still faces many difficulties.
Gao Wen serves as the first singles player. This is an arrangement without any suspense. He will be responsible for two singles games. The pressure is huge, and all hopes are on his shoulders——
There is no room for loss in these two singles. If Gao Wen loses any singles, China's hope of winning will instantly fall to the bottom. Everything depends on Gao Wen. This is more difficult than any Grand Slam event.
Because this is a team competition.
Now Gao Wen finally understands the feelings of German table tennis player Timo-Boll. This should be the feeling every time he challenges the Chinese team on the team stage. He may not be able to guarantee victory if he wins alone.
But as long as he loses, all hope is gone.
But this is exactly the meaning of the team competition——
They are a team, and just playing well on their own does not mean victory. The core is that the entire team unites closely to face difficulties and challenge the limits, just like the Chinese Women's Volleyball.
Zhang Ze served as the second singles player. After finally breaking through the first round of the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, Zhang Ze suffered from injuries again and never recovered to his best. He failed to qualify for the main draw in the subsequent three Grand Slams.
Despite this, Zhang Ze is still the player ranked second only to Gao Wen in the Chinese team in the world. He will also be responsible for two singles matches. Like Gao Wen, he has a heavy burden on his shoulders and he needs to break through.
Like the Czech Republic, China's doubles roster is also a combination of old and new. Li Zhe will lead the young Zhang Zhizhen on the stage, looking forward to creating a new spark.
Zhang Zhizhen, a brand new face, was born in 1996, even younger than Gao Wen. He and Medvedev trained at the tennis school in Nice, France. Although his talent is not top-notch, he has a kind of tenacity and tenacity, and the spirit of the game and
Mental adjustment is undoubtedly a strong point.
As early as 2013, Zhang Zhizhen, who was under 17 years old, partnered with Wu Di to win the men's doubles championship at the National Games; this year, he was spotted by retired Ljubicic, who served as his agent, and won more
I have gained valuable experience in competing in different competitions and am gradually growing in a down-to-earth manner.
Currently, Zhang Zhizhen is only ranked 583rd in the world, but after careful consideration, coupled with Wu Di and Bai Yan’s injuries, and of course Gao Wen’s success story, Zhang Zhizhen finally entered the Davis Cup team——
Regardless of the results of this year's competition, at least they should start preparing for the future. In addition to Li Zhe, the entire team is using young players born after 1990 as the main force, and they look forward to winning more competitiveness next year and the year after.
Young people always represent the future, and any competitive sport is no exception.
Therefore, China also formed a team with the youngest average age in history, embarked on the journey to the Davis Cup play-offs, and prepared to give it a try.
On September 19, Saturday, the third match day of the 2015 Davis Cup officially begins.
China arrived in Prague and challenged the Czech Republic away.
Slightly different from expectations, the Czech Republic did not choose a clay court, but chose a hard court. This is a small piece of good news for China.
Red soil?
Both Zhang Ze and Li Zhe are struggling. Zhang Zhizhen, who was trained and raised in Nice, is no stranger to red clay.