In July this year, Sharapova ended the entire season early due to injury. Since then, she has been recuperating and preparing for her comeback in the new season.
This time I agreed to the USTA's invitation to appear in a charity exhibition match against Venus, to a certain extent, to test my recovery from injury.
After all, this is an exhibition match, and the impact of victory or defeat is almost zero. And it is natural to be able to play against a master like Venus.
It is precisely because of this that Gao Wen believes that Venus may have a slightly greater chance of winning, while Sharapova still needs some time to find her rhythm and feel.
But MacDonald still had some reservations.
"Sharapova's playing style is to be strong to the end. No matter whether her condition is good or not, she just swings her racket wildly and attacks, even if she makes mistakes. Momentum is very important to her. She can't
Since she relaxed during the exhibition match, I think she might have a better chance of winning."
"Venus may have some reservations because of the exhibition match and be relatively relaxed?"
"Yes, it is like that."
Gawain gently raised his chin, neither agreeing nor objecting. In an exhibition match, anything is possible; but no matter what, in a competition, you still need to compete to know the result.
"Ah, by the way, there is also a fan sparring session arranged today. How about it? Are you interested?"
"Sparring with whom?"
"I don't know, there should be both, right? I heard that only singles are arranged. I think you can give it a try. After all, professional players are different from us. I am also going to raise my hand to sign up, ha!"
Fan sparring is a reserved event for charity exhibition matches. It is a fixed part of almost all charity events. The content is very simple, which is to invite fans to come on stage and win the opportunity to play in the same stadium as top superstars.
For example, two spectators are invited to appear on the stage, partner with professional male players and female players respectively, stand across the net, and compete in a mixed doubles match.
Another example is inviting a spectator to the stage and having a one-on-one "battle" with professional players.
Of course, the "battle" mentioned here must be in quotation marks, because the players in charity exhibition games are often the top players among professional players. Even in professional games, the team has a greater chance of winning, let alone ordinary spectators.
What about?
It is precisely because of this that the audience often goes all out, but the professional players take it easy, and may even deliberately create some funny scenes. It is not so much a "showdown" as it is an experiential teaching, just like parents and children.
Just like playing.
However, there are occasional exceptions.
For example, the audience wants to experience what is the level of a professional serve? What is the level of full force on the forehand? What about the impact of high-pressure balls?
Because sitting in front of the TV watching the game, it is difficult to truly feel the pressure of speed, power and rotation, and it is easy to have a wrong feeling, "That hit is too easy, I can catch it"; obtained in the charity exhibition game
After the opportunity, they also hope to experience it themselves.
Then, professional players will naturally show professional standards and satisfy the curiosity of the audience.
etc!
Gawain had a bold idea:
If you can start a practice match with professional players and try your best, does this mean that your growth potential will usher in an explosive growth?
…
Ahhhh!
Ahhhh!
Screams, roars, and cheers filled the whole place, and bursts of thunder showed a rising momentum. You could clearly feel the boiling of the air. The bustling crowd continued to jump, and everyone stood on tiptoes to look outside.
, trying to see the superstar’s appearance up close.
For Gawain, there is no such trouble. With his outstanding height, he easily stands out and his field of vision is very broad.
The players were entering the field, and the first ones to appear in front of the fans were two male players.
Compared with the two top superstars Sharapova and Venus, the two male players in this charity exhibition match are obviously inferior.
But it still shouldn’t be underestimated.
Milos Raonic, a Canadian player, is 23 years old this year. He turned professional in 2008 and started to produce results as early as 2011. In just three years, he entered the Grand Slam tournament four times.
in the top 16, and ushered in a breakout this summer, reaching the finals of the Masters, the highest level of the tour, for the first time.
Currently ranked 11th in the world, he is continuing to refresh the highest ranking in his career. He is undoubtedly the leader of "young players born after 1990".
It is worth mentioning that Raonic comes from a family of intellectuals, his father is a senior engineer, and his uncle once served as the deputy prime minister of the Republic of Montenegro. It is precisely because of this that Raonic is very humble, polite, and personable in private.
And his academic performance has always been outstanding.
Canada is adjacent to the United States, and Raonic is considered half of the home court. His appearance won a round of whistles and cheers from the fans at the scene, which made him a little shy, lowering his head and smiling.
Nick Kyrgios, an Australian player, was born in 1995. He is the same age as Gawain and Macdonald, but his physical talent is very outstanding. After winning the Australian Open junior championship at the beginning of this year, he turned professional directly and appeared like a comet.
in public.
Many professionals believe that Kyrgios is a rare tennis genius in twenty years. His explosiveness, balance, coordination, strength, speed and touch are all top-notch. If we only talk about physical condition, he is better than Federer.
Even better, he is definitely a powerful successor to the next world champion.
Kyrgios has lived up to his talent, entering the Grand Slam main draw twice and winning his first career Grand Slam victory at the French Open.
When he entered the professional arena at the beginning of the year, he was not yet ranked, but by the end of the season, his world ranking had soared to 182nd.
For other players, Kyrgios can easily accomplish things that they may not be able to do despite countless efforts, even with ease.
Genius is indeed a genius, but it is precisely this dazzling talent that makes Kyrgios so proud that no one can put him in his eyes - perhaps, Roger Federer is the only exception, because Federer is his idol.
He is also the only person he respects on the tennis court.
He has a hot temper, behaves erratically, speaks uncontrollably, is arrogant, and causes trouble. Although he has just entered the profession for a year, his reputation as a "bad boy" has already spread like wildfire.
No, he has just made his debut, and the entire audience is warmly welcoming Raonic's name. Whether it is half a home game or the current world ranking, Raonic deserves such treatment, but Kyrgios feels angry.
It didn't go well, and when I saw that no one in the audience shouted my name, I got angry.
Quietly, Kyrgios raised his middle finger behind his back and swaggered into the stadium. If it weren't for the charity exhibition match, I'm afraid he would have raised his middle finger high. Looking at the expression on Kyrgios's face
With a smile on his face, he looked very proud and praised his "low-keyness".
Then, among the crowd, Kyrgios saw Gawain at a glance, and their eyes collided.