Obviously, today's defeat has dealt a heavier blow to Dimitrov than imagined.
If you think about it seriously, it's not surprising.
For Gao Wen, what he missed was the opportunity for the year-end finals, but he did not miss the chance and ended the day with a victory; and, from the beginning, they knew that the hope of entering London was very slim, and all the conditions were too great.
Too harsh and things will be very, very difficult.
The fact before us is that other players won a ticket to the year-end finals with better, more balanced and more stable performances.
Gawain can face this calmly.
For Dimitrov, a promising season ended in a disappointing way:
The first half of the season showed an upward trend. Not only did he win three championships in Acapulco, Budapest, and Queen's Club, but his performances in the Australian Open quarterfinals and Wimbledon quarterfinals continued to set new career highs.
But the second half of the season continued to decline, not only reaching the top 16 of the US Open, but also not getting a seat in the year-end finals.
He really thought that he could go one step further and advance to the year-end finals for the first time in his career.
However, this is how it ends.
Going high and going low will always hurt people more.
Especially today, when facing Murray, he lost in two sets and had no chance at all in the whole match. It was undoubtedly cruel to watch hope slip away through his fingers.
Different locations, different expectations, and different situations naturally bring different feelings.
Gawain's career is still too short. Even if he has lived two lives, he has never experienced it. After all, he cannot empathize with it, but he can understand Dimitrov's disappointment and confusion.
At the same time, Gawain also knows that he has no way to give Dimitrov the answer. The only one who can give Dimitrov the answer is himself; and the only thing Gawain can do is to stay with Dimitrov.
Do what a friend should do:
Support him unconditionally.
The locker room was quiet except for the sound of gurgling water, which was like glacier water pounding in your ears.
"……ah."
After waiting for a long time, Dimitrov finally spoke and sighed softly. Although he did not speak, the complexity and heaviness hidden in the sigh was inadvertently leaked out.
Gawain did not respond in a hurry, but listened patiently.
"Actually, we are all under tremendous pressure."
us?
Gawain was a little unsure as to who and whom this "we" refers to, but without him needing to think further, Dimitrov's words had already revealed the answer.
Dimitrov raised his head and glanced at Gawain. Those thoughts hidden in the depths had never been told to others, but looking at Gawain in front of him at this moment, he was a little fragile, a little frustrated and a little sad, so helpless
It leaked out in a controlled manner, but after all, I couldn't hold it back.
"You know, the media is not friendly to us. They always badmouth us, thinking that our relationship is a mistake, and that I am using her fame to promote my rise to power."
"Every time I talk or come into contact with other female players, even if I just stop to say hello on the roadside, they are always eager to accuse me of cheating."
The answer is revealed: Maria Sharapova.
In the professional tennis world, many golden girls have been born. The marriage between Agassi and Graf is known as the legendary union with the most Grand Slams in history. However, when they came together, Graf had retired, and Agassi's career was also at a loss.
At the end, they were no longer an active couple on the field.
At the turn of the century, the couples of Federer and Mirka and Hewitt and Clijsters were the most beautiful scenes in professional tennis.
However, when Federer became the "king", Milka had retired and there was not much attention. When Hewitt and Clijsters were dating, they were ranked number one in the men's world and third in the women's world respectively.
Attract the world's attention.
At that time, major news media all compared the relationship between Hewitt and Clijsters with Agassi and Steffi Graf, and believed that their children were likely to be ranked number one in the world twenty years later.
Unfortunately, Hewitt and Clijsters did not get together in the end, because a third party intervened, and Clijsters turned away heartbroken.
Compared with football and basketball, tennis is an individual sport, and there are not many gossip stories off the court, so the media has been trying every means to dig out more gossip--
Even Nadal, who has avoided scandals, has been angered by the media.
Nadal and his childhood sweetheart have been dating for fifteen years, and their relationship has always been very stable, and there is almost no gossip about Nadal outside the court, which also makes reporters rack their brains to try to dig out something.
Previously, Nadal had never entered the marriage hall with his girlfriend, and reporters kept asking Nadal whether he refused to commit to his girlfriend.
In 2019, Nadal finally held a wedding with his girlfriend. As a result, he lost the game in two sets against Zverev, who had never lost in the year-end finals. Reporters asked Nadal at the post-match press conference whether they broke up because of marriage.
His mind lost focus, so much so that Nadal rarely cursed on the spot, thinking that his fifteen-year love life could also become an attack point——
"That's ridiculous!"
Similarly, the families of Federer and Djokovic have been repeatedly targeted by reporters.
Until last year, the couple Dimitrov and Sharapova appeared in the public eye.
However, the media has never been optimistic about this relationship.
Because Sharapova is the much-loved queen of tennis, her commercial value has reached new highs, and there is almost no gossip inside and outside the court; while Dimitrov has a playboy appearance and looks like
A libertine with no real job, he seems to have no passion for tennis.
At the beginning of this year, Dimitrov and Sharapova officially moved in together, their relationship became more stable, and his performance on the court also showed an upward trend.
However, the media still did not let him go, and there were rumors of affairs with Serena Williams and Bouchard respectively, and they portrayed him as having a nose and an eye, and began to badmouth this relationship at the slightest hint of trouble.
In particular, Sharapova's performance in the competition this year was mediocre, and her victory at the French Open was a glorious moment. However, the other three Grand Slams all stopped in the fourth round, and the overall performance was far below expectations. This also made the media focus on Dimitro.
Her husband's pigtails, and it is conclusively believed that he influenced Sharapova.
The commotion off the field has nothing to do with the game, but it is inextricably related to the game.
Gawain had heard more or less about these things, but he had no way of knowing how much pressure they were under; but Gawain knew about the media:
They are everywhere and pervasive, no one is immune and no one is invulnerable.
After the "US Open Myth", Gao Wen is now also the darling of the media. Every move is under the attention of countless eyes. I am afraid that everyone is waiting for him to make a mistake.
Just like Dimitrov and Bouchard who shined in the first half of this year.