After looking at the schedule and confirming that I would enter the Rod Laver Arena for the first round, a stone finally fell to the ground, and I can now prepare for the game with peace of mind.
Zhang Ze took a long breath, then clenched his fists heavily to cheer himself up.
Although facing Hewitt at Melbourne Park will undoubtedly be a tough challenge, he is ready -
Training, what he urgently needs now is training.
Without pausing, Zhang Ze rushed to the signing area in the players' dugout and signed his name.
This check-in area is not for confirming reports, but for finding training partners.
Grand Slam tournaments, in addition to the top 30 superstars in the world, also gather backbone players from around 50 to 300 in the world.
Perhaps, they are not the favorites to win the Tour Championship, but they are the most important part of the professional arena, equivalent to the blue-collar class.
Some of these players can soar into the sky and usher in their own breakthroughs; but most of them cannot and stick to one job like workers.
It is precisely because of this that there are no longer a few lone players coming to the Grand Slam.
The so-called "lonely" means that on the one hand they do not have the support of a large coaching team, and on the other hand they cannot find a regular sparring partner.
The check-in office is responsible for playing such a role——
Players only need to sign their names at the sign-in area to indicate that they are looking for a training partner, and then wait patiently. Other players who are alone will sign their names at the corresponding places and then go to the training ground to train together.
Occasionally, there are times when you can't wait, so training cannot take place, but this happens rarely, and most of the time you can find a lone player.
In the past two years, Zhang Ze came to Melbourne with Wu Di to compete, so he is not worried about his training partner.
But this year Wu Di was absent due to injury, and in the end only Zhang Ze came alone.
A little lonely.
Especially when I arrived at the training ground alone, looking at the empty stadium and the setting sun, my feeling of loneliness became even more intense.
In fact, tennis is a very lonely sport.
When they stand on the court, they only have themselves, and everything must rely on themselves. This is a war between themselves and their opponents, and it is also a war between themselves and themselves, even more than a 100-meter race or boxing.
It's even more lonely because their opponents are standing on the other side of the court, completely invisible.
From the first zone to the second zone and then to the first zone, from the left end of the baseline to the right end and then to the left end, they ran like this on their own, back and forth, as if they were the only ones on the court at Nottingham University.
The setting sun is burning in the sky, and the breeze is blowing.
Looking at the empty stadium in front of him, Zhang Ze couldn't help but feel a little dazed.
Sometimes, he couldn't help but doubt himself:
Choosing tennis and choosing a career, is this the right path?
He doesn't seem to have that outstanding talent, and it seems that he can't make it to the top despite all his efforts. He is the only one running on the court for an elusive goal that even he doesn't believe in, struggling to touch that unreachable dream.
You can never close the distance.
It's just... getting further and further away.
In a daze, confusion began to overwhelm him. What was he fighting for and what was he running for? The passion in his youth seemed to have burned out.
Looking left and right, I can't see my friends or the target. I run aimlessly and it seems I can never find the direction, let alone the target.
The hustle and bustle of Melbourne Park belongs to Rod Laver Arena and Margaret Court Arena, but the scorching heat of the training ground has slowly cooled down with the afterglow of the setting sun, and the peacock blue night has slowly cooled down.
After landing, the whole world seemed so empty that no one else could be seen.
Those brilliance do not belong to him after all.
There were a total of eleven people from the Chinese women's team, including the players participating in the qualifying round. It was bustling, chattering, and extremely lively.
But here on the men’s team…
I don’t think about it anymore.
Zhang Ze shook his head and took a deep breath.
call.
The air still retained the heat that had not completely dissipated, mixed with a bit of the coolness of the evening, and penetrated into his lungs. He couldn't help but shiver, but the disturbing thoughts in his mind settled down and he regained his focus.
force.
Then, he stood up directly.
He can't sit here and wait, serve training, footwork training, movement training, etc., he can practice some basic training.
He was already too far behind. He had no time to grieve over the past, and no time to stop. He had to seize every opportunity and run with all his might.
Huchihuchi.
After panting, sweating, and dedicating yourself to training, all the messy thoughts in your mind are cleared, and then everything becomes simpler.
Push on the ground and exert force.
Brake, control.
Running and moving has evolved into a kind of inertia, reawakening muscle memory, staying focused, and going all out.
Hula la...
Time passed by quietly, without noticing how long it had passed. The sound of rustling words came from the distance, which made Zhang Ze stop his movements. Could it be that his training partner had arrived?
But I don’t know who it is, because the way to find a partner is random, so it’s like opening a blind box. It’s inevitable to be a little excited before the answer is about to be revealed.
In the past few days, Zhang Ze has trained with several players who were shortlisted for the men's singles main event, but overall, the training intensity can still be mentioned.
So, should he take the initiative to say hello? Be more enthusiastic?
Or don't scare the other person?
Or should you continue to pretend to train on your own? Be more natural?
Just as he was hesitating, two figures could be seen at the entrance of the training ground, chatting happily, their voices getting closer and closer.
Zhang Ze hadn't made a decision yet, and in the next second he could already see the silhouette of the person gradually becoming clearer.
"Hey, good afternoon..."
Out of habit, Zhang Ze chose to say hello politely, but just after saying half a sentence, his voice got stuck in his throat. He couldn't believe his eyes.
stunned.
But before the exclamation could come out, he hurriedly swallowed and changed his words, trying to cover up his panic, and ended up choking on his own saliva.
Ahem.
Ahem!
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Ah...what's wrong? Are you having trouble breathing? Or something else?"
"Martin, water! Give me water."
The first sentence is in English.
The second sentence is in Chinese, obviously realizing that English is not needed at this moment.
The third sentence is in English again.
Zhang Ze was speechless. The more he coughed, the more ashamed he became. The more ashamed he became, the more he coughed. It was like a vicious circle that could never be escaped. It was simply hell. The only thought in his mind now was to disappear from the scene, but think about it.
, and seemed a little reluctant to let go, and felt very conflicted.
He was dizzy and disoriented, but Zhang Ze still didn't understand how everything in front of him happened.