To be precise, the moment Gawain climbed to the top of Flushing, the trajectory of history had already changed. The world split into two roads at a fork in the road and entered another parallel time and space.
But now, the changes are becoming more and more obvious.
Standing in the long river of history that Gao Wen is familiar with, Zhang Ze has indeed created history.
In February 2017, in San Francisco, Zhang Ze won a challenge championship. This was also the first challenge championship trophy in the Chinese men's tennis singles arena.
However, that was a challenge tournament, not even counted as an ATP official level challenge tournament. Compared with the Grand Slams, they are two completely different stages.
If we follow the original historical trajectory, it will be the peak of Zhang Ze's career. He was already twenty-seven when he won the championship for the first time. The ceiling gradually became apparent. The influence of age and injuries also made Zhang Ze's career become intermittent, and even
Even the challenge is a little difficult.
Later, Zhang Ze left the international arena and continued his career by competing mainly in the Challenge and Hope Tournaments held in China.
Ranked 154th in the world, he competed in the first round of the Australian Open twice in a row in 2014 and 2015. All those things are "past glory" left in the past, like a dream that is too beautiful to be true, but can never go back.
The 2015 Australian Open was the last time Zhang Ze participated in the main draw of a Grand Slam. Although he still participated in the qualifying rounds after that, he was never able to break through; and the competition in the wild card rounds gradually ushered in younger players.
The impact is another story.
Unfortunately, until the end of history that Gawain knew well, in the parallel world, Chinese men's players have always been hard to win in the Grand Slam singles arena.
From Wu Yibing to Shang Juncheng, these younger generation players shoulder the important task of breakthrough.
but!
In parallel time and space, a small butterfly flaps its wings and causes a storm at the other end of the earth.
The breakthrough comes just like this.
From 2012 to 2014, from passing through three qualifying rounds to reversing and breaking through the first round in a five-set battle, Zhang Ze struggled and faltered all the way, but in the end he seized his own opportunity and blossomed proudly!
Zhang Ze finally ushered in his own shining moment.
Match point moment.
When Hewitt returned the ball for the last time and went into the net, Zhang Ze couldn't believe it was really happening. More than three hours of hard work and tension made his knees weak. He couldn't control his strength and fell to his knees.
He lay on the ground, buried his head deeply in his hands, and curled up into a ball.
Briefly, very briefly, the hot tears blurred my vision.
Perhaps, for top professional players, the first round of a Grand Slam is nothing at all. It is as simple as drinking water and eating, and there is nothing worth celebrating.
However, for Zhang Ze, it was a full three years of expectations and dreams. He had doubts, wanderings, worries, and even regrets, hatred, and sadness. The torture and vicissitudes of those days and nights, all surged in an instant.
On the other hand, emotions cannot be controlled at all.
A man doesn't shed tears easily, but he hasn't reached the point where he is sad.
These are tears of happiness.
Zhang Ze curled up into a ball like a hedgehog, hugging his knees, his shoulders shaking slightly uncontrollably.
At Rod Laver Arena, only a sparse crowd was cheering for him. Most of the Australian fans turned around and went to the bathroom or even left the stadium directly, rejecting the sad scene in front of them. Those rustling and chaotic sounds fell on Zhang.
In the ears of choice, there is the most beautiful symphony in the world.
And it’s not just Zhang Ze?
In the CCTV live broadcast room, Zhang Sheng, who arrived at Melbourne Park this year to provide on-site commentary, was also filled with emotions and his voice was slightly choked up.
"...People always say that there is only one layer of window paper between victory and it can be broken with just one poke."
"But only those who are truly involved in competitive sports will know that that layer of window paper, which looks simple, actually requires two or even three generations to break through. Sometimes it is even a ceiling, blocking thousands of players.
, can never break through.”
"For Zhang Ze, it took him three years."
"For Chinese men's tennis, it took us seventeen years, or even longer."
Last time in Flushing, Gao Wen's breakthrough was so sudden, popping out of the cracks in the rocks, that Zhan Jun and Hu Litao were both at a loss and couldn't react for a moment.
But this time in Melbourne Park, the sense of reality hit me hard on the bridge of the nose. Even Zhang Sheng, who is usually calm and rational, was inevitably moved.
"Now, from Gao Wen to Zhang Ze, it only took us just six months to achieve another breakthrough."
"Tonight, here at Rod Laver Arena, we are witnessing history together."
A smile blooms in tears.
Then, Zhang Ze could feel someone tapping his shoulder.
Raising his head suddenly, Zhang Ze saw Hewitt's outstretched right hand at a glance.
At some point, Hewitt came to this side of the court and extended an olive branch to Zhang Ze.
Looking at Hewitt who was getting older in front of him, Zhang Ze thought of Gawain, because Hewitt and Gawain are the same, they are both silly dreamers, they still believe in dreams and miracles, and they still believe in dreams and miracles.
Running purely and simply because of love.
"You are not alone."
Zhang Ze thought of these words again, then took Hewitt's right hand, stood up, and gave the great opponent in front of him a big hug.
In my mind, my heart was surging, and my ambition was ignited, and finally turned into a smile at the corner of my mouth, which bloomed.
What is lost is the east corner, and what is gained is the mulberry tree.
No one expected that this year, China's women's singles field would suffer frequent losses and be in a sluggish state, creating its worst record in recent years, but it would usher in frequent successes in the men's singles field!
boom!
Boom boom boom!
The Chinese media and tennis fans suddenly swept away the gloom, and there was an outburst of cheers and shouts. There was a noise and sensation of fireworks celebrations on social networks, and the billowing heat wave unfolded in an unstoppable manner.
From the US Open to the Australian Open, the second breakthrough in men’s singles came so quickly!
Compared with last year's US Open, the attention of this year's Australian Open has increased significantly. It's all because of Gao Wen. From the Australian Open Organizing Committee to Nike's official promotion to CCTV's prime time attention, everything revolves around Gao Wen. We look forward to it.
The level of attention has indeed reached unprecedented heights——
The birth of a star.
Everyone is looking forward to Gauvin's performance in his second Grand Slam event, and his easy victory in the first round made the fans even more excited.
Especially due to the time difference, the Australian Open is undoubtedly the most suitable event among the four Grand Slams in the Chinese time zone. You can watch the live broadcast without going to bed late and getting up early, which also allows the audience to join the viewing process without any burden.
Due to various reasons, the attention and discussion of the Australian Open has indeed taken on a new dimension, so much so that the TV staff working live on the frontline in Melbourne can also deeply feel this heat wave.