The two Masters tournaments, one behind the other, are closely connected. They are located in North America and live next to each other. They are also two-week tournaments with 96 draws. They are also sunny and spring-like all year round.
It is precisely because of this that the two events have also won the reputation of "Sunshine Double Crown".
Someone once said that the two events are closely linked and they compete continuously for four weeks. The difficulty of reaching the top of the "Sunshine Double Championship" is even higher than that of the Grand Slam event.
From a certain perspective, this is indeed the case.
As of 2015, only nine players have accomplished such a feat, seven men and two women.
The men's players are Zhang Depei, Courier, Sampras, Agassi, Marcelo Rios, Federer and Djokovic.
Among them, only Federer and Djokovic have accomplished such a feat more than once in the same year, and other players have only accomplished it once in their careers.
The women's players are Graf and Clijsters.
Of course, later on, Azarenka and Sviatk also successfully completed such a feat in 2016 and 2022 respectively, joining the ranks of their predecessors.
Wait, where are Nadal and Serena Williams?
Nadal has always lacked a little bit of luck in Miami. He has reached the finals five times, losing to Federer and Djokovic twice each, and Davydenko once. He has never been able to reach the top. After 2017, because
For various reasons, he never participated in this event again.
In 2001, Serena Williams, a future queen in the early stages of her career, encountered very serious racial discrimination on the final stage in Indian Wells. Faced with the hostility of the audience, she vowed never to come here to compete, so
, a commitment that lasted for fourteen years.
In other words, during Serena Williams' peak period, she never participated in the Indian Wells competition. It was not until 2015 that she reconciled with the organizing committee and returned to the California desert to compete.
Unfortunately, from 2015 to 2019, due to injuries, pregnancy and other off-field reasons, Serena Williams has never been able to win the championship in the past five years.
Therefore, even Nadal and Serena Williams have always regretfully missed the "Sunshine Double Crown". Looking at the list of only a handful of people who have achieved such results, we can understand why people think that the "Sunshine Double Crown" may be better than the Grand Slam.
It will be even more difficult to pass.
so--
The climax of January is Melbourne Park.
The climax of March is the "double crown of sunshine".
This statement is not an exaggeration. Strictly speaking, it is completely consistent with reality.
Professional players, whether men or women, basically plan their schedules around these three events. Everyone hopes to be on the stage of these events and participate in the highest level of competition.
Gawain is naturally no exception.
Now, they are preparing for Indian Wells and Miami.
Before heading to North America, Gao Wen will take the lead in participating in the Dubai competition. Like Doha, the Middle East competition has strong financial resources, and this year's participating lineup is still luxurious.
For Gao Wen, this is good news, because it also means that he can compete with the masters again and complete his preparations for the North American Sunshine Double Championship.
However, as coaches, Sampras and Agassi need to prepare in advance for the next schedule——
After the Sunshine Double Championship ends, the European season will officially usher in.
The first stage is the clay court centered on the French Open.
The second stage is the grassland with Wimbledon as the center.
From April to June, from the long grass to the floating melons and sunken plums, from the flying sand to the overflowing greenery, the other side of tennis gradually reveals its unique charm.
Switching from one venue to another requires time for any player to adjust, even the Big Four are no exception.
And this is even more true for Gawain.
Looking at Sampras' worried expression, Agassi unconsciously became serious again, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
"With your expression, people who don't know better would think you've eaten a lemon raw."
Rarely, Sampras did not quarrel with Agassi, but showed a wry smile, "As you know, as soon as the clay court season comes, I start to have a headache."
As we all know, Sampras has a shortcoming on clay, the biggest shortcoming in his career. He is a typical grass-court player, because the serve and the net were born for grass from the beginning. Before Federer shined in the tennis world, Sampras
Lars is the undisputed king of grass at Wimbledon.
Agassi shook his head slightly, feeling helpless and said, "You have a psychological shadow."
Sampras did not deny it, "Indeed. When I stood on the clay, my subconscious told myself that I lacked a little competitiveness."
If you don't believe that you can win, then the game will be very, very difficult indeed.
As mentioned before, clay and grass courts are difficult to maintain. They not only require professional knowledge, but are also expensive. For commercial promotion, they are obviously not the first choice. Therefore, there are more and more hard courts on the professional tour, with clay and grass courts
The living space is further squeezed.
It is precisely because of this that the younger generation born after 1990 and 1995 basically grew up on hard surfaces, and they instinctively reject red soil and grass.
The only exception is Europe.
The main courts in Spain, France, Italy, Germany and other countries and regions are still dominated by clay. Naturally, the new generation of clay court masters are generally from Europe; while the hard court masters in the United States, Australia and other countries and regions are generally lame.
As soon as they hit the red soil, they'll be kidnapped.
Alexander-Bublik, who was born in 1997 and represented Kazakhstan, is very typical.
In fact, he is a strange player. Although he has a strong serve and a strong forehand, his tactics are very weird and he can perform well even on clay.
However, in the first round of Monte Carlo Station in 2022, Bublik said after defeating Wawrinka, who had returned from injury after a year, in three hard sets.
"I don't deserve to win this game because I did nothing on the court; moreover, I hate clay soil, I hate it to my core."
Then in the second round, without any injuries, Bublik simply quit the match because he was tired of the back-and-forth bottom line in clay court matches, so much so that the media gave him a nickname.
"Alexander - 'I hate clay' - Bublik".
If Sampras had heard Bublik's remarks, he would have burst into tears in agreement.
"well……"
Sampras sighed softly, with some worry in his eyes.
"I'm worried that my mood and attitude may affect Gawain."
"Andre, Gao Wen has not played any official clay court matches so far. From college to professional arena, he has always played on hard courts. He is obviously used to the mode and rhythm of hard courts. If he goes to clay courts and does not start
A good start, but for young people, the blow is very scary."
"Once he has the slightest idea of resisting clay, it may change his entire career."
"This is what I don't want to see."
Sampras was serious and did not hide his deep concerns.