Match point

Chapter 34 Special Links
In July of this year, Sharapova ended the entire season early due to injury, and has been recuperating since then, preparing for the comeback of the new season.

This time I agreed to the invitation of the US Tennis Association to appear in a charity exhibition match against Venus, to some extent also to test my recovery from injuries.

After all, this is an exhibition match, and the impact of winning or losing is almost zero, and it is naturally great to be able to face a master like Venus.

It is precisely because of this that Gao Wen believes that Venus may have a slightly better chance of winning, and Sharapova still needs a little time to find the rhythm and feel.

But Macdonald is still slightly reserved.

"Sharapova's game style is to be strong to the end. No matter whether her state is good or not, she just swings her racket wide open and close, even if she makes mistakes. Momentum is very important to her. She can't Because the exhibition match is relaxed, I think her chances of winning may be greater."

"Venus may have some reservations because of the exhibition game, and is relatively relaxed?"

"Yes, it is like that."

Gawain raised his chin lightly, neither agreed nor objected, exhibition match, anything is possible; but no matter what, it is a competition, you still need to compete to know the result.

"Ah, by the way, there is also a fan training session today. How about it? Are you interested?"

"Who are you training with?"

"I don't know, there should be all of them, 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'm going to raise my hand to sign up, ha!"

Fan sparring is a reserved event for charity exhibition games. It is a fixed part of almost all charity events. The content is very simple. It is to invite fans to come on stage and win the chance to play on the same court with top superstars.

For example, invite two spectators to appear on the stage, partner with professional male players and female players respectively, stand across the net, and play a mixed doubles match.

For another example, invite a spectator to come on stage and have 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 side with a higher chance of winning, let alone ordinary spectators?

It is precisely because of this that the audience often go all out, but the professional players take it easy, and may even deliberately create some funny scenes. It is not so much a "confrontation", it is better to say that it is an experiential teaching, just like parents and children. Same as 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 forehand strength?What about the impact of the high-pressure ball?
Because sitting in front of the TV and watching the game, it is difficult to really feel the pressure of speed, power and spin, and it is easy to have a false feeling, "That shot is too easy, I can catch it"; After the opportunity, they also want to feel it for themselves.

Then, professional players will naturally show professional standards to satisfy the curiosity of the audience.

and many more!

Gao Wen came up with a bold idea:

If you can start a practice match with professional players and go all out, does this mean that your growth potential will usher in an explosive growth?
……

Ahhhhh!
Ahhhhh!
Screams, roars, and cheers filled the audience, and the bursts of thunder showed a rising momentum. You could clearly feel the boiling of the air, and the bustling and raging crowd continued to jump, and each of them stood on tiptoe to look out , trying to see the superstar up close.

For Gao Wen, there is no such trouble. His outstanding height easily stands out from the crowd, and his vision is very broad.

Players are entering the arena, and the first to appear in front of the fans are two male players.

Compared with Sharapova and Venus, the two top superstars, the two male players in this charity exhibition match are obviously much inferior.

But still not to be underestimated.

Milos Raonic, a Canadian player, is 23 years old this year. He turned into a professional game in 2008. He has already started to achieve results as early as 2011. In just three years, he has entered the Grand Slam four times. The top six, and ushered in an explosion this summer, breaking into the final of the Masters, the highest level of the tour for the first time.

Currently, he is ranked No.11 in the world and is continuing to set the highest ranking in his career. He is undoubtedly the leader of "young players born after 1990".

It is worth mentioning that Raonic was born in a family of high intellectuals, his father was a senior engineer, and his uncle once served as the deputy prime minister 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 can be regarded as half of the home court. His appearance won whistles and cheers from the fans at the scene, which made him a little shy, bowing his head and showing a smile.

Nick Kyrgios, an Australian player, was born in 1995. He is the same age as Gao Wen and McDonald, but his physical talent is outstanding. After winning the Australian Open Junior Championship at the beginning of this year, he turned professional directly, appearing like a comet in public.

Many professionals believe that Kyrgios is a rare tennis genius in 20 years. His explosiveness, balance, coordination, strength, speed and touch are all top-notch. If he only talks about physical conditions, he is even stronger than Federer. Excellent, definitely a strong successor for the next champion.

Kyrgios also lived up to his talent, entered the Grand Slam twice, and won the first Grand Slam victory of his career at the French Open.

When he turned professional at the beginning of the year, he was unranked, but by the end of the season, his world ranking had soared to No. 182.

For other players, Kyrgios can easily accomplish things that may not be possible with countless sweats, even with ease.

Genius is indeed a genius, but it is precisely this dazzling talent that makes Kyrgios proud of his talent, and no one can put him in his eyes—maybe, Roger Federer is the only exception, because Federer is his idol, It is also the only object he respects in the tennis court.

Hot-tempered, perverse, outspoken, defiant, troublemaker, and despite only being professional for a year, his reputation as a "bad boy" has spread like wildfire.

No, he has just debuted, and the audience is warmly welcoming Raonic’s name. Whether it is half of the home court or the current world ranking, Raonic deserves such treatment, but Kyrgios feels angry It didn't go well, and seeing that no one in the audience called out his name, his temper came up.

Quietly, Kyrgios put up his middle finger behind his back, and walked into the court swaggeringly. If it wasn't for the sake of the charity exhibition, I am afraid that this middle finger would have been raised high. Looking at the expression on Kyrgios' face With a smile, he also seemed very proud, and praised his "low-key".

Then, among the crowd, Kyrgios saw Gawain at a glance, and their eyes collided.

(End of this chapter)