Match point

Chapter 1231 Constant Challenge
Today, in the second round of the men's doubles at the Monte Carlo Masters, the combination of Gao Wen and Dimitrov will challenge the top seed Bryan Brothers.

There is no doubt that this is the most noteworthy doubles match today. Although it did not enter the center court, it was also arranged on the No. [-] court.

It has been mentioned more than once before that 2014 was a year of intense turmoil in the professional tennis world. Both men’s singles and women’s singles fluctuated, but in the end, Djokovic and Serena Williams both defended their No. [-] positions in the world. , but the impact of the challenger is still clearly visible.

In fact, the same is true for men's doubles. The Bryan brothers' world No. [-] throne is undergoing an unprecedented test, and the doubles field is also surging.

Of course, in the end, the Bryan brothers also held the position of world No. [-] with the posture of reaching the top of the year-end finals, drawing a perfect ending.

However, entering the new season, this turbulence has not disappeared, but has intensified——

In the women's singles, Serena Williams and Sharapova are still strong and will meet in the Australian Open final; in the men's singles, Djokovic is under the full impact of Gawain.

So what about men's doubles?

The dynasty of the Bryan brothers is under attack from all directions.

They are 37 years old this year, and their physical strength and energy have fluctuated significantly. Although the professional vitality of the doubles game can be slightly extended, the shackles of age in competitive sports have always existed objectively. Naturally, the dominance of the Bryan brothers has also been significantly loosened.

Auckland, upset in the first round; Australian Open, stop sixteen; Dubai, stop eight.

In the first half of the year, the Bryan brothers only won the only championship in the 250-point event at Delray Beach, creating the worst start in ten years, and the world ranking advantage is being severely eroded.

It was not until the "Sunshine Double Crown", the North American back garden of the Bryan brothers, that they regained some touch, but it was still unsatisfactory.

In Indian Wells, the Bryan brothers stopped in the quarter-finals and lost to the US-Canada combination of Sock and Pospihill.

In Miami, the Bryan brothers made a strong comeback, entered the final, and defeated Sock and Pospisil to complete their revenge. They won the second championship of the season and also the No.30 three Masters men's doubles championship trophies.

Originally thought that the state had finally returned to the right track, but in the next clay court season, the Bryan brothers suffered another blow. Houston was eliminated in the first game and lost to a partner combination that was ranked outside the world's [-]th. It can be seen from all aspects that their dominance is growing. Withstand impact in all directions.

Of course, the weakest dominance of the Bryan brothers has always been the clay court——

Don't forget, they are also players from the typical North American training system. They are the same in singles and doubles. They are not acclimatized in the clay court.

In their careers, as of 2015, the Bryan brothers have won 33 Grand Slam titles and [-] Masters titles, but only two of them at the French Open and only ten at the Clay Masters. Come out, they are typical hard court masters.

However, Monte Carlo can be regarded as the blessed land of the Bryan brothers. They have won three championships here in the past four years, and it is definitely one of their best clay courts.

This year, their state continues to fluctuate, their bodies continue to be tested, and clay is precisely their weakness. So far, they have not been able to win any clay games.

Therefore, they are more eager than ever and need to regain their form in Monte Carlo to prepare for the next clay court season.

However, judging from the draw, they are not very lucky--

As the number one seed, he had a bye in the first round, and then... in the second round, he encountered the combination of Gao Wen and Dimitrov.

Obviously, the Bryan Brothers need more clay-court events to complete their warm-up, but a doubles combination with outstanding personal abilities like Gao Wen and Dimitrov is definitely not the best warm-up partner. To repeat, they need to cheer up.

At the same time, it was the same for Gao Wen and Dimitrov.

Dimitrov needs to get back to his form, and Gao Wen needs to adapt to the clay. They are not playing games in Monte Carlo, but going all out.

It can be imagined that Gao Wen was full of enthusiasm for challenging top players like the Bryan brothers, but this was not good news for the Bryan brothers.

But it is undeniable that, regardless of their status, the Bryan brothers are still the biggest stars in the doubles arena, and their box office appeal is comparable to that of Federer and Nadal in the singles field.

At the same time, it is conceivable that the market will be booming against two superstars, Gao Wen and Dimitrov, one of whom is a Monte Carlo resident.

then!

The game got the Court One treatment—

In the first three match days, the center court and the No. [-] court were always the venues for singles matches, especially in the second round, when the top eighth seeds appeared one after another. In order to ensure the box office, the organizing committee naturally put the two largest The stadium arranges the games of the top superstars, and the doubles can only be sidelined.

Until now.

This is currently the only doubles match that has entered Court No. [-], and we can feel the ardent expectation and enthusiasm of the Monte Carlo Organizing Committee from the side.

Although from the perspective of various factors off the court, this game is of great significance to the Bryan brothers. They need this victory to reverse the decline, but they have lived on the tour long enough, and they have been calm enough and wise enough to do it. When public and private are clearly distinguished, tennis matters are left on the court.

So, when they saw Gawain and Dimitrov in the player tunnel before the game, the Bryan brothers came forward to say hello without any hesitation, and even played a prank.

Mentality, completely relaxed, laughing, talking and laughing.

Dimitrov was originally a social expert. After going through the panic and confusion in the early stage of the prank, he quickly calmed down, shortened the distance, chatted and laughed with Bob, and the tension and apprehension before the game gradually settled down. , the player tunnel was filled with brisk laughter.

"brother……"

Mike approached Gawain with a slightly hesitant expression on his face, but he seemed to have made a decision in a blink of an eye.

"Do you know Vasek?"

Vasek?Vasek-Pospihir?
Gao Wen raised his eyebrows slightly, but did not answer, but waited patiently for Mike's next words.

Mike carefully considered his words.

"I'm not sure what happened, but we were at the gym just now and we met Vasek and Jack..."

That is, Pospihir and Thok.

This pair of "post-90s" young doubles team is rising rapidly. It is slightly different from other doubles teams who play guest games and warm up by the way. The two players focus on singles, but because of the fierce competition in professional tennis, they seem to have never been able to adapt to singles. The rhythm of the game, so they spend more time in the doubles arena to polish themselves, and then improve their strength and return to the singles arena.

In other words, it's not just about "warming up".

In a blink of an eye, Bospihir and Sock's doubles world rankings have both broken into the top ten. At the same time, their emergence in the singles arena is also rapid.

So, Mike mentioned these two players at this time, what happened?
(End of this chapter)