Match point

Chapter 982 Psychological Shadows
Indian Wells and Miami.

The two masters, one in front and one in the back, are closely connected. They are located in North America and live next to each other. It is also a two-week event with the 96 lottery, and it is also sunny and spring-like all year round.

It is precisely because of this that the two races also won the reputation of "Sunshine Double Crown".

Someone once said that the two events are closely linked, and they competed continuously for four weeks.

In a way, yes.

As of 2015, only nine players have accomplished such a feat, seven men and two women.

The male players are Chang 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 female players are Graf and Clijsters.

Of course, later, Azarenka and Svyatke also successfully completed such a feat in 2016 and 2022 respectively, joining the ranks of their predecessors.

Wait, what about Nadal and Serena Williams?
Nadal, who has always lacked a little bit of luck in Miami, has entered the final five times, lost to Federer and Djokovic twice, lost to Davydenko once, and has never been able to reach the top. After 2017, because For various reasons, he never participated in this event again.

Serena Williams, in 2001, the future queen of the early career, encountered very serious racial discrimination on the final stage of Indian Wells. Facing the maliciousness of the audience, she swore that she would never come here to compete. Therefore, a promise was maintained for 14 years.

In other words, during Serena Williams' peak period, she never participated in the Indian Wells game, and 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 off-court reasons such as injuries and pregnancy, Serena Williams has never been able to win the championship in the past five years.

Therefore, even Nadal and Serena Williams have always missed the "Sunshine Double Crown" regrettably. Looking at the list of the few who have achieved such results, it is understandable why people think that the "Sunshine Double Crown" may be better than the Grand Slam. It will be even more difficult.

and so--

The high point of January is Melbourne Park.

The climax of March is the "Sunshine Double Crown".

Such a statement is not an exaggeration. Strictly speaking, it is completely in line with reality.

Professional players, regardless of men or women, basically make their own schedule around these three competitions. Everyone hopes to be on the stage of these competitions and participate in the highest level of competition.

Gao Wen was no exception.

Now, they are preparing for Indian Wells and Miami.

Before going to North America, Gao Wen will take the lead in participating in the Dubai competition. Like Doha, the Middle East competition is rich and powerful, and the lineup this year is still luxurious.

For Gao Wen, this is good news, because it also means that he can once again compete with the masters and complete 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.

In the first stage, the red clay centered on the French Open.

In the second stage, the grass field centered on Wimbledon.

From April to June, the other side of tennis gradually reveals its unique charm, from the grass-growing warblers to floating melons and sinking plums, from the flying sand to the overflowing greenery.

It takes time for any player to switch from one venue to another, even the Big Four.

And it was even more so for Gao Wen.

Seeing Sampras' worried expression, Agassi became serious again unconsciously, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly instead.

"With your expression, people who don't know would think you ate lemons raw."

Rarely, Sampras did not quarrel with Agassi, showing a wry smile, "You also know that when the clay court season comes, I start to have a headache."

As we all know, Sampras's clay court is short board, the biggest short board in his career, he is a typical grass court player, because serve and surfing was born for grass court from the beginning, before Federer shined in the tennis world, Sampras Russ is the well-deserved king of grass at Wimbledon.

Agassi shook his head slightly, feeling a little helpless, "You are already under psychological shadow."

Sampras did not deny, "Indeed. When I was standing on clay, my subconscious told myself that I lacked a little competitiveness."

If you don't believe that you can win, then the game is really, really difficult.

As mentioned before, clay courts and grass courts are difficult to maintain, not only require professional knowledge, but are also expensive. For commercial promotion, they are obviously not the first choice. Therefore, in professional tours, there are more and more hard courts, clay courts 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 clay and grass.

Only Europe is an exception.

The main courts in Spain, France, Italy, Germany and other countries and regions are still dominated by clay courts. Naturally, the new generation of clay court masters generally come from Europe; while the hard court masters in the United States, Australia and other countries and regions are generally lame. As soon as you get to the red soil, you will fight abduction.

Alexander-Bublik, who was born in 1997 and played for Kazakhstan, is very typical.

In fact, he is a strange golfer. Although he has a strong serve and a strong forehand, his tactical routine is very strange, and he can perform well even on clay.

However, in the first round of the Monte Carlo station in 2022, Bublik defeated Wawrinka, who had returned from injury after a year, and said,

"I didn't deserve this win because I didn't do anything on the court; and, I hate clay, the way I hate it."

Immediately after the second round, Bublik, without injury, simply withdrew from the match because he was tired of seeing the bottom line back and forth in the clay court match, so that the media gave him a nickname.

"Alexander - 'I Hate Clay' - Bublik".

Had Sampras heard Bublik's remarks, he would have agreed with tears in his eyes.

"Ugh……"

Sampras sighed softly, with some worry in his eyes.

"I'm worried that my emotions and attitude may affect Gao Wen."

"Andre, Gao Wen has not played any official clay court games so far. He has always played on hard courts from college to professional arenas. He is obviously used to the pattern and rhythm of hard courts. A good head, and a blow to a young man is terrible."

"Once he has the slightest thought of resisting clay, it may change his entire career."

"That's what I don't want to see."

Sampras was earnest and made no secret of his deep concern.

(End of this chapter)