Match point

Bob Bryan, as the defending doubles champion of the ATP Year-End Finals, also came to London successfully this year and went to the O2 Arena to defend his title.

However, a little unexpectedly, I saw Bob at this time; and he appeared in the corridor holding a pillow, as if he was sleepwalking.

Gawain had just called out and already regretted it. If he was sleepwalking, couldn't he wake him up?

Fortunately, Bob stopped, turned around, and noticed Gawain's figure. The smile on his lips rose, "How did you recognize him?"

Bob gestured to his empty neck, "I'm not wearing a necklace."

Gawain exhaled a long breath, "Fortunately you are not sleepwalking."

Bob:? ? ?
Gawain waved his hand and said with a smile, "You and Mike are completely different, okay? If you still can't recognize him now, what kind of friend am I?"

Bob spread his hands. "Then we'll have almost no friends on tour."

A little self-deprecation made the two of them laugh.

then.

"Can't sleep?"

"You haven't rested yet?"

Speaking in unison, although the words were different, the meaning expressed was the same, and the two people chuckled again.

Gawain briefly explained, "I just played a game with Gregor for a while and are getting ready to take a rest. What about you? You look just like Peter Pan."

Bob looked down at his pajamas and put his right index finger on his lips, "Shh, don't tell anyone, otherwise it will be more troublesome for Mike and I to keep silent."

"Haha." Gawain laughed directly.

Bob did not continue joking, but looked around, as if he was looking for something. Without waiting for Gawain to ask, Bob sat down cross-legged against the wall in the corridor. Although the smile at the corner of his mouth did not completely disappear, there was a smile between his eyebrows. His expression gradually showed a hint of loneliness.

This is somewhat unusual.

Usually, Mike is the calm one, and Bob is always the one who likes to mess around.

Bob also knew that his movements were abnormal. He raised his head and smiled at Gawain, "It's okay, it's just that the room is stuffy. I need to calm down. God, Mike's snoring in the next room is almost breaking the wall."

"You'd better keep a little distance, it's a destructive weapon of indiscriminate attack."

In fact, the last sentence meant that Gawain should go back and rest, but Gawain thought about it, came diagonally opposite Bob, and sat down against the wall.

"What, can't sleep?"

Once, Gao Wen thought that like the Big Four, who have experienced hundreds of battles, and like the Bryan brothers, they have long been accustomed to all kinds of scenes, and once again set foot on the Grand Slam finals stage or the year-end finals battlefield, those Their rich experience ensures their composure.

No nervousness, no fear, no anxiety, just face everything calmly.

However, after actually experiencing it, I realized that the reality is not like this.

They are all ordinary people, they are all flesh and blood. Even if they reach the Grand Slam finals for the 20th time, the mood of nervousness and excitement is still the same; what's more, in the long journey of their careers, they have faced many challenges at different times. Different challenges have different physical and mental levels. Each event is in a different state, and naturally the mentality is often different.

The bottom line is that every game is different.

So, even the Bryan brothers might lose sleep before a big game.

This year, the men's doubles arena is also turbulent, and the dominance of the Bryan brothers has endured unprecedented challenges and impacts——

In the four Grand Slams, the Bryan brothers only reached the final at Roland Garros and finished second. This was also their worst performance in the entire decade. The record of winning the Grand Slam championship for ten consecutive years since 2005 was officially ended. At the end of the day, everything started to look different.

Coming to the year-end finals this time, the Bryan brothers are still the top seeds, but they have a mission: if they cannot defend their title, they will lose their year-end world number one ranking for the first time since 2003.

Pressure, unprecedented.

In fact, their performance did struggle a bit. After losing the first game, they were pushed into a desperate situation; standing in the predicament, they still found their form and won the next two group matches in a row, ranking first in the group. Second qualifying, the real test starts from the next game.

In the semi-finals, the Bryan brothers are about to face the combination of Jean-Julien-Rojer and Horia-Tecau, the top players in another group. This is a life and death battle. , only by winning can they continue their hope of defending the number one spot in the world at the end of the year.

What if you lose?

Jean-Julien Lucha and Hollia Dicao will interrupt the Bryan brothers' ten-year streak of being ranked No. [-] in the world at the end of the year and become this year's No. [-] in the world.

This year’s ATP Year-End Finals is indeed a lot to watch——

On one side, Gao Wen and Djokovic will compete for the year-end world No. [-] singles ranking.

On the other hand, the competition for the world's number one doubles title at the end of the year is also fierce.

The slight difference is that the Bryan brothers and Djokovic are in the same position. Gawain is preparing to challenge Djokovic, while the Bryan brothers need to defend their glory, but now, Bob Bryan Face to face with Gawain to discuss the final battle that will take place tomorrow.

Bob looked up at Gawain and showed a bitter smile, "Yeah. I can't stop thinking."

A simple sentence, but it contains so much.

Gawain thought for a moment, and Bob actually understood those chicken soup for the soul and life principles. They were older than Gawain and more experienced than Gawain. What they needed was not just a bunch of big principles and pretending to be just a few is better, because Life is often like this -

We understand all the truth, but still have a hard time.

So, "Are you afraid?" Gawain asked.

Bob opened his mouth to deny it, but stopped when the words reached his mouth, chewed them carefully, and thought about it seriously, "Yeah."

Bob said.

After admitting it, Bob raised the corner of his mouth slightly, feeling helpless, "It's not that I'm afraid of losing, but that I'm afraid... To be honest, I don't know what I'm afraid of. Maybe, I'm just afraid of losing, haha. "

The last laugh is full of self-deprecating bitterness and loss.

Gawain did not speculate or assert easily. Obviously, Bob also had his own difficulties. All he could do now was play the role of a friend and listen.

Sure enough, Bob glanced at Gawain and seemed to be talking to himself, but also seemed to be pouring out his words.

"I'm not feeling well."

No excuses and no evasions, it’s just the truth.

"Actually, Mike is still in very good condition, very good. He is still at his peak, but I...I am gradually losing my ability."

"On the one hand, the body started to protest. Although there was no serious injury, I knew that my body was protesting and the training could no longer keep up."

"On the other hand, I just wasn't sure what I was chasing, and game after game after game after game, I couldn't see what was ahead of me."

"I don't know. Haha, I'm sorry, I'm just gibbering and I don't know what I'm talking about."

Bob glanced at Gawain a little embarrassedly, he was still not used to this.

Then I saw Gawain shrugging slightly, with a cautious expression on his face, "Maybe... a mid-life crisis?"