The thoughts in Macdonald's head were bustling and surging, and there were mixed feelings for a moment, and countless thoughts were tightly entangled.

"Gao Wen, are you serious?" He stammered and choked out such a sentence.

Gawain showed eight neat teeth, and said with a half-smile, "No, I was just joking."

Macdonald nodded repeatedly with an "ohhhhhhh".

Gao Wen rolled his eyes speechlessly, "Of course I'm serious, how could I joke about such a thing."

McDonald scratched his head foolishly, "Yes."

Gao Wen's face was full of helplessness, but the corner of his mouth still slightly raised a smile. Looking at the golden sun-drenched stadium in front of him, he felt a little emotional.

"Mike, time really flies, right? In the blink of an eye, a year has passed like this."

"At this time last year, we were still in a hurry because we were preparing to participate in the Challenger League. One or two were very excited, imagining the celebration after winning the championship, and worrying about losing the first round. Everyone was imagining what the world of professional tennis would look like."

With a few words, Macdonald's memory was awakened, thinking of the innocence at that time, as if it was a lifetime ago, he couldn't help laughing.

"In retrospect, Flushing is like a gorgeous and gorgeous dream, so beautiful that it doesn't feel real, and all the bubbles will disappear when you poke lightly."

"Stress, stress."

"Mike."

Macdonald turned his head to look at Gawain, although he talked about pressure, but in fact Gawain stretched his waist, his face relaxed and freehand, and the inconsistency between words and deeds made Macdonald chuckle.

"I'm serious about stress."

"One year has passed, which also means that I am no longer a rookie, but a sophomore, and people's expectations and concerns have quietly changed."

"The first year, for better or for worse, people are more forgiving, and even if it's not as good as it should be, they're going to say, well, for a rookie on tour, or a miracle for a nineteen-year-old."

"But this aura will slowly disappear as we enter the second and third years."

"It's not just young rookies? Even after playing in professional tennis for many years, players still have to face the dilemma of high expectations and high pressure."

"So, defending the title is always harder than winning it."

"You should know Flushing's records, right?"

Macdonald could see the mockery in Gawain's eyes, with a kind of cynical banter.

But he knew that this was just a gesture, and the weight of the words themselves was the point—

It has been seven years since now, and no one has been able to defend the men's singles championship in Flushing.

The last time he defended his title was Federer in 2008. From 2004 to 2008, Federer completed five consecutive titles in Flushing.

However, after that, Del Potro, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Nadal, Gawain, the champions change every year.

This year, the heavy responsibility of defending the title rests heavily on Gao Wen's shoulders.

"And it's not just Flushing."

"The rookie window left for me is the last one and a half months left. Next, I need to face the same pressure as all players in the tour to protect points. The difference in performance in one event may be compared with my previous year. Contrast, and continue throughout the year."

"Accurately, from now on, this is real professional tennis."

A familiar yet new world.

Although Gawain didn't say it clearly, MacDonald understood it immediately—

"The Battle for Number One in the World".

Throughout the entire clay court season and grass court season, everyone is discussing whether Gao Wen can overtake Djokovic to become the world's number one.

Especially because Gao Wen didn't have any pressure to keep his score, and everywhere he looked was room for a score increase, which also made the media even more excited and excited.

But in the end, everyone already knew—

Djokovic defended the world No. 1 with unparalleled performance, and drew a comma with the Wimbledon champion, preparing for the next bayonet battle for the world No. 1.

As Gao Wen said, there is not much "window" left for him now, which is just the US Open series.

Waiting for the restart of the battle in Flushing, the whole situation and pressure will be completely different. As the defending champion, Gao Wen has a full 2,000 points to protect.

No pressure?

That is impossible.

The problem is that MacDonald understands the truth, but he has never experienced it himself. He has never faced or experienced that kind of pressure siege. He only relies on his own imagination. Everything is just on paper. After all, he still cannot truly feel Gawain's current situation.

Therefore, MacDonald still hesitated.

Gao Wen didn't seem to notice it, and continued talking.

"Mike, I'm ready, can you believe it? I can't wait to meet the challenge.".

Gawain's understated tone was full of uncontrollable joy, and Macdonald couldn't help but chuckled. He believed that this was Gawain.

"But, I need some help, a little help, otherwise, why do you think I came back?"

Macdonald froze for a moment, showing suspicion: Gawain came here specifically to find a batting partner?

How can it be!

"Oh. I came back to see the coach and prepare for the next series." Gawain seemed to be able to read the suspicion in his friend's eyes, and admitted, "As for the invitation, it's purely because someone cares too much about winning or losing, so I think maybe he should go out and have a look."

Macdonald's cheeks were slightly hot, and he knew what was going on at once.

slap.

Gawain patted Macdonald's shoulder, he turned his head reflexively and saw Gawain's expectant smiling face.

"Mike, remember when we first started playing tennis?"

"champion?"

"Of course, that's a very, very important part, but when I grew up, I realized that there is only one champion, and countless players have spent their entire lives without a way to reach the ATP finals, but they are still fighting hard."

"Actually, it's all about bonuses."

This turn of events made McDonald feel helpless.

A smile appeared in Gao Wen's eyes.

"In addition to bonuses, there is also a fighting spirit to constantly challenge oneself to challenge the limit."

"Michael has also started to enter the challenge competition again. UU Reading www.uukanshu.com I cheer for him. I think you should try it too and challenge your limits."

"Maybe, this is not as important as the championship, but it is rarer than the championship."

The words ended here, and Gawain did not continue—

As for whether McDonald would like to be his batting partner, Gao Wen left it to his friend to choose.

He believes that no matter how he chooses, McDonald will eventually find his own answer.

Maybe, inviting Macdonald to be his batting partner is a kind of help, but at the same time, there is also Gawain's own selfishness, and the words just now are all true——

The pressure is everywhere. Before entering the second season of his career, he embarked on the journey to Flushing as a defending champion. He also needs to awaken his original intention. Therefore, if McDonald is willing to accompany him to hit the ball and move forward together, turn back time and return to the place where it all started...

For Gao Wen, this is a good thing.