On October 5th, the penultimate event of the ATP year, the 1,000-point Masters, officially kicked off in Shanghai.

Every year, entering the Asian season means that the season competition is gradually coming to an end. After more than nine months of long professional competitions, the physical strength and energy of the players are facing severe tests, coupled with sudden injuries and unprepared The unexpected accident added more variables to the game.

In addition, the national team competitions, the men's Davis Cup and the women's Confederations Cup, also both ushered in the final stage at the end of the year, which also means that more schedules have been added in addition to regular competitions. More stringent requirements are put forward for the arrangement of the competition schedule, the adjustment of physical strength, the adjustment of the state, etc.—

As a result, many top big-name players had to miss the team competition, on the one hand to avoid injuries, and on the other hand because of their poor condition.

It is precisely because of this that the Shanghai Masters in the Asian season and the Paris Masters in the European indoor season, as the last two top events at the end of the year, are extremely unpopular.

Among the "Big Four", Nadal's "acclimatization" is particularly obvious. Due to his own style of play and injury problems, his performance at the end of the year has not been able to reach the best. Among all nine Masters, Magic City And Paris are two territories that Nadal has never been able to conquer.

And Nadal is not the only player facing the test of a long season. All players, including the other Big Three, are facing the same situation.

In fact, the players unions of ATP and WTA have met more than once to discuss and issue formal appeals, emphasizing that the season is too long, the competitions are too dense, and most importantly, there are too many mandatory competitions—

The so-called mandatory participation, the ATP Masters and the WTA Crown are official events that all players must participate in. Unless there is a formal injury certificate from a doctor, they must participate.

If you are absent, you will be punished with fines, warnings, and point deduction. The main reason for the event organization is to ensure the participation rate of players and the excitement of the game, as well as for the box office and ratings.

Even if it is not mandatory to participate in other competitions, because the world rankings are updated every week, the fierce competition is refreshed all the time, and these ranking data are also related to the players' qualifications and daily livelihoods, so that players who are in the middle of the world rankings I have to force myself to keep competing every week, falling into a vicious circle.

The players union hopes that the season will be shortened, the offseason will be extended, and players will be given more time to adjust and rest.

However, the commercial benefits brought about by the professionalization of tennis are so huge, and the interests behind them are intertwined; and the events are held all over the world, which is different from the football league, basketball league, and rugby league that are based in one country. Events may represent the economic planning of a city or even a country, and the difficulty of negotiation and negotiation will naturally increase—

For example, at present, the only ATP Masters in Asia is in Shanghai. So, don't other countries and regions be envious?

Countries including Singapore, Neon, Kimchi, etc. have been striving for the right to host the Masters; and Shanghai has been able to stick to the status of the Masters. In addition to the excellent quality of the event itself, there are countless invisible swords behind it.

Therefore, the schedule has never been shortened, not only not, but a certain number of events continue to increase every year, forming an entire huge system.

Naturally, the tests faced by the players in the Asian season and the European indoor season have not been able to be improved. Coupled with the influence of the "Grand Slam Syndrome", the upsets of the Imperial Capital Open and the Shanghai Masters will often be even worse. a bit more.

This year, is no exception.

In the first round, because the top eight seeds had a bye, the unpopular players were all relatively low-ranked players. It can't be called "shocking", but there are many topics.

"U.S. Open runner-up" Cilic lost to fellow Croatian Karlovic in the first round. After the U.S. Open, he participated in two events and only won one.

Compared with Gao Wen, the "Grand Slam Syndrome" is obviously more obvious in Cilic. Although he lost to Murray last week and Karlovic this week, strictly speaking, the two games are bayonet battles. , the game is very close; but the overall state and feel of the slip, there is still a world of difference.

In addition, players who can still see the shadow of Grand Slam syndrome in them include Kei Nishikori and Gulbis, but the situation is slightly different.

Kei Nishikori, who was only one step away from making history at the U.S. Open, worked very hard after leaving New York. He went to Malaysia and Neon to compete successively, and both reached the top in two low-level events. Came to Shanghai, but in the competition on a higher stage, the audience felt nothing. They lost in straight sets to American rookie Sock, who returned from injury, and were eliminated in the first round.

In terms of Gulbis, last week he was not able to perform at his best in the Imperial City, hastily "retired due to injury", and had a war of words with Gao Wen because of the injury, but obviously, the injury did not seem to have much impact , because two days later, he appeared in the singles arena of the Shanghai Masters.

It's a pity that, facing the "big soldier" Youzhny, who was also in poor condition and was eliminated in the first round of the US Open, Gulbis only scored five games in two sets and was swept out.

After the game, Gulbis ran the train full of mouths against Youzhny again, and broke out when reporters questioned whether Zhou Didu had "falsified his injury and retired from the game". The innocent Gawain became the target of Gulbis again , but this time Gao Wen refused to give any response, and just replied lightly:

"I have no interest in circus performances".

In addition, Isner and Fognini also joined the ranks of the first-round exit, and Robredo, who was not seeded but stable in the top 30 in the world, was also upset~www. lightnovelpub.net~ In the end, a total of eight seeded players played in the first round, but five were lost in a blink of an eye, and only three successfully passed the test. It really made people feel the cold wind.

However, amidst the unpopularity, it is undoubtedly good news that Wang Chuhan, a local Chinese player with a wild card, beat Fognini in straight sets. This also makes him the fourth player in history to win in Shanghai The local players with the ball joined Gao Wen's ranks to advance to the second round.

This young player, born in 1992, is currently ranked around 400 in the world and has not received any attention before. However, this time in the Shanghai Masters, all the first round matches have been completed. Of all the players, only Gao Wen and Wang Chuhan were left, and their eyes naturally gathered in a bustling crowd.

Moreover, Wang Chuhan's opponent in the second round is the qualifying player Malek-Jaziri (Malek-Jaziri), who is currently ranked 75th in the world, which also means that the possibility of Wang Chuhan continuing to be upset and advance is very high.

The news media immediately rushed into their hearts. If Gao Wen and Wang Chuhan advance to the third round hand in hand, that would be true! Maybe Huaxia Men's Tennis can really usher in more breakthroughs?