"It's a shame that we didn't win the gold medal, but like I said before, the silver medal is worth savoring, it doesn't taste good at first, but after a few days or weeks, you will feel that the silver medal is still very good."
Sitting in Roland · Garros's press room, when asked about the meaning and value of winning an Olympic tennis mixed doubles silver medal, Zhang Zhizhen touched the medal in his hand and gave a rather philosophical answer.
However, before the reporters on the scene could savor this passage, Wang Xinyu next to Zhang Zhizhen added, "(After tasting it) or it feels more pity." ”
Then, the scene erupted in laughter.
Wang Xinyu (left) and Zhang Zhizhen talk about winning the silver medal after the game
This is the real scene of 22-year-old Wang Xinyu and 27-year-old Zhang Zhizhen at the last press conference of the Paris Olympics, and the nearly half-hour Q&A session seemed to turn into a small talk between friends in the laughter. Although he complained that "we are not familiar with each other" in the post-match interview of the first game, four days have passed, and the "Zhenxin combination" in the mouth of the fans seems to have had some chemistry on and off the field.
I really didn't expect it
"After the last game, the coach of the national team chatted with us, and I realized that the probability of our pairing was smaller than I thought." When asked about the most memorable moment of this mixed doubles trip, Wang Xinyu revealed the story behind the success of her and Zhang Zhizhen's pairing, "At first, I thought the coaching staff would ask me first, after all, I play more doubles, but in fact, they asked Yuan Yue first, and then Yuan Yue happened to say that people were playing outside and couldn't come back, and then they called me and Zhang Shuai at the same time, and I answered the phone first, so I grabbed this opportunity." ”
Originally, Zhang Zhizhen and Zheng Qinwen partnered in the mixed doubles at the Paris Olympics, but after Zheng Qinwen withdrew from the mixed doubles due to too busy schedule and excessive consumption, the coaching staff could only quickly find a new partner for Zhang Zhizhen. Wang Xinyu revealed that in fact, after the game the day before the team, she thought that her clay season was over, so she threw away her clay shoes, "At that time, I only had a pair of hard shoes at hand, and then I wore them anyway and went to play."
Interestingly, for Zhang Zhizhen, his most memorable moment at the Paris Olympics was also the moment when he and Wang Xinyu officially started to partner.
"I know there are people who can fight me, my heart is settled. Then we won the first game and we were happier in that moment than when we won the next few games. Zhang Zhizhen admitted frankly after the game that he actually didn't have any expectations for this "Zhenxin combination" at first, "At the beginning, the team wanted to talk about the tactical arrangement, I said, what else did the tactical arrangement, it would be a good thing to be able to go up and finish this game." ”
Looking back on that debut, it was not easy, as they lost 3-6 in the first set against the Brazilians, but in the second set, they pulled one back 6-3 and eventually had the last laugh in the tie-break. And that victory became a prelude to them to rewrite the history of Chinese tennis Olympics.
Will Zhen Xin continue?
In 4 days, 4 games, the "Zhenxin Combination" all began to reverse after losing one set first. Especially in the final championship match, in fact, they only lasted 23 minutes in the first set and lost 2-6, but the two quickly found their form in the second set, from holding serve to completing the break, the two always smiled and communicated between matches, laughing and encouraging each other, sending a rather relaxed state to the outside world.
Of course, there will be times when they make mistakes and don't get along well – throughout the game, they hit 4 aces but also 4 double faults; The 31 unforced errors more than doubled the opponent's 14. But considering they reached the final of the Olympics in just four days together, it was already a surprise, not to mention that the provisional pair had already achieved the best mixed doubles result in Chinese tennis history in Olympic history.
"This mixed doubles is very meaningful to me because I can learn a lot of different things, including Wang Xinyu's attitude towards fans and spectators, which can be learned and improved." Zhang Zhizhen said that although the habits of the two sides are very different, they have produced good results in the cooperation, "There are many unexpected gains, and even more help for me to play doubles in the future."
Wang Xinyu also affirmed the important role of Zhang Zhizhen, "I think that whether it is on the serve or the bottom line, when there is such a strong partner, it can win us some easier points, for example, he has a lot of details on the serve that I can learn." ”
Just as Wang Xinyu was about to praise Zhang Zhizhen, Zhang Zhizhen suddenly interrupted his partner with a wicked smile, "Why do I always feel that you are talking about another thing, I always feel that you are a little bit of a knife in your smile." ”
After hearing this, Wang Xinyu also smiled, "Then I won't say it." Then, there was another burst of laughter. 4 days, for a new pair, they don't even have time to fully understand their partner's playing style and habits on the court, but this does not affect them to create more mixed doubles "possibilities" in the future, just like Zhang Zhizhen's expectations for the future, "The last silver medal will be a little regretful, we will save the regret for the next session to see if there is a chance to make up for it."
Source: The Paper