The charm of tennis, which is often associated with "elegance", stems largely from the ubiquitous sense of ritual in the game. From the focused preparation posture before serving, to the tense punch swing celebration after scoring, to the meticulous requirements for game attire, every detail embodies the norms and demeanor unique to the sport. Even when the players walked to their seats during the break, there were snow-white towels and neatly placed water bottles waiting aside - He Yixun from Huafa Co., Ltd. was one of the important guardians of this pre-game ceremony.

20 minutes to achieve "seamless switching" of the venue

Guard the tennis ceremony

Before the start of the competition, the staff of the venue service need to be fully prepared for the upcoming competition. Before the game, He Yixun will bring volunteers to the field, in addition to counting the items on the field one by one, he also needs to carefully adjust their positions. In tennis, the stacking of towels, the orientation of mineral water labels, and the position of shelves are all exquisite, all so that players can use what they need in the fastest and most convenient way in the fierce game.

"The process and results of the game don't make me particularly nervous, and I care more about whether the games are smoothly connected."

After each game, He Yixun and volunteers have to go on the field to recycle old balls and dirty towels after the game, clean up the garbage on the table, and place the materials needed by the referee and players for the next game, so as to ensure the smooth progress of the game. In order to ensure the hygiene and health of the players, he will also carefully clean the players' seats with alcohol and wipe off the remaining sweat stains on them.

There are usually only 20 minutes or even less preparation time between tennis matches, and in this short 20 minutes, it is necessary to complete the post-match closing and pre-match arrangements, which usually makes He Yixun feel a lot of pressure, He Yixun said: "What makes me most nervous is before the start of the game and near the end", as the person in charge, the focus he needs to pay attention to is not who loses and who wins, but whether the preparation for the next game can be completed quickly and efficiently, in every tennis event, the most he said was: "This set is over, you can go to the door to prepare to play", like the players, He Yixun and his volunteers also have to play, he said: "Behind the event is full of many people who are silently dedicated, and I can appear behind the athletes to work and be seen, which is a very lucky thing." ”

Dry the site 20 minutes after rain

Keep the rhythm of the event

Talking about the most challenging thing in his job, He Yixun said: "I think the biggest challenge in the venue is to quickly resume the game after the rain. "Behind the smooth progress of tennis events, it is inseparable from a group of support personnel who silently respond to emergencies. For them, drying the site in wind and rain weather is undoubtedly a huge test of physical strength, efficiency and teamwork. Whenever a storm hits and interrupts the game, the venue team he leads must react quickly and restore the usable state of the venue in the shortest possible time.

(Photographed in the tennis test match of the 15th National Games)

Once it rains and the game is interrupted, He Yixun needs to immediately organize manpower to coordinate equipment such as water pushers, large hair dryers and professional dryers to enter the venue. They must not only quickly remove the stagnant water in the gap between the rain, but also deal with the repetitive work that may be brought about by repeated weather, and their spirit must be highly concentrated. In this process, he should also reasonably allocate volunteer tasks to ensure the orderly connection of wiping, moisture absorption, drying and other links.

In a high-level event like the National Games, the resumption of the game is only allowed to be less than 20 minutes, and the team must complete cleaning, drying and rearranging in this extremely short time, which can be imagined. The referee of the test match once praised the staff of the Hengqin International Tennis Center as "a very professional team and a very effective and fast drying method", and behind this is the result of the efficient cooperation of staff like He Yixun.

He carried the pressure of 11 games

Overnight to make up for the shortcomings of the full spectator's position

"When 11 venues are being played at the same time and we have to ensure that each one receives a high level of event service, it is undoubtedly a very challenging task for our entire team." He Yixun recalled, "I did feel a lot of pressure in my heart at that time when I learned that the highest peak needed to ensure the operation of the competition in 11 venues at the same time." The day before the start of the game, the chief referee pointed out when inspecting the venue that some spectator areas did not reserve special seats for the players' accompanying personnel as required, and there were no seats for the players to watch the game in the windproof area around the venue. He immediately led the staff to rectify overnight to ensure that all areas were adjusted in place before the game.

40 steps of growth answer sheet

From spectator to event supporter

"I love tennis myself, and it was a great honor to have the opportunity to participate in a professional tournament at that time." In 2023, He Yixun, who is still a college student and tennis enthusiast, joined the Zhuhai Tennis Championships as a spectator service volunteer. At that time, he was in contact with the competition for the first time, guiding the audience to take a seat, maintaining the order of the game, and silently contributing his love for tennis. Two years later, he has moved from the sidelines to the core of the arena, participating in the key links of the operation of the game as the person in charge, and completing the transformation from spectator to event supporter.

From the audience area on the second floor to the core, from the volunteer to the person in charge, the distance between the audience entrance and the center of the arena is only 40 steps, but He Yixun has walked for two years. The position has changed, the role has changed, and what has remained unchanged is his love for tennis.