As of now, the LPL Summer 2023 tournament has completed its first week of matches. Meanwhile, the LCS is hanging by a thread as the strike situation remains tense. However, all eyes are on LCK, as this region also needs to organize soon in preparation for the ASIAD and the World Championship (Worlds) 2023.
In just a few days, the LCK Summer 2023 will also commence. During the Media Day before the tournament, teams had the chance to interact with the media and fans, as well as share their predictions for the upcoming tournament results. Accordingly, T1 remains the most highly rated team. Following T1 is DPlus KIA (DK), while the reigning champions Gen.G received only one vote to retain their title in this tournament.
But according to T1’s ADC Gumayusi, he is currently feeling a lot of pressure. Recently, on a livestream, Gumayusi shared about his journey thus far, as well as that of the T1 team. He stated: “It’s hard to control my thoughts. It feels like I want to do well, but every time I resolve to do so, it comes with pressure. I don’t like feeling pressured but it’s hard to take those thoughts out of my head. I don’t talk much with my teammates. It’s a bit hard for me to open up to them. But if I say it on stream like this, I guess everyone will know. It’s just a bit difficult to say it directly.”
Through Gumayusi’s sharing, many viewers expressed concern for T1. It is evident that “T1 must win” serves both as motivation and as a heavy burden on the players’ shoulders. Moreover, continuous failures have led the T1 stars to increasingly lose confidence before important matches. The mistakes of Zeus, Oner, and even Faker are outcomes of these invisible pressures. And these mistakes have caused T1 to repeatedly fail in recent tournaments.
In the upcoming Summer 2023 and further into Worlds 2023, T1 has no way back. As Gumayusi himself shared, the upcoming Worlds could be the last chance for the current T1 roster. The pressure will be even heavier, and the concerns of the fans are entirely justified.