Chapter 1617: Unreserved
"Ah! Ahhhhh!"
Gawain clenched his fists, looked up to the sky and roared. At this moment, he had no reservations anymore, and all the suppressed emotions were released, just like a bloody god of war.
“Ah! Ahhhhh!”
Plan raised his clenched right fist high, without cheering or shouting, but just stared at the figure in the center of the court.
From falling behind at 2:5 to turning the game around at 7:5, relying solely on text reports or live scores, it is impossible to feel the ups and downs and twists and turns of the process. It was suffocating, crazy, and my heart was on the verge of exploding.
It is because of witnessing it with one's own eyes that the joy is so pure and so intense; it is also because of personal experience that the charm of competitive sports is so contagious, and one can deeply feel the burning enthusiasm on the scene.
This was the first time that Plan witnessed the entire game live.
Now, Plan finally understood Gawain's passion, his love, his devotion, his concentration, the energy that burst out from the depths of his soul, it was so real.
“Ah! Ahhhhh!”
Court No. 1, losing your mind.
Indeed, they did not get to see the tiebreak in the end, but the strong confrontation between the two players to save the set point was exciting enough, and the moment when the second serve ace saved the set point was even more exciting.
My scalp is tingling and my soul is leaving my body.
Who could refuse?
"Pah! Gawain!"
"Pah! Dimi!"
The whole audience was in an uproar.
Even during the break between sets, the audience's enthusiasm did not stop. They shouted the names of the two players and spontaneously played human waves.
They not only support Gawain or Dimitrov, they are looking forward to a more exciting match. Compared with a simple win or loss, a match that is deeply engraved in the memory is more exciting and nostalgic.
As of 2023, the 2008 Wimbledon final is still regarded as the "best in history" by countless experts and fans and goes down in history.
The continuation of the fateful off-court duel between Federer and Nadal, the meeting in the finals of Roland Garros and Wimbledon for three consecutive years, and the two players' completely different and opposing playing styles are all reasons.
In addition, the exciting game content in which the two players fought to the death and refused to give an inch is also very, very important. Even many years later, some of the incredible confrontations and collisions in the game are still talked about by fans.
Therefore, when people mention that epoch-making peak showdown again, they will firmly remember Nadal's victory, but they will not forget Federer's performance, which is the real excitement that transcends victory or defeat itself.
Victory is worth commemorating, but competition is more worth remembering than victory.
Now, the audience is looking forward to——
Perhaps, people do not expect Gawain and Dimitrov to be able to match the 2008 Wimbledon final; but who knows, maybe this is the first prelude to the epoch-making peak showdown of the new generation of youth storm.
Sure enough, the two players lived up to expectations.
The only question is Dimitrov. He was far ahead in the first set but then suffered a reversal. This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to him, and it also made people worry about Dimitrov's mental state.
Dimitrov has always been prone to failure in critical moments and strong confrontations. His performance under pressure is weak and lacks dominance and ruthlessness, which is also his psychological shackles; and now facing Gao Wen, his good friend, across the net, can he be ruthless? In competitive sports, friendship is of course an objective existence; however, when players step onto the court, they must remain calm and focus on the game.
To put it more seriously, you have to be cold-blooded and ruthless enough to be able to really take ruthless action. It may not be a life-and-death fight, but there is indeed only one winner.
So, can Dimitrov be ruthless? After the first set against Gao Wen, how much of his fighting spirit is left? In the second set, Dimitrov gave a perfect answer -
Unlike the first set, in the second set, it was Gao Wen who broke the serve first. After breaking the serve successfully in the fifth game, he entered the break with a "3:2" lead.
Almost all the audience believed that after getting into the state, Gawain had completely controlled the game, and Dimitrov might no longer have the blood and fighting spirit to continue fighting.
However, Dimitrov, who was in a backward situation, once again showed his talent. He dared to fight and his inspiration appeared frequently in the next game. His mercurial attack was fully utilized on the grass court. It was obvious that Gao Wen still did not understand the grass enough.
Dimitrov displayed an unparalleled level in his smooth attack and counterattacks that turned defense into offense, and he made Gao Wen lose all his temper.
"Love-game", Dimitrov won four points in a row and broke Gao Wen's serve neatly, and the two sides returned to the same starting line.
Moreover, in the next game, which was Dimitrov's own serving game, he again won four points in a row to save his serve and regained the lead.
Win eight points in a row!
Although he was not as good as Gawain who won five consecutive games in the second half of the first set, Dimitrov's continuous offensive completely ignited his inner world and made Court No. 1 go crazy. The thunderous applause and cheers could not be stopped at all, and the spectators had all lost their minds.
It was not until his own serving game that Gao Wen scored a point with a forehand straight line, which ended Dimitrov's climax of winning ten points in a row.
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Moreover, in this game, Gao Wen fell behind at "15:40", and Dimitrov got two consecutive break points. It can be seen that in the middle of the second set, Dimitrov improved his condition and seized the opportunity of Gao Wen's extreme physical strength to launch a wave of continuous shock waves, showing the posture of a grass court master.
In the critical moment, Gawain once again demonstrated his abilities, on the one hand, his calmness and concentration, on the other hand, his diverse techniques and rich tactics. Although he is still adapting to the offensive system on grass, he can always find different ways to deal with these difficulties.
In the end, Gao Wen saved three break points and converted the first game point, avoiding the dilemma of losing three games in a row.
The significance of the thrilling serve was not to keep the score close, but to withstand Dimitrov's continuous attacks and return to a balance in the second set.
"4:4".
"5:5".
…
In the next two games, both Gawain and Dimitrov had break points, but neither player broke the serve. It can be seen that due to the decline in physical strength, they were slightly unable to speed up at the critical moment, which led to more mistakes. This also brought variables and the suspense was once shrouded in mystery.
"6:6".
With Gao Wen holding his serve again, the fierce battle in the second set officially entered the tiebreak to decide the final winner.
In the tiebreak, Dimitrov served first, but it was still Gao Wen who completed the mini break first.
It can be seen that after entering the tiebreak, Gao Wen's concentration and state improved again. He suppressed Dimitrov with a backhand diagonal shot, causing Dimitrov's slice into the net and bringing the advantage of a mini break.
Seeing that the balance of victory in the tiebreak was about to tip towards Gao Wen, Dimitrov once again showed his high fighting spirit, breaking back with a straight backhand shot, and once again brought the two players back to the same starting line.
The suspense of the second set continues.
(End of this chapter)