Chapter 1687 The True Colors of the King
"Ah!"
Gawain howled to the sky.
“Ahhhh!”
With his passion surging and his blood boiling, Gawain finally gave up all his reservations and released all his suppressed emotions, sweeping the entire venue with a rolling wave of heat.
Boom! The volcano erupted, spreading from Centre Court to Murray Hill, to all the bars in Wimbledon, and finally to the whole world.
McEnroe was speechless. "God, oh, God."
Xu Yang tried his best to remain calm, but his slightly trembling voice still revealed the turmoil in his heart, "Gao Wen's handling of this shot was absolutely masterful."
Buzz, buzz, buzz, the roar lingered over the center court—
Wonderful.
Truly brilliant.
Throughout the first set, Federer and Gawain both played at their best, with the battle going on fiercely and being stalemate throughout.
Slightly different from the previous stalemate between Gawain and Murray, this match was not about tug-of-war and entanglement, but about game and counterattack.
In fact, the first set lasted only forty-three minutes until the tiebreak, which was incredibly fast compared to the number of games. The tiebreak lasted thirteen points in total, which is three games, so each game took just over two minutes but less than three minutes on average, and the rhythm was very smooth.
However, the game is extremely rich in content. It is not just a simple transition between offense and defense. The competition between the two players can be felt in almost every touch of the ball, including those seemingly simple and crude aces and serves, which all contain the game between the two players. Tension fills every corner.
There is no doubt that both players performed at a top level and fully met all expectations of this game.
Definitely worth the money!
In the end, Gao Wen saved two set points and successfully converted his first set point with a flash of inspiration and a stunning backhand slice.
"7:6 (6)".
The score is frozen here, and the victory belongs to Gao Wen.
Before this match, although the mainstream opinion was generally optimistic about Federer, no one denied the impact of Gawain. Even Federer's most hardcore and loyal fans admitted this. Therefore, people believed that Federer might need four sets to defeat Gawain, and it would be a tough battle.
However! When Gawain won the first set in a tiebreak in a fierce competition, from the center court to Murray Hill, to the commentary booth and to social networks, the tournament was still in turmoil, especially for Federer fans, who were nervous.
Because Gawain has the ability to beat Federer and has beaten Federer before, and now he is proving it with practical actions.
By the way, this is the second set Federer has lost at Wimbledon this year.
Earlier in the third round, Federer lost the third set tiebreak against Australia's Groth very unexpectedly, with the score being "7:5"; but then Federer exploded in the fourth set, breaking Groth's serve twice and easily winning with "6:2".
Then, right now, Gawain also snatched a set from Federer in a tiebreak.
"For Federer, from a positive perspective, he still hasn't lost his serve. Except for the first game of the match, he didn't face a break point. His excellent serve and attack are still at the peak level. Even if he loses the first set, Federer will still have the upper hand in the rest."
"But from a negative perspective, he was broken once in the last match against Simon, and in the final moments of the tie-break, he was soft again and was caught by Gawain and broke his serve twice in a row. This is very rare, very, very rare, and it is also a hidden danger."
"Of course, it's too early to draw conclusions now. We need to see what happens in the second set."
"How will Federer respond? And whether Gawain can continue his form from the first set."
Laymen watch the excitement, experts watch the doorway——
No one can deny Gao Wen's outstanding performance in the first set, which was absolutely top-notch and could be surpassed by both experts and laymen.
The difference is that outsiders saw Gawain's hot form and one after another sided with him like fence-sitters, thinking that the outcome was no longer in suspense; while insiders saw that Gawain was extremely exhausted in the first set, both physically and mentally, and that he might face challenges in subsequent games.
In essence, Federer is calm because he understands grass. He knows how to use the surface and can easily take advantage of it, effectively controlling the consumption of physical strength and energy.
Gao Wen was different, because he did not have a good understanding of the grass field, and in the end he relied entirely on his youthful energy to fight. In the last few points of the tie-break, he frequently slid to save the ball, which was exciting for the audience, but Gao Wen himself was exhausted, and the situation became more and more serious as the game progressed.
Why is it more difficult to play in a best-of-five set Grand Slam tournament? Is it just because of physical strength? Of course not.
This is because during longer matches, the players' states fluctuate more obviously and dramatically. They need to master the skills to expand their advantage in their peak state, and also the skills to avoid being left behind in their low state. This foundation is why the Big Four are so difficult to defeat in the Grand Slam.
So, as Xu Yang said, in the second set, the adjustments of the two players will be the key.
really!
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Federer and Gawain did not disappoint, and the strong clash began at the beginning of the second set.
In the second set, Gao Wen served first.
Obviously, the continuous fighting in the tiebreak consumes a lot of energy. When the game is going on, the adrenaline is constantly gushing out and people enter a state of ecstasy, so there is no impact. But after winning the tiebreak, a break between sets makes those energy consumption emerge multiple times, and it is a bit difficult to start the game again.
The mind, spirit and will are still burning, still tense and still maintaining a high frequency state.
The body, muscles and breathing can clearly feel that consumption cannot keep up with the brain's command.
This situation is not considered to be a physical extreme, it is more about adjusting breathing and rhythm, but this still requires a process.
It is conceivable that the tactical layout and the way of hitting the ball also need to be adjusted, which are the key to testing the players.
Gao Wen was not unfamiliar with this. He had prepared himself mentally and believed that Federer would definitely seize the opportunity to launch an attack. However, the difference in reality was that he could calculate his own situation but not Federer. The opponent's attack was like a raging storm, one wave after another.
Gao Wen, indeed, was somewhat embarrassed—
Although Gawain tried to adjust the rhythm through tactical arrangements and bring the game back under his control, Federer disagreed.
Speed up. Speed up. Speed up again.
It's not just about speed, but rhythm. Federer showed his true qualities as a king, and at the same time, he showed his understanding of grass and Wimbledon. From space to lines, from speed to rhythm, from rotation to power, his ever-changing shots can always easily disrupt Gawain's rhythm.
Obviously, Federer seized the opportunity and "strike while you're weak". He just didn't want Gawain to find his rhythm comfortably. Even breaking the serve was not his first goal. Instead, he took control of the rhythm of the match little by little. This wisdom and maturity are beyond the understanding of ordinary people.
The king is still the king.
(End of this chapter)