"CCTV, CCTV, dear viewers, you are watching the final event of the second day of the 2015 US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium."

"The defending champion, our Chinese player Gao Wen, will face the youngest player in this tournament, German player Alexander Zverev. The two players are warming up now."

"The one wearing the white jersey is Zverev, and the one wearing the black jersey is Gao Wen."

"This is the first time that Gawain has worn a black jersey, which looks a little different than before. This is also the second time that the sponsor has specially designed a unique jersey style for Gawain after Wimbledon."

On the court, Gawain, dressed in black, looked stern, which was very different from the bright and sunny image in people's impression. However, he inadvertently revealed another kind of temperament hidden in Gawain's bones.

Iron-blooded. Tough. Sharp.

The Arthur Ashe Stadium was indeed in a frenzy, it was a party not just for the Huaxia fans, but for all the Gao Wen supporters.

After a short pre-match warm-up, Gao Wen's title defense journey is about to begin.

In the coin tossing session, Zverev guessed correctly and chose to serve first.

A small detail can show Zverev's confidence.

At this time, the commentators who were familiar with Gao Wen began to recall the scenes in their memories:

The same thing happened in Miami. Zverev served first and took a 40:0 lead, but... he was broken.

So, now that we've arrived in Flushing, five months later, how are things going?

"0:15".

Zverev started with a double fault, which he himself did not expect at all.

One can tell at first glance that he lacks experience. This should be Zverev's first night match in his career. In addition to the influence of the strong wind in New York, the elasticity of the tennis ball will also decrease slightly due to the lower temperature.

In addition, the Arthur Ashe Stadium is really too large, comparable to a football field, and the entire sense of space and position also need to be adjusted, and the feeling of passing the ball is slightly different.

These details are not rare secrets, but they do play an objective role. Players must go through actual combat experience before they can absorb and transform them.

The double fault was due to Zverev's lack of flexibility in strong winds and low temperatures, as well as his overall control over space, resulting in obvious deviations in both serves.

The most important reason why Zverev is hailed as a "genius" is his batting feel, which combines the spirituality of Federer and the wrapping of Djokovic, which also makes his ability to hold the baseline easily rank among the top.

Of course, this also includes serving. His first serve is indeed an important weapon. Although it is not the type with great force and power, its speed and tail power are still very lethal. The conservatism and caution in his character are not only reflected in his habitual baseline fighting, but also in the softness of his second serve. In order to avoid double faults, his second serve is completely restricted.

At this time, Zverev also noticed that the deviations of the first and second serves were a bit outrageous. He looked up at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

A feeling of dizziness.

Zverev immediately realized that he needed to adjust slightly.

Therefore, in the following serves and baseline shots, Zverev was relatively conservative. He needed some time to adapt to the game environment.

If Gawain launches an attack, Zverev is not afraid of a baseline stalemate. He has balanced abilities on both offense and defense and is fully capable of dealing with the situation.

But... Zverev didn't expect that Gawain would actually engage in a stalemate with him at the baseline.

Zverev was delighted, this was exactly what he wanted!

Then--

The two players began to stalemate at the baseline.

In fact, for Gawain, this is his purpose:

Adjust the feel, adapt to the rhythm, and polish the state.

Firstly, this is the first official game after recovering from an abdominal muscle strain. In a high-intensity confrontation, the body's reaction state is unknown.

Secondly, his training and competitions in the past two months have not been very systematic. To return to the intensity of professional competitions, he needs to get back into form.

To be precise, a player like Zverev who goes back and forth is a perfect opponent for Gawain, as he needs more high-intensity shots.

As of now, Zverev is a bit like a low-end version of Murray. He needs rounds, tug-of-war, and layout. He is often not decisive enough when attacking. Instead, his conditioned reflex counterattack when he is passively hit with his backhand can show his strength. But the key point is that his layout ability is far inferior to Murray, and the gap is obvious.

Murray's return, whether active or passive, is generally purposeful, except for the occasional extremely passive transition ball. But even after a passive transition, he will immediately start planning for the next shot, and his mind is always working.

Zverev Jr. does not have that. In his stalemate rounds, he has too many aimless transition balls. Even when he is not so passive, he will subconsciously hit the tennis ball first without pursuing a layout.

Being young is one thing, and character is another. Even though Zverev has since grown up and established himself in the top ten in the world, this habit is still deeply rooted in his bones.

After the first round opponents were announced, Sampras and Agassi breathed a sigh of relief, not because their opponents were too weak, but because their styles fit together. For Gao Wen, the most important thing now is to slowly adjust his feel and condition through baseline stalemates.

Although this is not entirely correct, it is basically equivalent to a practice opponent.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

A formal match conducted as a practice match.

Zverev: That’s exactly what I wanted.

Gao Wen: Yeah, me too.

then.

The back-and-forth baseline tug of war unfolded like a practice match. Judging from the score, the chase and the fierce competition seemed particularly exciting, but the Arthur Ashe Stadium was a bit... boring.

It was a wonderful baseline round, with constant switching of offense and defense and a constant game of danger.

In the baseline round ahead, there were too many transition balls, aimless and meaningless shots, and too many shots that simply pushed the tennis ball across half court, just like the meaningless back passes in the midfield of a football game.

Can't get excited.

But Zverev doesn't think so.

In the first game, after three deuces, Zverev never gave away a break point and finally held his serve.

In the third game, Zverev saved a break point and won the third game point to hold his serve again.

"2:1".

After the first three games, the two players each held their serve. Zverev, who served first, returned to the player rest area with a score advantage and entered the first break between games of the match.

It can be clearly seen that Zverev's brows were completely relaxed, he looked a little relaxed, a little proud, and a little excited, and his smile also rose.

Zverev turned his head and looked at Gawain across the referee's chair. This guy did not seize the opportunity during the opening period, so it was his time to perform next.

He was sincere about defeating Gawain, he just wanted to see the arrogance on that face being shattered.

He couldn't wait any longer, and before the referee even announced the end of the break, he had already stood up and stepped onto the court one step ahead to continue the game.

Confidence flashes in the eyes.