"Pah! Dimi!"

"Pah! Dimi!"

The Arthur Ashe Stadium was filled with thunderous applause. The entire audience stood up, clapping and cheering, and waves of heat were burning under the night sky.

In the players' box, Sharapova, who appeared in Flushing Meadows for the first time after announcing her retirement this year and standing under the spotlight again, remained calm and expressionless, no different from her performance on the court.

But careful viewers could notice that Sharapova clenched her fists, stared at the court intently, and her motionless body revealed a little stiffness, which is a detail that would not appear in her own games.

The peacock blue sky, the temperature is still dropping, the howling wind is roaring in the ears, but the heat waves in the Arthur Ashe Stadium are emitting a halo of light, and the light all over the sky and the ground is blooming proudly.

In the players' lounge, Federer and Gawain had also arrived, both staring at the TV screen.

The game scores are: “4:6”, “6:4”, “6:3”, and “5:4”.

Sub-score: “15:40”.

In Dimitrov's serve, Djokovic got two consecutive match points.

Once Djokovic is able to deliver, the match is over and the next match needs to enter the "preparation phase", so both players are already in place.

On the TV screen, both players were focused and remained 100% concentrated. The live camera gave a close-up of Dimitrov and then a close-up of Sharapova. The intention was obvious.

The scene flashed by, and Gao Wen couldn't help but think of their casual chat in the gym yesterday.

Because of the rain, the players were unable to enter the training field and could only complete basic training in the gym, which was relatively easier and they had more time.

Occasionally, players will get together to play games, from soccer to tennis; but now that the tournament is winding down and the gyms are empty, players will gather in groups of three or four to watch TV and chat, kill time, or just hang out with their teams.

Dimitrov was originally planning to take a day off, since he didn't have a coach to supervise or plan for him. But when he saw Gao Wen enter the gym to continue training, he followed him in and started training. The two chatted with each other.

Last year at Wimbledon, Dimitrov was in high spirits and on a rapid rise. After defeating Murray, his confidence reached a new height. Even against Djokovic, Dimitrov believed he could win.

At least, that's the belief.

But the confidence, calmness, stability and strength Djokovic showed at the critical moment taught Dimitrov a good lesson.

"6:4", "3:6", "7:6(2)", "7:6(7)".

Whether it was the complete dominance in the third set tiebreak or the key handling of the fourth set tiebreak, Djokovic suppressed Dimitrov with his unparalleled performance. Although Dimitrov did not notice it at the time and was just a little disappointed after losing the game, the subsequent impact was far-reaching.

Later, when Dimitrov faced the Big Four again, deep down, at the deepest level, his confidence was severely frustrated.

If they go all out to attack at their peak with the best form and the best confidence, but still fail, does that mean there is an insurmountable gap between them? In fact, it is not just Dimitrov, but all other players in the Big Four era are like this, including Gasquet, Berdych, etc. They have been ambitious to attack, confront and challenge the Big Four again and again, but they have been swallowed up again and again. The memory of painful failure.

So, when they stood in front of the Big Four again, some things were different in the most essential and core aspects.

It is precisely because of this that when facing Murray again at the Australian Open this year, Dimitrov's performance at the critical moment was full of deviations and fragility that he himself had not expected. Coupled with his own high expectations, the disappointment and pain after losing the game was indescribable, enough to destroy his confidence.

The trough began just like that.

Fifteen months later, Dimitrov has regained his form, returned to the Grand Slam semi-finals, and faced Djokovic again. It would be unrealistic to say that Dimitrov is still energetic, confident, and ambitious; but Dimitrov also knows that some things have to be faced eventually.

"I want to try it."

It was a very simple and casual sentence. When Dimitrov said it, he didn't even have too many thoughts. He just smiled.

However, when Gawain heard this, he could feel the wisdom that had gradually settled down after being tempered by wind and rain. It was not a lack of confidence or caution, but a kind of tenacity and determination.

Maybe Dimitrov also realized that the chances of winning were not on his side, but he was still ready to fight and struggle, and he wanted to give it a try.

At this moment, looking at the silence in Dimitrov's eyes, Gawain's ears once again rang with these words -

Dimitrov, serve.

Djokovic's serve receiving performance was excellent. Facing a serve at a speed of 201 kilometers per hour, Djokovic's package successfully pushed the tennis ball to an awkward position on Dimitrov's backhand. Although the angle was not torn, this return serve successfully squeezed Dimitrov.

This is hard power.

But Dimitrov's handling was also amazing. His backhand was squeezed, making it difficult for him to complete the swing smoothly. He simply gave up the complete swing and followed the direction of Djokovic's return. He only opened half of his backhand and pushed the ball back in the direction of the reverse diagonal line, using the force to hit the ball.

Light, clever, and stunning.

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Without exerting any force, just a few flicks and pushes in a passive state, Dimitrov not only resolved the crisis, but also put Djokovic into a passive position.

Sure enough, when Djokovic rushed to the forehand position to hit the ball, the hitting point was rather awkward, and the return ball was slightly lacking in coverage. He quickly pushed it back to the center of the court, trying to limit Dimitrov's offensive connection, but was caught by Dimitrov's bold and straightforward side forehand.

Forehand, backhand, finding the shallow area on the sideline of Djokovic's backhand position, hitting the ball with a skateboard, and the tennis ball flew out directly.

Score!

"30:40".

pretty!

There was a burst of applause in the players' lounge, and Gao Wen simply blew the whistle, giving all the applause and cheers to his friend without hesitation.

Djokovic had performed very well in this point, but Dimitrov's two-shot backslash on the forehand and backhand showed the inspiration of tennis to the fullest.

It's more than just stunning.

After saving the first break point and match point, Dimitrov did not celebrate at all. His eyes remained firm, revealing an unyielding belief.

Because Dimitrov knows how strong Djokovic is, and because he knows this, he is ready to keep burning and fighting. This is also what he learned from his good friend after fighting side by side with Gawain for a long time.

The moment you give up, the game is over.

And now, Dimitrov's battle continues.

Thump! Thump! The heart beats quickly and powerfully, one after another, with vigorous vitality and high morale gushing out.