"0:30"——
pretty!
Cheers rang out again at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. In the strong offensive and defensive situation between the two players, Gawain successfully squeezed Federer with a cut at the baseline and gained the initiative for himself. Then he ended the round neatly with a sideways forehand straight line winner.
Not only strong, but also decisive.
The game had just begun, and exciting shots came one after another. Fans inside and outside the TV screens went crazy and their enthusiasm was fully ignited.
"...In the opening stage, at least one thing can be seen, Gawain's tactics are not conservative."
"Like at Wimbledon, he's still trying to pace himself as much as possible."
"When playing against Federer, rhythm control and pulling are always an important focus. When you look at Djokovic or Nadal, when they play against Federer, whether Federer speeds up or slows down, they will seek ways to break Federer's rhythm and prevent Federer from entering the offensive rhythm."
"Now, Gawain is doing the same."
"After the regrettable defeat at Wimbledon, Gawain did not back down or get scared, and still stuck to his tactics. This is a good start."
The two consecutive Grand Slams met in the semi-finals, just two months apart.
Moreover, the epic semi-final at Wimbledon is still fresh in people’s minds. It is second only to this year’s Australian Open final and is considered a strong candidate for the best match of the year. Even in New York, people still talk about it. Every detail of that event has been studied thoroughly.
Naturally, when fans watched this long-awaited peak showdown, familiar scenes quickly emerged in front of their eyes, and one or two could not help but wonder: Could it be... that the classic will be staged again?
That couldn't be better.
Likewise, this time, Federer stood firm and quickly launched a counterattack.
This year at the US Open, Federer's biggest change is the improvement in his overall pressure. The difference can be clearly seen from one statistic: his baseline position.
In his serving games, after completing his serve, Federer hit the ball within one meter of the baseline 88.3% of the time.
In the serve receiving games, Federer also tried to hit the ball within two meters or even one and a half meters from the baseline 73.9% of the time.
The overall pressure was very obvious. Through the connection of shots, the improvement of rhythm and the change of lines, Federer's full-court coverage and comprehensive pressure reached a new level, and frequent visits to the net further increased the pressure. Federer's impact could be felt from a spatial level.
The most representative and most interesting part is that Federer brought out a brand new technology in the North American season——
SABR (Sneak-Attack-By-Roger), sneaky attack from Roger.
It sounds very mysterious, but in fact it means choosing to sneak attack to the net when receiving the serve, completing the serve with a half volley to create pressure.
Later, Federer revealed in his biography that this tactic originated from Cincinnati in 2015. He trained with "socialite" Paire, and when both of them were physically exhausted, they decided to find the feeling through games, and then they both started to play tricks.
This is how the half-volley cut serve was used, and then it was further used in the game with good results.
Of course, this tactic is circus-like and controversial on tour, and like the underhand serve, it is not a conventional weapon.
The key is to launch a surprise attack and catch the opponent off guard.
McEnroe was blunt about this.
“It’s a humiliation.”
"He was almost hitting half volleys against the men's serve, and if it was me, I would be thinking, is my serve so bad that he can use the amateur's way to return it?"
Many professionals believe that this tactic lacks respect for the opponent.
But for Federer, the real focus is on comprehensive pressure, continuous pressure with different hitting techniques and different tactical combinations.
From Cincinnati to New York, Federer faced opponents including Djokovic, Murray, Wawrinka and others. Not only did he win all of them, but he also did not lose a single set. His oppressive style of play throughout the game undoubtedly showed his talent and ability to the fullest, and was indeed aggressive.
Any player facing such a new kind of squeezing and impact will need some time to adapt.
Gao Wen is no exception.
Before the game, Gao Wen had already prepared himself mentally. That was why from the very beginning, Gao Wen started the fight at his own pace and took the initiative.
However, as the game progressed, Federer gained a firm foothold and was able to easily regain the rhythm whether serving or forehand attacking. At this time, the difference in the feeling of the ball throughout the round gradually emerged. Even though he was mentally prepared, Gawain was still a little surprised.
Compared with the smooth and sharp attack of Wimbledon, it is even better.
The oppressive feeling of hitting the wall head-on and the airtight impact force fully demonstrated Federer's talents in touch, rhythm, ball control, etc. His mixed style between the baseline type and the serve and volley type has a new vitality on the fast hard court.
If you think about it carefully, there should be no such style in the current ATP tour. After all, there is only one Federer.
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Facing the attack from Gawain, Federer was not at all panicked.
After "0:30", Federer gained a firm foothold, his entire layout and control became more precise and accurate, he opened fire at full power, won four points in a row, resolved the difficulties and saved his serve.
The hot hand continued from Cincinnati to tonight.
“1:0”.
In the previous quarterfinals, which was originally a highly anticipated match between two strong opponents, Federer swept Wawrinka in three straight sets, once again surprising everyone.
After the game, the media reporters said that this scene reminded them of Wimbledon.
At that time, Federer was in amazing form, and he had a smooth journey until the quarterfinals when he faced Simon, where he lost his serve for the first time. He was sniped by Gawain in the semifinals and was obviously struggling. He was unable to catch his breath in the final. Does this mean that Federer's form adjusted to its peak too early?
Federer said this.
He doesn't think he played poorly in the Wimbledon final, but Djokovic played too well. Coming to North America is a new journey. From the Wimbledon and Cincinnati games, he saw more positive things and gained more confidence in his game. He believes he is on the right path.
Federer will face Koeman again in the New York semi-finals and he stressed that he is looking forward to meeting Koeman and a beautiful match.
Judging from tonight, Federer is indeed fully prepared.
Including the temperature, the strong wind, the on-site conditions, and the impact from Gawain, compared to Wimbledon, Federer is also growing.
Then, in Gawain's serve, Federer also showed his determination.
Rather than trying to replicate his performance at Wimbledon, he knows this is a new tournament, but there is no doubt he needs to stick to his winning tactics.
Then--
Federer broke first.