“15:0”.
The first point of the game, ACE.
As the first to serve, Gao Wen showed his concentration in the opening stage, a little tense and a little relaxed, his overall state was just right.
Small details show that even though this is a Grand Slam final, Gao Wen is ready.
"15:15".
The second point of the game, the winning point.
Djokovic responded immediately, receiving the serve in the deep zone to squeeze Gao Wen, and then immediately turned sideways and hit the ball accurately in the blind corner with a forehand straight line.
Crisp and direct, Djokovic also showed his determination and belief.
In fact, Gao Wen was a little surprised——
From a tactical perspective, the match against Federer and the match against Djokovic are two completely different games.
Facing Federer, the rhythm of the entire round of confrontation is crucial, from speed to connection to landing point and finally to space compression. It is even impossible to accurately distinguish the boundary between offense and defense. It is often offense with defense and defense with offense. The transition between offense and defense runs through the calculation and layout of almost every shot.
Simply put, the first three shots of the game are crucial. There are also many rounds of six to nine shots, but there are not many rounds of more than fourteen shots.
Facing Djokovic, entanglement and stalemate are the key points. The switch from defense to offense and from offense to defense is relatively obvious, and there will be more transitions in the coming and going rounds. This also means that the game needs to extend the line, have a higher tolerance rate, and be prepared for a protracted war.
In other words, rounds of twelve or even fourteen beats will be very frequent and may even become the main features of the game.
Of course, the key to victory or defeat is still the lightning-fast decision and courage, which is common when facing giants.
However, the differences in technical and tactical combinations and coping mentality throughout the game are still quite obvious.
However.
In the opening stage, Djokovic's entire attack was very impactful. He rushed to receive the serve in the first shot, and turned sideways in the second shot.
Clearly, this is not typical Djokovic.
As mentioned before, Djokovic's batting style has become more and more sluggish and entangled this year. He often habitually plays long rounds at crucial scores, so much so that reporters couldn't help but ask questions at the press conference. This can be seen as a foreshadowing of Djokovic's turning point in his game style as he enters the second half of his career.
Later, Djokovic suffered a wrist injury and stayed away from the court. After returning from the injury, he was completely shaped, lingering and dragging on until the end of the world.
So what’s in front of you?
Gawain was guessing and pondering whether this was a smokescreen by Djokovic, or a new strategy after Djokovic suffered three consecutive defeats, or a special tactic specially formulated based on Gawain's condition in the United States this year and his condition in the last game against Federer?
In addition to being surprised, I was also a little curious——
Sure enough, every game is brand new.
It is only the opening game now, and Gao Wen also needs to adapt and observe. He is not in a hurry to change his tactics and still follows the routine.
Then--
Bang! Bang! Although Gawain's first serve was as fast as 196 kilometers per hour, Djokovic predicted it accurately and was in place in one step. His two-handed backhand return was solid, stable and powerful enough to directly hit the tennis ball back along the original route, and the wall-style serve pushed the tennis ball hard into the deep area.
Press line.
When the referee put his hands together and made an inbounds gesture, the whole audience exclaimed:
That's what Djokovic is capable of.
Djokovic and Murray are indeed excellent in their serve receiving abilities. Not only do they have accurate predictions but they also have soft touches, and can often easily wrap up the impact of power and spin. Whether it's a heavy hitter like Isner or a super topspin like Nadal, they can complete the return.
But in fact, they not only block the serve, but also have the ability to analyze the serve and launch a counterattack if necessary.
Although they may not be able to use absolute strength to suppress like Serena Williams and easily create serve aces, their serve returns are also aggressive.
The problem is that such serve reception often requires a lot of physical strength and energy. Due to the distribution and considerations of the entire game, they often do not return the serve or use it easily.
Now, at the beginning, Djokovic gave Gawain a warning, taking advantage of the fact that Gawain's serve tactics were relatively simple when he faced Federer, and exerted huge pressure on Gawain's serve from the beginning, attacking with an absolutely tough attitude, the fire in his eyes had begun to burn -
The cheers from the entire stadium before the game really stimulated Djokovic.
Although Gao Wen still stood firm, did not change tactics in a hurry, and got the game point first, Djokovic's overall impact was still stronger. After saving two game points and missing two break points, he got the third break point and continued to attack.
The match with Federer was different, yet strangely similar.
Bang! The tennis ball returned to Gawain's feet along a diagonal line. Djokovic's return serve was indeed strong, and the pressure of the first shot was more fierce than Federer's.
Gao Wen didn't have time to get back to his position, and he barely hit the rebound ball with a two-handed backhand.
Although Gao Wen tried to keep the return ball as deep as possible in an attempt to squeeze Djokovic, the parabola of the flight trajectory was still too high, giving Djokovic the opportunity to attack from a high point.
Normally, Djokovic would choose to control the landing point, either deep or off-center, to reduce the risk of hitting the ball, but further mobilize his opponent to establish his own advantage.
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However, in front of him, Djokovic did not hesitate to turn sideways and hit a forehand shot diagonally above his shoulder, aiming at Gao Wen's backhand for the second time in a row.
And this time he opened up the angle and aimed at the left sideline of Gao Wen.
The whole round is thick and compact enough.
Gao Wen's footsteps moved into position quickly, and he also showed his strength in the strong collision. Even though his footsteps were not completely in place, his body's center of gravity was completely lowered. He grabbed a rising point with his knees bent and squatting, shot at a low point, and swung it out in a straight line with the speed of his head.
Back and forth, "sideways VS hitting the wall".
Gao Wen hit the tennis ball back with his backhand, which put Djokovic into a passive position.
Djokovic's footsteps were light, and he was not flustered at all when switching from a sideways forehand to a lateral movement. His center of gravity was stable, and just when he was about to get into position -
do the splits.
Slide.
With Djokovic's signature extended shot, he hit the forehand, and the speed and power instantly increased to a higher level. Like Gao Wen, he hit the ball low and swung a forehand diagonal shot, which was comparable to a whip.
Pop.
Clean. Sharp. Direct. Crisp.
The tennis ball flew low and flat along a diagonal line, almost touching the net, but flew past at a low altitude, and in the blink of an eye it penetrated into the blind spot of Gao Wen's forehand baseline like an arrow.
Press line.
Press the line again.
Just when it seemed like it was about to go out of bounds, Djokovic just kept it on the line, making the most of the space on the court. His signature forehand diagonal "inside-out" went straight through the court.
Even though Gao Wen ran as fast as he could, he still couldn't catch up. He watched helplessly as the tennis ball penetrated his defense and finally scored the winning point.
"0:1".
Djokovic broke the serve first.