Snap. Snap. Snap.
The whole stadium was completely silent except for the sound of Djokovic bouncing the ball. The huge stadium was filled with echoes. Unconsciously, the beating of my heart was intertwined with the rhythm of the ball. In my blank mind, there was only a buzzing sound that slowly lengthened and lengthened.
Time is infinitely extended at this moment, and one second seems to hide the grandeur and vastness of an entire century.
Until Djokovic served.
District 2.
Djokovic's body stretched out completely, and the tennis ball was thrown high into the sunlight.
Inner angle.
In the outer corner of the second zone, a classic move, at a speed of 176 kilometers per hour, it was light and fast enough, turning into a ball of light and shadow and flying over, successfully entering the serving area.
Enter the zone!
Bang! The tennis ball quickly jumped up after landing, sprinting towards Gao Wen's backhand position in layers. Djokovic once again improved his condition.
One shot, very impactful.
And what about Gawain?
However, with one stride, just one big stride, Gawain had completely pushed himself out, breaking free from the drag of gravity and gently soaring into the air.
reason?
Grab the hitting point.
Because time is tight and there is no time to step forward, it is difficult to grab the rising point by just swinging the racket, so the point is completed through the action of jumping.
Gao Wen, prepare to attack and serve.
Unexpected, but reasonable.
In fact, in the fourth and fifth sets, the quality of serves of both Gavin and Djokovic declined significantly, and the threat coefficient plummeted. The two players often relied more on the combination of landing points and lines to maintain the threat of serves, but lacked more impact in terms of power and speed.
In other words, if the receiving party is willing to step forward and get into position to receive the serve earlier, they can take advantage of the weakness of the serve and launch an attack.
But neither player did so.
One reason is that the physical energy consumption is severe, and they need to allocate their energy more reasonably.
Secondly, because of their solid baseline skills, they trust their baseline abilities more than the risky fights of receiving serves.
Thirdly, the opponent is resourceful and once they realize that you are starting to rush to receive the serve, they will often make targeted adjustments, and you may not be able to succeed every time. Just like Federer's "SABR", it can be used as a surprise attack to enrich tactics, but it cannot be used as a threat with conventional weapons.
Now, it’s different.
From facing three consecutive match points at "40:0" to getting a break point at "40:AD", Gao Wen won four points in a row, with great momentum and took the initiative.
If he waited a little longer, regardless of whether there was a second break point, Djokovic would be able to gain a foothold; so it had to be now.
Then, Gawain took action——
Decisive and ruthless in killing.
Look, Djokovic's serve was not fast and had average power. He still followed his usual habit of distracting his opponent and he did not notice the danger coming.
This also means that at the level of tactical game, Gao Wen has seized the initiative, and the next step is to see execution.
He clapped his hands back and flew into the air.
Quickly strike! Push, sweep, and at the moment of striking, flick your wrist outward, raising the speed of the racket head by a whole level, accumulating and accumulating strength—
Release all.
Ah! It exploded instantly.
With a roar, the hitting action was smooth and seamless, and the tennis ball was almost blown up, turning into a streak of light along a straight line.
The Arthur Ashe Stadium didn't even have time to react. There was no exclamation, no surprise, no gasp. There was only a daze.
Then, thousands of eyes were focused on the tennis ball, following the light and shadow that moved across the court, outlining a straight line.
An arrow pierces the heart! Drill into the gap.
Exploded upon landing.
On the other side of the court, Djokovic, who had just finished serving, hastily recovered and took a big step forward to rush towards the forehand position.
However, just as he started walking, the tennis ball had already landed on the ground, suddenly cutting off Djokovic's breath and jumping out.
"Game, high."
The referee Esdraki announced the score without hesitation:
Return serve ACE.
Gao Wen ended the point in the simplest, cleanest and toughest way, and converted the break point, bringing the game back to the starting line.
In an instant, my scalp felt numb.
Ah! Ahhhh! Crazy, crazy, completely crazy.
From facing three consecutive match points to winning five points in a row to break Djokovic's serve, the excitement of this final reached a new level.
The heart was beating so wildly that it almost jumped out of the throat.
McEnroe was stunned and just uttered one sentence, "Jesus Christ..." But before he could finish the pronunciation, he was engulfed by the heat of the scene.
Qiao Wangsheng roared, roaring with all his might and determination.
"Fight!"
It was not just a roar, his heart, his pulse, and his soul were actually beating, one after another, with an endless supply of energy.
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"Fight!"
"Fight!"
"Fight!"
In a blink of an eye, it filled the entire venue and echoed through the sky.
On the court, Gawain, who completed the winning ace of his serve return, did not cheer or celebrate. He just clenched his fists, stood upright, and scanned the entire court with clear and hot eyes. Without words or actions, he released a high morale from the inside out.
He is still fighting; his heart is still beating.
In the commentary booth, Zhan Jun tried to speak, but his heart was pounding with emotions. Hu Litao also tried to speak, but found that words were so pale and powerless.
In the end, they fell silent, allowing the carnival in the audience to condense into a force of energy that penetrated the live camera and spread to the whole world.
"Fight."
They are shouting, such a simple and plain word, but it has such powerful power that it can give the heart a new life.
The game is not over——
"5:4".
After breaking Djokovic's serve in the match, the two sides are now back on the same starting line, but the momentum is completely on Gao Wen's side.
What's more, Gao Wen has the support of the entire Arthur Ashe Stadium.
So, what next?
If the story at Melbourne Park at the beginning of the year goes as it did, Djokovic will break Gawain's serve again and then successfully reach the top.
But obviously, this is New York, and this is a very different match from the Australian Open final, and Djokovic and Galvin are no longer the same as they were at the beginning of the year.
then--
In the tenth game, Gao Wen's serve was still a must-win game with no way out.
After a short break between games, Djokovic regained his composure and stood firm, launched an attack again, and got the break point.
That was the fourth match point.
At the critical moment, Gao Wen once again showed his big heart, using a forehand straight line attack to force Djokovic's return ball into the net, saving the break point and match point.
Afterwards, Gao Wen experienced three deuce tests and successfully cashed in on the second game point, narrowly holding his serve and finally returning to a balance in the deciding set.
"5:5".
Involuntarily, my heart beats faster and my blood heats up.
Remember the long set between Gawain and Federer in the Wimbledon semi-final? It was tense, exciting, and even comparable to two full sets of matches?
But this will not happen at the US Open, because the US Open is the only one of the four Grand Slams that does not use a long set to decide the winner. If the final set goes to "6:6", the next thing is -
Tiebreak.
Just like the golden ball in a football match.
So, how will this game end?