Chapter 1997: The drums of war are beating
Here it comes, the year-end finals are finally here——
On the first day, the Stan Smith group took the lead.
Like Wimbledon, the year-end finals held at the O2 Stadium in London also continues a series of traditions. Although there is no need to wear white clothes, there are no night matches, defending champions starting the game, etc. It is still a dream back to June.
In a trance, they were back to the All England Club, back to the grass season with lush grass and singing birds, and it would be even better if there was an extra cup of strawberries and cream.
The first game, "Djokovic VS Ferrer", kicked off the Huashan Sword Contest.
It is worth mentioning that London is the most important city in Djokovic's career, even surpassing Melbourne to some extent. The world No. 1 has not lost any game in London for three full years.
The last time Djokovic lost in London was at Wimbledon in 2012, when he lost to local favorite Murray in the final; but since then, Djokovic has completely become the king of London.
Three consecutive year-end finals titles, three consecutive Wimbledon titles.
Unstoppable!
Don't forget that Djokovic defeated Gawain for the first time last year at the O2 Arena in London. This city is indeed special to him.
Stepping onto the London court again this year, Djokovic not only needs to defend his world No. 1 throne, but also aims to win the year-end finals for the fourth consecutive time.
In the first game, Djokovic showed incredible championship qualities. Although he had just lost the final in Paris for the second consecutive year and finished second, this became the driving force for Djokovic to improve his condition.
Facing Ferrer, who had slowly regained his form after returning from injury in August and qualified for the year-end finals at the last moment, Djokovic showed no mercy and did not give Ferrer any chance throughout the game.
“6:2”, “6:2”.
It took only 65 minutes for Djokovic to complete the sweep, easily defeating Ferrer, getting off to a good start and successfully starting his defense journey.
After the game, Djokovic said he was full of motivation and was ready to face any challenge.
It was a disappointing start for Ferrer.
Although many people have forgotten it, in fact, in the 2007 year-end finals, Ferrer defeated Djokovic, Nadal, and Gasquet in the group stage and qualified with a perfect record. He then defeated Roddick in the semi-finals and made it all the way to the final, where he unfortunately lost to Federer.
This player, who once had to work at a construction site to make a living and continue his tennis dream, also has higher expectations for himself. What is more regrettable than losing to Djokovic is that it was a crushing defeat and he was unable to organize an effective confrontation throughout the game.
This is not what Ferrell wanted to see.
But it also became increasingly evident from the side that Djokovic is indeed unstoppable.
After the first singles match, two doubles matches were held at the O2 Stadium. Like the singles, the current world number one in doubles, the Bryan brothers, also faced severe challenges and they had to fight to defend their world number one position.
This season, the dominance of the Bryan brothers has suffered a comprehensive blow, especially the terrible injuries, which have become a stumbling block to their careers.
Coming to the finals, the situation of the Bryan brothers was still difficult. They lost the first game miserably and the situation was becoming more and more dangerous.
Then, the final match of the first day of the year-end finals came on stage——
"Federer VS Berdych".
For Berdych, this is a challenge. After a turbulent season, he finally found his form at the end of the year and hopes to continue his top level. The year-end finals is a stage. Even if he does not come for the championship, he should be prepared for adjustments for next year.
For Federer, this is a proof. After experiencing the biggest ups and downs in his career, the Swiss king is also facing a psychological crisis. He needs to prove himself, prove that he can still compete for the championship, not for anyone, but just to prove to himself.
“6:4”, “6:2”.
The victory belongs to Federer, without any suspense.
The entire match took only 62 minutes, even faster than the match between Djokovic and Ferrer, continuing the rhythm of the indoor hard court.
When all the events of the first day of competition were over, there were not many waves on the social networks. The small group of troublemakers who always like to watch the fun and make trouble were also particularly quiet, because such a result was completely unexpected and calm, and there was not even any fun in taking advantage of others' misfortune.
In the Stan Smith group, everything went as expected, with Federer and Djokovic in full control of the situation. It should be a foreseeable outcome that they will qualify together. The only suspense is not how much trouble Ferrer and Berdych can cause, but who will end the season with three consecutive losses.
This is not interesting.
But it doesn’t matter. In the second game, the Ilie-Nastase team came on the stage, and the focus showdown to save the ratings of the year-end finals was immediately staged.
Obviously, the organizers of the event are well aware that the highlights are all here. In addition, there is no restriction that the defending champion can appear first on the opening day. The ATP's careful thinking can be seen from the schedule. The box office, ratings, and even traffic popularity are all here.
The first game, doubles.
The second game, “Gawain VS Wawrinka”.
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The third game, doubles.
The fourth game, “Nadal VS Murray”.
Unexpected, but reasonable.
It is unexpected because, judging from the paper analysis, the clash between Gawain and Wawrinka is the focus and should naturally be placed in the last game.
This season, Murray has repeatedly failed at crucial moments, while Nadal has been struggling, adjusting, and running-in. Neither of them is at their best.
But it is different for Gawain and Wawrinka. The status of the two Grand Slam champions is no longer what it used to be. The topic of "Challenger League" has swept the entire Internet and the popularity remains high. What's more, the epic semi-final clash between the two players at Roland Garros is still talked about by countless fans.
Obviously, the quality of the match between Gao Wen and Wawrinka should be more worth looking forward to.
It is understandable because of the "power of giants". Even though this year's giant structure has been shattered by the joint impact of Gawain and Wawrinka, in the final analysis, this has been the main theme of the past decade and the past five years. The popularity of Nadal and Murray is still unattainable by other players.
In addition, as Murray is the host, the home advantage will eventually come into play.
To be honest, the audience still believes in the giants and believes that the collision between Nadal and Murray can still bring sparks, so it is not surprising that the schedule is arranged in this way.
But one thing is certain, no matter who plays first or second, today's two singles matches are more attractive than the first day, and the suspense of the outcome is also a major highlight.
Even if there are armchair experts who carefully analyze these two games, no one can predict the final outcome with absolute certainty.
This includes Gao Wen.
After all, Gawain is facing Wawrinka: Wawrinka, who no one knows when he will explode and with what energy, and who can defeat any opponent once he explodes.
(End of this chapter)