Chapter 2034: Well Prepared
The 2015 ATP Finals continues to ignite the flames of battle at the O2 Arena in London, and the exciting confrontation between the two strong teams is still going on.
On the fifth match day, the final round of group matches slowly kicked off.
The second game, “Federer VS Ferrer”.
Although this game had nothing to do with qualification, semi-final matchups, etc., the two players still worked diligently to put on a wonderful match, which was even more exciting than the previous two rounds.
Federer defeated Ferrer in three sets, won all the group matches and advanced as the top team.
Ferrer's 2015 ended regrettably with three consecutive losses in the group stage, but in fact, there is hope in this game.
Facing Federer who had already advanced to the next round, Ferrer won the second set with an unparalleled performance, breaking Federer's record of not losing a set in London this year, and once again demonstrating his fighting spirit as a "stable man".
Maybe Ferrer will never be the top player in the ATP, but he is still an indispensable part of the ATP landscape. When the game is over, he can turn around and leave London with his head held high, putting an end to this season plagued by injuries and struggles.
Of course, the focus of the topic is still Federer——
The Swiss king defended his crown in his own way amidst chaos and controversy. He had already secured the third place in the world at the end of the year before the year-end finals ended. He is still a well-deserved giant.
So, here comes the question.
Federer, who ended Djokovic's three-year unbeaten streak in London, is once again at the peak of confidence. Who can stop Federer from reaching the top again at the O2 Arena? Can you, Gao Wen?
Or maybe old rival Nadal?
Expectations have been ignited early on. No matter who Federer will face in the semi-finals, the media and fans can already celebrate in advance.
The fourth game, “Djokovic VS Berdych”.
No one expected Djokovic to have to fight for qualification, and no one expected Berdych to be the gatekeeper who controlled the suspense.
This match was undoubtedly scheduled to be the last match of the day. As the main event, the expectations were even higher than tomorrow's "Gawain vs. Nadal"——
After all, Gawain and Nadal are good friends, so there was no tension before the game. Moreover, the clash between two strong opponents does not affect the qualification. How can it compare to today's life-and-death battle?
Facts have also proved that the expectations are worth it.
Berdych's performance far exceeded expectations.
In fact, Berdych was in poor form throughout the second half of the season. He kept adjusting and persisting but was never able to get back on the right track. However, Berdych has been on the tour for many years, and the significance of the year-end finals is not only to end this year, but also to prepare for next year.
Therefore, Berdych has adjusted his mentality very well and has been working hard.
What's more, there is still hope of qualifying in this game!
Even though his opponent was Djokovic, Berdych still showed his passion and played the most exciting and highest level game of the entire second half of the season.
From the first point to the last point, Berdych proved with practical actions that he is indeed one of the top and best players outside of the giants.
However……
"Outside the giants" means outside the giants. Standing in front of the Big Four, Berdych always lacks a breath. Even though the Challenger Alliance is now in full swing, Berdych's character is not the type of aggressive, strong and bloody type. After all, he is still bound by his own shackles.
After all, in Berdych's eyes, the person standing on the other side of the net was Djokovic, the Djokovic who had defeated him seven times in a row, the Djokovic who had only won twice in their 21 career meetings, and the Djokovic who had never won on a hard court in his career.
That is a high mountain and an iron wall.
What's more, Djokovic also showed his determination to win, which was firm, strong and passionate, and he was full of fighting spirit from the first point.
Arriving in London and stepping onto the O2 Arena, Djokovic's goal has never changed: championship.
It is not only to defend the world's No. 1 ranking at the end of the year, but also to find oneself again in the fierce competition.
Doesn’t Djokovic know about the attacks and ridicules on social networks?
No, he saw it all. He knew all the doubts, the complaints, and the ridicule.
Although he reached the finals of all four Grand Slams throughout the year, losing twice to Gawain and once to Wawrinka really hit Djokovic hard.
Despite his outstanding performance in the clay court season and the grass court season, this year's world ranking points have surpassed last year in all aspects. Even if Gao Wen chased him relentlessly, he still couldn't catch up. Djokovic's lead in the world ranking points has not only not narrowed but has expanded. However, he still has more losses than wins against Gao Wen.
It is precisely because of this that the attacks of those brainless haters can never stop.
Gawain has his own dilemma, Djokovic has his own dilemma, and even Federer and Nadal are the same in the Internet age. Without exception, they are besieged by brainless haters. So, everyone has his own war.
Djokovic's morale and motivation were completely high, especially after he was completely defeated by Federer in two sets in the previous match, and he had been feeling a lot of anger in his chest.
He came prepared.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
then--
Mars hits the Earth.
Indeed, Berdych played well and played his best game in the second half of the season; but at the same time, Djokovic also improved his condition and played his best game in London. The strong confrontation between the two pushed the excitement of the game to a whole new level.
“6:3”, “7:5”.
Djokovic, the last laugh——
In fact, the match was very intense and tense. Both sets of games were won by just one break point. The entire match lasted a full ninety-seven minutes, second only to the two three-set battles in which Ferrer participated. It became the third longest match in this year's year-end finals, which shows how intense it was.
Berdych lost the match but earned respect, and like Ferrer, he can leave London with his head held high.
A little insight:
The Challenger Alliance has not been discouraged. They are still fighting in their own way. The 2016 season is worth looking forward to.
Despite this, Djokovic successfully defended his honor -
Two wins and one loss, qualifying as second in the group.
This means that all the media's concerns and predictions did not happen. Djokovic did not get eliminated from the group stage. He still found his form and advanced from the group stage together with Federer. The battle for the world's number one at the end of the year will continue, and the two protagonists will still remain on the stage.
The Stan Smith group has finished its competition, and now it is the turn of the Ilie Nastase group:
The suspense has long ceased to exist, but the excitement is still not to be missed.
At least there is a key question here, what will the semi-final matchup be like? Who will play against Federer and who will play against Djokovic? Different matchups have a direct impact on the competition for the world's No. 1 at the end of the year. For this reason alone, you should not miss the Ilie-Nastase match.
(End of this chapter)