At this point, the group stage of the 2015 ATP London Finals has come to an end.
——Stan Smith Group.
Federer won all three games and advanced as the group leader.
Djokovic, two wins and one loss, second in the group.
Berdych, one win and two losses.
Ferrer lost all three games.
——Iliye-Nastase group.
Gao Wen won all three games and advanced as the first in the group.
Nadal, two wins and one loss, second in the group.
Wawrinka, one win and two losses.
Murray lost all three games.
The result of the game is clear at a glance. It couldn't be clearer.
Such a result and such a situation were totally unexpected before the tournament kicked off. The win-loss ranking of each group was extremely clear, which was completely different from the all-out melee that was imagined.
But if you calm down and think about it carefully, in fact, this is the main theme of this season.
Indeed, with the rise of the Challenger League and Youth Storm, the era of giants is under unprecedented pressure. This is not only the case in the Grand Slams and Masters, but also in the 500-point and 250-point events. More and more fresh faces are emerging, which is dazzling.
However, Djokovic and Gao Wen are still the most stable players, with the most impressive average scores in various events and always maintaining the lead. It is precisely because of this that the two players are ranked in the top two in the world respectively, and are still competing for the world's number one throne at the end of the year at the O2 Arena.
Outside of them, Federer, Nadal, Murray and Wawrinka form a team. They all have their own highlights, but overall they lack stability. There is a sense of ups and downs among them, alternating between rising and falling, yet always maintaining top competitiveness.
Just in time, when they came to London, Federer and Nadal got into the game and reached the top.
So, the top four are in place.
Everything is perfect——
Although Murray and Wawrinka were eliminated in the group stage, the semi-final lineup still became a microcosm of the ATP pattern for the whole year.
Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Gao Wen.
Three giants plus a new giant, four players, cross-matching, can not only see the impact of the Challenger League and Youth Storm on the tour, but also see the style of the giant era entering a new stage, and more importantly, can see that the giants are still strong and stable.
After a turbulent and chaotic season, the giants are back in place.
This is truly the best era for tennis.
And, this is still not the end.
After entering the semi-finals, the highlight finally began. The different matchups among the four players were all exciting, and this semi-final matchup was a classic among classics.
Stan Smith, the first in the group, faced Ilie Nastase, the second in the group, "Federer VS Nadal".
An absolute classic that cannot be missed in the era of giants. Every encounter and every match is a moment that goes down in history and will never be out of date, even though this is an indoor hard court that Nadal is not good at, and even though both players have some ups and downs at the end of the season, the "Federer-Nadal Final" is the Federer-Nadal Final.
No words are needed, this is the footnote of an era.
This time, fans at London's O2 Arena will have the chance to witness it again.
It is worth mentioning that the legendary duel that went down in history at Wimbledon in 2008 took place in London. Since then, every meeting between Federer and Nadal has become more special for London audiences. Unexpectedly, we will be able to witness it again at the O2 Arena this year.
Ilie Nastase, the first in the group, faced Stan Smith, the second in the group, "Gawain vs. Djokovic".
Again, no further explanation needed.
Following the two thrilling Grand Slam finals, the Australian Open final and the US Open final, Galen and Djokovic will once again stand on the highest stage.
In fact, on social networks, countless fans expressed their regret, believing that this matchup should have taken place in the final to be in line with the main theme of the 2015 season.
After all, the competition between Gawain and Djokovic lasted throughout the entire season and lit up the entire season, further promoting tennis to other fields. Their market share continued to rise. It would be perfect to end the year with their duel, but no one expected it to happen in the semi-finals in advance.
However, looking at it from another perspective, the other semifinal is the Federer-Nadal final, and the only one that can be compared to it is probably the Godwin-Germain final.
At least, from a box office perspective, the attendance of these two games should be comparable. No one wants to miss it, and no one should miss it.
Moreover, there is another key point here——
World No. 1 at the end of the year.
I never expected, I never expected that the competition for the world's number one at the end of the year would be about to start a head-on showdown in the semi-finals. This is really exciting.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
Before the year-end finals kicked off, the ranking points gap between Gawain and Djokovic was too large. Although there was still hope on a theoretical level, Djokovic was far ahead and firmly grasped the initiative. However, after the group stage, things took a 180-degree turn.
Djokovic unexpectedly lost to Federer in the group stage - it wasn't an upset, but it definitely put Djokovic in trouble.
As the defending champion, Djokovic has 1,500 points to secure in the year-end finals, and has currently only earned 400 points thanks to two group match wins.
At the same time, Gao Wen was unstoppable in winning all three group matches, and even if there was only a glimmer of hope, it was firmly in his hands.
In the year-end finals, Gao Wen only had 200 points to defend, and now that the group stage is over, his immediate points have increased by 400 points.
Then, a wonderful pattern took shape.
In the semifinals, Gao Wen and Djokovic will compete head-on for the year-end world No. 1 title.
As it turned out, there were only two.
First, if Djokovic wins, he will automatically become the world's number one at the end of the year.
Second, Gawain's victory not only announced Djokovic's failure to defend his title, but also reversed the situation and finally took the initiative to become the world's number one at the end of the year into his own hands. Entering the final is not enough to ensure that Gawain will become the world's number one at the end of the year. He still needs to win the final championship.
The situation gradually became clear.
This is even more true for bystanders.
From Melbourne to Indian Wells to Miami, from New York to Shanghai to Paris, throughout the season, Gawain and Djokovic met seven times, with Gawain winning six and losing one. If Djokovic can't beat Gawain, how can he convince the public that he is the world's number one? In other words, it has nothing to do with rankings or points. For Djokovic, this is a game that he must win and a game to prove himself.
Things couldn't be simpler.
However, this is London, a court where Djokovic has a strong dominance; plus, not long ago in the imperial capital, Djokovic defeated Gawain in straight sets, ending a four-game losing streak, and his confidence has returned. Presumably, the world number one is ready for this decisive battle.
In this way, the semi-final meeting between Gao Wen and Djokovic is also perfect.
In this game, two legendary old rivals met again.
One game, the final and ultimate absolute of the main theme of this season.
Impeccable.