"40:40", after eight minutes, the score remained the same -
Sure enough, it was tense, stalemate, intense and stimulating, and really wonderful.
At the sixth tie, both players were rock solid, unmoved, and completely unfazed, and after a brief wipe of sweat they were already back at the baseline.
Djokovic continues to serve.
Area 1.
When facing difficulties, Djokovic's diversity of serving tactics was revealed. In addition to flat shots, there were endless combinations of rotation, landing points, lines, etc., which maintained a threat and should not be underestimated.
So, what about this time?
Inner angle.
Moreover, instead of slowing down, he served the ball flatly, but he slightly reduced the force to control the landing point, aiming at the T-point position. It seemed effortless, but in fact it hit the bull's eye.
187 kilometers per hour.
On the other side of the net, a figure started in time, took a big step and was already in position, giving up the small steps to adjust, and shot directly with a two-handed backhand.
Decisive, crisp, fast, neat... tough.
A push, using the opponent's force to counter attack, a head-on collision.
From the slow-motion replay, we can see that Gao Wen did not lead or pull the racket in his two-handed backhand this time. He kept the racket horizontal with his body from the beginning, and made a short and clean swing with a small range and small arc, which was completed within a fan-shaped area of less than 30 degrees, and the tennis ball was hit back.
Although there was no advance prediction, Gawain's reaction, start and attack were very neat, without any hesitation, and done in one go. Most importantly, he was decisive.
The tennis ball dragged a flat straight line, going back to where it came from, along the central axis of the court, passing the T point and the center line of the serving area, quickly returning to the middle point of the baseline on Djokovic's side, and falling into the deep area.
——press the line.
It actually hit the line!
Gawain's return serve hit the baseline beautifully and thrillingly, creating a squeeze. Djokovic, who had not had time to recover from his serve, was forced to hit the ball at his feet, and his control of the racket face with his two-handed backhand was very hasty.
Obviously, Djokovic did not expect Gawain's return serve.
In fact, in the games of Nadal, Djokovic and Murray, they are very confident in their baseline abilities, even a little too confident; plus, now the new generation of players all stick to the baseline, almost giving up the advantage in front of the net, and the baseline tug-of-war becomes the protagonist of the game, so that their serves often have loopholes.
Too slow, too light, too shallow——
What we are talking about here is not the tactical reduced-force serve, but the serve whose average speed is not even as fast as that of female players, especially the second serve.
It is precisely because of this that Federer dares to use the "SABR" tactic in order to grab the serve.
However, Gawain is not Federer. Although Gawain occasionally rushes to receive serves, his overall game style is not as offensive as Federer's, so Djokovic did not sound the alarm in this regard.
But unexpectedly, Gawain launched a surprise attack.
Be resolute enough, decisive enough, and tough enough.
Judging from Gawain's start, he did not predict this serve; and Djokovic's serve was a flat shot, just adjusting the strength to ensure that it entered the T-point zone.
but!
At the moment of Gao Wen's conditioned reflex, he noticed the nature of Djokovic's serve, and in a flash he had chosen a tactic and implemented it.
This is concentration.
Djokovic looked a little embarrassed and unprepared.
The rebound ball was hit with both hands at the feet, and the racket face was controlled slightly high, so Djokovic's signature dipped ball landed a little shallower.
——Oops! Djokovic knew the situation was not good just after he made the shot. He saw Gao Wen who cut into the baseline and entered the midfield in the first time.
Everything flows smoothly.
From the judgment and selection of receiving the serve to the release and execution of the shot and then to the connection and action of the next shot, Gao Wen's concentration can be seen at this time.
Of course, Djokovic was no exception. He was still in a state of adjustment and took small steps without any hesitation to control his center of gravity. He jumped on the spot to regain his balance. The next step was to rush to the backhand position, locking his eyes on Gawain, but it was still too late.
As soon as he started walking, Djokovic noticed that Gawain paused in the midfield before preparing to shoot. The movement trend of his entire body with the center of gravity shifted was simply a smoke bomb, a feint, waiting for Djokovic to start, and then Gawain completed his forehand swing.
Diagonal, forehand——
Get into the gap and score easily.
"40:AD".
The fourth break point appeared.
Djokovic stopped and felt a little depressed. In the previous point, it was obviously him who should have been outwitting Gawain, but he didn't expect to be counterattacked by Gawain.
Suddenly, everything happened too suddenly.
Even though this was their eleventh meeting, Gawain always managed to surprise people with the details.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
However, this is not unusual, and this is why Gawain leads the head-to-head record against Djokovic, isn't it?
Djokovic took the opportunity to adjust his condition slightly while wiping his sweat, and then returned to the baseline, ready to face the test of break point again.
District 2.
Snap. Snap. Snap.
Djokovic's iconic bouncing of the ball appeared again. He bobbled the ball slowly and the heartbeat of the O2 Arena was in perfect sync with it.
Until the end of time, then Djokovic finally found peace of mind, looked at Gawain, and threw the tennis ball high into the air.
Outside corner? Inside corner? Chase?
Close range and forehand pressure.
The ball landed close to Gao Wen's right side, but after bouncing off the ground, it continued to spin sideways toward Gao Wen's body, further squeezing Gao Wen's hitting space, forcing Gao Wen to lean his upper body back and do a waist bend, trying his best to make space to complete the swing.
and!
Before Gao swung his racket, he realized that Djokovic's serve had tricked him, because Djokovic's serve was extremely slow. Although he didn't look at the speedometer, it was estimated that the speed was only about 170 kilometers per hour, which was shaky and slow.
If Gao Wen relies on his footwork to completely clear the space, he can actually launch an attack directly from the backhand position.
But Gawain did not expect Djokovic to be so bold. After just having his serve attacked, he dared to slow down further to escape. As a result, Gawain did not move away in time to grab the space, but relied on leaning back with his upper body to create space, which resulted in himself being involved.
In this calculation and game, Djokovic has the upper hand——
As a result, Gawain's swing was not only squeezed, but also unable to leverage the force. Obviously, Djokovic was calculating this. Without strength and speed, Gawain was unable to stretch and swing his racket, unable to leverage the force or exert power, and his return was completely restricted.
Pop.
Even the sound of the ball hitting the target was not clear. It was a bad return, almost like a feed in a practice match.
Opportunities are created in this way, opportunities for Djokovic.
Djokovic certainly would not miss it. He made small steps to adjust continuously, and his forehand stretched out like a roc spreading its wings, and he attacked without hesitation.
Bang--
Djokovic attacked with all his might, and his power exploded instantly.
This was also a surprise attack.