When to exert force, when to bounce the ball, when to attack, and when to counterattack, this is the game strategy that Djokovic has been adjusting since the US Open, improving his control over the game from serve and forehand cuts.

At this time, Djokovic is showing the results of his improvement.

A seemingly simple serve, a resolute forehand attack, the coordination of one slow and one fast, one weak and one strong, instantly overturned the situation.

Ah! Djokovic exerted his strength, and his classic forehand diagonal “inside-out” line swept across the court, instantly pushing Gawain to the edge of the cliff.

However, Gawain's figure remained firmly on the diagonal track.

Although he fell into a trap in the serve and receive phase, Gao Wen's second reaction was very timely. He accurately predicted Djokovic's hitting line at the first time and started crossing the court after he finished hitting the ball.

Tap, tap, tap, tap—

Come here in a hurry!

His pace was still lacking a little, but Gao Wen was not flustered. He braked and cut the tennis ball back with his forehand, slowing down his speed and rhythm.

Gawain cut a big diagonal backspin shot, and wobbled the tennis ball towards Djokovic's forehand baseline triangle, into the dead corner.

It was not difficult for Djokovic to adjust his footwork, he was already in place early. After continuous adjustments, he bent his knees to lower his center of gravity and hit the ball.

Ah! Djokovic roared from deep within his dantian, and his strength poured out.

Although Gao Wen's return ball's rotation and landing point control have reached the extreme, trying to squeeze Djokovic and limit Djokovic's subsequent attack, Djokovic once again demonstrated his baseline hitting ability.

Without retreating his feet and with his racket swinging space squeezed, he relied on the adjustment of his center of gravity and balance to complete the shot. He hammered hard for the second consecutive time and was not restricted by Gawain. Instead, he launched a counterattack on the spot.

The entire shot connection, return arc, and power addition were all done in one go. The rhythm of the round was raised to a higher level again, continuing to put pressure on Gao Wen.

Bang.

Djokovic's determination can be heard from the crisp and solid sound of the ball. This shot is also a weapon that Djokovic is carefully honing. Whether actively or passively, he can continue to control the situation.

The tennis ball turned into a beam of light and went behind Gawain.

Originally, Gao Wen had already started to move back to defense, and his center of gravity was pulled back again, but this time, Gao Wen was not surprised and he was in place with one step.

Push off the ground, brake, control the body's center of gravity along the stride, and rely on the turning movement to complete the transmission and transfer of reaction force, and swing the racket forehand forward without hesitation to complete the impact head-on.

Simple, firm, fast——

Djokovic's alarm bells immediately rang.

Although Djokovic hit the ball very strongly, the repeated placement of the diagonal line was not unexpected, and it now seemed that his return fell into Gawain's trap.

Trap, this is a trap! Gao Wen took advantage of Djokovic's mentality of preparing to increase the rhythm and continue to attack, and took advantage of Djokovic's mentality of continuously exerting pressure on his forehand. He deliberately used a cutting diagonal line to send the tennis ball to Djokovic's hands and used the movement of returning to the defensive position as a smoke bomb.

Then, Djokovic's diagonal attack ran into Gawain's trap.

Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it! Djokovic saw Gawain's body move slightly forward, and he didn't even need to see the swing to realize that he had stepped into a trap. He knew Gawain very well, and this shot was definitely a straight line.

This is also true, forehand straight line.

Gao Wen was well prepared, used the force of the ball, swung it quickly with his forehand, completed a straight line change, and pushed the tennis ball into Djokovic's backhand blind spot.

In an instant, Djokovic, who was on the attack continuously, fell into a passive position.

Djokovic was running wildly and at lightning speed. There was no time to regret or be angry. He pushed his speed to the extreme and sprinted with all his strength.

Push the ground, push the ground, and push the ground again.

Sprint all the way.

Djokovic took a look at Gawain's return and immediately noticed that Gawain's return was a dagger in disguise. It was a backspin, top-down shot, which also meant that the rebound height of the tennis ball after it hit the ground was limited, further compressing the space left for Djokovic to return the ball, and it might be too late.

What to do? A short ball at the net? Djokovic quickly scanned the opponent with his peripheral vision. Gawain had already quickly returned to defense, his footsteps returned to the midfield, and his center of gravity remained light, which also meant that no matter what return Djokovic chose, Gawain was ready to hit the ball on the next shot.

If Djokovic chooses to return the ball casually without planning, even if the ball can go over the net and into bounds, the ball may not be there in the next shot.

The small ball is unreliable, and it mainly depends on your own position. It is too difficult to control the cutting and releasing of the small ball. A slight deviation may cause trouble for others.

Tap, tap, tap—

In a flash, Djokovic had made his judgment and completed his layout.

It can be seen that Djokovic's footsteps are already in place, but the problem is that the tennis ball falls near the baseline. After landing, there is almost no room for rebound. The flying height is only near the ankle. It is too late for Djokovic to step back now. He must try to hit the ball at a low point.

So, instead of choosing a two-handed backhand, Djokovic was forced to choose a one-handed backhand, in this way gaining flexible space for the swing.

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Low, right at the ankle, gently slice, turn the wrist, and cleverly cut out an inward rotation.

Although it was an upward spin, the parabola did not rise completely upwards. Instead, it flew along a diagonal line along the net, and then fell rapidly after crossing the net, like a meteor.

The ball lands in the small triangle at the bottom line of the serving area.

wonderful.

It's amazing.

Djokovic actually cut a wide outside corner along the diagonal line and found a landing point in the shallow area, completely tearing the diagonal line apart, and completely opening up the horizontal space of the court.

Moreover, this shot's cut is light and spinning, with almost no sound when hitting the ball. It switches from a strong collision to a clever pull, while still maintaining a light rhythm.

It is definitely a stroke of genius.

In a passive situation, Djokovic overturned the situation with an incredible one-handed backhand slice, which attracted the attention of the audience in the O2 Stadium. He easily and flexibly drilled into the small triangle of the serving area, and then turned into a beam of light and shadow and broke through in the direction outside the doubles line.

Huh.

At the scene, the sound of people gasping for air was heard.

Then, Gawain appeared.

Although Gawain returned to his defensive position early and started immediately and arrived successfully, his feet were still pulled out of the sideline by Djokovic's return and he lost his position. The entire court was completely empty. The dilemma that Djokovic just faced was now pushed to Gawain in the same way.

Moreover, Gao Wen was even more passive. Not only did he have no way to leverage the opponent's strength and it was difficult for him to exert force, but his feet were also pushed toward the doubles line. Both the horizontal and vertical spatial positions were squeezed, leaving him with many batting routes, but very little breathing space.

What to do? Djokovic pushed the same question to Gao Wen again.

However, Gao Wen did not panic at all. He braked with his left leg, controlled his center of gravity, and shot with both hands.