Tight, stalemate, close combat——
From serve and volley to the battle at the net, the two players' on-the-spot reactions brought out the characteristics of the indoor hard court to the fullest, a collision of speed and skill.
Then.
A misalignment.
Djokovic tried to defend the ball diagonally to his right, but he could see that Gawain's hands holding the racket made a sword-flipping motion, and after a brief pause, he gently pushed the tennis ball out in a straight line.
The light and shadow on both sides of the net intertwined like this.
Djokovic was stunned, his eyes widened, he stopped and turned suddenly and started again, but standing in front of the net, everything was too late, everything was too late.
My sight followed the mustard yellow, and I turned my head to watch the parabola of the tennis ball, which landed lightly and calmly into a gap.
Crash.
It was like diving, splashing up golden waves.
One blow, fatal.
"ah!"
Across the net, Gawain leaped high into the air, clenched his fists and cheered.
With one count, the stalemate and tense situation collapsed, and the first set of the game ended abruptly.
"6:4".
Victory belongs to Gawain.
Djokovic couldn't help it. He raised his hand, gripped the racket tightly and smashed it hard towards the ground. Just one hit was enough. The racket was completely twisted and shattered into a piece of garbage in the violence. Even so, the burning anger was still surging in his eyes and he still couldn't vent it out completely.
Pop.
Heartstrings, broken.
"Gawain. Gawain! Gawain!"
"The first plate belongs to Gawain!"
"Wow, I mean, wow."
"In such a tense, stalemate and exciting situation, both players have played to their full potential and displayed all their weapons without reservation."
"However!"
"Gawain showed us his maturity and calmness. He used a serve and then a chip shot, and a serve and volley. The combination of these two unfamiliar techniques allowed him to firmly control the situation. This was not just boldness or risk-taking, but also an accurate grasp of the situation and the battle situation, and he made reasonable choices."
“And, it’s well executed.”
"Standing in front of the giants, Gao Wen has completed a comprehensive transformation. He is no longer a challenger, but an equal competitor. He believes that he can do it. To be more precise, he knows that he can do it. 'I am as good as you' and 'I can beat you'. It's that simple."
“Wow.”
"Djokovic's performance at the end of the set was very, very good. It could even be said that it was his best set since coming to London this year. But Gawain still fought with unparalleled courage and conviction, and repelled the impact of the world's number one in the most straightforward and neat way."
"incredible!"
"I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm really going to say it because I believe it now. Gawain has the qualities of a football king."
"We have seen this kind of temperament in Nadal who was competing against Federer, and in Djokovic who was chasing Federer and Nadal, but unfortunately we have not seen it in Murray and Wawrinka yet, but we have seen it in Gawain first."
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a 'match' and believe me, the second set will be even more exciting."
Before the semi-finals kicked off, people anticipated excitement and even the result, but they did not anticipate the process, which was more exciting than expected.
When Djokovic smashed his racket, the fans could see how intense the game was.
In today's match, Djokovic remained calm and steady from the first point, and the belief in winning in his eyes was different from any previous encounter this year; but when it came to the last point of the first set, it ended in such a way, and his composure was broken.
Djokovic was angry.
So, what does this mean? No one knows. The only thing that is certain is that, like Gawain, Djokovic will never give up or surrender. The counterattack begins.
really--
At the beginning of the second set, Djokovic entered a super god state. A Djokovic that had never been seen before, a Djokovic possessed by Wawrinka, a Djokovic who relied on offense to kill with blood. He broke the balance in an instant and pushed Gawain into extreme difficulties.
“3:0”.
Djokovic, who served first, broke the serve once and saved his two service games, instantly widening the score gap.
What does Djokovic look like?
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There is no square ball, no protracted entanglement and tug of war. Although the hook ball is unique in the world, the forehand and backhand attacks are like a storm.
McEnroe was once asked about the biggest difference between Djokovic and Murray. The two players have similar playing styles, but Djokovic has a clear advantage in the head-to-head record; at the same time, both players often get into tug-of-war, but Djokovic's winning rate is significantly higher than Murray.
Why? McEnroe said it was his forehand and backhand offensive abilities. Djokovic has the ability to attack with a penetrating shot in both positions.
Many fans expressed disbelief, "Really?", but today, Djokovic demonstrated his ability.
Although Djokovic's instantaneous explosive power is not as strong as Wawrinka or Del Potro, his offense is still very distinctive.
Just like Djokovic's iconic forehand diagonal "inside-out", it is a penetrating shot; and Djokovic's characteristic is that he can control the package, he can always aim at the sideline to hit the ball, which is described as a "painter" in tennis matches -
Every shot was painting the sidelines.
In addition, Djokovic has this ability with both forehand and backhand.
The second set started like this.
Djokovic's offense and defense are not only strong, but also precise. He keeps pressing the line and aiming at the corners.
This was not the Djokovic that Gao Wen was familiar with. He had never expected that Djokovic's "Plan B" would be like this; even with the offensive mode that Gao Wen was familiar with, Djokovic was able to find the sideline every time, and he was powerless to resist even Wawrinka who had entered a super god state.
Tennis, that's it.
Although Gawain was constantly on the defensive and trying to counterattack and launch attacks, Djokovic's aggressiveness and superb form still gave him the upper hand, and the score gap in the second set was instantly widened.
So, what to do? Give up, that's impossible; then, wait patiently for Djokovic's form to decline?
Generally speaking, it is the right choice to remain patient and wait until Djokovic's touch cools down, and then the opportunity comes to Gao Wen.
Gao Wen would do this normally, especially in the best-of-five sets of Grand Slams.
But today is a little different.
Gao Wen knew that Djokovic was determined to accomplish his mission. From the first set to the second set, the world No. 1's mentality, preparation, and state all proved this. He had reason to believe that Djokovic was prepared for subsequent counterattacks and even the third set, and would not surrender easily.
Victory is Djokovic's goal.
Therefore, Gao Wen needs to disrupt Djokovic's plan.