A question:
In a tennis match, what should you do if your opponent is in super form? What should you do if the "delay strategy" doesn't work?
At this point, I would like to quote Nadal's words to answer, "In the world of tennis, sometimes you have to accept the fact that your opponent is the one who performs better."
So, what should we do? Give up? Throw up our hands? Raise the white flag?
In response, Nadal said, "The only thing we can do is to fight, fight to the end, and then face it calmly and return to the training ground to continue training."
This is what Gao Wen is going to do.
Although Djokovic was in super god mode, his unstoppable, aggressive, sharp and powerful attack was different from any of their previous encounters. This kind of Djokovic was unfamiliar, as if he was meeting a completely different player, the whole rhythm was different.
But Gawain wasn't ready to give up.
Not only that, but Gawain also had no intention of following Djokovic's plan. He was not going to use the "delay tactic" to wait for Djokovic's condition to decline. He was going to start a head-on confrontation in the second set, disrupt Djokovic's plan, and regain the initiative in the game.
This is belief and confidence.
Gao Wen believed that he could do it.
So, what to do? A tug-of-war on the bottom line? More surfing? Risky fight? No, none of the above.
——Djokovic also has a weakness, a weakness that is known to everyone, but not everyone can grasp it.
Not the forehand, not the backhand, not the net, and not the high pressure.
But exert force.
Djokovic is known as the most balanced and average among the giants. There are almost no loopholes in his various techniques, so his difficulty level naturally increases. His only weakness is instantaneous force.
This is the limitation of his own physical condition. Djokovic has many talents, such as body flexibility, soft touch, etc., but it does not include absolute strength. Therefore, even in a super god state, even if he is forcing an attack, Djokovic's force is still not pure muscle explosiveness.
From a technical perspective, Djokovic's power is often the inertial impact force created by increasing the speed of the racket head, while the pure combined force of his own always lacks some running-in.
Therefore, it is not that Djokovic does not want to attack continuously and prefers to fight at the baseline, but that his playing style is gradually formed by his own conditions.
Similarly, this is also the reason why Djokovic's high pressure at the net has always been unstable and there has been no obvious improvement after years of training.
Of course, the "shortcomings" mentioned here are only relative.
In fact, Djokovic is very aware of his "shortcomings", and if his opponent wants to exploit these weaknesses, he has his own way of dealing with them.
Over time, Djokovic has used his weaknesses to develop a different response strategy, which has become the key to his legendary status.
So, how do you take advantage of this weakness? Lob the ball.
The answer is actually very simple. Moon ball, rainbow ball, banana ball, no matter what you call it, the answer is to completely pull up the return ball parabola.
The full and smooth high parabolic return forces Djokovic to try to hit the ball from a position above his shoulders or even his head. The awkward hitting point prevents his arms from fully swinging and the racket head from speeding up, so he can only rely on his own strength to forcefully press down to attack.
For Djokovic, it is difficult, very difficult, and the offensive rhythm will be interrupted.
However, this does not mean that Djokovic will just give up.
In fact, lobs are very risky returns because they are equivalent to handing over the right to attack to the opponent. Even though Djokovic finds it difficult to exert force, it does not mean that he cannot exert force. Push-and-block light hits and collisions can still create threats; and Djokovic also has other means.
Cut and release the ball, control the landing point, lob the ball high and return it to the baseline, lightly hit the skateboard, go to the net with the ball, etc. In addition, there is also the wrap-and-pocket shot that Djokovic is best at.
There are many different ways of responding. Djokovic's baseline hitting ability is praised as the best in the ATP, and it is not just a casual boast.
Choosing to lob the ball not only interrupts Djokovic's offensive connection, but also means putting oneself in a defensive state, which involves taking risks.
So, the shortcomings are there, but not everyone can grasp them.
When to lob the ball, how to lob the ball, what should be the quality of the lob, how to arrange the offensive and defensive response in the next shot after the lob, etc., all are difficult problems that require keen observation and calm judgment.
The most important thing is to have a comprehensive plan and be on full alert.
Now, Gao Wen is ready to make full use of his shortcomings——
Create disruptions.
Djokovic was in hot form and had a strong will. The belief in winning completely dominated his brain and he was in peak form. All Gawain needed to do was to constantly interfere, interrupt Djokovic's smooth offensive sequence, and find gaps for his own counterattack in the midst of the stumbling blocks to seize the initiative.
This kind of game is exactly Gao Wen’s strong point.
Everything requires patience and carefulness.
It just so happened that Gao Wen won the first set. Even if he lost the second set, he still had the deciding set. Therefore, he could fully utilize the time in the second set to complete his layout. He did not use the "dragging tactic" but still had enough time and space to maneuver. This was an advantage that Gao Wen would not miss.
The basics, start with keeping your own serve. After all, mastering the serve means mastering the initiative, and the entire tactical layout will be easier.
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And in the serving game, slowly start to try some lobs. When to choose the lob and the landing point of the lob are all a science. Lobbers in deep areas and lobs in shallow areas, lobs on both sides and lobs in the middle, the layout effects of these return balls are all different.
Gawain, don't be in a hurry.
In a blink of an eye, four games were over.
“5:2”.
Gao Wen held his two service games, and Djokovic also held his two service games without any break points, pushing the score all the way to the end of the second set.
The classic score appeared again. The gap seemed obvious, but in fact there was only one break difference.
"5:3", Gao Wen still steadily maintained his serve. In this game, Djokovic did not exert too much pressure.
From the tactics, we can see that Djokovic was saving energy and strength to prepare for the deciding set. After gaining the lead by breaking serve, he played more simply in Gawain's serve, often choosing some risky routes to fight, and if he could score, he would score, otherwise he would not.
The real focus for Djokovic is still on his serve to win the set.
Therefore, the middle part of the second set was relatively calm, without too many waves, but the turbulent undercurrent was slowly unfolding and the tension never disappeared.
Djokovic's calculations were correct, but he still needed to ask for Gawain's opinion. There was another important point -
Djokovic's own serving condition in the game where he served to win the set.
If the quality of Djokovic's first serve is always stable, then Gawain will be helpless; but as long as there is a fluctuation, Gawain will definitely not be polite.
Now, the pressure is coming.
Double fault.
"0:15".
Serving to win the set, lose the first point.