Knowing that there is a tiger in the mountain, I still go there -
Djokovic knew that he had chosen a thrilling and difficult way, but he also knew that this was his pride and his confidence.
He needs to face the challenge head on.
A one-handed backhand, one block and one rub, all relying on the feel of the hand, wrapping the tennis ball and pushing a small ball, trying to relieve the force.
The moment the tennis ball escaped the control of the racket, Djokovic immediately realized that the situation was not good.
The power was so fierce that Gawain's backhand diagonal shot was solid and strong enough, showing another side of him, which made it difficult for Djokovic to control it. It was difficult enough to use both hands, let alone one hand. Despite the superposition of a lot of friction, the power was still out of control.
The force-unloading effect is unsatisfactory.
However, things are out of Djokovic's control.
Everything happened in just a short moment. Djokovic had no time to regret or hesitate, and his steps had already entered the defensive mode.
Retreat. Adjust. Defend.
Here, Djokovic is retreating.
Over there, Gao Wen was walking up.
At the first moment, Gao Wen noticed the parabolic trajectory of Djokovic's return ball, which was not suppressed but rose high up, and he immediately realized the opportunity.
Without any hesitation, Gao Wen's footsteps had already cut into the baseline, adjusting with continuous small steps.
Originally, Gawain was going to use a volley to increase the tempo and shorten the round, so that Djokovic would have to respond hastily; but after seeing where the return ball landed, Gawain realized that there was no need to rush, and instead slowed down, and the whole situation fell under his control little by little.
The tennis ball flew out of the bottom line of the service area, which also meant that Djokovic's return ball was not short enough or long enough, and landed in the midfield neither up nor down; although there was no rotation and no power, one could still feel the power of Gawain's shot forming a recoil, and the rebound height was good when it landed.
Gawain had plenty of room to hit the ball.
So, Gao Wen was very patient and relaxed. He was waiting, waiting for Djokovic to move first. He was also standing in front of the net. He could wait, but Djokovic couldn't.
Sure enough, Djokovic moved, moving toward the right forehand position.
Gao Wen slightly turned sideways and did not use any force. Instead, he drew a small arc with his forehand, gently, nimbly and carefully, and flicked it out along the backhand direction of the reverse diagonal line.
whoosh.
One crosses, one misaligns.
Then, the point came to an end.
Come to an abrupt stop.
From powerful collisions to thrilling and then to close combat, the tension and excitement of this point have been pushed to a new height. No one can predict the direction, and no one is willing to predict it. All minds are focused on the court, but no one expected that it would end in such a light way.
Gently thrust the dagger into the heart, slowly, slowly, gently, but fatally.
this……
"Game, high."
It wasn’t until I heard the referee’s voice announcing the score that the curse of the O2 Stadium was instantly lifted.
Break.
In the ninth game of the second set, Djokovic was broken on his serve to win the set.
And, all it takes is one break point.
but!
Did Djokovic perform poorly in this point? No.
In this point, both players have performed at their top level. The fight was fierce and the result of the head-on confrontation was that Gao Wen won.
So graceful, so elegant, and yet so strong, just like a symphony, the surging and smooth melody stirred the whole audience and intoxicated everyone.
Not only the audience, but also the two players are no exception.
Across the net, Gawain looked at Djokovic with burning eyes and clenched fists in celebration; Djokovic also looked at Gawain with murderous intent in his eyes.
The sights collided very briefly, the air was burning, smoke filled the air, and visible sparks crackled and spread all over the place.
"Pah! Noel!"
Djokovic's fans roared desperately but firmly, channeling energy into their hero.
However, at this moment, in the frenzy of the O2 Arena, their voices were ultimately just a drop in the bucket and were swallowed up by another wave of heat in a blink of an eye.
"Fight."
One roar after another, the roar continued.
"Fight!"
It became more and more crazy and shocking, and the whole world began to shake along with it.
"5:4".
In the second set, the score returned to a tie.
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However, Djokovic, who served first, still had a slight advantage, and the next game was still a serve that Gawain had to defend.
If Djokovic can improve his form in time and break again...
However, the audience knows this, the commentator knows this, and Gao Wen also knows this. Never take it lightly when facing a giant, and even if you break the serve successfully, you must not let your guard down.
At this time, Gawain once again demonstrated his ability and absolute strength——
“15:0”, ACE.
“30:0”, serve goes straight to the winner.
“40:0”, ACE.
"40:15", Djokovic returns an ACE.
Then, hold serve and serve again.
In one game, Gao Wen quickly held his serve in just seventy-six seconds. He had won three games in a row since falling behind 5:2, completely turning the situation around.
Precisely because Gao Wen knew the importance of this game, he focused on improving the layout and quality of his serve. The reason was actually very intuitive. Djokovic was also tired and exhausted, and his physical limit should be approaching. He needed to allocate his physical strength more reasonably.
In Gao Wen's opinion, Djokovic should fight hard to test one or two balls. If successful, then he will fight for this game; if he fails, then he will save his energy to hold his serve later and aim for a tiebreak.
So, serving and receiving are the key.
In the second point, Djokovic's serve went out of bounds; in the fourth point, he succeeded, but Gao Wen still stood firm and controlled the situation, successfully holding his serve.
Holding serve in this game meant that the second set was truly back to a balance. From state to physical fitness to momentum, both players were back to the same starting line, and the next game needed to be adjusted according to the situation.
In the eleventh game, Gao Wen is still young, with better physical reserves and recovery speed. He pressed Djokovic and tried to fight for two shots. He got a break point, but Djokovic saved it with an ACE. After three deuces, the world No. 1 still successfully held his serve.
In the twelfth game, Djokovic continued the game strategy of the tenth game. The quality of his serve reception was significantly improved, which created difficulties for the second shot after Gao Wen's serve. The baseline round was a tug of war again, but Gao Wen did not give away a break point and successfully held his serve after two deuces.
The reason lies in Djokovic——
His overall tactics were still more adventurous and radical. He tried his best to avoid entanglement, conserve his energy, and do his utmost to postpone the time when his physical strength reached its peak.
When Gawain relied on excellent defense to repeatedly push back the fight, Djokovic's shots would become more risky and end in mistakes.
The world number one did not feel sorry about this. He formulated a strategy and carried out it according to the strategy. It was so simple. The real decisive battle was yet to come. These fights, these attempts, these adventures were all paving the way for what was to come and also serving as training for what was to come. His will was very firm.
Then.
"6:6".
The tie-break is here.
A wonderful game requires such exciting moments.