Calm. Focused. Fully engaged——

Djokovic's attention was focused as never before. At this moment, history and pride were no longer important. There were only tennis and Gawain in his eyes and brain. He stared at the dynamics of the court intently, with his muscles and nerves tensed to the extreme.

Tap. Tap.

Take small steps and always stay light.

Push. Charge.

His pupils shrank as he immediately caught Gawain's intention to hit the ball, and his feet moved sideways to the left, even before he shot.

Run. Sprint.

His eyes were fixed on Gao Wen and the tennis ball, and the figure had already appeared at his backhand position, but he immediately realized that the situation seemed different.

The first surprise was that the forehand pressed straight down the backhand.

Throughout the game, Gao Wen had been aiming at Djokovic's forehand breakthrough and achieved good results, but at this moment he suddenly chose to break through with his backhand?

This shot was not an ordinary transition ball. Before his feet were fully in place, he could feel the layers of air waves coming from the front.

Fast enough, heavy enough, and powerful enough.

Quality, completely different.

Was Gao preparing to take advantage of Djokovic's backhand? The second surprise was the ball going to the net.

Djokovic did not miss Gawain's forward leaning center of gravity and upward steps. After hitting the ball, his entire forward posture was very firm and strong. After the endless power was released, he went to the net, and the transition and connection were smooth and seamless, which instantly overturned the situation.

In a flash, the situation changes suddenly.

Strictly speaking, in this round, both Gawain and Djokovic were exerting their strength. Neither of them was completely passive, but neither had the upper hand. The offensive and defensive transitions between them were always in a stalemate. There was defense in offense and defense instead of offense. It was difficult to tell who was attacking and who was defending in a few words.

People thought Djokovic would take the lead in breaking the deadlock, but they never expected that it would be Gawain who showed a more proactive side.

The situation became tense in an instant.

So what about Djokovic? An unexpected one, indeed; but strictly speaking, not that unexpected.

Because Djokovic knows Gawain, he knows Gawain's courage and determination, and the more critical the moment, the more he can show the youthful vigor.

At the match point, Gawain launched a killer move, which was indeed in line with Gawain's character. Regardless of winning or losing, he would always fight for it and use up every last bit of his energy.

And, at the net? Djokovic wasn't all that flustered.

Previously, Gawain predicted that Djokovic might choose to go to the net, but Djokovic feinted and did not go to the net immediately but eventually went to the net; the same is true now. Djokovic also anticipated that Gawain might go to the net, relying on this method to break the balance and create chaos.

then.

The surprise caught Djokovic's heart for a short time, but he made good use of his vigilance and nervousness to improve his condition and quickly scan the court.

Take in the whole view.

Gao Wen's position, Gao Wen's movement direction, the three-dimensional space of the court, and the potential breakthrough routes of the court.

Everything, like a picture scroll, unfolds in my mind.

How to choose a network-breaking line?

At this time, Gao Wen was rushing from his forehand position towards the top of the diagonal line, running a diagonal line across the court, aiming to block the backhand penetration.

but.

This is a trap.

Djokovic has a sharp gaze.

Gao Wen's steps at the net were light and agile. He did not rush forward recklessly, but with a certain rhythm and rhythm. He had just reached the midfield and did not rush to get close to the net to block the potential angle of the ball.

Judging from the movement trend, Gao Wen blocked the backhand position, leaving the forehand position behind him vacant.

In other words, Djokovic should choose to break the net with a backhand straight line.

Is this really the case?

Not really—

First of all, Gao Wen's forehand straight shot is of excellent quality. It not only hits the line and has a tricky landing point, but also has both power and speed, creating a suppressive effect.

Djokovic has little room to hit the straight line and needs to take risks.

Secondly, Gao Wen's footwork center of gravity is still in the middle, and he can change direction at any time. Blocking the diagonal line is basically a smoke bomb, and his attention is on the straight line.

Even Gawain does not need to block the straight line. He only needs to put pressure on Djokovic from a psychological level - the possibility of moving towards the straight line to complete the blockage at any time is like a boulder pressing on his chest, and Djokovic must pursue a straighter straight line, which makes it more difficult to control.

The risk is rising sharply.

A little less control and Djokovic would hit the ball out of bounds.

The double pressure from the physical and mental levels is piled on Djokovic's shoulders. This is Gao Wen's strategy.

Look, in just a short moment, the game between Gawain and Djokovic has already lasted for several rounds.

Then, Djokovic had already taken action——

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Push off the ground, swing the racket, and exert force.

Compared with his forehand, Djokovic's backhand is more solid and stronger, the force is smoother, and the quality of the shot is better.

Slash!

With a solid and crisp sound of hitting the ball, the tennis ball flew out diagonally.

oh.

Huh.

There was an exclamation at the O2 Arena.

In the eyes of the audience, Djokovic was like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth, and even though Gawain was blocking the diagonal shot, he still chose to break the net diagonally.

But is it really so?

Djokovic's steps have also started.

Following the inertia of the backhand shot, Djokovic also cut into the baseline and went to the net, his eyes fixed firmly on Gao Wen, revealing a touch of calmness and determination.

This diagonal shot contains a mystery.

Djokovic knew that Gawain was plotting against him, but he was also plotting against Gawain. Even if Gawain really blocked the diagonal shot, he had a backup plan.

When hitting the ball, the goal is not to break through the net, but to limit it.

Djokovic's backhand shot was aimed at Gawain's footsteps and controlled from the left backhand position, with power, rotation and speed all converging towards the target.

If Gawain continues to move forward, he will fall into Djokovic's trap in just one step. The more steps he takes, the more passive he will be.

The landing point is right next to the left leg and slightly close to the heel.

Djokovic forced Gawain to choose to rebound and hit the ball in the backhand position. He could not control the swing of the racket and could only rely on the angle of the racket face and wrist control. The possibility of hitting the diagonal line was almost 95%. He only needed to wait for a supplementary shot in the diagonal position and easily pocketed the points.

If Gawain does not continue to step forward, the position of his body and the tennis ball will be awkward, and he will not be able to exert force with his backhand and can only intercept. No matter which direction the return ball flies, Djokovic will be able to step forward as soon as possible to hit the next shot and can still easily reverse the confrontation.

Traps, calculations, and games.

With just one simple shot, the two players had already fought for several rounds.

Then, Djokovic followed his shot and rushed towards Gao Wen head-on.

Pupils, shrinking——

Gao Wen, step forward.

It's a habit and also an inertia. Gawain still subconsciously stayed close to the net. With a step forward, Djokovic knew that his prey had been successfully caught.