Federer was just about to move to the left when he suddenly stopped and turned, subconsciously moving to the right, but was pulled back by gravity.

Suddenly, my feet were nailed to the spot.

Then, he watched helplessly as the tennis ball slipped into the gap in his forehand position.

In fact, the distance is not far, just two steps, but it is so close and yet so far away, out of reach, and you can only sigh at the ball.

His eyes were fixed on the point where Gao Wen's return ball landed, and he subconsciously turned his head to look at the linesman behind him.

Within the boundaries.

The linesman's gestures were firm, his eyes were clear, and he was confident in his decisions.

Federer knew he was right because from the look of his eyes, it was also in bounds.

Federer didn't say much. He straightened his knees, stood up straight, and walked to the edge of the court. He needed to use the time to wipe the sweat off his face and organize his thoughts.

Boom! It was only now, a full beat late, that the O2 Stadium reacted, raising their arms and cheering, with mighty cheers and screams sweeping across the entire stadium.

Tense, exciting, and fierce.

Sure enough, the match between Gawain and Federer lived up to expectations and reached its first climax right at the start. From layout to game, to mutation and final subversion, all the ups and downs of the collision were condensed in a short round of two or three beats, which exploded instantly. The heart could hardly bear such energy.

Then, the break point appeared -

Federer's performance was still outstanding, but Gawain's on-the-spot response was even better.

This is the peak showdown that people are looking forward to seeing.

I still remember that last year at the O2 Arena, Djokovic and Federer met in the final. The audience was full of expectations and enthusiasm, ready to feast their eyes on a peak showdown, but they did not expect that Federer had to choose to withdraw before the game due to injury, which was a pity.

Even after a whole year, I still find it hard to let go of that regret.

Precisely because of this, on the eve of this year's final, what people discussed most was the hope that the players would be healthy and not be affected by injuries, and then look forward to presenting a top-level competition to make up for the excitement missed last year.

Now...it lives up to expectations.

It was only the third game, and Gao Wen, who had undergone a qualitative change in the second half of the season, took the lead and seized the initiative with varied strategies and decisive execution.

Then, Federer will face the test of a break point.

Now, looking back at the forehand error at "30:15", we can understand more deeply:

In a duel between top players, there is no room for error. The slightest deviation in details may become an opportunity for the opponent to show off his skills, and this tiny gap may be enough to become the key to overturning the balance of the game.

"30:40".

Federer's first test.

But from another perspective, Gawain seized a detail to gain an advantage, and conversely, Federer can do the same, he also has this ability.

Now, it depends on how Federer responds.

So, does Federer need to change his strategy?

Federer disagrees.

In Federer's view, there was no problem with the tactics and strategy in this serve game. Such confrontation and tug-of-war were expected before the game. Although Gawain made some adjustments and attempts, and they worked, Federer should not be led by the nose. He needed to stick to himself.

He believes in himself.

District 2.

Outside corner.

"Out of bounds!"

Federer tried to create an angle and fully mobilize Gawain. Even if Gawain successfully touched the ball, his feet had been completely pulled out.

Unfortunately, it went slightly off the sideline.

The layman watches the excitement, while the expert watches the details.

At this point, we should look at the details -

There were some fluctuations in Federer's serve. Although there were only two service games so far, Federer's first serve success rate was very good and his overall performance was stable. But in this game, Gawain took a position to receive the serve in advance, creating an invisible pressure, and the situation changed subtly.

Before this, Federer's serve was still excellent; however, when it came to the break point, Federer's first serve was a little tight.

From this we can see that pressure exists objectively.

Perhaps, Federer's fans may not be convinced, why does the king of tennis need to be nervous? Don't forget, this is the O2 Arena, a place where Federer has written countless glories and legends; moreover, since coming to London this year, Federer has remained undefeated, defeating Djokovic and Nadal in straight sets, proving his status through practical actions.

Federer is confident in facing any player, so how could he be nervous about Gawain? But the reality is that Gawain is an opponent that any player needs to be wary of, including Federer.

Federer looked up at Gawain, who was concentrating and not distracted at all. He knew that his strategy should be exposed.

In the first serve, Federer was preparing to serve and attack at the net.

Of course, Federer has not forgotten how he lost the first point of this game, but it does not mean that Federer will be timid. He will still stick to his tactics; it’s just that now, the first serve went out of bounds and the strategy was discovered, which means that the second serve requires a completely new layout.

Snap. Snap.

In other words, in the brief gap between bouncing the ball, Federer had already made adjustments and rethought.

Second serve.

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Outside corner.

Surprisingly, it is still the outside corner.

It’s still the outside corner, but the entire serving strategy is completely different.

For the first serve, Federer chose the standard outside corner, landing on the edge of the serving area, tearing the angle apart and relying on speed to suppress.

On the outside corner of the second serve, Federer retracted the angle a little, landing in the small triangle where the sideline and baseline of the serving area intersect, relying on topspin to suppress.

In other words, the first serve utilizes the horizontal space, while the second serve utilizes the vertical space; not to mention the differences in speed, power, and rotation.

And, the key point is that Federer caught Gao Wen's position-

Gao Wen was still standing forward, near the baseline.

The strong rotation of the second serve bounced off the ground and then rose high up. When it reached the baseline, the hitting point was diagonally above the head. Not to mention exerting force, even the swinging action was completely restrained.

Federer used Gawain's position to create a serve that was awkward no matter how he hit it.

This is Federer's ability, not only showing his control and layout, but also showing his tennis wisdom.

then.

Or, Gawain retreats and loses his positional advantage.

Or, Gao Wen cuts and gives up the strategy of attacking and serving.

Federer really didn't leave Gawain with too many options, but this is the advantage of the server. As long as the serve is good enough, the opponent can be restricted.

Gao Wen, choose the latter.

And it is precisely moments like these that witness Gawain's ability to become the fifth giant.

Because he knew that Federer would definitely change his strategy and improve his condition on the break point, any changes were not unexpected and he always remained calm.

Cutting?

No problem.

Not only did Gawain not retreat, but he also moved forward slightly, and at the high point above his head, he chopped and sliced ​​from top to bottom, controlling the parabola and pushing towards Federer's position.

It was exactly where Federer was standing when serving, or even more precisely, where his feet were.

Cut deep, cut and turn.

The tennis ball was floating and swaying, like a dead leaf shivering in the cold wind of autumn rain. It was about to float out of the baseline, but when it was about to go out of bounds, it fell rapidly and landed on the baseline.

Accurate, pressing line.