Chapter 452: Coming from behind
One step! In place!
Swing! Hit the ball!
Gao Wen's attention was completely focused. He pushed off the ground, swung the racket, and exerted force all in one go. In an instant, the force of his upper body turning was already hitting the tennis ball along with the racket.
Bang! It can be clearly felt that Djokovic's serve power was not strong enough, and the quality of the ball was not good enough, giving Gao Wen more space to exert force.
Don't forget, it's originally a second serve.
Forearm! Push! Wrist! Light flick! Along with the upper body turning movement, the speed of the entire racket is significantly accelerated, and at the last moment of the shot, the force of the body leaning forward is added.
Boom! The flight trajectory of the tennis ball was completely overturned immediately, and it flew quickly in a straight line along the sideline. Although we didn't see how much force Gao Wen exerted, we could clearly feel the light rhythm of his attack.
A blink.
The tennis ball has already reached the bottom line triangle position in Djokovic's half.
Land and bounce.
Just run out.
Djokovic sounded the alarm immediately, running at full speed, and even did a split to try to save the ball.
However--
"Competition, high."
After all, it was still a little slow, the racket failed to touch the tennis ball, Djokovic swung the racket in the air, and then Gawain broke back with an ace return.
"Love-game break!"
"In this game, Djokovic's concentration obviously dropped. Gao Wen keenly smelled the opportunity and took the initiative to attack. He seized the opportunity to break back on the first break point."
"The third set, it's obviously not over yet."
In the studio, Zhan Jun and Hu Litao quietly ignited a little hope. Being behind by one break and being behind by two breaks are two different things. Now the possibility of the third set is open again.
But neither of them was too excited, because it was not Gawain's divine performance in the previous game, but Djokovic's performance declined; this also means that as long as Djokovic regains his attention and concentration, the initiative of the game will still be in the hands of the world No. 1.
The "Big Four" have such capabilities.
Just look at the reactions of the two players on the court: Gawain's fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium were cheering and shouting at the top of their lungs, celebrating that Gawain had finally found some form and stopped the dull streak of losing two consecutive games by breaking the serve, but Gawain just clenched his fists lightly to cheer himself up and did not celebrate wildly.
Djokovic did not vent his anger. He just stood there to adjust his breathing, reorganize his thoughts, and then returned to the baseline to prepare for the next game. His fans also did not cheer and shout impatiently. The cheers were only sporadic.
Because everyone knows that this game is more like an unexpected episode and is not enough to break the balance of the third set. We still need to see the next trend.
Amid the boiling heat, Gao Wen's serve game came next.
Djokovic is worthy of being one of the Big Four. He also realized that his abnormal performance in the previous game was likely to give Gawain confidence and let Gawain regain his form. So in the next Gawain serve, Djokovic pressed a little hard.
If he could break the serve again, not only would he be able to eliminate the suspense of the third set, but he would also be able to put an end to Gao Wen's momentum before he had time to raise his head.
From the overall perspective of the game, Djokovic needed to launch an attack in this game.
But while Gawain's condition improved, Djokovic's own physical limit was approaching rapidly, which also made Gawain's serve return to a relative balance.
The fifth game of the third set seemed to be another potential turning point.
This game showed Gao Wen's wisdom and calmness. Facing Djokovic's fierce attack, he adjusted his tactics in time when the score was "30:30".
A surprise drop shot was caught up in time by the vigilant Djokovic, but Gawain's subsequent attack was very cleverly connected, and he volleyed the ball directly to score a through-the-hole point.
A serve from the outside corner of the second zone combined with a strong attack from a two-handed backhand straight line resulted in a long-awaited backhand winning point and the serve was successfully retained.
In this game, Gao Wen's serve quality and tactical combination at the critical moment were rough but delicate. He was bold enough and calm enough to quickly create the winning point. He saved his serve before Djokovic's offensive further pressured him. After the deuce, he scored two points in a row and won the game without any danger.
It can be seen that Gao Wen also smelled the subtle changes in the game situation and improved his condition in time, which is a very important growth.
Then, this game really became the turning point of the third set.
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After Djokovic scored "3:0", Gawain won two games in a row to catch up to "3:2", only one break behind, but Djokovic still had the advantage of one break, which made Djokovic realize that instead of wasting energy and physical strength in Gawain's serve, it is better to focus on his own serve.
After all, as long as Djokovic can hold his serve, the victory in the third set will still fall into the pocket of the world No. 1.
Therefore, in the middle of the third set, the excitement of the game declined to a certain extent.
Both players successfully held their serve. Although Gawain was able to create some waves in Djokovic's serve, Djokovic was more experienced after all. The score remained deadlocked all the way to "5:4". After Gawain once again held his serve, the two players took a break between games.
After waiting for the break, Djokovic will serve to win the third set.
But is it really that simple? More importantly, will Gawain surrender so easily? Zhan Jun noticed a small detail: in Gawain's serve, Djokovic played rather roughly, neither attacking nor defending too finely, and he would not go all out for some balls, so Gawain's serve was often relatively easy and did not consume too much energy.
In Djokovic's serving games, Gawain would always make some bold attempts, similar to fighting, but of various types, such as dropping small balls, suddenly changing lines, and cutting to change the rhythm. He would not be upset if he failed, but if he succeeded, Djokovic would face some troubles, so Djokovic's serving games encountered some challenges.
This reminded Zhan Jun of Gao Wen's performance in the previous rounds. Gao Wen showed excellent ability to interpret the game. So, was Gao Wen consciously exhausting Djokovic's physical strength and looking for a good feel? If so, it would be too bold and too crazy.
After all, Gawain's opponent was Djokovic, and the game had entered the end of the third set, so Gawain really didn't have much room for error.
Zhan Jun was not quite sure, but vaguely, he always felt that Gao Wen might be so bold; unfortunately, Zhan Jun had no evidence, so he did not say it out loud, but just watched the progress of the game silently. Only Gao Wen knew the answer, and only the actual game could prove whether Gao Wen's strategy worked.
In the tenth game of the third set, Djokovic's serve to win the set began.
(End of this chapter)