Chapter 789 Hot in demand
In the singles competition, the focus match between Djokovic and Nadal was not staged, which was undoubtedly a great pity for the fans.
However, such regret can be made up in the doubles arena.
The Nadal and Djokovic combinations both won great victories and met successfully in the third round to compete for a place in the semi-finals.
Among them, the Djokovic combination unexpectedly eliminated the third seed in the second round, showing excellent competitive feel; plus Djokovic also showed the attitude of the world's number one in the first two rounds of singles matches, losing only six games in total, sweeping and advancing continuously, and it is obvious that he is ready for the new season.
This also makes people more excited about the third round of doubles match. Although it is not the expected singles match, it is also a match between the Big Four.
Moreover, in addition to the two members of the Big Four, there are two newcomers in Gawain and Krajinovic as an extra bonus to add flavor to the topic.
Especially Gawain——
The "Gawain VS Djokovic" in the singles arena will have to wait for another round of matches, but the "Gawain VS Djokovic" in the doubles arena has already arrived.
There are many topics to talk about, and also a lot of expectations.
No one should miss out.
Both Gawain and Djokovic have advanced to the quarterfinals in singles and will play later today, so the tournament organizers have thought carefully when arranging the schedule.
After weighing the interests, the organizers decided to ensure the excitement of the singles matches and therefore arranged this focus duel in the first game of the center court. While giving it enough attention, they also hoped that Djokovic and Gao Wen would have enough time to adjust so as not to affect the subsequent singles matches.
Then, the grand event took place.
At noon, when the sun is blazing, the whole city seems to be emptied. No one can be seen in the streets and alleys. People all hide indoors to escape the heat. Doha is like the mysterious ancient capital that appears in Hayao Miyazaki's animated films, prosperous and modern but deserted, and then it becomes extremely noisy at night.
However, the Khalifa Tennis Center welcomed a rare grand occasion, with a huge crowd of people queuing up under the golden sunshine, creating a surging heat wave.
From a distance, it looks like ants crawling across the vast golden desert. They seem insignificant, but they stretch out in a mighty manner.
The Khalifa Tennis Center, which was only renovated in 2008, has become a little old in just a few years. The sunshine and strong winds of the desert climate have gradually polished this gorgeous court with a mixture of wine red and bright purple. It stands like a mirage in this unique and quiet city, quietly blooming.
The central stadium can only accommodate 7,000 people, but it is enough for a 250-point level event.
Although Doha has a large number of enthusiastic tennis fans and this noble sport undoubtedly has a solid mass base, the hot weather makes outdoor viewing very challenging, so the attendance rate has never reached the highest.
But today.
The center court was packed with people. At a glance, you could see that the attendance rate was close to 90%, and every corner was filled with spectators.
More importantly, anticipation and excitement were radiating from everyone's face, as if they could capture the excitement in the air. The atmosphere in the entire stadium was also boiling. Playing in such an atmosphere and environment, the players could deeply feel the passion of competition.
Sure enough, "Nadal VS Djokovic VS Gavin", such a focus duel is really exciting.
In fact, the progress of the game also proved this.
Judging from the first half of the first set, Djokovic and Krajinovic were fully prepared for this game and came in with great momentum.
At the beginning of the game, the Djokovic team launched a fierce attack on Gao Wen's side.
A little unexpected.
Judging from the singles matches, it is Nadal who is in poor form now. If Nadal breaks through in the doubles matches, it will obviously be a more tactical choice.
But Djokovic didn't, he chose Gao Wen.
It is no wonder that a reporter said that because he lost to Gawain in the first two games of his career and is currently lagging behind in the head-to-head record, Djokovic is particularly excited every time he faces Gawain, like a beast, with the desire to fight and the desire to win continuing to burn.
Just like Serena Williams and Sharapova back then.
In 2004, Maria Sharapova emerged and defeated Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final and the year-end finals. The 17-year-old Sharapova quickly became a global favorite; but this also stimulated Serena Williams's hatred skills. As long as she played against Sharapova, she could improve her best condition.
After two consecutive losses, Serena Williams never lost to Sharapova again in her career. Not only did she set a record of 19 consecutive wins, but she also created a "6:0" and "6:1" bloodbath in the 2012 Olympic finals.
From all these factors, the matchup between Djokovic and Gawain does have a bit of this flavor.
The fact is, it is not so.
Nadal's shots always have strong topspin, which means they are particularly safe. This is especially true in doubles matches, because the doubles court is wider and because doubles players have a partner to cover them, which means Nadal is the more difficult side to break through.
Gao Wen's playing style is still that of a typical baseline player. Some of his shot choices in doubles matches are questionable and not that threatening. In addition, Gao Wen's condition at the beginning of the season was not at its best, so breaking through here is actually a tactical choice.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
“3:0”.
The Djokovic pair, who served first, quickly gained a foothold at the start, saved their own two service games, and broke Gao Wen's serve, quickly widening the score.
However, after the chaos in the opening stage, Nadal and Gawain also found the rhythm of the game, with Nadal taking the lead in holding his serve and stabilizing the situation.
After "4:1", the combination of Nadal and Gao Wen also ushered in a small climax of winning three games in a row, successfully breaking Krajinovic's serve, and successfully holding serve in a row, tying the score to "4:4".
At this point, they not only evened the game, but also found their touch and launched further attacks.
Next, in Djokovic's serve, Nadal and Gao Wen got break points again -
"30:40".
It seemed that the combination of Nadal and Gao Wen was about to overtake the score in one fell swoop.
At the critical moment, the four players on the court, in two pairs, presented a wonderful close-quarter offensive and defensive battle:
From the fight at the net to the baseline, and then from the stalemate at the baseline to the net, the offense and defense switched back and forth for several rounds, but both sides showed incredible competitive level and never lost the ball.
Forty beats in total! Incredible forty beats! The whole audience held their breath and stared. They could even hear the sound of their hearts hitting their eardrums, which gradually grew louder and then faded back down. Finally, the whole world fell into silence.
The round is still not over.
(End of this chapter)