Chapter 794 Breaking the Routine
Ah!
Djokovic finally roared out again, saving the third break point and match point, returning to a tie for the fourth time, and avoiding the crisis of bagel.
Previously, throughout the second set, Djokovic and Krajinovic seemed very calm, and the game was uneventful, but now the smell of gunpowder was finally felt again. This service game had been going on for more than ten minutes, but still no winner could be decided.
Ah! Djokovic roared again across the court, but he couldn't tell whether he was protesting against Nadal or Gawain, or was dissatisfied with himself, but the surging emotions needed to find an outlet, so he exploded.
His face flushed and sweat dripped down, as if he was ignited with rage.
The atmosphere on the scene was ignited, and the drowsy second set finally saw some excitement. The outcome of the game was temporarily put aside, and the score was completely forgotten. The audience was cheering for Djokovic and Krajinovic, and they also hoped that the game could continue.
"Pah! Noel!"
"Pah! Fili!"
The two nicknames belong to Djokovic and Krajinovic respectively, and neutral fans can be seen raising their hands and cheering.
No one wanted the game to end like this.
One can see the murderous intent bursting out again from Djokovic's eyes.
Even across half the court, Gao Wen could feel the energy from Djokovic. His eyebrows raised slightly: This kind of game is interesting, more interesting than simply winning or losing.
Stepping back, Gawain and Nadal smacked each other's palms, completely unfazed by Djokovic's high spirits.
"Focus on the next point." Nadal whispered to Gawain.
Gao Wen responded with a determined look, "How about a surprise close return serve?"
Nadal pursed his lips and said, "Okay."
In the next point, Nadal received the serve and he immediately understood Gawain's idea. He thought it was a good idea.
Fifteen seconds later—
"40:AD".
The fourth break point and match point, the whole stadium was boiling.
Nadal received Djokovic's serve with his signature forehand super topspin, but made a small adjustment to the return line:
A diagonal line, still a diagonal line, but slightly moving in the direction of Krajinovic.
Krajinovic was not prepared to rush to the net, and was squeezed by Nadal's close return serve. He barely blocked it, but was blocked by Gawain's high-pressure shot at the net, which directly killed him.
Close combat!
Neat and simple!
The combination of Nadal and Gao Wen once again took the initiative and continued their strong performance in the second set.
Djokovic stood there, breathing heavily, looking at his two opponents across the court who were high-fiving and bumping fists again. His chest heaved violently and his expressionless face made it impossible for people to see his emotional changes, but his posture of staying in place with burning eyes said it all: in the previous point, he had worked so hard and struggled to finally save the match point; in this point, it was so easy and simple, but he gave away another match point again.
It's really frustrating.
Djokovic's eyes showed high morale and murderous intent. Even though it was just a doubles score of a 250-point tournament, he was already furious.
Snap. Snap. Snap.
Naturally, Djokovic's old problem came back. The time he bounced the ball before serving was noticeably longer. The court under the scorching sun was filled with a rolling heat wave. Only the sound of bouncing the ball was echoing, and his heart couldn't help but pound.
In the second zone, Gao Wen receives the serve.
Toss the ball.
Swing the racket.
In the golden sunlight, Gawain kept his attention highly focused, completely watching Djokovic's serve, and looking along his outstretched arms at the tennis ball flying in the air.
Rotate.
Falling.
...outer corner.
The second zone presses the outside corner, that is, suppresses Gao Wen's backhand. This is a standard tactic when facing right-handed players. As long as the angle of the outside corner is wide enough, the backhand swing space will be very limited, and naturally, the return line will be restricted.
Many people tend to form a stereotype that only Nadal is very good at the outside corner of the second zone, and this is indeed the case. Nadal's left-hand advantage can be further magnified in the second zone; but other players' outside corner of the second zone also uses the same classic tactics, and Djokovic chose this tactic at this time.
The speed of the ball is not fast; the angle is completely torn.
Djokovic sacrificed some speed and power in pursuit of a good landing point, with his serve landing in a dead corner of the service area, and then quickly jumping out.
Push! Gao Wen's reaction speed was very timely. With a push of his right leg, his body flew out. Because of his accurate prediction, he bought himself time to move ahead.
The body is flying.
Djokovic's outside corner serve was exceptionally good, and even though Gawain predicted and moved in time, he still wasn't able to complete his swing.
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What to do? Diagonal? If you choose diagonal, it means stepping into Djokovic's tactical trap. He chooses the outer corner of the second zone and can give up speed in pursuit of angle, hoping to limit Gao Wen's swing. In the end, he can only choose diagonal return.
Next, whether it was Krajinovic rushing to the net or Djokovic going to the net, they would be able to gain the advantage.
Stretch! Gao Wen stretched his upper body completely, relying on his slight advantage of anticipating and moving in advance, and grabbed a shot with his body stretched to the extreme.
Bang.
The sound of hitting the ball is not crisp, but relying on the support of the waist and abdomen, the arm quickly completes the push——
straight line.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, with a series of small steps, he could barely control the chaotic center of gravity after the forced change of direction. Then he could see the tennis ball drawing a parabola with strong topspin and rushing out in a straight line along the sideline.
When his footsteps were not in place and his racket swing was not complete, he forced the line to change, and the direct result was that the parabola could not be controlled; but Djokovic's serve reduced power and speed, which still gave Gao some room to respond improvisationally, and he successfully changed the line and controlled the return line within the bounds.
Break the routine!
It can be clearly seen that Krajinovic, who was standing in the straight line, was a little flustered. His footsteps were moving towards his left side, and it seemed that he was preparing to grab the net.
This also confirmed Gao Wen's conjecture.
But now, Gao Wen's return ball is not a diagonal line, but a straight line.
Krajinovic's center of gravity was nailed to the spot as he swayed violently from side to side. His feet were unable to move, and only his upper body could barely make a shooting movement.
The only thing to be thankful for was that it was Krajinovic's forehand position.
Krajinovic used his forehand to block the ball, and even though it was difficult for him to complete the swing, he still managed to block the tennis ball directly back.
etc!
Spin!
The strong rotation of Gao Wen's return ball destroyed Krajinovic's grip, and he couldn't control the racket face, so the whole return ball curve became weird.
Oops!
(End of this chapter)