If you observe carefully, you can notice that there are still two familiar faces standing on the court, but the content of the game has undergone some subtle changes.
A layman can watch the excitement, while an expert can watch the door. Obviously, the duel between these two players is escalating, breaking away from the basic and instinctive confrontation to start a game.
Pah. Pah. Pah.
Djokovic was shooting the ball fourteen times, fifteen times, sixteen times, but he still didn't stop. He seemed ready to keep shooting like this forever.
However, no one cared.
The entire audience stared with bated breath, and no one broke the stagnation in the air, because the second set had reached the most critical moment——
"5:4".
Gawain leads the way.
Now, it was Djokovic who had to maintain his serve in the second set. However, with a "40:15" lead, he lost three points in a row.
So, a break point and a count were sent.
This trend is a little surprising. I originally thought that the second set might need a tie-break to decide the winner, but the results came out.
Moreover, Djokovic also wasted two consecutive game points.
At two game points, both of them missed the first serve and were caught on the second serve. Gao Wen scored the winning point through the attack of the first three shots; the point he lost when the tie was tied, although the first serve went in, the quality was not good.
Generally, he was unable to establish an advantage through fighting, forcing Djokovic to return the ball out of bounds.
Therefore, it is understandable that Djokovic would bat the ball for a while longer:
Everyone knows that the quality of a shot is very important.
Seventeen times.
Eighteen times.
Then, finally——
Kick the ground! Throw the ball!
Djokovic's entire hitting action was completely relaxed, he improved his condition at critical moments, and finally regained the quality of his serve.
Speed 190 kilometers per hour.
Perhaps, the speed was not fast, but the angle was tricky. Djokovic asked for a serve at the T point in the inside corner, and it landed on the T point accurately.
In the second area, sneak attack on the inner corner.
However, the tactical intention is not to suppress Gawain's forehand - although the inside corner is indeed against Gawain's forehand, the real purpose is to break the rules.
Generally speaking, the outside corner of the second zone is used to suppress the backhand and move the opponent out of the sideline through the wide outside corner. This is a very classic set of serve tactics in the second zone. This is Nadal's special skill, but it is not Nadal's unique skill. It is almost
All players will practice this set of serves and attacks.
Djokovic is also very good at it.
However, Djokovic showed the world's number one heart at the critical moment, breaking the rules and sneaking into the inside corner.
Gao Wen indeed failed to predict it, especially because Djokovic increased the concealment of his serving movements and failed to capture any signals at all.
Keep your steps light, as if you are stepping on a spring. With a slight step, your body has already rushed out, and a big roc spreads its wings.
Forehand, in the extreme state, the body has lost its center of gravity, and the steps are not stable at all. I barely pushed to block a shot——
Buzz.
My wrist felt numb for a while, as if it was electrified. I could feel the friction of the tennis ball between the racket strings. I touched the ball and succeeded.
Then, the tennis ball flew out.
The parabola was uncontrollable at all, and everything happened too fast; but fortunately, in order to pursue the angle and landing point of Djokovic's serve, the speed and power were not fully increased, so he was not able to create more impact.
.
Once Gawain touches the ball, the parabola will not be too outrageous even if it is out of control.
At least, it didn't become an anti-aircraft gun.
It can be seen from the height of the tennis ball passing the net, which is at least one and a half meters. The parabola is very full, but the drop curve is also very clear.
It falls between the service area and the baseline, neither deep nor shallow, a half-court ball that poses no threat. There is no doubt that this is Djokovic's opportunity.
but!
detail.
The closer the showdown is, the more important the details are.
Middle road.
Gawain reluctantly hit the ball in a hurry and had no way to control the tennis ball, but he still controlled the line and the tennis ball landed in the central area.
To be precise, it is the midpoint of the court about one and a half steps away from the backhand area. It should be said that it is closer to the midpoint of Djokovic's backhand area. However, it is still considered the central area and does not tear the angle apart.
Compress Djokovic's attacking space for the next shot.
Of course, Djokovic will not miss the opportunity——
Attack, there is no doubt about it.
Djokovic's steps immediately entered the baseline, and when he turned sideways forehand, he chose to hit the ball with forehand instead of what should have been a backhand.
Forehand backslash.
"ah!"
Djokovic shouted loudly because of his strength.
The reason can be seen with the naked eye. Djokovic tried to seize the rhythm and stepped into the midfield to complete the shot; however, the rebound height of Gao Wen's return was slightly higher than expected, so that Djokovic had to put it on his shoulder.
Hitting the ball from a position directly causes the upper body's swing to be squeezed, and a backward jumping action resolves the impact, allowing the ball to be completed.
Moreover, because of the landing point of the return ball, the angle of the backslash is limited. In order to avoid hitting the ball out of bounds, Djokovic has to add some control, so that he cannot completely let go of his hands and feet to exert his full strength. He has already felt
Partial adjustments must be made to the squeezing swing. The tactical intention of the sideways forehand is completely constrained, and instead makes oneself passive.
The result is--
The angle was not torn apart at all. Gao Wen only needed to make a horizontal step on the spot, and he was already in position quickly and completed the adjustment.
Backhand with both hands, very solidly and steadily, hit in a straight line:
The straight-forward kind.
Tennis, from the middle of Gawain's backhand half, straight back to the middle of Djokovic's forehand half.
In fact, the hitting line is still controlled in the central area without breaking the angle, which also means that Gao Wen's hitting does not require any risk.
So, is this a transition shot?
How can it be!
In the past, this was undoubtedly an offensive opportunity. Gao Wen's backhand could easily target the two bottom corners and attack in a sweeping manner, pushing Djokovic into trouble. This is also the focus of Gao Wen's double defeat of the world's number one this year.
.
But at this time, Gawain chose such a route, which was not only ordinary, but also mediocre and without any threat. Is this really good?
Obviously, the onlookers did not see the significance of this shot, not even Djokovic.
If Gao Wen aimed at the blind corner of Djokovic's forehand baseline, Djokovic would definitely be in a panic at this time, but now, he has enough time to complete the adjustment.
A series of flowing steps have been adjusted and smoothly reached the position. The forehand spreads out like a white crane with its wings, and sweeps across with one shot——
The batting action followed his own movement direction and sprint inertia, and his strength and speed were completely improved. The awareness of active attack was the key to this game, so he launched a sweeping attack without hesitation.
Forehand slash.
Across the entire field.
Aiming at the blind corner of the bottom line and sideline of Gao Wen's forehand and hammering, even if it is not the winning point, it can seriously injure Gao Wen and create opportunities for subsequent shots.
However……
"Out of bounds!"
The linesman watched Djokovic's forehand diagonal and firmly made an out-of-bounds gesture to indicate that it was a foul ball.