Although Djokovic is absent from the Madrid Masters, the draw is still full of stars and has a lot to watch——
After entering the clay court season, the younger generation's basic skills are not solid enough. They are good at hard courts but have shortcomings in clay courts. On the contrary, the Mesozoic players feel inspired and inspired by the "Youth Storm". They also deeply realize that the Big Four are not invincible.
Those who win, they also have a chance.
Therefore, the season theme of "Big Four VS Challengers" opened up a branch plot, and the Mesozoic people cheered up one after another and shined in the tour together.
From Monte Carlo to Barcelona, this momentum has continued all the way, so, can it continue to expand to Madrid?
Facts have also proved that this is indeed a season full of variables and turbulence——
Federer just won the championship in Istanbul last week and once again showed good competitive form. When he came to Madrid, he was also considered the favorite to win the championship.
After a bye in the first round, he made his debut and faced a difficult problem, the Australian "bad boy" Kyrgios. This game was also a focus battle.
Neither player was able to break serve throughout the match, and three tiebreaks were played in the end.
"6:7(2)", "7:6(5)", "6:7(12)".
In the deciding set, both players saved match points and wasted them, but in the end, Kyrgios won.
Federer was upset in the first match.
First Djokovic was absent, and then Federer made a shocking upset——
This is also the second time this season after Melbourne Park that Federer has seriously failed to perform, and his ability to grasp key points has significantly fluctuated.
Involuntarily, people began to speculate whether the pressure and interference caused by the recent topic of "world rankings" were more serious than imagined. Otherwise, Djokovic said he needed to rest and adjust, and Federer's attention seemed not to be there.
On the court, is this possible?
At the post-match press conference, Federer once again became the focus.
Although Federer has repeatedly stated that the change in the world ranking has no impact, and sincerely congratulates Gawain, his performance is worthy of the world ranking.
However, the media and fans refused to believe it. On social networks, a small group of Federer's fanatical fans once again attacked Gauvin.
If you add in the fact that a small number of Djokovic fans are watching and eating melon in a weird way, one or two are gloating and attacking Federer, then the social network will be even more chaotic, and the confrontation and collision between you and me will not give in at all.
Once again, there was an uproar.
This excitement should not end in the short term.
In addition, Cilic, Monfils, Fei Lopez, Anderson and other seed players also performed abnormally and were all eliminated in the first game.
Madrid seems to have continued the same atmosphere as Barcelona two weeks ago, with gusts of cold wind blowing over the clay soil again.
There is no doubt that the turmoil in the professional tennis world has continued from last year to this year. The theme of "Big Four VS Challengers" runs throughout. The impenetrable barriers of the era of giants seem to have exposed small cracks. Every player can see opportunities.
Unexpected situations may arise in every event.
But at the same time, along with opportunities comes pressure. Not everyone can seize the opportunity to complete breakthroughs and transformations. The more they want to prove themselves, the easier they are to fall into the shackles of self-expectations, which ultimately leads to abnormal performance.
, the game may go in another direction.
The unique characteristics of red clay soil further amplify this uncertainty. As a result, surprises and upsets come more often than usual. It can be felt in all aspects that ATP is feeling the impact of a tornado, every week and every day.
You can see a new scene every week.
but!
Madrid also continues the overall trend of Monte Carlo and Barcelona:
There are many upsets and surprises, but in the follow-up, we will eventually return to the standard routine——
In the midst of chaos and turmoil, those who stand firm and stand out are still the truly strong who have withstood many tests. This is the style of a star.
The first half, "Gawain VS Nadal".
Lower half, "Murray VS Kei Nishikori".
The battle between the top four was a joy to watch, and the crowd was surging——
This is the standard ending of "Big Four VS Challengers". From last year to this year, similar situations have been witnessed more than once in the semi-final stage.
On the other hand, Murray continued his good form in the new season. He started his clay court season in Munich last week. After successfully winning the championship, he came to Madrid to continue his hot touch and advanced to the semi-finals all the way. He showed a completely different state from last year and officially restarted.
Return to the ranks of the Big Four.
Nadal has regained some touch from the struggling season, swept away the struggle in Barcelona last week, and once again proved with practical actions that on clay, never underestimate his tenacity and will, even if he is in poor condition, his
The lower limit is also a bit higher than many players' upper limits.
On the other hand, the two players in Barcelona's final lineup last week continued their good form and both broke into the semi-finals in Madrid, once again blowing the challenger's horn to break the pattern.
This time, Gawain and Kei Nishikori need to fight independently, overcome the walls of the two giants, and strive to meet again in the finals to stage "Asia's No. 1 Brother Battle 4.0".
Starting from the Australian Open in 2014, the Challenger League has emerged in an all-round way. However, the victory of both semifinals blocked the giant players from the finals, and the Challengers met in the finals. This situation only happened once at the US Open. Other times,
There are always giants who can continue to be strong.
One can imagine how difficult it is.
This time, it’s up to Gawain and Nishikori Kei.
pity.
did not succeed.
To be more precise, both failed.
In the first semi-final, Murray swept Kei Nishikori in straight sets.
In the second semi-final, although Gao Wen played well and saved three match points in the second set tie-break, he ultimately lost in two sets.
The scores of the two sets are "7:5" and "7:6(10)".
As people say, Nadal is still the God of War on red clay even though he is still bleeding.
Moreover, after two tournaments, Gao Wen felt that he had completely adapted to clay, but he only came to his senses when he stood in front of the King of Clay:
At best, he is just a beginner. Perhaps, against other players, Gao Wen's superficial understanding may be enough, but it is still not enough in front of giants.
Especially against Nadal.
Daily training and official matches are completely different things. This is the first time in Gao Wen's career that he faced Nadal in an official match on clay.
Although they had played against each other twice before on hard courts, clay soil was indeed different. Gao Wen learned a good lesson——
Not only the technical aspects of rotation, power, bounce, etc., but also details such as anticipation, movement, space, etc., all derived from the interpretation of clay, bit by bit, penetrate into every shot and every judgment.
, redefining tennis in all aspects in every confrontation.
Details are different everywhere.
The impact and pressure created by Nadal on clay courts are completely different from those on hard courts, and the suppression of the quality of the ball is fully felt.
Therefore, Nadal was able to defeat Federer five times in a row on clay and beat Federer three times in a row in the French Open finals.
Therefore, Nadal was able to beat Djokovic seven times in a row on clay and sniped Djokovic in the French Open finals for two consecutive years.