Rome, the Eternal City, is a city full of history and art. The wind and frost of time have carefully carved out the magnificence and splendor of this city.
The sunlight stops here and seems to bloom in different colors.
This year, when tennis comes to this city, the Rome Masters is ordinary, but unusual.
first.
Cilic and Kyrgios were both upset in the first round.
After returning from injury, Cilic has never been able to find his touch, and it seems that he has never been able to get rid of the "first Grand Slam final syndrome".
Kyrgios, who defeated Federer in an upset last week, also performed mediocrely against Fei Lopez, who has a mediocre hand this season, and was eliminated in straight sets.
Secondly.
Agut, Simon, Tsonga, Fey Lopez, Dimitrov and other seed players all stopped in the second round, continuing the unpopularity of the clay court season.
The only surprise came from Tim.
Thiem, who had performed poorly in the previous two Masters tournaments and was eliminated early, came to Rome and finally found some feeling. He defeated Simon and advanced to the top 16. This young player who is good at clay courts is still studying hard in the tour.
Progress, waiting for your own moment of qualitative change.
then.
Murray unfortunately stopped in the top 16, but it was not a loss, but a tactical withdrawal.
After three consecutive weeks of fatigue and overloaded body, Murray realized that his body was sending signals, so after discussing it with his physical trainer and doctor, in order to avoid unnecessary injuries, he decided to play against Goffin before the round of 16.
, he chose to retire and walked Goffin to advance to the quarterfinals.
Judging from the official statement, Murray stated that it was due to injury considerations. After all, it took him a full year to get back on track after returning from injury. The last thing he needs now is the injury risks caused by reluctantly participating; but
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Murray has begun to build up his strength for the French Open.
Following Djokovic, Murray also chose to retire tactically and also aimed at the French Open. Roland Garros should be very lively this year.
In addition, Thiem also lost to Wawrinka in two hard sets and was unable to go further.
Later.
Gawain, Nadal and Kei Nishikori all stopped in the quarterfinals.
Kei Nishikori lost to Djokovic.
Nadal lost to Wawrinka in an upset that was not an upset. After losing in the Australian Open final last year, Nadal suffered two consecutive defeats against Wawrinka.
Gao Wen lost to Berdych for the first time in his career.
It has been mentioned more than once before that maybe Berdych lacks a little explosiveness and willpower at critical moments, but there is no doubt that he is the only player in the "Era of Giants" who can win a Grand Slam but still be called "great"
One, not only the lower limit is high, but the upper limit is also high.
This match against Berdych is different from the previous matches against Ferrer and Nadal.
On the one hand, it can still be seen that Gao Wen’s understanding of clay court is not deep enough or comprehensive enough. The venues for each clay court event are slightly different, and it is not easy to adapt. Some shot selections and tactical layouts are still open to question, and Bertie
Qi happens to be a player with few holes.
On the one hand, it can also be seen that the physical and mental consumption of the clay court season is severe. Leaving aside Nadal, who is in poor condition, the other three giants are facing varying degrees of physical wear and tear, and Gao Wen is no exception. After the game,
Halfway through, his body did face some tests.
"6:3", "3:6", "6:7(3)".
The whole match lasted two hours and forty minutes, and Berdych had the last laugh, defeating Gawain for the first time in his career.
So, the top four faced off——
Top half, "Djokovic VS Wawrinka".
Bottom half, "Federer VS Berdych".
Normal, but not normal.
To say it's normal is because fans have seen similar scenes more than once or twice in the past ten years, and everything is too familiar.
To say that it is abnormal is because in the past year, the rise of the Challenger League has completely disrupted the pattern, and this year has ushered in troubled times, especially the "post-90s" and "post-95s" young players have fully occupied the public
sight, but this time not even a young man can be seen?
this……
However, who can refuse?
Familiar recipes, familiar discussions, familiar confrontations... Overnight, it seemed like we were transported back to before 2014, and the familiar feeling returned in full force.
Everything is still the "era of the Big Four".
Moreover, even the ending is so familiar.
Djokovic defeated Wawrinka and Federer defeated Berdych. The two giants both advanced and met in the final.
Following the meeting between Murray and Nadal in Madrid last week, the other two giants were not to be outdone and showed excellent form, successfully completing the meeting in Rome.
The familiar scenes of the "era of giants" are back in sight again, as if nothing has changed.
A little weird, but more interesting.
In the spring hard court season, the "Big Four" suffered a comprehensive impact. Not only did Gao Wen win important championships, but the number of losses of the four giant players in different rounds and positions also began to increase significantly. From the new generation to the Mesozoic generation, they are all
The ferocity reared its head, impacting the rule of the giants.
In the end, everything converges on the overthrow of the world rankings, like a microcosm, witnessing the turmoil of the era of giants.
When people are concerned about when Gawain can become the second in the world and whether he can hit the number one in the world, it is actually a kind of recognition:
They also agree that the "era of giants" may be gone forever, and what will follow is the era of melee among heroes competing for the throne. It has entered a new chapter, but it is still the golden age of tennis, with more top players, more exciting duels, and more classics
The fans are the biggest beneficiaries of the event.
However--
Entering the clay court season, behind one upset after another and one surprise after another, it is a journey for the Big Four to regain their dominance.
It had already started in Monte Carlo, when Djokovic and Nadal met in the semi-finals, and Ferrer and Monfils broke through from the bottom half. Although the final was not a meeting between the two giants, they were able to
I saw familiar scenes from before 2014, but people didn’t realize it at that time.
Then, Madrid.
Now, Rome.
In fact, Murray's summit in Munich and Federer's summit in Istanbul are all clues.
Although there were some surprises, twists and turns in the process, there is no doubt that step by step, the four giant players slowly regained their lost ground in the clay court season, once again awakening people's familiar memories, as if what happened in the past year and a half
It's just an unexpected dream.
finally.
Final scores, "6:4", "6:3".
Both sets were separated by a service break. They were not only close, but also fierce. This time, it was Djokovic who defeated Federer to win the championship.
It is worth mentioning that Djokovic and Federer have faced off on clay court seven times in their careers, with Federer winning four and losing three, slightly leading by one game.
Among them, Djokovic defeated Federer three times, both times in Rome. Obviously, this venue is indeed more suitable for Djokovic to play. This time it was the third time, and the two players met on clay.
The score was equalized.
Rome can be regarded as Djokovic’s blessed place.
Then, all eyes were focused on the top of the Forbidden City, the ultimate showdown of the clay court season——