When he was young, Djokovic frequently withdrew from games, got off the line with minor injuries, and often lost games hastily because of confusion. He caused many controversies about negative games. He has never been a representative of players with a strong will. This seems to have been the case.
become a stereotype.
When people mention the determined God of War, the players that come to mind are Nadal, Gawain, or even Wawrinka or Thiem, but very few people associate Djokovic with such an image.
.
However, this does not mean that Djokovic is weak.
In fact, a king will never give up easily——
In the 2012 Australian Open final, Djokovic faced Nadal; in the 2019 Wimbledon final, Djokovic faced Federer.
In these two finals, post-match statistics showed that Djokovic was completely inferior and his performance was far inferior to his opponents; however, it was Djokovic who had the last laugh.
This is tennis.
Unlike the 100-meter race, tennis is not a game that can be won by whoever has good data and who has superior data. The real core lies in key points.
This is also Djokovic’s strength——
Wrapped up in pockets, entangled and glued.
Many times at critical moments, Djokovic is able to seize the situation tightly through his accurate prediction and hitting feel, as well as his unparalleled ability to wrap up the ball, either defeating his opponent or finding opportunities for himself. In the end,
Cash in on your points, even if your opponents are Federer and Nadal.
When Djokovic enters the state where his mission must be achieved, when Djokovic stands on the edge of the cliff, everything will be different.
In fact, the game in front of us is indeed different from Melbourne Park at the beginning of this year. It is completely different——
First of all, in today's match, Djokovic really faced the essential changes in Gawain's position, mentality and position.
Secondly, at this moment, Djokovic is indeed pushed into a desperate situation. At the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, Djokovic was the one with the lead. But now, after suffering a break in the fourth set, Djokovic has already
On the verge of collapse, hitting rock bottom.
"Leading the ball" and "behind the ball" are two different things.
As a result, Djokovic burned and truly entered Super Saiyan mode.
Pocket. Wrap. Wrap. Top.
Djokovic just didn't drop the ball and held on to the round. The whole game entered the classic "Novak mode", with twenty rounds taking off.
Looking back at the semi-finals between Gao Wen and Federer, the points that resolve the fight within three beats account for the most points, and the points that end the round within nine beats can already be called a "round see-saw". After all, this is the US Open, fast and hard.
In terms of pure speed, it is faster than Wimbledon.
But now, ten-beat rounds can be seen everywhere, twenty-beat rounds are easy, and thirty-beat rounds are not uncommon. Typical Djokovic.
Is the game good to watch?
Of course, it's still good-looking, but it's actually not as exciting as imagined, because the round becomes longer and turns into a war of attrition. The number of transition shots increases sharply, and there are more invalid shots. It feels like stepping into mud.
Generally, the sticky mess lingers endlessly.
So, what about Gawain?
Referring to previous games against Djokovic, Gao Wen's ability to break deadlocks and stalemate situations is precisely the key to his leading record.
If it is the first or second set, faced with such a situation, Gawain will often speed up or use force to break free, change the rhythm, and get out of the quagmire trap.
But now it is the fourth set. Seeing that the second peak of physical fitness has appeared, the physical fitness required to launch the attack first and break the deadlock is obviously no longer able to keep up. After taking a breath, Djokovic dragged him into a familiar situation.
With the rhythm of the game, the difficulty of the game will rise to a whole new level.
And, don’t forget——
Even when facing the other Big Three, Djokovic is still able to seize the situation. This is the rhythm of the game that he likes, is familiar with, and is good at.
Since suffering a break in the fourth set and falling behind "2:4", Djokovic has entered the state of a ball machine with no sorrow, no joy and no waves -
The Djokovic in front of him is indeed an alien on another level, and his unparalleled baseline hitting ability is fully demonstrated.
First hold, then break - a service game that lasted seven minutes, Djokovic cashed in on his third break point in a 23-shot round.
Hold serve again, break serve again - Gao Wen couldn't even see the game point, and saving three break points was of no avail, but he still suffered another break.
After four consecutive games, Djokovic came back from the dead and won the fourth set "6:4", equalizing the score. The final was about to enter the deciding set.
Continue to hold serve and continue to break serve - Djokovic has completely controlled the game, and Gao Wen made a fatal double fault on the second break point.
Then, after saving two break points, Djokovic once again secured serve. His confidence and belief in key points were already unstoppable.
"3:0".
In the deciding set, Djokovic, who served first, instantly opened up the score and was far ahead. The balance of victory and defeat has completely tilted towards the world's number one.
Shocked! Shocked!
Since the seventh game of the fourth set, Djokovic completed a wave of shock waves that lasted seven consecutive games, proving his ability with an unparalleled performance.
He doesn't need a violent forehand like Del Potro, nor a cool backhand like Wawrinka. Even if he can't hit a Federer-style mercury-dropping winning point on the offensive end, he can't hit a Nadal-style comeback on the defensive end.
points, but he can still control the game.
This is Djokovic.
Arthur Ashe Stadium has become unresponsive.
In today's final, in the first set of the collision, Gao Wen won five consecutive games and took the lead all the way. After resisting Djokovic's first counterattack, he was about to win the game in four sets.
In the competition, we are only two rounds away from the championship, so close at hand.
However, Djokovic showed the kingly demeanor of being the world's number one and sent out a wave of offensive for seven consecutive games. Not only did he reverse the decline, but he also became the leader for the first time in this marathon showdown, sprinting all the way.
, firmly grasping the initiative in the final set.
The game has entered another level, a level that can only be felt in the Big Four game.
and!
This is still not the end.
——“30:40”.
It was another 18-shot round, and Gao Wen hit a forehand into the net, giving him another break point.
The trembling steps had already reached the edge of the cliff, but before he could stand firmly, he slipped down and had to hang on the cliff with his hands.
further into crisis.
Desperate situation, desperate situation, desperate situation, a desperate situation worse than Melbourne Park.
If the serve is broken again, it will be "0:4", two breaks behind in the deciding set, and the final may really end early.
At Melbourne Park, we were in a desperate situation in the third set. The predicament was indeed difficult, but at least we still had time, space, and physical fitness.
And now?
The score is even more difficult; I still lost control of the game when I was leading. To make matters worse, my physical fitness has really bottomed out.