Djokovic knew that he had chosen a thrilling and difficult way, but he also knew that this was his pride and his confidence.
He needs to rise to the challenge.
One-handed backhand, one gear and one rub, all relying on the feel of the hand, wrapping the tennis ball and pushing the small ball, trying to relieve the force.
The moment the tennis ball escaped the control of the racket, Djokovic immediately realized that something was wrong.
The power is really too fierce. Gawain's backhand slash is solid and tough, showing another side of him. It is difficult for Djokovic to control it. It is difficult enough with both hands, let alone one hand.
, despite superimposing a large amount of friction, the power is still out of control.
The force-relieving effect is unsatisfactory.
However, things are out of Djokovic's control.
Everything was just a short moment. Djokovic had no time to worry or hesitate, and his steps had already entered the defensive mode——
Fall back. Adjust. Defend.
Here, Djokovic is retreating.
In that compartment, Gawain is stepping forward.
At the first moment, Gao Wen noticed the parabola of Djokovic's return. He didn't suppress it, and it went up high. He immediately realized the opportunity.
Without hesitation or hesitation, Gao Wen's footsteps had already reached the bottom line, making continuous small adjustments.
Originally, Gao Wen planned to volley to increase the rhythm and compress the round, which would allow Djokovic to respond hastily; but after seeing the landing point of the return ball, Gao Wen realized that he did not need to act too hastily and instead slowed down.
The whole situation came under control bit by bit.
The tennis ball flew out of the bottom line of the service area, which also meant that Djokovic's return was not short enough, not long enough, and landed in the midfield without going up or down; even though it had no spin or power, it could still be felt
The force of Gao Wen's hitting caused a recoil, and the rebound height was good when it landed.
Gawain has enough space to hit the ball.
Therefore, Gao Wen was very patient and relaxed. He was waiting for Djokovic to move first. He was also standing in front of the net. He could wait, but Djokovic could not.
Sure enough, Djokovic moved, moving towards the right forehand position.
Gawain turned slightly to the side, and did not forcefully exert force. Instead, he drew out a small arc with his forehand, gently, deftly, and carefully, and moved it out along the backhand direction of the backslash.
Whoosh.
A crossover and a dislocation.
Then, this point comes to an end.
Stopped abruptly.
From powerful collisions to thrilling to close combat, the intensity and excitement of this point have been pushed to a new level. No one can predict the direction, and no one is willing to predict it. All the minds are concentrated on the court, but they did not expect that in the end,
It ends in such a light way.
Gently insert the dagger into the heart, slowly, slowly, gently, but fatally.
this……
"Game, high."
It wasn't until the referee's voice announcing the score came to my ears that the curse at the O2 Arena was instantly lifted——
Break.
In the ninth game of the second set, Djokovic's serve won the set and was broken.
And, only one break point is needed.
but!
Did Djokovic perform poorly in this point?
No.
At this point, both players have already performed at their top level. You come and go, the bayonets are red, and the result of the head-on collision ends with Gawain winning.
So graceful, so elegant, and so strong, like a symphony, the galloping and smooth melody stirred throughout the audience, making people intoxicated.
Not only the audience, but also the two players are no exception.
Across the net, Gao Wen looked at Djokovic, his eyes burning, and he clenched his fists in celebration; Djokovic also looked at Gao Wen, with murderous intent in his eyes.
The sights collided very briefly, the air burned, smoke filled the air, and sparks visible to the naked eye crackled and spread across the board.
"Bah! Noel!"
Djokovic's fans roared desperately but firmly, sending energy to their hero.
However, at this moment, in the crazy O2 Arena, their voices were ultimately a drop in the bucket and were swallowed up by another heat wave in the blink of an eye.
"Fight."
One sound, one sound after another, and the roar continued.
"Fight!"
It's getting more and more crazy, more and more shocking, and the whole world is shaking together.
"5:4".
In the second set, the score returned to even balance.
However, Djokovic, who served first, still had a slight advantage, and the next game was still a service game where Gao Wen had no way out and had to protect it.
If Djokovic can improve his condition in time and break serve again...
However, the audience knows this, the commentator knows this, and Gawain also knows this. When facing a giant, you should never take it lightly. Even if you succeed in breaking serve, you cannot relax your vigilance.
At this time, Gawain once again showed his ability and absolute strength——
"15:0",ACE.
"30:0", serve straight.
"40:0",ACE.
"40:15", Djokovic returned the serve to ACE.
Then, keep serve and serve straight again.
In one game, it only took 76 seconds for Gao Wen to quickly secure his serve. Since falling behind at 5:2, he has won three consecutive games and completely reversed the situation.
It is precisely because Gao Wen knows the importance of this game that he focuses on improving the layout and quality of his serve. The reason is actually very intuitive. Djokovic is also tired and exhausted, and his physical limit should be approaching. He needs to be more reasonable.
Distribute physical strength.
In Gao Wen's view, Djokovic should try to score one or two goals. If he succeeds, then he will fight hard in this game; if he fails, then he will save his energy to maintain serve and then aim for the tiebreaker.
Therefore, serving and returning serve are key.
In the second point, Djokovic's serve went out of bounds; in the fourth point, he succeeded, but Gao Wen still stood firm and controlled the situation, successfully holding serve.
Keeping serve in this game means that the balance of power has truly returned in the second set. From state to physical fitness to momentum, the two players have returned to the same starting line. The next game needs to be adjusted according to the situation.
In the eleventh game, Gao Wen was still young, with better physical reserves and recovery speed. He pressed Djokovic and tried to fight for two shots. He got a break point, but Djokovic saved it with an ACE.
, after three ties, the world number one still managed to maintain his pay.
In the twelfth game, Djokovic continued the game strategy of the tenth game, and the quality of the return and serve was significantly improved, creating difficulties for Gao Wen's second shot after serving. The ball started to see saw again in the baseline round, but Gao Wen did not
The break point was sent and the serve was successfully maintained even after two deuces.
The reason lies in Djokovic——
His overall tactics are still more adventurous and radical, trying to avoid entanglements as much as possible, preserving physical fitness, and doing his best to push back the time when the peak of physical fitness occurs.
When Gao Wen relied on excellent defense to repeatedly push back the fight, Djokovic's shots would become more risky and ended in mistakes.
The world's number one has no regrets about this. He formulated a strategy and followed it. It's that simple. The real decisive battle is later. These fights, attempts, and adventures are all paving the way for the future, and also training for the future.