When facing the Big Four, Berdych won all of them, at least at the Masters level, which is enough to prove his strength and ability.
But among them, Berdych suffered an eighteen-game losing streak when facing Nadal, which was tragic.
So, why?
The reason is that Nadal's super topspin controls the depth of the return ball very well. If it is a shallow ball, the impact of the super topspin can suppress Berdych; if it is a deep ball, the momentum after the rebound is also small.
Being able to suppress Berdych made Berdych very uncomfortable.
Of course, Nadal's style of play is so special that it is the only one in the entire history of the professional arena and cannot be copied by others.
Gauvin has a good understanding of spin, but he can't copy Nadal's hitting. However, facing Berdych, he also found his own way.
Here, Gao Wen is summing up experience from the victory and hopes to continue the scoring momentum in the second set.
On the other side, Berdych was learning from the defeat and hoped to turn the situation around in the second set.
Therefore, the start of the second set became the focus of competition between the two sides.
Berdych also noticed that he had actually created opportunities at the end of the previous set:
By suppressing Gawain's forehand and then attacking his backhand.
In the forehand duel, Berdych can have the upper hand; on the backhand side, Berdych cannot have the upper hand, but he is not afraid of Gawain.
As a result, Gawain was indeed in a very embarrassed state, running all over the field, exhausted from saving the ball.
But the key is that Gao Wen's defensive ability and defensive counterattack ability are also very, very good, and he can often seize the opportunity to reverse the situation.
Berdych realized that he needed to strengthen his offense and should break through more on the forehand position——
He is worthy of being a veteran who has been on the tour for 12 years and has stayed at the top of the world rankings for five full years. His competition experience and background are profound enough.
In the first game of the second set, Berdych immediately launched a fierce attack on Gao Wen's serve.
In this game, Gawain played very hard.
On the one hand, it is Gawain's own fault.
Just like last week when facing Murray in the Valencia final, he exerted too much force at the end of the previous set, so that he could not keep up with his concentration at the beginning of the new set.
Even though Sampras had reminded Gauvin after the game, it was only two days apart, so some shortcomings were still difficult to remedy immediately.
On the other hand, it's Berdych's fault.
Berdych's entire offensive rhythm and vitality have become fiercer. More importantly, the offensive routines and tactical combinations have become clearer, and you can feel that the route selection and landing point distribution of the return ball are more reasonable.
Originally, Berdych's game was crisp, concise and clear, but now it has gone to a higher level. The rapid attack pressure made Gawain somewhat breathless.
However, Gawain has also grown a lot in the past two months.
The overall results of the games in Imperial Capital, Magic City and Valencia were significantly lower than those at the US Open. However, the experience gained from each game is also very valuable.
When the situation is not advantageous, how to seize the game, how to adjust the game, how to find opportunities, how to hold off the opponent, these experiences and lessons cannot be taught or learned. Only if you have experienced it yourself, it is like a battlefield medal.
Transformed into nutrients for growth——
Game point, deuce.
Break point, deuce.
Another break point and another deuce.
It's a game point, and it's evenly divided.
Facing a bad situation at "15:40" at the beginning, Gao Wen saved five break points and missed two game points. After a stalemate of 14 minutes and 22 seconds——
Gao Wen caught a gap, and when his two-handed backhand was suppressed, he hit a diagonal shot, deep and heavy, to counter Berdych's backhand, and the strong backspin forced Berdych to return the ball and hit the net.
.
finally!
At his third game point, Gao Wen secured serve!
After this point and the end of the game, both Gawain and Berdych seemed to be fished out of the water, sweating profusely and their cheeks red.
But the performance of the two people is slightly different.
Gawain clenched his fists and roared loudly, releasing all his suppressed emotions without reservation. His eyes burst out with murderous intent, as if his eyes were red with blood.
Berdych looked a little depressed, his eyes full of pain, but he couldn't find the reason. He could feel his depression as he continued to take deep breaths.
Subtle deviations can also reveal differences in personality.
So, as expected, Berdych's serve also faced severe challenges in the next game——
As mentioned before, serving technique is very physically consuming, and can even be regarded as the most energy consuming.
In the previous game, Berdych tried his best to break serve, but after struggling for more than fourteen minutes, he failed. The mental blow made the physical consumption more obvious, which also meant that in the next service game of his own, Berdych
You will inevitably face more difficulties.
Of course, physical exertion is equal for both parties.
It is very difficult for Gao Wen to hold serve. It is also unknown how much energy he still has to attack Berdych's serve.
Or make tactical adjustments to accumulate strength for the subsequent games. Otherwise, if you launch an attack all at once but fail to break serve, then this may affect the next game. This is undoubtedly a tactical decision.
So, what will Gawain do?
Take advantage of the victory and pursue it!
This is natural. Gao Wen also knows the importance of the start of the second set, which is likely to determine the direction of the entire set. He cannot let Berdych take a breather.
The battle for momentum is also a battle for strategic commanding heights.
This game was also stalemate.
"0:40".
Gao Wen took the lead and obtained three consecutive break points.
Berdych's state has reached an obvious low point, and the quality of his entire batting has dropped significantly; on the contrary, Gawain seems to be really at his best, and his performance is still excellent.
Sure enough, is boxing afraid of young people?
Just when everyone thought that Gao Wen was about to break serve strongly, the second set started to be one-sided, and there might not be much suspense left in the whole match.
Unexpectedly, standing on the edge of the cliff, Berdych also burst out with amazing energy, not only saving three break points in a row, but also winning the game point with a long-lost ACE.
The balance of the competition seems to have quietly shifted again.
However, in the next point, Gawain played very patiently, holding a stalemate for twelve beats, and then used two consecutive backhand diagonals with both hands. Each beat was stronger than the last, and he continuously opened up the angle. Finally, he hit hard
Shengsheng pinned Berdych's footsteps in place and saved the game with the winning point.
In a situation where both sides' physical strength has been seriously reduced, they are still able to deliver such a wonderful round-ball battle, which once again triggered applause from the audience.
It can also be seen from this point that Gawain is indeed still young, not to mention battery life, but after rapid consumption, his ability to continue and recover in a short period of time is indeed stronger than Berdych.
Everyone knows that after Berdych calms down, the situation will be slightly different. The key point is: