In the player's box, Sampras stood up with clenched fists and roared passionately. The protruding veins on his neck showed his turbulent emotions:
Not only because Gawain saved five match points to win the second set, but also because his judgment proved to be correct.
To ordinary fans, Djokovic's performance at the end of the second set was outrageous, and he ruined the entire set with a mistake.
How can it be?
But Sampras knew that the last mistake was a microcosm of Gawain's unremitting pressure after two sets.
It has to be said that Djokovic is indeed fully prepared for today's game, and Paris is in significantly better shape than New York.
The key is that after Djokovic took a break for a while, his body was still not ready for such a level of intensity.
On the one hand, it was Gao Wen's own outstanding performance, especially when facing match points, his young attitude of daring to fight and fight, which broke Djokovic's balance.
On the other hand, it was Djokovic's state adjustment. If he was inevitably a little unprepared when serving to win the set, then he had already improved his state first in the tie-break, but he did not expect that Gao Wen would also improve his state.
, the intensity of the entire competition actually rose to a higher level again:
The physical and mental exertion is already severe. As the higher-intensity confrontation continues to deepen, it is slightly insufficient for Djokovic to improve his condition.
Mistakes, that's how they come.
On the surface, Djokovic used an active offensive error to send the second set; but in essence, it was Sampras's exquisite pre-match deployment and Gawain's continuous efforts that finally "pressured" Djokovic.
Jokovic made such a mistake.
Sampras was very excited:
No matter what time it is, it's always exciting to challenge the best players in the world.
If Sampras's prediction is correct, then Djokovic will inevitably launch a counterattack in the deciding set, but his condition may not keep up. Especially after the mental tension reaches the extreme, the consumption of physical and energy will be even greater.
Severely, once the physical limit reaches its peak, the recovery time will be longer.
This also means that as long as Gao Wen can withstand Djokovic's crazy counterattack, he will have a chance to win the entire game in one go.
But the premise is that Gawain can resist it.
Obviously, Gao Wen, like Djokovic, also needs to face the challenge of declining physical strength and extreme physical fitness.
In terms of adapting to the intensity of the game, Gao Wen, who has been immersed in the competition continuously, has a slight advantage; but the physical condition should be almost the same. Moreover, Djokovic has better experience in playing at a low physical condition, so the advantage is also
It's basically smoothed out, it still depends on performance.
The final set should not be as exciting as the first two sets.
really!
Just as Sampras expected, the entire batting quality in the final set slowly declined. It was not a cliff-like fall, but a slow decline.
Not only the offensive and defensive quality of the ball in the round fluctuated, but the accuracy and control of the ball also fluctuated. The most direct manifestation was that the number of mistakes began to increase, and this was the case for both players.
The deciding set begins.
Djokovic took the lead in serving, and Gao Wen seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack. After six deuces, he got three break points, but unfortunately missed them all.
The world's number one secured serve in a thrilling manner, and Djokovic roared again, showing his high fighting spirit.
Subsequently, in Gao Wen's first service game, Djokovic used strong control to keep up with Gao Wen's rhythm and successfully forced a break point, but also missed it.
Gao Wen used a signature straight backhand to keep serve, and finally regained some disadvantage in the strong backhand duel:
It's not because Gawain's condition has improved, but because Djokovic's condition has declined and the backhand suppression has become loose, giving Gawain some breathing space.
True professionals, like Sampras, were able to notice by this point that the situation in the game was changing further.
The point is that Djokovic will definitely try his best to survive this stage, so can Gawain seize the opportunity?
Got it!
In the third game of the deciding set, Gao Wen once again forced a break point, and won the second break point with a forehand diagonal shot that landed repeatedly.
Although this point was finally won by a forehand, the opportunity was created by a two-handed backhand. Djokovic's backhand suppression was still solid but lacked some changes and edge. Neither shot was successful.
It achieved the desired effect, but Gawain found a gap.
Intensity is still the key word, and Djokovic can't keep up. His performance in key points is in sharp contrast to the first set.
"2:1".
Gao Wen, who served after the deciding set, took the lead.
Entering the middle stage, the game was a bit boring. Both players made significantly more mistakes and had to turn their attention to their own serve.
After both sides maintained their serve for two more games, the game reached the final stage. Then Djokovic launched a fierce counterattack on Gawain's serve, trying to reverse the situation before the game got closer to the cliff.
However, Gao Wen still gritted his teeth and went through two deuce tests without giving up a break point, successfully holding serve.
"5:3".
Next, Djokovic faced a serve that he had to protect.
This time, it was Gawain's turn to give it a go without any reservation. You came and I went back and forth, and the canine teeth were intertwined.
"30:30".
The situation is stalemate.
Game point? Or match point?
In this point, it was very, very rare that Djokovic and Gao Wen started to attack from the forehand position.
Both players tried to take the initiative to suppress their opponents, but they were unable to work in the face of their opponents' excellent defensive abilities. Suppression and counterattacks were never able to break the balance.
Without warning, after the two sides struggled for ten rounds, Djokovic seized an opportunity that was not an opportunity and took the lead in changing lines.
Relying on his strong personal ability, his forehand wrapped the tennis ball and flew towards the blind spot within the big triangle on the left baseline of Gao Wen.
It can be seen from a single detail that the speed and power of the return are not fast, and the parabola is also a bit too full. It is mainly about control, and it is more about forcing Gao Wen to fall into passivity, and Djokovic will hit the ball with the next shot.
The connecting attack ended this point, which once again proved:
Djokovic tried to speed up, but his physical condition did not allow it and he could not improve his condition, so he could only complete the layout within his own ability.
Gawain, running at full speed.
Even though his lungs were burning and his knees were shaking, Gawain still took a firm breath and rushed there quickly with light steps.
With an emergency brake, he pushed his body, and quickly released the backhand with both hands. The speed of the racket head increased to the extreme in an instant, and he still exploded with incredible power under extremely difficult circumstances.
Not only did he sweep the tennis ball back, but he also made a straight shot and penetrated the gap behind Djokovic: