Maybe Gawain is making plans, testing and executing tactics, maybe not.
Except for Gawain himself, no one can know what Gawain's condition is; but what is certain is that Djokovic will never sit still and wait for death. The experienced Grand Slam champion is also devoted to Get into the game and pay attention to every move of the game.
In the third set, Djokovic was very focused and dedicated when serving to win the game, and quickly established an advantage——
"40:15".
No matter what Gawain was planning, Djokovic remained unmoved and continued to play according to his own rhythm and pace, and then took the lead in getting two set points, two consecutively.
With just one more point, Djokovic would be able to win the third set and take the lead by a huge margin, taking a 2:1 lead.
Everything is under Djokovic's control.
Snapped. Snapped. Snapped.
It can be seen from the rhythm of the shot that Djokovic is now very relaxed and fully into his own game state. This time the shot did not last long before he started throwing the ball.
a district.
Djokovic's serving movements are quite secretive, especially the key points. It is difficult for Gao Wen to predict the landing point from his movements and throws. He can only make a decision after Djokovic completes the throws. reaction.
outer corner.
Kick, leap, and charge forward.
Gawain's first conditioned reflex was to throw himself out. Instead of adjusting small steps, he took a big step. His right foot hit the ground hard, and he could clearly feel the reactionary impact of the stormy waves layer upon layer. The ball is surging, but the center of gravity of the body is very solid and stable. The upper body is fully extended and relies on the power of the arm swing to complete the shot.
Forehand!
Swing quickly! Dump it quickly! Bring it quickly!
It was too late to complete the swing, so Gawain turned his wrist inward along the direction of the swing, creating a thrust like a whip.
Facing the inventory, Gawain remained unmoved and highly concentrated. He only focused on the moment in front of him, and his brain and body were both running at high speed.
Whoosh!
The tennis ball just flew out, without changing the line or cutting, just a decent stroke.
But Djokovic immediately discovered Gao Wen's tactical intention of hiding a needle in his hand. In fact, to put it simply, Gao Wen was grabbing and receiving the serve. Even if it was Djokovic's first serve, he would still grab it, completely through his forearm. The rapid swing speed drives the power of the racket head and shortens the time of returning the ball as much as possible.
The ball was still drawn, but the speed it flew to Djokovic's position was very fast.
Moreover, Gao Wen deliberately did not break the angle and pull an outside corner, but aimed at Djokovic's position and directly hit a deep return ball.
Djokovic had just completed the serving action one second, and the next second he found that the tennis ball had reached his feet. He had no time to retreat and adjust. He could only wrap the tennis ball by hitting the rebound ball with his forehand and push it forward. A diagonal line went back, trying to contain Gawain's offensive rhythm.
From the second half of the second set to the first half of the third set, Djokovic showed his peak form. How did he make Gawain swallow an invisible egg?
In fact, this is Djokovic's playing style after 2017. Today, Djokovic realized that his offensive touch was not adjusted to the best, his serving condition was mediocre, and he made mistakes several times when he tried to release small balls. This is also This meant that his offensive power was weakened, so he tactically focused on defense, but he still led the attack with defense——
Djokovic rarely takes the initiative to attack with powerful shots. You can hardly see the hearty hitting style like Kyrgios and Wawrinka. His returns are often very wrapped, which means safety. The coefficient is very high, ensuring that every shot reaches a safe position.
Then, through the control of landing point and rotation, the opponent's return route is limited. If the opponent takes a risk to fight, he must bear the risk. Therefore, the game situation becomes that the opponent cannot beat Djokovic no matter how hard he fights, but Djokovic is the one. It's not a passive defense. From time to time, he will hide a counterattack that changes the line and reverse the passive situation in the blink of an eye.
In a difficult situation where Gao Wen's physical strength was declining, and his attack success rate and line change success rate were both declining, Djokovic's fight made Gao Wen very uncomfortable. Firstly, he could not score any points, and secondly, he could not end it no matter what. This point is just like when players with slightly inferior average strength faced Saramento in college.
Feeling very uncomfortable.
The key point is that, first of all, Djokovic has the ability to never drop the ball. Then when facing the other Big Three, he can always use his anticipation, package and his own flexibility to continue one more shot. Secondly, Djokovic's counterattack is very sharp and resolute. Once an opportunity arises, he can immediately reverse the situation.
This is also a unique skill that allows Djokovic to stand among the Big Four.
In 2021, in the French Open round of 16, Djokovic faced the Italian prodigy Lorenzo Musetti.
In the first two sets, Musetti played vigorously, winning two tiebreaks and leading by a huge score of "2:0"; but at the beginning of the third set, Djokovic changed his tactics, just like today, almost Instead of attacking, he allowed Musetti to attack. However, all of Musetti's attacks fell within Djokovic's prediction range. Then Musetti couldn't score any points, and it was extremely difficult to score a point.
"1:6", "0:6", "0:4".
Musetti was beaten to the point of collapse, suffering from thigh cramps in the final set, and was forced to retire after falling behind. In the last three sets, Musetti's total score did not reach 15 points.
Djokovic has this ability.
Then?
Then Gawain was taught a lesson and swallowed an invisible egg.
However, in the second half of the third set, the situation was different. On the one hand, Gao Wen gradually adapted to Djokovic's rhythm. On the other hand, Gao Wen was regaining his form after enduring the extreme physical condition, going back and forth. The game is naturally different.
Just like this time.
Djokovic was forced to hit a rebound ball. His rebound ball was different from Federer and Nadal. Simply put, it was more rounded and wrapped, and the flight trajectory of the entire tennis ball was also more stable. It can be seen that his rebound ball was different from that of Federer and Nadal. The unparalleled control in tennis is exactly the same as the return shot that started in the middle of the second set.
This time, Gawain had different ideas.
Early on, Gao Wen used a series of small steps to adjust his position on the forehand position, and his racquet movement was also completely stretched. He was ready to hit the ball one step in advance, staring at the tennis ball with a burning gaze, as if he was preparing to exert all his strength. Hit the ball hard.
This made Djokovic fully vigilant. He moved towards the center of the court in small steps to prepare for the next defense. At the same time, he also watched Gawain's movements and tried to predict in advance.
Draw the ball?
Wait, no, the alarm in Djokovic's mind immediately sounded!
