In just one week, the situation in the race for a spot in the year-end finals has changed again.
As Tobias said, no one is willing to miss such an opportunity easily, even if there is only a glimmer of hope, they will firmly grasp it and go all out——
This is a close-quarters battle.
To a certain extent, the competition for a spot in the finals is even more intense than the Huashan Swordsmanship itself. After all, there are more competitors, and the gap between the competitors is closer.
2014 is undoubtedly a special year. The four Grand Slams belong to four players respectively, and the eight Masters so far belong to five players. The direct result is that the points are distributed more widely, no one stands out, and 3500 points becomes the end of the year. Entry threshold for the finals:
Competition is as intense as it has been in ten years.
In fact, not only is the competition for seats in the year-end finals, but the competition for the number one spot in the world at the end of the year is not over either:
As of this week, the points difference between Federer and Djokovic is less than a thousand points, 990 points to be precise. With three weeks of competition left, the maximum points can reach 3,000 points.
Everything is possible.
The suspense also makes the competition at the end of the season more exciting.
In the past week, three 250-point events were held in different cities, and the different results directly changed the situation.
First, Moscow Station.
Raonic, Cilic and Gulbis are three year-end finals contenders.
As a result, Raonic was upset in the second round, Gulbis stopped in the semi-finals, and Cilic made it all the way to the final and defeated Agut to reach the top.
This also means that Gulbis, who had little hope, was unable to score more points and the situation became even more unfavorable; while Raonic, who had the advantage, missed the opportunity to consolidate his position and fell into a bayonet battle. among.
Secondly, Stockholm Station.
Berdych and Dimitrov are two direct contenders for a spot in the finals.
In the end, the two players, who were respectively ranked the top two seeds, successfully met in the final. Berdych firmly grasped the throat of fate, defeated Dimitrov in three hard sets, and firmly grasped the opportunity.
Finally, Vienna Station.
The three contenders Ferrer, Murray, and Kei Nishikori have a head-to-head dialogue, and there are also spoilers such as Phil Lopez and Thiem.
The progress of the event was uneventful. The top four seeds met with the semi-finals for a strong showdown. In the end, Murray and Kei Nishikori defeated their opponents and entered the finals. Among them, Kei Nishikori defeated Ferrer in a head-to-head match. Suppress the opponent and seize the initiative in the subsequent competition.
Murray defeated Kei Nishikori to win the title.
At the end of the week, the three events came to an end, and the championship standings also changed.
The top four are still Djokovic, Federer, Nadal and Wawrinka, but there have been subtle changes in the positions after fifth.
Berdych, Murray, Ferrer, Raonic, Kei Nishikori, Dimitrov, Cilic, Gawain, Tsonga.
That's where fifth to twelfth is.
Obviously, Murray moved up two positions, eighth last week and sixth this week; at the same time, Raonic, sixth last week and eighth this week, the two players swapped positions.
If you just look at the rankings, it is difficult to see the "earth-shaking" changes. After all, the championship points for this week's event are only 250; however, looking at the championship points, you can directly feel that this week The event directly changes the competition pattern of the year-end finals.
Currently, Berdych's points have reached 4195, successfully breaking through the 4,000 threshold, taking a slight initiative. As long as his performance in the next two weeks does not collapse too much, he can basically guarantee a spot in the finals.
The competition starts with Murray, which is the last three seats ranked sixth, seventh and eighth. A total of seven players compete head-on.
Murray's points are 3905, ranking sixth; Cilic's points are 3395, ranking 11th.
This is simple math:
The point gap from sixth to 11th place is 510 points. Valencia and Basel in the following week are both 500-point events, with the champion receiving 500 points and the runner-up 300 points. The Paris Masters the following week is a 1,000-point event, with the champion receiving 1,000 points and the runner-up receiving 6 points. percentage.
If you analyze it more carefully, there are countless possibilities, but what is certain is that on the one hand, the players themselves need to perform well; on the other hand, they also need to pay attention to the performance of their competitors at all times, one round at a time. Points earned in each round may change the pattern.
The bayonet is red!
In the true sense.
So, what about Gawain?
There were 2710 points last week, and the points this week are still 2710. The gap is 1195 points from Murray, who is ranked sixth, and 1060 points from Raonic, who is ranked eighth.
In other words, even if Gao Wen reaches the finals in the next two weeks and his competitors perform mediocrely and fail to achieve better results, it will not be enough for him to enter the top eight and compete in the year-end finals - —
The points for the finals were still not enough.
The only slim hope is to win the championship, defeat a number of competitors, and launch a strong impact towards the championship; and this must be done for two consecutive weeks.
The possibility is slim.
But Gawain doesn't care.
He had already anticipated such a situation, and reality confirmed Tobias's worries; but the most beautiful and touching thing about competitive sports is not "how big the odds are", but about seizing the 0.01% chance and doing your best - —
Even if it is just the faintest and most insignificant ray of hope, release all your energy without reservation, sprint with all your strength and fight until the last moment, without leaving any regrets.
This is enough.
Then, the competition in the third week of October slowly kicked off.
Basel is full of stars.
The three top players, Federer, Nadal and Wawrinka, are leading the competition. Raonic, Kei Nishikori, Dimitrov and Gulbis are also on the list.
It is clear at a glance that among the players currently ranked from fifth to twelfth, only three players are participating, and they will strive to break through the blockade of the top three seed players, reach the semi-finals and even win the final, in order to ensure that they are in the finals. Take advantage of the competition for seats in the year-end finals.
Valencia, a decisive battle.
Berdych, Murray, Ferrer, Cilic and Gawain all participated in the battle.
The five players happen to be the top five seeds and are also direct competitors for the championship points. In addition, Fei Lopez, Isner, Agut, Simon and many other players, this also constitutes Valencia's entry list.
In comparison, Valencia's overall strength is closer, and all are head-to-head contests. In the competition to London, they will face off against their opponents. The outcome will directly affect the real-time ranking of the championship standings. It is exciting. There are many heart-stopping duels.
In other words, among the top twelve players in the world, only Djokovic has been exempted from the competition, and all other players have participated.
It can be seen that the melee situation in men's tennis this year has become more tense and exciting as it approaches the end of the year. This is a lively scene that has not been seen in many years.
