Forty-one minutes, "6:1".
How did all this happen?
Judging from the score, it was very disparate, almost one-sided, and Gawain almost swallowed the egg.
But in fact, judging from the game time, the confrontation between the two sides was extremely fierce, and the process was far from simple.
The Paris Masters is an indoor hard court. The overall game pace is fast, the defense is relatively difficult, and there are relatively few balls in the round. The game progress naturally takes off:
Take a look at the first set between Gao Wen and Raonic. They struggled all the way to the tiebreaker, but the entire set only took fifty-three minutes.
Sometimes, one of Raonic's serving games would result in four straight points, which could be over in about a minute; and in this final, "6:1", that is, seven games, judging from the number of games , the average time consumed in each round is nearly six minutes, this is the real content of the game.
So, what's going on?
To put it simply, it is a stalemate. The situation is still extremely stalemate. It is definitely not a one-sided situation. The second confrontation between Gao Wen and Djokovic lived up to expectations. It was indeed full of gunpowder. The scene of you and me coming and going provided many wonderful shots. , the strong confrontation between offense and defense is invigorating.
but!
In terms of key scores, Djokovic's performance was even better, truly showing the style of a giant:
Not only did he successfully save all six break points on his own serve in the first set, but he also forced ten break points in Gao Wen's serve, and finally broke two consecutive service games. Djoko was the first to serve in the match. Vicky established a huge "5:0" advantage in the opening stage.
Until the end of the set, Gao Wen saved three break points and set points, and saved the serve for the first time in the whole match in a thrilling manner, avoiding the embarrassing situation of swallowing the egg in the first set.
In memory, the last time Gao Wen was in such a mess was when he faced Djokovic in the US Open semi-finals. In the middle of the game, he lost six games in a row and swallowed the invisible egg, completely unable to fight back.
But now and then, the situation is completely different.
At the US Open, it was Gawain who was facing the ultimate physical limit. Djokovic keenly sensed the change in the atmosphere of the game and suddenly accelerated, so that the rhythm of the entire game accelerated. Gawain was completely unable to keep up and was involved in Djokovic. In Kovic's game rhythm, he simply doesn't know how to score.
At this time in Paris, it was a different story.
What is certain is that the game has just begun, and Gao Wen has absolutely no physical problems. The closeness of the game and the intensity of the confrontation are the best proof.
The real key lies in the content of the game.
It is obvious that Djokovic has fully studied and prepared for Gao Wen, not only for the US Open match, but also for this match in Paris.
From Valencia to Paris, Gauvin's condition has been on an upward trend, and his backhand has been outstanding, becoming the foundation of Gauvin's game. Just look at the last game where he defeated Raonic. Gauvin's hands The backhand has basically reached its peak performance during the Flushing period——
Even better.
According to the court style of indoor hard courts, Gao Wen has obviously increased his aggressiveness. In order to reduce the defensive pressure, he often dares to change the way of hitting the ball with his two-handed backhand, changing the rhythm and routine through changes in placement, line and rotation, and takes the lead in launching Offensively, the performance was outstanding.
A more accurate way of expressing it would be: progress.
Gao Wen's two-handed backhand has always been good, and he can attack and defend. But overall, he still relies on his solid basic skills to support his backhand. The whole shot is very solid and very stable; and now, Gao Wen's two-hand backhand is Pai also began to change the rhythm more and polish his offensive weapons.
Breaking into back-to-back indoor hard court finals is the best proof.
Djokovic chose to break through Gawain's backhand.
When people discuss one-handed backhands, Wawrinka's violence and Federer's sharpness will undoubtedly become the best choices; when people discuss two-handed backhands, Djokovic is recognized by countless experts and players as "the world's number one" "Double reverse" is indeed watertight, comprehensive and all-powerful.
The most intuitive point is that when Djokovic faced Nadal, he dared to adopt the strategy of "pressing the forehand and hitting the backhand" because he had unparalleled confidence in his two-handed backhand, even when facing Nadal's The forehand is no slouch either.
However, facing Nadal who dared to use such tactics and succeeded, it is estimated that Djokovic is the only one in the entire professional tennis world.
In the first set, Djokovic showed his unparalleled hitting ability on the backhand position, repeatedly suppressing Gawain's backhand with his backhand.
Moreover, compared with the US Open, Djokovic's entire shot is clearer. The layout, strategy, quality, changes, etc., have all reached a higher level.
Once Gao Wen is unable to open up the situation on the backhand position, his tactical layout will be constrained. It will be difficult to break the game just relying on the forehand. Then the game will face a very severe dilemma, and the opponent standing on the opposite side of the net will definitely not be able to break the game. Opportunities can easily be missed.
From strategic layout to tactical execution, Djokovic played a perfect game with a strategy completely tailored to Gawain.
Of course, Gao Wen was still able to tangle with Djokovic even when he was being suppressed. His backhand position still withstood the severe test. He also contributed many wonderful shots. This was also the first set of the game that was very exhausting. The direct reason for such a long time.
It's a pity that these wonderful shots did not appear where they "should appear":
Key points.
Djokovic is always able to improve his condition at critical moments, suppress Gawain's counterattack, and maintain the lead by scoring key points.
In fact, Gao Wen’s key score performance is already very good and deserves recognition:
He saved eight out of ten break points and only lost two service games. This also kept Djokovic's break success rate at a pitiful 20%, which shows Gao Wen's strong heart.
However, facing the world's No. 1 who is aiming for revenge, "excellence" is still not enough.
As Gao Wen hit a forehand slash that went directly to the bottom line, Djokovic fulfilled his second set point and firmly won the first set.
"ah!"
The world's No. 1 roared like a lion, letting out all the emotions he had suppressed for the whole game. You could clearly see the veins bulging out of his clenched fists. There was a murderous look in his eyes, and he flew toward Gao Wen on the other side of the court with his teeth and claws bared. Pounce.
Not only because of the loss in the US Open semi-finals, in the first set of today's matchup, Djokovic also faced a strong impact from Gawain. Unlike the easy score, the real progress of the game inspired Djokovic. Kovic at his best.
He needed a little catharsis and release.
"Ahhh!"
Djokovic's roar had a real resonance in the indoor space of Center Court, demonstrating his determination to win.
But will Gawain surrender?
No, of course not!
Gawain knows this and so does Djokovic.
Facing Djokovic's emotional release, Gawain did not shy away. Not only did he not, but he faced it with stern eyes, full of calmness and determination.
Separated by half the stadium, the two players couldn't see each other's expressions clearly, but they could feel the sparks of a strong collision from their body language.
The smoke is filling the air, almost suffocating.
