Ivo Karlovic is 211 cm tall and weighs 104 kg.
Any time, any venue, any game, against Karlovic, the historical record holder for the number of aces, players must be prepared for a hard battle:
Because whether you win or lose, the process will never be easy.
For a long time, this giant was at the top of the professional tennis world. His innate advantages in physical condition were fully utilized. His ultra-high angle of incidence allowed his serve to have both speed and power, and he was even able to find various ways to serve. Such a tricky angle further enhances the power.
Looking at Karlovic's game, ace runs throughout. Not to mention grass, even on clay courts, the power of other cannons' serves will be forced to reduce speed and power due to the increased weight of the tennis ball stained with red clay and the friction of the red clay itself. , but Karlovic was still able to blast out a bunch of aces.
Objectively speaking, the total number of aces can be accumulated over time. Karlovic turned professional in 2000 and is much older than Isner and Querrey, so in terms of the number of aces, On the all-time list, it doesn’t seem surprising that Karlovic can retain the championship.
However, ATP also counts a number of different data:
The matchup with the most aces in a single game. Among the top ten in history, Karlovic holds five of them.
As of 2014, among players with more than 1,000 aces in a single season, Karlovic had three seasons and Isner had two.
From this, you can imagine Karlovic's game, ace, ace, ace.
This also means that opportunities are very, very rare and fleeting; at the same time, you cannot reveal your flaws. Once there is a problem with your serve, a mistake ruins the serve, then it is very likely to directly ruin the whole set or even the entire game. In this game, it is difficult to break serve because it is difficult to reach the sky.
It is a severe test for physical strength and energy.
Gawain will not take it lightly.
Of course, when facing powerful players, Gao Wen has his own experience and methods, and has a good winning rate. He has played against Isner and Raonic.
But if you smugly underestimate your opponent because of this and think that you have a chance to win, Karlovic may be a better player to deal with than Djokovic, and then losing is not far away.
It's not because Gao Wen firmly remembers that "pride makes people regress", but because Gao Wen firmly remembers that Karlovic just defeated Djokovic in the last round.
Everyone said that Djokovic was in poor condition; but he knew that even if he was in poor condition, it would not be easy for any player to defeat Djokovic.
This also shows that Karlovic is in good condition. Just look at Karlovic's first two rounds and you will know that in addition to serving, his forehand also performed well.
He needs to give it his all.
really.
Three tie-breaks!
In the whole match, Gao Wen only got four break points in Karlovic's eighteen service games:
Three of the break points were all easily resolved by serve, with two aces and one serve being scored directly. Only one break point was on the second serve, but Karlovic still saved it with a forehand winner.
Watertight.
As expected before the game, facing Karlovic, chances may be few and far between, fleeting in the blink of an eye, and the winner will eventually need to be decided through a tiebreaker.
Entering the tiebreaker means that anything is possible. In addition to strength and concentration, a little luck may be needed.
Critical moments still test concentration, because opportunities are fleeting, and a shot, a choice, or a mistake may change the overall situation.
Gawain, lost the first one, but won the second and third, with only a one-point advantage in each set.
The total score was "2:1", Gao Wen won and advanced to the finals.
In the end, Gao Wen sent seven double faults and five aces. The adjustment and struggle in the serving process continued. Karlovic sent one double fault and thirty aces. It took two and a half hours to get it right. It should be one hundred and fifty-three minutes, and the young and energetic Gawain had the last laugh.
A double match in one day, and finally a double win in one day.
The previous doubles final lasted for one and a half hours, followed by the singles for another two and a half hours. The intensity was comparable to a best-of-five-set Grand Slam tournament.
Moreover, the sun is shining brightly in Doha, the outdoor temperature is 33 degrees Celsius, and the body temperature is as high as 38 degrees Celsius. Even if you just stand in the sun for a short time, you can see spots on the back of your T-shirt. Sweat is seeping out, let alone a fierce competition?
The moment the match point was realized, Gao Wen looked as if he had been fished out of the water. He was sweating profusely, his face was red, his arms were shiny, and his jersey looked like it could squeeze out a kilogram of sweat, even his shorts. He was already soaked inside and out, and his whole body was steaming with steam.
However, there was no trace of fatigue between his brows, and he was even able to jump high and clenched his fists passionately to celebrate the victory.
The physical training during the offseason has initially yielded results. Through practical training, I have become more energetic and energetic as I play, heading towards the new season step by step.
With light steps, running and jumping, Gao Wen came to the net with joy and shook hands with Karlovic to thank him.
Karlovic had a different look. He was exhausted. After just one game, his stubble was already sprouting out uncontrollably. His entire lower jaw was covered with a dark blue shadow, which was the same as two and a half hours ago. In comparison, it seems that they are two people at all.
"It looks like we just took a trip to the world of Harry Potter."
Gawain scratched his chin and said half-jokingly to Karlovich - magic, this should be the only reasonable explanation.
The giant touched his chin naively and couldn't help laughing.
Seeing the still energetic Gawain in front of him, who continued to fight under the sun for three hours without any problem, Karlovich gently nodded.
"Good luck in the final!"
"Thanks."
Despite the hard work, the difficulty, and the length of time, we finally won the final victory.
This also means that Gao Wen has secured another opportunity for himself to continue playing a game, hone himself, and continue to adjust and absorb the success of the offseason.
This is the most worthy of celebration.
In the singles final, Gao Wen will face third seed Berdych.
In the final match of the day on Saturday, Berdych performed well and faced few challenges, easily defeating Seppi in straight sets.
The final scores were "6:2" and "6:3".
After Nadal, the second seed in the bottom half, was upset, Berdych withstood the pressure and advanced to the final smoothly.
Perhaps, the much-anticipated matchup did not happen, but now it seems that the final lineup of "No. 3 seed vs. Shinco US Open champion" seems not bad.
Although the topic is slightly less topical, strictly speaking, Berdych, Nadal, and Federer are players of the same era, while Gao Wen is still a new generation. Therefore, this can also be regarded as the new generation launching an attack on the existing top players. a duel.
What's more, for Berdych, this is a battle of revenge, and fans are also curious about the outcome of the game.
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