Match point

Chapter 1149
Tactics, on paper, seem not only clear, but also clear, and seem to be clear at a glance; but it is another matter to put them into practical use.

Djokovic's core tactics revolve around his own forehand and Gawain's forehand. However, in actual games, the arrangement and combination of the entire tactic is complicated and diverse, and the response from the opponent is also a must be taken into consideration. Of course, the situation is not that simple.

But, it worked!

"6:4".

Gao Wen played a series of wonderful strikes, and Djokovic also played a series of wonderful strikes. The two players played back and forth, and finally relied on key points to win the first set. They were more calm and confident at the tactical level Djokovic, the entire game layout has become more clear.

Therefore, Djokovic firmly seized the opportunity and played the next set first.

For the onlookers who are eating melons, this may not be anything special:

"At the Australian Open, the world's No. [-] played two sets first to take the lead. As a result, Gao Wen turned the situation around, subverted the game, and won the final victory."

Therefore, there is no need to make a fuss about the outcome of the first set.

But as the person involved, Gao Wen knew that things were different.

So far, Djokovic is the player who has faced the most times in Gao Wen's career. He really knows the strength and tenacity of the world's number one; at the same time, he also has a clear understanding of the ability and potential of the world's number one. Cognitively, the situation changes slightly every time we meet.

Faintly, Gawain could sense Djokovic's tactical change today——

It is not simply suppressing the backhand or the forehand, but the layout of the entire return line, which is more complex and more precise, especially the slash of the forehand, making full use of the entire field and hitting space, breaking the balance of the bottom line round , and then create a lot of pressure.

In the first set, Gao Wen was still the same Gao Wen, daring to make moves and take risks, and his performance was still maintained at a high level.

However, in the sixth meeting, Djokovic already had a good understanding of Gawain's routes, timing, techniques, etc., and while improving the accuracy of predictions, he also gave Gawain a sense of adventure through his own return. Try to increase the risk, which also makes the effect of Gawain's attack somewhat discounted.

From time to time, some key points, and the advantage comparison between Gao Wen and Djokovic also changed subtly.

That's why it's not that Gao Wen didn't play well, but that Djokovic played too well.

If it is an ordinary player, he may think that "this is normal", that is, the difference in on-the-spot performance. This is the error of the game, and everything is within the acceptable range. Here, just continue to insist on yourself step by step.

But Gao Wen was not.

On the surface, everything is normal, no different from their previous five meetings. The suspense of victory or defeat often depends on the on-the-spot performance of key points.

In reality, Gao Wen could feel Djokovic's calmness and strength, and the overall tactical layout was clearer and more targeted.

"I don't know the true face of Mount Lu, only because I am in this mountain."

In the game, Gao Wen couldn't see the technical statistics or the overall situation of the game. He could only capture some key points based on his own experience.

Then, make adjustments.

Gao Wen thought that he needed to make some attempts in the second set.

This is undoubtedly bold. I have already lost the first set. Shouldn't I go all out in my own way in the second set? Is this the safest thing to do?

Gao Wen objected to this.

Against the Big Four, even when they are plagued by injuries and in poor form, victory is never easy. To defeat a giant player with 70% status may need to consume 120% of the energy of ordinary players. Probably won't be the key to victory either.

Moreover, this is a best-of-three match, which is different from the best-of-five set in a Grand Slam, leaving less time for Gao Wen to counterattack, so he needs to be more proactive.

Some adventures, some attempts, some breakthroughs are necessary, even if the price is to lose this game, it is worth it.

So, what did Gao Wen do?
In fact, Gao Wen was not [-]% sure about Djokovic's tactics and the key to this game——

All of these are experiences, which must be accumulated slowly through one game after another, one after another, to cultivate one's perception and interpretation of the game. There are no shortcuts. Even the Big Four are still learning and growing. It is the lifelong homework of every professional player.

However, Gao Wen could feel the pressure from Djokovic's forehand.

Compared with previous games, Djokovic's forehand attack has improved significantly. For Gao Wen, the pressure from diagonal lines and straight lines, shallow areas and deep areas all exist objectively, and he does not intuitively feel the pressure from the forehand. The impact of the hand slash, which can only be seen after the game replays the whole game.

Therefore, in order to limit Djokovic's forehand attack, Gao Wen also slightly adjusted the layout of his return line:
Increase the return of the ball in the middle.

Of course, not all return balls are sent to the middle, which requires layout and arrangement.

From the second set, Gao Wen consciously chose the return route, sending the return ball unevenly towards the central area, changing the entire structure.

The reason is simple, Djokovic is not a strong forehand.

Violent forehand players like Federer, Del Potro, and Tsonga are actually not afraid of returning the ball in the middle, because in the central area, their footsteps can be adjusted in time, and with a little step, they can find attacking space , and then use the forehand to tear the angle.

Therefore, when playing against them, it is often necessary to send the return ball as far as possible to both ends, mobilize them as much as possible, break the balance, disturb the footsteps, and weaken the power of the forehand.

For players like Kei Nishikori, Ferrer, and Simon whose forehands are relatively not strong enough, if they send the tennis ball to both ends, they can use the inertia of sprinting and leverage to attack while running fast. With increased speed, the forehand can create stronger attacks.

However, sending the tennis ball toward the central area, firstly, their borrowing space is compressed, and they need to use more force; secondly, standing in the middle area to return the ball, there is not much room for tearing the angle, and the control difficulty increases. If you don't pay attention, it may be sent directly to the sideline, resulting in an offensive error.

Djokovic belongs to the latter.

The detail is that Djokovic, like Murray, has a certain offensive ability even in the face of returning the ball from the middle, which should be between the former and the latter; but Djokovic and Murray, two players, The offensive will is not so strong, and they are habitually fighting on the bottom line.

In other words, without a particularly good opportunity, they will not make a rash move.

In the first set, Gao Wen galloped all over the field, attacking vigorously, but Djokovic's forehand attack did not show any weakness, and was tit for tat.

In the second set, Gao Wen's sharpness weakened, and the angle of his return was much reduced. Djokovic's proportion of active attacks also dropped significantly.

This is adjustment.

(End of this chapter)