Match point

Chapter 1296
Although Djokovic is absent from the Madrid Masters, the draw is still full of stars and a lot to watch——

After entering the clay court season, the younger generation’s basic skills are not solid enough, and they are good at hard courts, but the disadvantages of clay courts are gradually emerging. Instead, the Mesozoic players feel the encouragement and encouragement of the "Youth Storm". They are also deeply aware that the Big Four are not indispensable. Those who win, they also have a chance.

As a result, the season theme of "Big Four VS Challengers" has opened up a branch plot, and the Mesozoic generations have cheered up and shined in the tour together.

From Monte Carlo to Barcelona, ​​such momentum has continued all the way, so, can it continue to expand to Madrid?

Facts have also proved that this is indeed a season full of variables and turmoil——

Federer, who just won the championship in Istanbul last week, once again showed a good competitive state. When he came to Madrid, he was also considered the favorite to win the championship.

After a bye in the first round, he made his debut against a difficult problem, the Australian "bad boy" Kyrgios, and this game was also a focus.

In the whole game, neither player was able to break serve, and finally played three tie-breaks.

“6：7（2）”、“7：6（5）”、“6：7（12）”。

In the deciding set, both players saved match points and both squandered match points, but in the end, it was Kyrgios who won.

Federer was upset in the first game.

First, Djokovic was absent, and then Federer broke a shocking upset——

This is also the second time Federer has seriously malfunctioned this season after Melbourne Park, and his ability to grasp key points has fluctuated significantly.

Involuntarily, people began to speculate whether because of the topic of "world ranking" recently, the pressure and interference created were more serious than imagined, otherwise, Djokovic said that he needed to rest and adjust, and Federer seemed to be out of focus On the pitch, is that possible?

In the post-match press conference, Federer was once again the focus.

Although Federer has repeatedly stated that the change in the world ranking has no effect, and sincerely congratulates Gao Wen, his performance is worthy of the world ranking.

But the media and fans refused to believe it. On social networks, a small group of Federer's fanatical fans attacked Gao Wen again.

If you add a small number of Djokovic fans watching and eating melons, one or two gloating and besieging Federer, then the social network will be even more smoky, and the confrontation and collision between you and me will not give an inch. Once again aroused a commotion.

This excitement should not end in the short term.

In addition, Cilic, Monfils, Faye Lopez, Anderson and other seed players also performed abnormally, and all were eliminated in the first game.

Madrid also seemed to continue the atmosphere of Barcelona two weeks ago, with gusts of cold wind blowing over the clay.

Undoubtedly, the turmoil in the professional tennis world has continued from last year to this year. The theme of "Big Four VS Challengers" runs through the whole time. The impenetrable barriers of the era of giants seem to have exposed small cracks. Every player can see opportunities. Unexpected situations can occur in any event.

But at the same time, along with opportunities comes pressure. Not everyone can seize the opportunity to complete breakthroughs and transformations. The more you want to prove yourself, the easier it is to fall into the shackles of self-expectation, which eventually leads to abnormal performance. , the game may go in another direction.

Red clay, the inherent characteristics of this venue, further magnifies this uncertainty, so there are more accidents and upsets than usual. You can feel that ATP is feeling the impact of the tornado in every aspect. Every week you can see a new scene.

but!

Madrid also continued the general trend of Monte Carlo and Barcelona:
A series of upsets and accidents, but in the follow-up, after all, it returned to the standard routine——

In the midst of chaos and turmoil, those who stand firm and stand out are still the real strong who have withstood many tests. This is the style of a star.

In the first half, "Govan VS Nadal".

In the second half, "Murray VS Kei Nishikori".

The top four are facing each other, happy to hear and see, the crowd is surging——

This is the standard ending of "Big Four VS Challengers". From last year to this year, similar situations have been witnessed more than once in the semifinals.

On the one hand, Murray continued his good form in the new season. He started his clay-court season in Munich last week. After winning the championship, he came to Madrid to continue his fiery touch. Return to the ranks of the Big Four.

Nadal regained a little touch from the struggling season, swept away the struggle in Barcelona last week, and once again proved with practical actions that on clay, never underestimate his tenacity and will, even if he is not in good condition. The lower limit is also a bit higher than the upper limit of many players.

On the one hand, the two players in the Barcelona final lineup last week continued their good form. Both broke into the semi-finals in Madrid, once again sounding the clarion call for challengers to break the pattern.

This time, Gao Wen and Kei Nishikori need to fight on their own, overcome the high wall of the two giants, and strive to meet again in the final, staged "Asia's No. 4.0 brother battle [-]".

Since the Australian Open in 2014, the Challenger League has risen in an all-round way. However, the semi-final wins both blocked the giant players from the gate of the final, and the challengers joined the final. This situation only happened once in the US Open. Other times, There are always giants who can continue to be strong.

The difficulty is great, one can imagine.

This time, it's up to Gao Wen and Kei Nishikori.

pity.

fail.

More precisely, both failed.

In the first semi-final, Murray swept Kei Nishikori in straight sets.

In the second semi-final, although Gao Wen played well and saved three match points in the tie-break of the second set, he eventually lost in two sets.

两盘比分，“7：5”、“7：6（10）”。

As people say, Nadal, with residual blood, is still the god of war on clay.

Moreover, after two races, Gao Wen thought he had fully adapted to the clay, but it was only when he stood in front of the king of clay that he came to his senses:

He's just getting started at most.Perhaps, against other players, Gao Wen's superficial understanding may be enough, but it is not enough in front of giants.

Especially against Nadal.

Daily training and official matches are fundamentally two different things. This is the first time in his career that Gao Wen played against Nadal in an official match on clay.

Although they have played against each other twice before on hard courts, clay courts are indeed different, and Gao Wen taught a good lesson——

Not only the rotation, power, bounce, etc. at the technical level, but also details such as prediction, movement, space, etc., all derived from the interpretation of clay, and penetrate into every shot and every judgment bit by bit. , In every confrontation, tennis is redefined in all aspects.

Every detail is different.

The impact and pressure created by Nadal on the clay court are completely different from those on the hard court, and he can fully feel the suppression of the quality of the ball.

Therefore, Nadal was able to beat Federer five times in a row on clay and three times in the French Open final.

Therefore, Nadal was able to beat Djokovic seven times in a row on clay, and sniped Djokovic in the French Open final for two consecutive years.

Different!
It is indeed different.

(End of this chapter)