Match point

Chapter 1997 The war drum is beating
It’s coming, it’s coming, the year-end finals are finally here——

On the first day, the Stan Smith team took the lead.

Like Wimbledon, the year-end finals held at the O2 Arena in London also continue a series of traditions. Although there is no need to wear white clothes, there are no night matches, the start of the defending champion, etc., and it still dreams of June.

In a daze, they returned to the All England Club, back to the grass season when the grass grows and the warblers fly. It would be better if there was another cup of strawberry cream.

The first game, "Djokovic VS Ferrer", kicked off the Huashan sword debate.

It is worth mentioning that London is the most important city in Djokovic's career, even surpassing Melbourne to some extent. The world's number one has not lost any game in London for three full years.

The last time Djokovic lost in London was at Wimbledon in 2012. In that year's final, he lost to local darling Murray; but after that, Djokovic completely became London's favorite. king--

Three consecutive championships in the year-end finals and three consecutive championships in Wimbledon.

Unstoppable!

Don’t forget that Djokovic defeated Gauvin for the first time last year at the O2 Arena in London. This city is indeed special to him.

Setting foot on the court in London again this year, Djokovic not only needs to defend his world No. [-] position, but also aims to win four consecutive championships in the year-end finals.

In the first game, Djokovic showed incredible championship temperament. Although he had just lost the final for the second consecutive year in Paris and finished second, this became the source of motivation for Djokovic to improve his condition.

Facing Ferrer, who slowly regained his form after returning from injury in August and qualified for the year-end finals at the last moment, Djokovic showed no mercy and did not give Ferrer any chance in the entire match.

"6:2", "6:2".

In just 65 minutes, Djokovic completed the sweep, easily defeated Ferrer, ushered in a good start, and successfully started his journey to defend his title.

After the game, Djokovic said he was very motivated and ready to face any challenge.

It was a disappointing start for Ferrer.

Although many people no longer remember it, in fact, in the 2007 year-end finals, Ferrer defeated Djokovic, Nadal, and Gasquet in the group stage, qualifying with a complete victory record, and reached the semi-finals. He defeated Roddick again and made it all the way to the final, but unfortunately lost to Federer in the end.

This player who once had to work at a construction site to make ends meet to continue his tennis dream also has higher expectations for himself. Compared with the loss to Djokovic, it was a fragile defeat that was even more regrettable. , the entire game was unable to organize an effective confrontation.

This is not what Ferrer wants to see.

But the side becomes more and more prominent, and Djokovic is indeed unstoppable.

After the first singles match, there were two doubles matches at the O2 Arena. Just like the singles, the Bryan brothers, currently the number one doubles player in the world, also encountered severe challenges. They had to fight to defend the number one spot in the world.

This season, the dominance of the Bryan brothers has encountered a comprehensive impact, especially the terrible injury situation, which has become a stumbling block in their careers.

Coming to the finals stage, the situation of the Bryan brothers is still difficult. They lost the game in the first game and the situation is getting more and more dangerous.

Then, the final showdown on the first match day of the year-end finals came on stage——

"Federer vs Berdych".

For Berdych, this is a challenge. After a turbulent season, he finally found his form at the end of the year, hoping to continue his top level. The year-end finals are a stage, even if he is not here for the championship. , and should also be prepared for next year’s adjustments.

For Federer, this is a proof that after experiencing the biggest ups and downs in his career, the Swiss king is also facing a psychological crisis. He needs to prove himself and prove that he can still compete for the championship, not for anyone, just to prove to himself. That’s all. "6:4", "6:2".

Victory belongs to Federer, there is no suspense.

The entire match lasted only 62 minutes, even faster than the match between Djokovic and Ferrer, continuing the rhythm of indoor hard courts.

When all the matches on the first match day ended, there were not many disturbances on social networks. The small group of hecklers who always watched the excitement and did not take it too seriously were also particularly quiet, because this result was completely unexpected. It's calm, and there's not even the fun of adding insult to injury.

In the Stan Smith group, everything is as expected. Federer and Djokovic are in full control of the situation. Their joint qualification should be an outcome that can be seen at a glance. The only suspense is not how much trouble Ferrer and Berdych can cause. It's about who will end the season with three consecutive losses.

This is not interesting.

But it doesn't matter. In the second game, the Ilye-Nastase team appeared, and the focus showdown that saved the ratings of the year-end finals took place immediately.

Obviously, the organizers of the event also know clearly that the highlights are all here. In addition, there is no restriction on the defending champion to be the first to appear on the opening day. The ATP's careful thinking can be seen from the schedule, whether it is box office or ratings. Including traffic popularity, all in one fell swoop.

Game one, doubles.

The second game, "Gawain VS Wawrinka".

Game three, doubles.

Game [-], "Nadal VS Murray".

Unexpected, but reasonable.

To say it was unexpected is because from the paper analysis, the collision between Gawain and Wawrinka is the focus, and it should of course be placed in the last game.

This season, Murray has repeatedly failed at critical moments, while Nadal has been struggling to adjust and adjust. Neither of them is at their best.

But Gao Wen and Wawrinka are different. The status of the two Grand Slam champions is not what it used to be. The topic of "Challenger League" has swept the entire Internet, and the popularity remains high. What's more, the two players are in Roland Garros. This epic semi-final collision is still talked about by countless fans.

Obviously, the quality of the game between Gao Wen and Wawrinka should be more worth looking forward to.

It makes sense that it is because of the "power of the giants." Even though this year's giant structure has been shattered by the joint efforts of Gawain and Wawrinka, in the final analysis, this has been the main theme of the past ten years and the past five years. The popularity of Dahl and Murray is still beyond the reach of other players.

Coupled with the fact that Murray is the host, the home court advantage will come into play after all.

To be honest, the audience still believes in the giants and believes that the collision between Nadal and Murray can still bring sparks. It is not surprising that the schedule is arranged like this.

But one thing is certain, no matter who is first and who is last, today's two singles matches are more attractive than the first day, and the suspense of victory is also a highlight.

Even if they are experts on paper and analyze these two games in detail, no one can decisively determine the final winner——

Even Gao Wen was no exception.

After all, Gawain is facing Wawrinka:
No one knows when Wawrinka will burst out and what energy he will burst out. Once he bursts out, Wawrinka can defeat any opponent.

(End of this chapter)