Match point

Chapter 2011
Perhaps, the intensity of competition in the Ilye-Nastase group will be taken to another level?
The O2 Arena, crazy.

The players' lounge was also full of exclamations and excitement. Excitement was written on every face, and the air was filled with restless excitement.

Gawain shook his head slightly and joked in a half-joking tone, "Huh, now I can finally understand the meaning of Thomas' words."

Wawrinka looked innocent, "Hey, man, have you considered my feelings when you say this?"

The two exchanged glances again and laughed.

At this moment, the only person who couldn't laugh might be the person across the net from Nadal on the court.

Murray was not satisfied.

To be precise, I should be very, very dissatisfied.

As soon as he turned around, Murray cursed and babbled endlessly to his players' box. His voice was completely submerged in the excitement of the audience and could not be heard clearly; but the irritability revealed in his eyes, expressions, and body language , but more intuitive than language itself.

Irritated, angry, frustrated.

Murray thinks he can do better, no, he should do better.

The iconic Nadal score is also the iconic indoor hard court score. Nadal's offensive firepower on the forehand position has been fully opened.

Even though it was Nadal who was playing away from home who scored, the O2 Arena still burst into applause, applauding Nadal and applauding the wonderful duel.

But it only lasted for a moment, and the home audience still found their voices and cheered for Murray one after another. The neutral fans who were not too concerned about the excitement were no exception. One or two joined the support team, hoping that Murray could launch a counterattack and improve. How exciting the game was.

"Crack! Andy!"

"Crack! Andy!"

The momentum spread out in a mighty manner.

Not only at the All England Club, but also at the O2 Arena, Murray also carries the host's ardent expectations and looks forward to witnessing another miracle.

However, in Gao Wen's view, the balance of victory and defeat is slowly tilting towards Nadal, not because Nadal just broke serve, but because of the entire situation——

Murray seemed confused.

Yes, "confusion" is not depression or struggle.

From Wimbledon to the US Open, Murray was the same. He performed well in the warm-up and attracted much attention, but he continued to stop early on the Grand Slam stage. This seemed to make him fall into a short-term confusion and be trapped in an invisible shackles.

"Should he lower his expectations for himself?"

"Maybe he's not as good as he thought?"

"Perhaps he has reached a bottleneck and lost the possibility of further progress?"

and so on.

This is not a technical problem or an injury problem, it is purely a psychological problem. It is a kind of self-doubt and self-reflection. Over time, it may eventually become a kind of inner demon labyrinth.

Countless professional players have faced, are facing, or are about to face such a psychological test. The problem is that most players have lost to themselves, stopped here, and then can no longer move forward; only a very, very small number of players can Breakthrough completes transformation.

Once you break through, you can go to the next level.

It's been like this tonight since ancient times.

It is not easy to achieve the top level. It is a single-plank bridge with thousands of troops swarming up. Only this stage can eliminate 99% of the people.

However, achieving greatness is even more difficult, even hundreds of times more difficult than the previous stage, with a 0.01% chance of becoming a legend.

At least, Murray hasn't been able to break through yet.

——Not only reflected in the key points.In some ordinary scores, Murray's batting selection is also open to question. This was once the part that Murray was most confident in and the strongest weapon to stand in the strong forest. But now, Murray himself will have doubts. Over time, again When laying out, you will start to hesitate when hitting the ball.

As a result, the entire competition process began to waver.

Of course, Gawain doesn't think he is necessarily right.

The greatest charm of competitive sports lies in the unknown. No one can predict the result, whether it is Nadal or Murray, they are still fighting.

You shouldn't give up until the moment it's over.

Perhaps, Murray will prove that Gawain's judgment is wrong with practical actions?

however……

"6:4", "6:1".

The whole game ended a bit quickly, taking only 73 minutes to come to an end.

Everything is just as Gawain predicted:

Nadal defeated Murray in straight sets and ushered in a good start for the Ilye-Nastase group. Not only did he continue his good touch since the Asian season, but he also continued to rise. He found his tennis at the right time and once again There’s a reason why the Big Four are able to thrive for so long.

Murray is still trapped in his own inner demons. Although his body is not troubled by injuries, the wavering of confidence has caused problems in the foundation of the entire game. The adjustments since the North American summer hard court season have not been able to see improvement for the time being. This is still a long and arduous journey.

On that side, Federer and Murray experienced fluctuations one after another.

Here, Nadal returned to his position.

The "Big Four" are indeed extraordinary, and indeed an unimaginably severe challenge to the Challenger Alliance.

For Nadal fans, this is undoubtedly good news; but for other viewers, it is not enough.

It can be seen from Berdych's teasing before the game that the competition in this year's year-end finals is unprecedentedly fierce. The explosive rise of the Challenger League has further stimulated the potential of the four giants. The intensity of ATP competition has been pushed to a new level. The O2 Arena will inevitably Ushering in the bloody storm.

However, what about reality?
At the end of the second match day, all the first rounds of the two groups came to an end. Four games were "2:0", four games were in straight sets, and four games were straight wins.

Moreover, the score is not fierce at all——

Djokovic lost four games, Nadal lost five games, Federer lost six games, and Gao Wen lost seven games. Four, five, six, and seven just happened to be sitting in a row to enjoy the results.

In other words, even the most intense, exciting, tense and close game only lost seven games, and it was completely one-sided.

This is not the Huashan sword discussion that people expected.

Things should not be like this, absolutely not.

In this regard, eight players, including the four winners, expressed a similar view.

"The game is not easy."

Because of the competition system and the schedule, it is not easy for players to adjust their status. Especially after a season of ups and downs and red bayonets, they once again face a duel with top players. They need more time to complete the adjustment, which also means that every player There may be variables in every game.

Indeed, judging from the scores, game time, and game content, the four first-round duels were not exciting. The only exception may be the short period at the end of the second set between Gao Wen and Wawrinka; but for As for the players, they are all adjusting, groping and doing their best.

Whether you win or fail, this is a process.

No one can guarantee that subsequent games will be more exciting, "because each game is a new test"; but what is certain is that they are all trying their best, after all, "no one wants to end the season in a failed way."

Then, the schedule for the third match day was announced, and the media went crazy——

(End of this chapter)