First zone, first serve, outside corner, press forehand.
Johansen's serve still maintained a high standard. The serve with a speed of 199 kilometers per hour was very precise, aiming at Gao Wen's forehand, forming a suppression.
However, Gao Wen suddenly stepped out, his forehand swing significantly increased, and he pulled out a super topspin swing trajectory.
It's not a flat shot or a block, it's a top spin.
This is Nadal's signature way of returning serve. His philosophy is very simple. He relies on super topspin to hit the tennis ball steadily to ensure that the return ball can enter the bounds, and then circulate the ball through the round.
Later, Thiem also adopted a similar method of returning serve, which also earned him the title of "Little Prince of Clay".
Obviously, Gao Wen's forehand is not such a style, and his top spin speed is far inferior to Nadal or Thiem, but at this time Gao Wen suddenly changed the way he receives the serve.
Johnson was not panicked, because super topspin often means relatively slower speed and power, which gave him plenty of time to react.
After Johnson adjusted his steps, he launched an attack with his forehand without hesitation. Although he had to hit the ball near his shoulder due to the strong topspin, which also made the impact less powerful, the attack still seized the opportunity. initiative--
Backslash.
Johnson aimed at the gap on Gawain's backhand and struck directly.
But Gawain had predicted it in advance and quickly moved laterally across the entire field.
It doesn’t matter if your steps are a little wasted, the key is to catch up smoothly.
The two-handed backhand hit a diagonal shot in a regular manner. It looked like an ordinary transition ball in a defensive state, nothing special.
However, just when Johnson was about to reach his destination, he discovered an anomaly:
Deep and heavy.
Gawain's two-handed backhand was very solid. Although the landing point did not pursue the dead center, which also allowed Johnson to arrive smoothly, the swing action of hitting the ball clearly felt pressure, and the incoming ball still had a strong topspin. The continuous rotation after the rebound from the ground impacted Johnson's body position, so that Johnson's backhand was somewhat "topped".
To put it simply, the swing movement is suppressed and constrained, so that the elbow hits the stomach and cannot be stretched at all, so naturally there is no way to exert force.
Johnson's backhand also returned a straight shot in an orderly manner.
It is also a transition ball, but Johnson's transition ball seems very honest, without any hidden tricks, it is just an ordinary transition ball.
The next second, Johnson discovered that as soon as Gawain took a step forward, his footsteps had already cut into the baseline, and he took the initiative to meet the ball. He grabbed a rising point with his backhand with both hands. The rhythm of the bat accelerated instantly, and the entire swing was like a standard baseball hit. The gestures are general.
full! full! coherent!
Then--
straight line.
Just like a long sword being unsheathed, the ball return speed suddenly became faster in an instant.
It was very sudden and very fast. Before I could blink, the tennis ball ran out like a naughty elf.
Score! Crisp and neat, no sloppiness!
what happened?
Johansen's footsteps were still in the backhand position. He had just finished returning to the defensive position. He only had time to take half a step out and watched the tennis ball escape.
No chance.
Serve, no problem; forehand, no problem; but why did the advantage suddenly open up? How could a well-behaved backhand transition ball not even have a chance to defend the ball?
Johnson didn't react for a while.
Due to the inertia of forward motion, Johnson was still rushing forward, but he couldn't hold back. He turned his head across the court and glanced at Gawain. There was a trace of confusion in his eyes, but he found that Gawain was very relaxed and didn't even care. Celebrating vigorously, he just jumped slightly on the spot twice.
No fists were made.
It can be seen from Gawain's reaction that the ball just now was completely within his ability, but Johnson was so embarrassed that he could not save the ball. Could it be that the gap in strength between them is already so big? ?
Johnson couldn't understand.
In fact, the secret still lies in the layout. Through the combination of hitting method and rhythm, you can create the situation you want, and the wisdom at the tactical level can instantly widen the gap.
This is what I learned from last week’s game against Nadal:
When they are in good condition, everyone can play and complete the game according to their own style; but when they are not in good condition, how should they play? How to interpret and analyze the game in your own style and find the path to victory?
Nadal taught Gawain a good lesson.
Currently, Gao Wen is learning and practicing, which is also one of the most interesting parts of competitive sports. From playing against Anduar to playing against Johnson, Gao Wen is exploring bit by bit, and his tactics are slightly different.
Johansen is a typical hard court player, that is to say, he likes the ball with both speed and power. Although it does not mean that the faster, the better, the heavier, the better; but the even speed, fast round ball is indeed Johansen's comfort. field.
Therefore, you need to be patient when facing Anduar, and you need to be cunning when facing Johnson, hiding the changes in rhythm in every round. As long as the layout is appropriate, the final score can be easily achieved without taking risks. Done, because the real difficulty is already done ahead.
After four games of fighting and groping, it was now time for Gawain to take action.
The next minute, it was the same.
The quality of Johnson's serve is still good. The close serve successfully squeezed Gawain, and the entire flat serve was heavy and heavy.
Gawain simply gave up the complete swing and sliced a diagonal shot with his forehand!
As mentioned before, Federer is the only one who actively uses cutting when receiving the serve, because cutting often means giving up the opportunity to form a confrontation with the ball on the first shot, and subsequent layout and control will be very difficult.
First Nadal, then Federer? So, what’s next, Djokovic?
What is Gawain doing, a chameleon or a mimicry?
But Johansson didn't mind because his focus was entirely on the incoming ball.
When Johnson saw the cutting, he was overjoyed. He adjusted his position continuously in small steps. He realized that Gawain's cutting was still suppressing his backhand. He continuously moved laterally and switched to his forehand——
Sideways forehand.
Preparing to launch a powerful attack, however, just before taking the shot, Johnson realized that this was a backspin ball. The seemingly ordinary shot had a hidden trap.
alarm!
Johnson is highly focused, his center of gravity is lowered, he pulls up his forehand powerfully, and he adds top spin as insurance in his hitting action.
Although a little speed and power are sacrificed, the forehand attack still hits powerfully.
Uh-huh!
Backslash!
Johnson let out a roar because he took the initiative to exert force. Under very difficult circumstances, he still exploded with all his strength and hit a repeated route:
Turn the ball back!
Johnson tried to catch Gawain off guard, so when the speed was not enough, strength and landing point were crucial. Johnson stared at his shot intently, and his footsteps had already been adjusted in small steps in succession, preparing for the next move. One shot to hit the ball.
