a district.
outer corner.
slow down.
Federer is indeed Federer. His tactical choices at critical moments are not only bold but also rich, and he can always break his opponent's predictions.
Gao Wen fell into a passive position. Originally, the party receiving the serve was in a passive position. Once the prediction failed to keep up, he would become even more passive.
For Gao Wen, the advantage of slowing down the serve is that it has more time to move; but the difficulty is that Federer's outer corner serve falls on the service line, and the entire angle is completely torn apart, which also means that the moving distance increases and the difficulty of returning the ball increases.
Obviously, Federer came prepared.
and!
After landing, the strong topspin lifted the tennis ball high into the air and continued to fly outward, high and floating.
At this moment——
The wind is causing trouble.
Neither horizontally nor vertically, moving left and right, up and down, completely unpredictable, just like a running child, playing in circles.
The ball, which was already light and fluttery, was swaying and trembling, and seemed to be at a loss, not knowing where it should float.
Just like the plastic bag swinging in "American Beauty."
Difficult, increasingly difficult!
However, after two weeks in Indian Wells, Gawain has regained his normalcy and treats every sudden accident rationally.
So, how should we deal with strong winds?
Professionals will give two keywords:
calm. pace.
The former is very simple. If you are the first to mess up when faced with an accident, the situation will be even worse. Calmness is an important keyword.
The latter is ignored by many laypeople.
To put it simply, the main impact of strong wind is to destroy the player's hitting point, because the tennis ball deviates from his swing trajectory and hitting position, and will naturally escape his control.
At this time, judging from the instinctive reaction, people tend to use the adjustment of the upper body, especially the upper limbs, to complete the shot; but in professional tennis, the importance of footsteps is unprecedented, and temporary adjustments of small steps play a crucial role. Character, the difference between a little bit of laziness and a little bit of diligence can completely change the entire situation.
In other words, when encountering strong winds, don’t panic or be lazy. That’s all——
As for the rest?
That falls within the scope of uncontrollable deviations.
Gawain is never lazy in his steps.
OK.
Continuous small steps.
The already difficult situation was made worse by the evil wind, but Gawain was very calm.
Kick the ground!
extend!
The upper body extended out following the swing, instead of exerting force, but glanced at Federer's position, and then decisively struck the ball.
Beat lightly.
In an extremely difficult and chaotic situation, Gawain chose to hit the ball lightly, leaving a big diagonal line to complete the return.
reason?
Gawain noticed that Federer was leaning forward, paying attention to his shot, and was ready to go to the net, but did not take risks——
It seemed that he was also disturbed by the strong wind, because the trajectory of the wind was difficult to judge, so Federer also changed his tactics and stopped slightly.
In this case, Gao Wen's transition ball must also form a containment. Just like Federer's serve, he should give up the suppression of speed and power and choose the containment of the landing point.
The deep area, diagonal line, and such landing point suppressed Federer's steps to prepare for the net, trying to buy himself as much time as possible to return to his position.
Gawain's brain was working rapidly.
The light blow from the previous beat did not completely throw out the power. Gawain's right leg kicked off the ground violently, and the strength of his calf muscles was completely released. His body had already moved laterally to the left, and he quickly returned to his position. In a flash, he suddenly hit the ground. He has regained his center of gravity and is ready to defend the next shot.
really!
Federer's attack came.
Although Gao Wen used his placement to contain Federer and forced him to complete the attack in an awkward position, Federer still showed his top touch.
When the ball bounces back with a forehand shot, without being able to actively exert force, the line change is completed by relying on the swing of the forearm and the wrapping of the wrist:
straight line. blind spot.
Federer's leisurely stroke hit the ball again, sending the tennis ball directly back to the baseline triangle of Gawain's backhand position, and then followed the ball to the net.
Attack one after another, like mercury pouring down the ground.
Gawain had not completely gotten rid of the dilemma of receiving the serve, and then he had to face the next dilemma. Even though his prediction was accurate and he started to move in advance, Federer's interlocking attacks further compressed Gawain's return space. You can see the figure in front of the net out of the corner of your eye.
what to do?
While running and sprinting, he observed the entire field, looking for a breakout route——
straight line.
Gao Wen caught a glimpse of the gap, but he believed that this was the gap left intentionally by Federer.
In a high-speed running state, a two-handed backhand save requires a straight shot, and it is also a shot that breaks the net. You can imagine the difficulty.
More likely, Federer would wait in the straight line, make a volley in front of the net, and then end the point directly.
Federer, who is good at attacking, has a whole layout like a dragnet.
So, how should Gawain choose?
Even though you knew it was a trap, did you still step into it?
tread!
Sprint! Kick the ground! brake!
After running wildly all the way, Gao Wen arrived in time, kicked off his left leg, and completed the emergency brake with his body rushing all the way, and started to lead the shot with his two-handed backhand early.
Follow the inertia of sprinting and quickly move forward with a backhand.
Crack the whip!
Quick!
At the moment when the shot was taken, Gawain's head speed increased completely, and the long sword was unsheathed——
Iconic shot, straight backhand!
straight line!
Gao Wen still chose a straight line. Even if it was a trap, he had to step into it, because Federer blocked the net and did not leave him many options.
boom!
The tennis ball moves across the court in a straight line.
Immediately afterwards, you can see Federer making a long horizontal diving sprint.
Although his body balance has been broken, Federer did not panic. Obviously, the straight line gap was indeed reserved, and he was always paying attention.
Back and forth, Federer's arrival at the net was very timely.
But!
Falling over the net!
It actually fell sharply over the net!
Gawain did not give up. In such a narrow, tight and dangerous space, he relied on the control of his wrist to hit a beautiful shot that passed the net and fell sharply, forming a containment.
Federer's handling was a bit difficult.
All eyes in the audience were focused on Federer.
But I saw that Federer's knees were bent and his center of gravity dropped. He was still calm and calm between chaos and haste, showing the elegance of a swan. He spread his hands, stretched his limbs, clapped with his right hand with one hand, and gently touched everything down——
Very gently and very subtly.
Indescribably wonderful.
The ball is clearly under the net, but you can see the delicate handling of the wrist. The tennis ball rises lightly and pulls out a perfect parabola. After crossing the net, it falls quickly.
Even in the face of a sharp drop across the net, Federer's touch was still perfect. He responded with a small ball that also dropped sharply across the net, pushing the problem back to Gawain.
Smart and graceful, just like the dancing posture of a ballerina, inspiration blooms proudly in an instant.
Wait, where is Gawain?
Rush at full speed.
Break through in a straight line.
Just like Sonic the Hedgehog, he turned into a bolt of lightning and appeared within the field of vision in just three big strides with every breath.
Obviously, Gawain was prepared. The second time they fought, Gawain was no longer unprepared.
(End of chapter)
