rub. Rub rub.
Gawain rubbed the soles of his shoes on the court a few times, feeling the texture of the entire court. Obviously, this was a completely different ground from the hard ground.
The whole feeling is completely different. On the one hand, there is a slightly loose and sliding texture of sand, but it is not obvious; on the other hand, the texture of thick and sticky soil is very obvious. After walking a few times, the soil will be embedded into the gaps in the soles. , and then the entire friction force is different.
It is precisely because of this that tennis shoes are known as the only part of tennis equipment with professional skills——
Look at the sponsors of jerseys and shorts. There are countless brands. The brands you have heard of and have not heard of are dazzling, but this is not the case with tennis shoes.
Nike, Adidas, New Balance, etc., only a few top brands produce professional tennis shoes, and they are still the dominant players in the market.
During the tour, many players wear clothing from other sponsors, but still choose Nike or Adidas for shoes. This combination is very common.
This is true for both Djokovic and Murray. They continued to wear Adidas sneakers for a long time after leaving Adidas; Federer was no exception. After leaving Nike and switching to Uniqlo in 2018, he still wore Nike shoes. The shoes continue to compete in the game.
Of course, tennis is different from football, rugby, etc., and the professionalism and exclusivity are not that strong. If a player insists on wearing non-professional tennis shoes to participate in the game, that is also an option. There is nothing wrong, but you need to bear the risk. .
Like Kyrgios, he has worn his "AJ" basketball shoes many times in games, which are slightly slippery, but he himself does not mind the risk of injury and sports injuries, and there is no need for others to worry about him.
Generally speaking, tennis shoes are divided into three types: hard court, grass and clay.
Hard court tennis shoes have inverted trapezoidal grooves on the soles to increase friction and grip.
For clay tennis shoes, the grooves on the soles are all wavy and "V" shaped, so that the soil attached to the edges can be quickly shaken off; of course, clay tennis shoes can also be worn on hard surfaces, but The ridges will smooth out quickly because clay soles are softer overall.
Lawn tennis shoes are the most special. The soles have no ribs but fine grain patterns to increase friction to the extreme and prevent slipping.
In essence, the principle of tennis shoes is the same as that of F1 racing tires. They are adjusted according to different weather conditions. The ultimate purpose of different designs and different materials is to increase friction and grip during the impact of sudden turns and stops. , increase control and improve game performance.
Therefore, in clay court games, you can often see players hitting their sneakers with their rackets to knock off the clay in the grooves to ensure the friction and grip of the soles.
At the same time, in grass games, you can often see players changing their sneakers because the soles are worn flat and lose friction, making them very easy to slip and fall. This is the most expensive type of venue for sneakers. From venue maintenance to equipment requirements, grass Obviously they are not the most friendly venues.
The differences between different venues have been highlighted starting from the movement of footsteps.
In 2007, Sharapova gave a famous saying after losing a clay court match. She laughed at herself,
"I move like a cow on ice."
If you can't effectively control your footsteps, stop and turn, emergency brake, or start again, then Sharapova's famous saying applies to all players.
Tiptoe, jump.
Leg press, stretch.
Sprint, brake.
Gao Wen's footsteps entered the clay court, using a series of basic movements to feel the changes in the court, and carefully using the soles of his feet to feel the particles of the clay.
Everything is fresh.
Fresh actually means unfamiliar. The Gawain in front of him looks like a baby learning to walk, his movements are a little clumsy.
A voice with a slight smile came from behind.
"How long has it been since you last played on clay?"
Turning his head, Gawain saw Graf wearing tennis equipment and her iconic headband. She was far from her usual demure appearance. Now she could see some of the temperament of the goddess of war, but compared to when she was young. Generally speaking, the edge has been tempered and not so arrogant.
Only then can the memory be awakened. The woman in front of me is still the strongest candidate for the best tennis player in history.
Not only has he won 22 Grand Slam singles championships, but as of 2015, he is still the strongest in history, surpassing all men's and women's singles players.
He is also the only player in history to achieve the annual Golden Slam. In 1988, he won the four Grand Slams and the Olympic championship, showing his top dominance.
Behind him, Sampras and Agassi had also entered the court and were chatting. They seemed very relaxed because the initiative had been transferred to Graf.
Even Peart is no exception. He follows Graf at a short distance and is also warming up briefly, ready to obey Graf's instructions.
Exactly four hours after arriving in Mallorca, Gao Wen had already entered the training ground.
Today, we will not conduct high-intensity training, but simply adapt to the field training to warm up a little and prepare for subsequent training.
Gawain, thought about it seriously, "More than a year."
All NCAA games are played on hard courts, and there is no clay soil at all. Therefore, the last time I trained on clay was in high school.
Graf was not surprised at all, and without looking back, he pointed at the two people behind him, "Like them, if it weren't for the Paris game, they might not be able to set foot on clay once a year."
Sampras and Agassi said their knees were broken.
Graf looked at Gawain and pondered for a moment.
"Gavin, you are a smart kid. Do you know what people say the most when they talk about Nadal's performance on clay?"
In fact, in the long history, there has been more than one "King of Clay".
For example, Argentinian legend Vilas still holds the historical record of 681 clay court wins. This is almost an unbreakable record. It is also difficult for Nadal to break it, especially since the number of clay court matches has dropped sharply on the tour. , Nadal was also forced to slow down in his pursuit of Vilas.
For example, the Austrian star Thomas-Muster has forty-four career championships, forty of which all came on clay.
For example, Brazilian star Gustavo Kuerten, a three-time French Open champion, is still the unique darling of the Paris audience even after his retirement.
Etc., etc.
Of course, after Nadal's emergence, the definition and standards of "King of Clay" have been raised to a new level, completely changing history.
So, what's the reason?
Number of wins on clay? Clay court winning percentage? Number of clay court championships? Or the number of French Open titles? Or is it clay-court dominance?
Obviously, victory and championship are undoubtedly important indicators, but Graf's question is definitely not considering Gawain's memory.
With a flash of inspiration in his mind, Gawain thought of the answer, "The understanding of red soil?"
(End of chapter)
