a district.
One shot.
Gao Wen is thinking, if this is a formal match, assuming it is the quarter-finals or semi-finals in Monte Carlo, and then the critical moment of the first set.
So, how will he lay it out?
Of course, there are also some tactical routines for high-level pressure on the bottom of the box, but now he needs to go one step further. If he wants to make some risky attempts to enrich his arsenal of weapons and tactical layout, then how will he choose? Looking for a balance between "adventure and stability" and regaining the initiative?
Fortunately, he had some ideas to test.
Inside corner, hitting Nadal's forehand.
Obviously, confronting Nadal's forehand head-on in the first zone is not a common tactical choice. If chosen, the angle and rotation are very important. It is necessary to prevent Nadal from finding a comfortable hitting point and attacking directly. Otherwise the situation will become passive.
Generally speaking, it is easier to deploy a tactical layout by suppressing the backhand from the outside corner. Choosing the inside corner requires courage and layout.
The speed is not fast, 176 kilometers per hour.
It can be seen from here that Gao Wen mainly focuses on controlling the landing point. The serve accurately lands on the outside edge of the service area and rebounds after hitting the line.
This kind of control is not common among players of Gao Wen's height. He is 193 centimeters tall and often chooses to serve with heavy artillery and rarely takes the control route, including later Zverev, Medvedev, Tsitsipas, etc. None of the representatives of the new generation are like this. This is also what makes Gao Wen special:
Variety of serves.
Of course, this is also a suggestion from Agassi and Graf. They need Gauvin to seek more different service combinations in his serve game.
Previously, on hard courts, Gao Wen would occasionally match such a combination; but now on clay, he needs to increase the proportion of different serve types.
Nadal was a little surprised, and his footsteps moved a little slower. He didn't have time to complete the complete lead-in to the forehand——
If it were a formal match, Nadal might be a little more conservative, using his wrist strength to follow the inertia of his body's movement to hook a backslash, and then pull out a strong topspin, even if the landing point is shallower, but as long as Gawain enters The upper step speed within the baseline is slightly slower, and after the strong rotation is released, the hitting point will be very awkward.
But this is a scrimmage.
Nadal also made a different attempt, and actually made a rare forehand side shot.
Slash!
Gao Wen was completely caught off guard. Nadal's forehand cut was so rare. Gao Wen and Nadal had met and played against each other twice, including doubles matches and practice matches. This was the first time he saw Nadal. Dahl sliced the ball with his forehand, and also sliced towards the big triangle on the baseline.
Fortunately, Gawain's attention remained absolutely focused, and unexpectedly, his steps were still very fast.
In addition, Nadal chose to chip the ball with strong topspin, which not only slowed down the speed, but also continued to release strong spin after landing.
This also means that Gawain has enough time to complete the move——
The real difficulty in moving on clay is stopping and turning suddenly. If you move at a constant speed, the difference from hard ground is not as obvious as imagined; but when you need to accelerate or brake suddenly, your feet will easily slip due to lack of grip. This requires special handling techniques.
Otherwise, the starting speed and movement speed may be affected on the one hand; the vulnerability to injury is on the other hand.
This is the origin of Graf's warm-up game, which is designed to train the foot control of emergency stops and turns in a small area, while avoiding the risk of more injuries caused by increasing the acceleration to a certain level. In other words, it is necessary to train before the speed increases. Control and reduce ankle pressure.
At this time, Gawain was moving at a constant speed, and his steps were not affected at all. He rushed to the scene immediately and even had time to observe.
In fact, in this shot, Gao Wen had an opportunity to attack, because Nadal's footsteps were in the center of the court, adjusting to defend his defensive position; but the inertia of the entire body's movement was towards the left, which is Nadal's direct position. hand, which also means Nadal's backhand position is empty.
If it is a hard court, Gao Wen will choose a straight backhand with both hands, directly find the bottom triangle, increase his strength and speed, and attack with the goal of winning points.
However, this time Gawain changed his mind.
Two-handed backhand.
straight line.
The same line, the same position, but Gao Wen did not increase his speed and power, but chose a light shot to control the landing point.
Snapped!
Because of the improved control, the entire shot appears light and clever, hitting the blind spot accurately while holding down both the baseline and sideline.
Nadal, rush here——
Footsteps, movement, and hitting the ball are all done in one go. There is no need to even slide. The right leg slides to the side and brakes, kicking up a cloud of red dust. With both hands, the backhand has been accurately completed, and the tennis ball is pushed in a straight line again. , repeat the landing point, and return to Gawain's backhand.
Line, straight.
The landing point is profound.
This return shot successfully squeezed Gao Wen's backhand. At this time, a small detail can also be seen that Gao Wen still has not completed the clay clay conversion:
Footsteps, no retreat.
On hard courts, in order to control the rhythm and compress time, they often refuse to retreat, and more often stand on the baseline and choose to hit rebound balls.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with doing this on a clay court. It can increase the rhythm of the shot and increase the pressure of returning the ball.
But the key point is that the clay court is not very fast. Even if you stand on the baseline and hit the rebound ball, the hitting effect will be greatly reduced compared with that on hard courts. Players trying to put pressure on their opponents by increasing the rhythm often have no effect. Obviously, on the contrary, you may fall into a passive position due to the decline in the quality of your return.
So, what should we do on clay courts?
Often players will choose to take a small step back, from half a step to one step, or even more, to give up the position slightly to gain more space for hitting. Instead of improving the rhythm of the hit, it is better to improve the effect of the hit.
Here, it is not just a question of tactical choice, but more of a question of understanding the court——
On hard courts, quick decisions are often pursued, straightforward and crisp.
On red soil, you often need to be patient, and haste makes waste.
It should be noted here that objectively speaking, it is completely possible to use hard court tactics to play on clay, and you can also win.
The point is, it's more strenuous; in addition, it may not work when facing real clay court masters.
Gawain has not yet been able to complete the change in tactics.
He refused to retreat in his steps, and when his backhand was squeezed, he relied on his turning movements and beat the ball clockwise, sweeping the tennis ball back with skill.
Slash!
Diagonal!
Soon, Gao Wen realized that the effect of the same shot on clay was far inferior to that on hard court, and Nadal's figure appeared shortly afterwards.
A sliding step.
A hook.
Nadal effortlessly hooked Gawain's attempt to speed up the shot back to the court, which immediately sounded the alarm for Gawain:
The tactical awareness is still a bit impatient.
Calm down, he needed to calm down.
(End of chapter)
