Gawain swore that he really wasn't pretending.
If it is a hard court, out of psychological game and tactical considerations, Gao Wen may indeed make arrangements and exert psychological pressure. The aura contest is inherently part of the game.
But this is clay soil, a new venue, and a new experience. Gao Wen needs to learn, adapt, and adjust a lot, and he does not have such energy and thought.
At this time, Gawain's brain was running at high speed. He had already looked ahead and started thinking about how his next service game should be played.
However, people in the world have a good reputation.
This figure from behind, in Puyi's eyes, looked tall and mysterious. Such a wonderful and powerful winning point to break serve, but there was no celebration?
Actually!
Puy's confidence took a bit of a hit.
Although he just defeated Thiem in the first round, in fact, in the three years since he entered the professional arena, Puy's strength has not quickly kept up with the intensity of the profession. He is more active in the challenge competition and did not break into the world rankings until this year. Entering the top 100, there are not many outstanding results in ATP events.
At the beginning of the year, the Australian Open was stopped in the first round, and all three Grand Slams she has participated in so far were stopped in the first round; last month's Sunshine Double Championship, she was not included in the main draw.
Moreover, as a teenager, Puy was not a favorite, and there was a lot of confusion before turning to the professional arena, and everything was not sure.
At this time, looking at Gawain's calm back, Pui couldn't help but waver a little:
Could it be that the gap between myself and Gawain is really that obvious?
Take a deep breath.
Take another deep breath.
Pui controlled his emotions, regained his concentration, and regained his footing——
This is also one of Pui's strengths: he doesn't panic easily.
At the Paris Masters at the end of last year, Puy entered with a wild card. As a result, he won two games in a row and reached the third round, losing to Federer twice "6:4".
Obviously, even Federer and Puy did not collapse. They still stabilized their position at the critical moment and performed to their own level.
Of course, the situation in Paris is different now from last year, and the pressure is different.
At that time, I was barefoot and not afraid of wearing shoes. I had nothing, so I gave it a try; now I have expectations for myself, but since the beginning of the new season, I have repeatedly hit the wall. Maybe my performance in the Challenger League and Tour is gradually getting on track, but Grand Slam and Grand Slam Important events like the Masters are still a mess.
The seeds of self-doubt have been quietly planted long ago.
After coming to Monte Carlo and defeating Thiem, Puy strengthened his belief. He believed and expected that he could defeat Gawain and then become famous overnight——
It's like a Hollywood fairy tale.
But now...
calm!
concentrated!
Focus!
Puyi cut off the bustling thoughts in his mind and regained his attention——
The biggest feature of a tennis match is that one point, one game, or even one set may not determine the outcome. Everything is possible.
Moreover, this is even more true on clay courts.
Anyway, it was just a counter-break, and he had to start all over again. Puy still had a chance in Gao Wen's next service game.
This is also true.
In Gao Wen's serve game, Puy slightly changed his tactics, became more active and proactive, and increased his aggressiveness. Although there were some unforced errors, it can still be felt that Gao Wen's on-the-spot response was not forced. The ground came freely and there were some holes in the serve.
After three deuces, Gao Wen missed two game points and saved a break point. It took more than six minutes to finally secure serve in a thrilling manner.
In the last point, Pui had already created an opportunity, but he was a little anxious with his forehand, which resulted in the net hitting, which made Pui very upset.
Amid the exclamations of the audience, Puy stood there, looking down at his racket, and then slowly adjusted the strings, trying to make them neat again.
He needs a little time to buffer.
After taking two deep breaths, he finally calmed down. He turned around and looked at the caddy. He indicated with his chin that he was ready and entered his serve——
From "3:0" to "3:3", the score fluctuated greatly, and in the blink of an eye it had entered the mid-game stage, which also meant that the smoke of competition was gradually getting stronger.
"40:15".
Puy did not panic, kept his concentration, quickly established an advantage, and won two game points in his own service game, and was about to secure his serve.
Once the serve was successfully maintained, Puy was able to exceed the score again, leading "4:3", and then put the pressure on Gao Wen at the end of the first set.
At this time, Puy's attention was slightly distracted, and he seemed to have taken the lead and began to think about Gao Wen's next service game after holding serve. How should he launch an attack and apply pressure; how should he create opportunities and break the balance? In the first set The moment has come when the bayonet sees red.
result--
Once the ball was served and attacked, the forehand went straight out of the baseline.
Once, Gao Wen's return ball was deep and hit near the baseline. It bounced irregularly. Puy missed the hitting point and accidentally knocked the tennis ball away.
Evenly divided!
A mistake, an accident, the situation changed. I had two game points just now, but lost them all in the blink of an eye, and then the service game became tense again.
Pui couldn't believe his eyes. He still kept swinging the forehand and looked carefully at the landing point of Gao Wen's previous hit:
The ground looked very flat, nothing special, but the tennis ball bounced irregularly after it landed, and it looked like it had stepped on a landmine.
this……
But what else can be done?
You can only admit defeat.
Such is the case on clay courts, where the minefield ghost appears and plays an uncertain role.
One breath was stuck in my chest.
Puy's batting action slowly resumed, he took two steps forward, rubbed the ground heavily with the soles of his shoes, trying to smooth out the mines with brute force.
call!
Then, he exhaled a long breath, regained his composure, turned his back to the court, and lowered his head again to straighten his string.
Such a simple repetitive action can make the shooting line tidy again and clear the mind of the complicated thoughts, just like someone likes to pinch bubble wrap. The popping sound can calm down the mood. It is a meaningless action, but Just being able to focus.
Keep serving.
a district.
Inside angle? Or the outside corner.
Overall, today's match has been going on for more than 30 minutes. Puy's serve still suppresses Gao Wen's forehand more. This is a tactical strategy, especially on clay, because of the relationship between ball speed, spin and bounce. , Gao Wen's forehand is indeed less stable and more careful.
So far, the strategy is working well.
So, should he keep going?
Throw the ball.
Kick the ground.
Swing.
...outer corner.
It was the outside corner again, suppressing the forehand, and this time Puy changed his strategy slightly, slowing down the ball speed, opening up the angle, and using the court to the extreme.
A shallow and wide outside corner directly pulled Gao Wen completely out of the singles line; at the same time, Pui's footsteps had already entered the court——
Although he is not serving the ball to the net, he is ready to connect the offense within the baseline, adding offense and pressure to the original tactical routine.
Puy, the tactical strategy is still very clear.
However--
"Out."
Because Pui's angle was too wide, the first serve was called out of bounds, and the first serve became the second serve, and the whole situation was different.
Moreover, Puy's tactical intention with the first serve has been exposed, so what should be done with the second serve?
(End of chapter)
