The situation is tense and on the verge of breaking out.
Gao Wen understands that the game has now entered a familiar mode of the Bryan brothers. Although it is on clay, the rhythm of the round ball is actually the hard court mode. If he wants to break the situation, then Gao Wen must destroy the Bryan brothers' hitting rhythm.
However, it sounds simple to say it, but it is not the same thing in practice.
After all, the Bryan brothers were the ones who took the initiative. Facing the first set, they were highly focused and burst out with top energy.
Gawain tried to make a change, but was caught by Mike. He compressed time and space with one step to the net, and the quality of the volley immediately improved.
Dimitrov was very embarrassed and barely managed to hit a rebound shot, but the quality of his return dropped significantly——
Chance!
Opportunity for the Bryan Brothers.
The rebound ball has almost no control at all, lack of spin and power, and coupled with the elevated arc, it is simply a high-pressure ball feed in front of the net.
However, Dimitrov's bounce ball was a bit special this time. It was neither high nor low. The height of the tennis ball flying over the net was a bit awkward, so it was difficult for Mike to grasp the hitting point. It was easy to make mistakes by forcing force. In the end, Mike He slapped the ball with his forehand and pushed the tennis ball straight over.
But there was no smash.
Huh?
Gawain immediately noticed Mike's volley in front of the net. The hitting technique was very ordinary, with almost no fancy tricks. It was just a simple pounce. In addition to compressing the rhythm of the round, it had no characteristics in terms of strength, speed, spin, etc. , which also means——
If it is on hard ground, the compression of the rhythm is enough. "The only martial arts in the world that cannot be broken is fast."
But on clay, after the tennis ball hits the ground, the power and speed are swallowed up by the clay, the impact of the rhythm is weakened, and the pressure of the ball no longer exists.
In other words, even though the Bryan brothers have taken the absolute initiative in front of the net, they have not been able to score, which already illustrates the problem.
So, is this a chance for Gawain and his team to turn things around?
Gawain has an idea.
Everything was condensed into a short millisecond, Dimitrov's rebound ball, Mike's volley, and in the blink of an eye, the tennis ball had already flown to Gawain.
Gawain didn't hesitate, he made his judgment and choice in a split second.
One wave.
Mention it.
Gao Wen took half a step forward and made a backhand with both hands. However, he changed his previous hitting method of continuously exerting force and consciously used lift to hit the ball to slow down the rhythm of the ball.
On the surface, it seemed that Gao Wen and Dimitrov encountered continuous pressure from the Bryan brothers and continuously hit rebound balls, further eroding their advantage.
In fact, Dimitrov took action passively, but Gawain took the initiative, lifting the top spin and hitting an awkward line that neither went up nor down——
Like Dimitrov's previous return, the flight of the tennis ball was a bit awkward, not high enough, not over the top; not too low, near the shoulders.
This is an ambiguous hitting position. It’s not high enough, so there’s no way to hit the ball with high pressure; it’s not low enough, so there’s no way to hit the ball normally, but it happens to be a high ball, which equals an offensive opportunity. It would be a pity to give up directly. Strong Offense is prone to mistakes.
This kind of return, this kind of line, and this kind of hitting position are often the most annoying in tennis matches.
Because there are so many choices and possibilities.
Once the number of thoughts in the mind increases and the shot is slightly hesitant, errors will occur in the shot. In actual games, we often see players facing such incoming balls, making offensive shots near their shoulders, and making outrageous mistakes for no apparent reason, such as hitting the net, going out of bounds, anti-aircraft guns, etc.
Moreover, not only ordinary players, even the Big Four will occasionally make mistakes - not because of lack of ability, but because of hesitation. Tennis is a sport that pays attention to timing. Hesitation also means deviation in timing, the timing of hitting the ball in your imagination. If there is any slight misalignment between the actual opportunity and the delay due to hesitation, the result will be two different things.
Return the ball and aim at Bob.
Bob has experienced many battles and immediately realized the awkwardness of the ball.
This is a tricky situation for singles players because they need to worry about the effect of their return and then prepare for the next shot.
But for doubles players, thanks to the existence of a partner, their hitting is much simpler. If they don’t dare to take risks, they can choose transition——
That's what Bob did.
Left-hand shot and forehand interception.
Bob used the simplest forehand push to block the pass, once again pushing the tennis ball into the deep area, easily resolving the problem, and once again pushed the problem to Gawain.
Gawain was very happy:
Chance.
The trap worked as expected. The Bryan brothers always seemed too simple to deal with this kind of half-high ball that was neither up nor down. This is also the habit of all doubles experts. They are more inclined to grab the rhythm rather than strive for it through batting changes. Advantage.
The tennis ball landed lightly on the red clay——
Originally, they had just hit the ball four times, starting from Dimitrov and ending with Bob. None of the four people's hits had any force, so that there was not much power attached to the tennis ball. It completely evolved into a light hit. Now Landing on the red soil, the power was further absorbed, and when it reached Gawain's position, it had almost no impact.
Bob tried to create oppression by increasing the rhythm and controlling the landing point, but lacking the increase in power, such an impact did not pose any threat to Gawain at all.
But see.
Gawain took half a step back.
When his body was not squeezed and there was no need to retreat, Gawain took half a step back.
At the same time, bend your knees, squat down, completely lower your body's center of gravity, and raise your hands for a backhand.
To meet, to lift, to rub, to rise.
At this time, it can be clearly seen that Gawain makes a hitting motion similar to a golf swing, trying to create sufficient friction between the racket string and the tennis ball as much as possible.
Topspin.
Strong topspin.
Gao Wen had always hoped to use the properties of clay to create the effect, but he successfully created it after Dimitrov accidentally bounced the ball.
The tennis ball flies light and agile.
Whoosh!
Overhead lob.
All eyes in the audience followed the Bryan brothers and raised their heads high, looking at the tennis ball that penetrated into the sun, but——
etc!
Why does Gawain's lob look like a half-finished product?
A truly excellent lob shot should go over the head and then fall to the baseline. It is best to hit it directly on the baseline, or simply land in the dead corner of the baseline.
In this way, Mike's position can be pushed to the bottom line, the blockade in front of the net will be broken, and Gao Wen and Dimitrov will naturally get breathing space.
Gawain has such ability.
However, Gao Wen's lofted ball seemed a bit hasty this time. It seemed that the touch was not good, and the entire lofted parabola was not full and far-reaching enough.
Over the top, it's over the top, but unfortunately, the depth control is not enough, as if I am worried that the lofted ball will go directly out of the baseline, so I control the power of the shot.
what happened?
Could it be that Gawain didn't practice enough backhand lobs?
Mike, retreating quickly.
Bob, while moving sideways quickly.
One is preparing to hit the ball, and the other is preparing to return to defense. The Bryan brothers still have a perfect understanding of each other's partnership.
Just when Bob came to the center of the court, Mike had already arrived at the batting position——
Gawain's lob is evolving into a high-pressure ball opportunity for Mike.
So, is Gawain stealing the chicken but losing the rice?
(End of chapter)
