Kick off the ground and step forward.
Turn around and take action.
Nadal's backhand with both hands was solid and steady, the long sword was unsheathed, and the epee struck out, hitting a straight line and drilling into the blind spot on the opposite side of the court.
Although Gawain's speed had increased to the extreme and he arrived in time, the hitting point was still too late. He hit the ball with his forehand, but unfortunately he could not attach enough spin. The flying parabola of the tennis ball completely detached from the orbit and headed far away. He flew past the spectator stand behind Nadal.
"ah!"
Nadal clenched his fists and roared, his fighting spirit blazing, sweating profusely, veins popping out, like a god of war, his eyes shining brightly.
"Ahhhh!"
After suppressing and suppressing, burning and burning, Nadal finally released it completely without reservation, and his ferocious and majestic momentum filled the entire venue.
"40:AD".
Gao Wen's serve and break point appeared again. This was already the fourth break point in this game.
It can be seen from this small detail that the game was very, very difficult. Although Nadal got the opportunity, Gao Wen's performance was not inferior. The suffering and tug-of-war of missing break points in succession made the game stalemate bit by bit. Obviously, Nadal is also feeling tremendous pressure. ap.
The first quarterfinal match of men's singles at the 2015 French Open has entered the end of the second set, but the suspense of victory is still hanging on the tightrope.
In fact, it’s not just this round—
From the first point of the match, Nadal could deeply feel Gao Wen's high fighting spirit, and the young man's vitality and passion launched an all-out attack.
However, Nadal on clay is different, and Nadal at Roland Garros is different. The nine-time tournament champion has shown his strong foundation from the beginning of the game, using practical actions to exert comprehensive pressure. Gao Wen clearly realized that this was the Philippe Chartier Stadium.
In the distant future, little Zverev once half-jokingly teased,
"Every year when he comes to Roland Garros, Rafa is like a superhero transformed. He serves 30% faster, hits the ball 50% harder, and moves 100% faster. He is not the same person at all."
At that time, everyone thought it was a joke, but now Gao Wen finally understands that it is different. It is indeed different, at least compared to Madrid. In terms of overall ball quality, speed, connection, confidence, etc., it is different. All can feel the overall improvement of Nadal's hitting.
First set.
After a short period of adaptation, Nadal suddenly accelerated his attack in Gauvin's second serve, and the quality of his forehand super topspin was fully demonstrated. Although Gauvin saved two break points, he still failed. Saved the third one, suffered a break and fell into a passive situation.
In men's tennis matches, a break of serve can often determine the outcome of a game, especially on hard courts and grass. But even on clay, once a break occurs and you fall into a passive position, you often need to undergo physical strength to reverse the situation. The double test of strength and energy is not easy either.
In the end, Nadal relied on a break advantage to win the set and win the first set.
"6:4".
You can deeply feel the stalemate of the game from the score, but the actual game is even closer and tighter, dancing on the tightrope throughout.
In the first set, Nadal got a total of nine break points, but only cashed them once; Gawain got four break points, but none of them could cash them.
There are always opportunities, it just depends on who performs better on the spot at the critical moment. After a full fifty-three minutes of competition, Nadal won.
The game completely met expectations, and was even more exciting and exciting than expectations——
On the one hand, Gao Wen is indeed learning and making progress. His understanding of clay, tactical layout, shot selection, return judgment, etc., etc., these details permeate every aspect of the game, and it can indeed be seen that Gao Wen is very good. The perfect fit between Wen and clay has not yet been achieved.
Especially standing in front of Nadal, the "King of Clay" is facing the court, tennis and the game.
The understanding is simply another level of aliens.
No wonder Soderling was the only one able to beat Nadal at Roland Garros for a full decade.
So, how did Soderling do it back then?
Full court attack.
In fact, Soderling is not a typical clay court expert. This violent attacker whose offensive firepower is among the top ten in history is a pure offensive player. In that game, from the first point to the last point, he was full of firepower. A full-scale attack was launched, with high-intensity critical strikes for three hours.
In a best-of-five-set Grand Slam match, it is almost a miracle that cannot be replicated.
To put it simply, it’s crazy and crazy.
Even Soderling himself could not replicate this performance again. He met Nadal again at Roland Garros the following year and lost in straight sets.
Moreover, 2009 was the lowest year of Nadal's career. Problems with his own game system were also an important reason -
Similarly, 2015 was the second fatal low point in Nadal's career. To some extent, it was even worse than the state in 2009.
It is precisely because of this that the "gap" between Nadal and Gauvin has been sharply narrowed, which is also a key factor in why this game is so close and stalemate.
On the other hand, Nadal's own state fluctuates.
This year, this is the only time in ten years that Nadal failed to win any championship trophy in the European clay court season before entering Roland Garros. Coupled with the sluggish performance in the Australian season and the spring hard court season, anyone can It was obvious that Nadal was in poor condition.
Of course, when he came to Roland Garros, Nadal was different after all. He was invincible in the first four games, and it was not until the fourth round when he faced Sock that he lost the first set of this year's French Open, once again showing his ability here. The set is domineering and powerful, and no one can underestimate it.
Against Gauvin, there is no doubt that this is Nadal's toughest challenge this year.
If he can defeat Gawain, victory will be a victory, but more importantly, Nadal can regain his form and confidence. When it comes to the decisive stage, the King of Clay's faith and domineering will allow him to return to the ranks of favorites to win. Therefore, Gawain is the most critical touchstone.
Nadal also clearly understands the importance of this game and showed 100% concentration from the opening stage.
However, wrist injuries, knee injuries, shoulder injuries, etc., frequent injuries in the past two years, and the remaining problems have torn Nadal's playing state into pieces. After the smoothness and comprehensiveness of the entire game were seriously damaged, the score The stalemate and closeness are the foreseeable results.
In fact, like Federer, he has been criticized as the "King of Missing Points" in the past two years, and he has repeatedly been unable to effectively realize break points. This reflects that his ability to improve his condition and performance at critical moments is declining due to objective factors such as age, health, and injuries. The control of the game is gradually lost.
Nine break points, only converted once, this is definitely not the performance Nadal should have at Roland Garros.
But no matter what, the king of clay is still the king of clay, and Nadal still held on to the game, relying on his experience and foundation to win the first set.
