Federer is indeed Federer. His tactical choices at critical moments are not only bold, but also rich, and he can always break his opponent's predictions.
Gao Wen fell into a passive position. Originally, the party receiving the serve was in a passive position. Once the prediction failed to keep up, it would become even more passive.
For Gao Wen, the advantage of slowing down the serve is that it gives more time to move; but the difficulty is that Federer's outer corner serve falls on the service line, and the entire angle is completely torn apart, which also means that the moving distance increases and the difficulty of returning the ball increases.
Obviously, Federer came prepared.
and!
After landing, the strong topspin lifted the tennis ball high into the air and continued to fly outward, high and floating.
At this moment——
The wind is causing trouble.
Neither horizontally nor vertically, moving left and right, up and down, completely unpredictable, just like a running child, playing in circles.
The ball, which was already light and fluttery, was swaying and trembling, and seemed to be at a loss, not knowing where it should float.
Just like the plastic bag swinging in "American Beauty."
Difficult, increasingly difficult!
However, after staying in Indian Wells for two weeks, Gawain has regained his normalcy and treats every sudden accident rationally.
So, how should we deal with strong winds?
Professionals will give two keywords:
Calm.Step.
The former is very simple. If you are the first to mess up when faced with an accident, the situation will be even worse. Calmness is an important keyword.
The latter is something that many laypeople ignore.
To put it simply, the main impact of strong wind is actually to destroy the player's hitting point, because the tennis ball deviates from his own swing trajectory and hitting position, and will naturally be out of his control.
At this time, judging from the instinctive reaction, people tend to use the upper body, especially the adjustment of the upper limbs, to complete the shot; but in professional tennis, the importance of footwork is unprecedented, and temporary adjustments in small steps play a crucial role.
Character, the difference between a little laziness and a little diligence can completely change the entire situation.
In other words, when encountering strong winds, don’t panic or be lazy. That’s all——
As for the rest?
That falls within the scope of uncontrollable deviations.
Gawain is never lazy in his steps.
OK.
Continuous small steps.
The already difficult situation was made worse by the evil wind, but Gawain was very calm.
Kick the ground!
extend!
The upper body extended out following the swing, instead of exerting force, but glanced at Federer's position, and then decisively struck the ball.
Beat lightly.
In an extremely difficult and chaotic situation, Gawain chose to hit the ball lightly, leaving a large diagonal line to complete the return.
reason?
Gawain noticed that Federer was leaning forward, paying attention to his shot, and was ready to go to the net, but did not take risks——
It seemed that he was also disturbed by the strong wind, because the trajectory of the wind was difficult to judge, so Federer also changed his tactics and stopped slightly.
In this case, Gawain's transition ball must also form a containment, just like Federer's serve, give up the suppression of speed and power and choose the containment of the landing point.
Deep area, diagonal line, with such a landing point, pushed back Federer's steps to prepare for the net, trying to buy himself as much time as possible to get back to his position.
Gawain's brain was working rapidly.
The light blow in the previous beat did not completely throw out the power. Gawain's right leg kicked off the ground violently, and the strength of his calf muscles was completely released. His body had already moved laterally to the left, and he quickly returned to his position. In a flash, he
He has regained his center of gravity and is ready to defend the next shot.
really!
Federer's attack is coming.
Although Gao Wen used his placement to contain Federer and forced him to complete the attack in an awkward position, Federer still showed his top touch.
When the forehand rebounds the ball, without being able to actively exert force, it relies on the swing of the forearm and the wrapping of the wrist to complete the line change:
Straight line. Dead angle.
Federer's leisurely stroke hit the ball again, sending the tennis ball directly back to the baseline triangle of Gawain's backhand position, and then followed the ball to the net.
Attack one after another, like mercury pouring down the ground.
Gawain has not completely gotten rid of the dilemma of receiving the serve, and then he has to face the next dilemma. Even though his prediction is accurate and he starts moving in advance, Federer's interlocking attacks further compress Gawain's return space.
You can see the figure in front of the net out of the corner of your eye.
what to do?
While running and sprinting, he observed the entire field and looked for a breakout route——
straight line.
Gao Wen caught a glimpse of the gap, but he believed that this was the gap left intentionally by Federer.
In a high-speed running state, a two-handed backhand save needs to hit a straight shot, and it is also a shot that breaks the net, so you can imagine the difficulty.
More likely, Federer would wait in the straight line, make a volley in front of the net, and then end the point directly.
Federer, who is good at attacking, has a whole layout like a dragnet.
So, how should Gawain choose?
Even though you knew it was a trap, did you still step into it?
tread!
Sprint! Kick off! Brake!
After running wildly all the way, Gawain arrived in time, kicked off his left leg, and completed the emergency brake with his full body rush, and started to lead the shot with his backhand with both hands early.
Follow the inertia of sprinting and quickly move forward with a backhand.
Crack the whip!
Quickly pump!
At the moment when the shot was taken, Gawain's racquet head sped up completely, and the long sword was unsheathed——
Iconic shot, straight backhand!
straight line!
Gao Wen still chose a straight line. Even if it was a trap, he had to step into it because Federer blocked the net and did not leave him with many options.
boom!
The tennis ball moves across the court in a straight line.
Immediately afterwards, you can see Federer taking a long, horizontal leap and sprinting.
Although his body balance had been broken, Federer did not panic. Obviously, the straight line gap was indeed reserved, and he had been paying attention to it.
From time to time, Federer's arrival at the net was very timely.
But!
Falling over the net!
It actually fell sharply over the net!
Gawain did not give up. In such a narrow, tight and dangerous space, he relied on the control of his wrist to hit a beautiful shot that passed the net and fell sharply, creating a containment.
Federer's handling was somewhat difficult.
All eyes in the audience were focused on Federer.
But I saw that Federer's knees were bent and his center of gravity dropped. He was still calm and calm between chaos and haste, showing the elegance of a swan. He spread his hands, stretched his limbs, clapped with his right hand with one hand, and gently touched everything down——
Very gentle and very clever.
Indescribably wonderful.
The ball is clearly under the net, but you can see the delicate handling of the wrist. The tennis ball rises lightly from the ground, pulling out a perfect parabola, and after crossing the net, it falls quickly.
Even when faced with a sharp drop across the net, Federer's touch was still perfect. He responded with a small ball that also dropped sharply across the net, pushing the problem back to Gawain.
Smart and graceful, just like the dancing posture of a ballerina, inspiration blooms proudly in an instant.
Wait, where is Gawain?
Advance at full speed.
Break through in a straight line.
Just like Sonic the Hedgehog, he turned into a bolt of lightning and appeared within the field of vision in just three big strides with one breath and one breath.
Obviously, Gawain had been prepared for a long time. The second time they fought, Gawain was no longer unprepared.