In fact, according to the historical trajectory that Gao Wen was familiar with in the previous generation, the 2015 and 2016 seasons were the lowest point of Nadal's career.
Ankle injuries, knee injuries, wrist injuries, left foot nerve injuries, etc., injuries of various sizes continue and never stop.
In those two years, Nadal's performance in the entire clay court season and even the French Open was very sluggish. In 2015, he stopped in the quarterfinals; in 2016, it was even worse. This was the only time in his career that Nadal retired from the French Open due to injury.
Before the start of the game, he had to hold an impromptu press conference to announce his decision to withdraw because his wrist injury was too serious.
Missing the French Open championship for two consecutive years officially ended Nadal's glorious record of winning Grand Slam titles for ten consecutive years. His career fell into chaos and cast a shadow.
It spread from the second half of the 2014 season and reached its climax with the 2016 season being forced to end the season early again, which once triggered countless speculations:
Perhaps, Nadal's career has come to an end. Like countless great professional players, injuries will eventually become an insurmountable mountain for them.
At the same time, Federer's 2016 season also suffered from frequent injuries. He competed in fragments in the first half of the season, and ended early due to a knee injury in the second half of the season. The two old enemies who once teamed up to write a new era of giant myths both suffered from injuries.
End the entire season early.
That year was undoubtedly a heavy blow to tennis enthusiasts. People in the industry believed that the era of giants might be completely reshuffled——
With the future of the two giants Federer and Nadal uncertain, serious injuries may even directly ruin their entire careers; Djokovic and Murray rose strongly and completely took over the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Does this mean the beginning of a new era?
Maybe, the "era of giants" is still there, but the protagonist needs to be changed?
However!
At the beginning of the 2017 season, Federer and Nadal both returned from injury and reached the finals together in the first Grand Slam tournament at the beginning of the year. In the end, Federer ascended to the top and dominated Melbourne Park, suppressing all controversy and chaos, proving once again
The power of the two giants.
Greatness requires championships and battles to write, but it is not limited to the championship itself, but also the trials and setbacks of returning to the championship track after falling into a trough, that kind of unyielding, that kind of tenacity, that kind of faith, and the persistence.
Constantly challenge the limits and interpret the spirit of a champion.
Of course, now, the trajectory of history has changed. A butterfly has flapped its wings and is causing an uproar in the professional tennis world. Everything is different; but Gao Wen still believes that a champion is still a champion and a warrior is still a warrior. He has some spirit and some soul.
will not change.
However, this is all a thing for the future. My eyes return to the present moment——
indeed!
Nadal is plagued by injuries and has always been in poor form from the Australian Open to the Sunshine Double. This is a fact.
Putting aside the historical trajectory that Gao Wen is familiar with, people can also see now that Nadal still has not found his best form.
However, if anyone thinks that defeating Nadal will be very easy and easy, that would be naive.
More than one player has said that even if Nadal is injured, he must not be underestimated. The "Spanish God of War" is not just talk. Even when facing Nadal who is injured in the battle, the game is full of difficulties and challenges.
Just look at the match between Gauvin and Nadal at this year's Australian Open.
What's more, it's still red soil.
"The name of the God of War" is because Nadal never gives up easily, never stops fighting, even if he is at a disadvantage, even if he is absolutely passive, even if he is in a desperate situation, even if he goes into battle injured, he will never surrender without fighting.
Surrender is a kind of tenacity and unyielding in the heart.
As Roland Garros said, victory belongs to the tenacious. This is the core mystery of clay court and the essence of Nadal.
Therefore, Gao Wen is looking forward to meeting Nadal, and even more looking forward to meeting Nadal on clay to truly experience the ultimate challenge of tennis.
Even if... Gawain has just stepped onto the clay for less than four days, and is basically at a beginner level, it doesn't matter if he ends up challenging the hell mode as soon as he starts.
Anyway, it's either this week or next week, or next week. In the next two months, it can happen at any time. There is no time to slowly start psychological construction. Let's get straight to the point and give a shocking education, and then encounter other things.
Nightmare mode and hard mode don't panic anymore.
However--
Some things cannot be dealt with smoothly without being mentally prepared.
Some things cannot be solved with a challenging spirit.
It's difficult, it's really difficult.
Unbelievably difficult.
Looking at the entire timeline, from Federer to Nadal to Djokovic and Murray, they all later suffered serious injuries that could ruin their careers, and after returning from injury, they had to change their playing style and
Tactics were adjusted and different styles gradually developed.
Federer and Nadal both completed adjustments after 2017, Djokovic in 2018, and Murray in 2019.
Before and after the watershed, the changes in the four players are objective. Among them, Djokovic and Murray are slightly smaller, and they still stick to their usual tactical combination; but both Federer and Nadal can see obvious changes, not only
It's the technology and even the style that have been adjusted.
Federer's backhand, after changing to a larger racket, increased the sweet spot area for hitting the ball. The control and pressure resistance of the one-handed backhand were improved, and he once won five consecutive victories against Nadal on hard courts.
Nadal has transformed from a defensive counterattack type player to an offensive player step by step. He not only takes the initiative to attack, but also uses the Internet to compress the number of rounds more and more. The entire game mode has undergone fundamental changes.
However, that is what happened next. For now, Nadal is still a typical defensive counterattack player, especially on clay courts.
Two points are the most significant.
First, the first serve is often not pursued in the service game. During this period, Nadal's winning depends on the second serve. He basically does not rely on the serve and completely relies on the baseline.
Second, he habitually starts every round with defense. Nadal often scores in rounds with more than fifteen shots, because he is good at defense, and he is also good at pushing pressure to his opponents bit by bit through defense, accumulating for himself.
Enough advantage, the more shots you take, the easier it is to score——
Moreover, Nadal takes less risks.
Of course, relatively speaking, the physical and energy consumption is also more severe. Later, with the growth of youth and physical burden, Nadal's style of play will face more and more tests.
Why mention this in particular?
The reason is very simple, because the two previous meetings between Gao Wen and Nadal were all on hard courts, with one win and one loss. He thought he was already a little familiar with Nadal, but when he came to the clay soil, it was different. Maybe it was not a world of difference.
They are different, but the differences and differences are very obvious, and the pressure is layer upon layer.
