Gao Wen is thinking, if this is a formal match, assuming it is the quarter-finals or semi-finals in Monte Carlo, and then the critical moment of the first set.
So, how will he lay it out?
Of course, there are also some high-pressure tactical routines, but now he needs to go further. If he wants to make some risky attempts to enrich his arsenal of weapons and tactical layout, then how will he choose? In "Adventure and Safety"
Find a balance between the two and regain the initiative?
Fortunately, he had some ideas to test.
Inside corner, hitting Nadal's forehand.
Obviously, confronting Nadal's forehand head-on in the first zone is not a common tactical choice. If it is chosen, the angle and rotation are very important. It is necessary to prevent Nadal from finding a comfortable hitting point and attacking directly.
Otherwise, the situation will become passive.
Generally speaking, it is easier to develop a tactical layout by suppressing the backhand from the outside corner. Choosing the inside corner requires courage and layout.
The speed is not very fast, 176 kilometers per hour.
It can be seen from here that Gao Wen mainly focuses on controlling the landing point. The serve accurately lands on the outside edge of the service area and rebounds after hitting the line.
This kind of control is not common among players of Gao Wen's height. He is 193 centimeters tall and often chooses to serve with heavy artillery and rarely takes the control route, including later Zverev, Medvedev, Tsitsipas, etc.
None of the representatives of the new generation are like this. This is also what makes Gao Wen special:
Variety of serves.
Of course, this is also a suggestion from Agassi and Graf. They need Gauvin to seek more different service combinations in his serve game.
Previously, on hard courts, Gao Wen would occasionally match such a combination; but now on clay, he needs to increase the proportion of different serve types.
Nadal was a little surprised, and his footsteps moved a little slower, and he didn't have time to complete the complete lead-in to the forehand——
If it were a formal match, Nadal might be a little more conservative, using his wrist strength to follow the inertia of his body's movement to hook a backslash, and then pull out a strong topspin, even if the landing point is shallower, but as long as Gawain enters
The upper step speed within the baseline is slightly slower, and after the strong rotation is released, the hitting point will be very awkward.
But this is a training match.
Nadal also made a different attempt, and actually made a rare forehand side shot.
slash!
Gao Wen was completely caught off guard. Nadal's forehand cut was so rare. Gao Wen and Nadal had met and played against each other twice, including doubles matches and practice matches. This was the first time he saw Nadal.
Dahl cut the ball with his forehand, and also cut to the big triangle on the baseline.
Fortunately, Gawain's attention remained absolutely focused, and unexpectedly, his steps were still very fast.
In addition, Nadal chose to chip the ball with strong topspin, which not only slowed down the speed, but also continued to release strong spin after landing.
This also means that Gawain has enough time to complete the move——
The real difficulty in moving on clay is stopping and turning suddenly. If you are moving at a constant speed, the difference from hard ground is not as obvious as imagined; but when you need to accelerate or brake suddenly, your feet will easily slip due to lack of grip.
This requires special handling techniques.
Otherwise, the starting speed and moving speed may be affected on the one hand; the vulnerability to injury is on the other hand.
This is the origin of Graf's warm-up game, which is designed to train the foot control of emergency stops and turns in a small area, while avoiding the risk of more injuries caused by increasing the acceleration to a certain level. In other words, it is necessary to increase the speed before it increases.
Control and reduce ankle pressure.
At this time, Gawain was moving at a constant speed, and his steps were not affected at all. He rushed to the scene immediately and even had time to observe.
In fact, in this shot, Gawain had an opportunity to attack, because Nadal's footsteps were in the center of the court, adjusting to defend his defensive position; but the inertia of the entire body's movement was towards the left, which is Nadal's front.
hand, which also means that Nadal's backhand position is empty.
If it is a hard court, Gao Wen will choose a straight backhand with both hands, directly find the big triangle on the bottom line, increase his strength and speed, and attack with the goal of winning points.
However, this time Gawain changed his mind.
Two-handed backhand.
straight line.
The same route, the same position, but Gao Wen did not increase his speed and power, but chose a light shot to control the landing point.
Snapped!
Because of the improved control, the entire shot appears light and clever, hitting the blind spot accurately while holding down both the baseline and sideline.
Nadal, patted the horse and arrived——
Footsteps, movement, and hitting the ball, the whole action is done in one go. There is no need to even slide. The right leg slides to the side and brakes, kicking up a cloud of red dust. With both hands, the backhand has been accurately completed and the tennis ball is pushed forward in a straight line.
, repeat the placement, and return to Gawain's backhand.
Line, straight.
Falling point, deep.
This return shot successfully squeezed Gao Wen's backhand. At this time, a small detail can also be seen that Gao Wen still has not completed the clay clay conversion:
Footsteps, no retreat.
On hard courts, in order to control the rhythm and compress time, they often refuse to retreat, and more often stand on the baseline and choose to hit rebound balls.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with doing this on a clay court. It can improve the rhythm of the shot and increase the pressure of returning the ball.
But the key point is that the clay court is not very fast. Even if you stand on the baseline and hit the rebound ball, the hitting effect will be greatly reduced compared with that on hard courts. Players trying to put pressure on their opponents by increasing the rhythm often have no effect.
Obviously, on the contrary, you may fall into a passive position due to the decline in the quality of your return.
So, what should we do on clay courts?
Often players will choose to take a small step back, from half a step to one step, or even more, to give up the position slightly to gain more space for hitting. Instead of improving the rhythm of the hit, it is better to improve the effect of the hit.
Here, it is not just a question of tactical choice, but more of a question of understanding the court——
On hard courts, we often pursue quick decisions, straight forward, and crisp results.
On red soil, you often need to be patient and haste makes waste.
It should be noted here that objectively speaking, it is completely possible to use hard court tactics to play on clay, and you can also win.
The point is, it's more laborious; in addition, it may not work when facing real clay court masters.
Gao Wen has not yet been able to complete the change in tactics.
The steps refused to retreat, and when the backhand with both hands was squeezed, he relied on the turning movement and beat the ball clockwise, sweeping the tennis ball back with skillful energy.
slash!
Diagonal!
Soon, Gao Wen realized that the effect of the same shot on clay was far inferior to that on hard courts, and Nadal's figure appeared shortly afterwards.
A sliding step.
A hook.
Nadal effortlessly hooked Gawain's attempt to speed up the shot back to the court, which immediately sounded the alarm for Gawain: