Nadal was still testing Gauvin's backhand; Gauvin used the tactics he used against Djokovic in the Miami final to control the return in the middle.
In other words, Gao Wen tried to give Nadal a chance to attack, but Nadal is not Djokovic. His forehand has the ability to make the final decision. Therefore, Nadal is not afraid of the ball coming from the center. As long as he is willing, he can move sideways.
, the forehand can directly tear the return ball away from the center.
The key is that this is a training match, and Nadal is testing. He is not in a hurry to end this point, but shows his ball control ability and continues to test Gawain's backhand.
Similarly, Gao Wen is also testing, testing the difference between Nadal's strong topspin on his forehand and backhand, and the impact of different response methods to maintain a stalemate.
Twenty beats.
Gao Wen took the lead to break the balance and opened the angle with a small backhand slash. The return point of the ball was no longer controlled in the middle area, but charged towards the sideline.
Nadal also responded positively, instantly disrupting the return line, straight line, diagonal, forehand, and backhand changes, fully mobilizing Gawain.
Mutual exchange!
Open and close!
In the blink of an eye, the clay court entered a stormy mode, with Gauvin and Nadal running all over the court, and their hitting lines were completely opened.
Sprint, exert force.
Sliding, cutting.
Turn sideways and save the ball.
Nadal had a chance, and Gauvin also had a chance, but both players showed their top defensive abilities and successfully resolved the crisis.
The stalemate continues.
Stormy weather!
Ups and downs!
In a daze, everyone had completely forgotten that this was a training match, and deeply felt the tension and anxiety permeating the air, as if this was Roland Garros.
Thirty beats.
Gradually, Gawain couldn't keep up with his footsteps. As the ball lengthened, it became obvious that his basic skills of moving his feet were not solid enough.
Moreover, the lack of experience in clay court competition is even more of a hindrance. In a crisis situation, I have no idea how to adjust my pace——
The only thing you can do is to rely on your instincts and deal with it hard.
But the result is that, like stepping into quicksand, it will be difficult to regain the rhythm after falling into passivity, and the situation will only get worse.
rustle--
With one step, one push, one push, and a sideways slide, the body has already jumped out, as if he was skating.
When there is a pause in the connection between pauses, turns, and secondary starts, even if it is just a millisecond, but it adds up, it will completely fall into passivity. Sliding is the last way to make up for the gap in movement, and through the extension of the body,
Expand your coverage as much as possible.
Gawain often does this on hard courts and is no stranger to it.
but!
This is not a hard ground, and there is no grip on the soles of the feet. After sliding out, the speed and position cannot be controlled, let alone the second start after braking.
Gawain felt deeply that he was like a spider wearing skates.
Forehand, extension, cutting.
Obviously, Gawain doesn't have many choices. If his slide is controlled in place and he gets the proper swing space, then Gawain can still try to hit the ball; but now, he can't control his slide, and the whole person is in a state of turbulence, and he can't hit the ball.
If you can't find it accurately, cutting is the best solution.
After hitting the ball, he didn't stop sliding. He continued to slide forward for half a step, and then he controlled his body. He supported the ground with his left hand, used the support to complete the adjustment, drew his legs inward, and jumped lightly.
Get up, push off your right leg, and sprint horizontally toward the left side——
It can be seen from this small detail that Gawain's foot control is obviously not as precise and neat as on hard ground, resulting in a deviation in reaction time.
In conjunction, the batting position, shot timing, etc. will also be affected, ultimately limiting the entire batting layout and tactical choices.
A series, all a chain reaction.
Despite this, Gawain still maintained his full concentration. Different situations should have different layouts.
This shot cut into the defense, Gao Wen cut to the deep area of the middle, and without enough time to increase the rotation, he restricted the opponent's return of the ball through the placement point.
With one kick, his body moved quickly laterally towards his backhand position.
really!
Nadal also noticed Gawain's loss of position. Due to the lack of control of his foot movements, he lost his position on the court and fell into a passive position in the second start.
Therefore, with continuous small steps, Nadal adjusted his steps, struck with a forehand, unsheathed his epee, and made a small forehand slash, aiming at the left sideline of Gawain to attack.
Backhand!
It is still a backhand, but it is slightly different from the previous continuous test of Gao Wen's backhand. This time, he captures the gap and selects this gap for the forehand attack.
On the opposite side of the court, Gawain was running at full speed. He could clearly see the red soil turning into sand and flying behind him, and his speed increased to the extreme.
The opportunity has not disappeared.
As expected, Nadal's forehand attack on the clay court, even if it is aimed at winning points, will still habitually carry strong topspin; especially when Gao Wen chooses to return the ball in the middle, naturally, Nadal's forehand
The offensive space is relatively limited, and he needs to add more insurance.
This also means that Gauvin still has some space to hit the ball; of course, Nadal also knows his shot, so he is still preparing for the next shot.
Kick the ground!
Dash!
Slide!
Again, slide.
Gao Wen was not restrained by his slippage in the previous shot. If he didn't dare to try it in the training match, what would happen in the official match?
Practice and practice are the only ways to improve.
This time, the timing was slightly earlier. His left leg slipped out, and his weight fell on his right leg. His whole body was like a small boat, breaking through the calm lake and darting out.
Body, fully extended.
Backhand, lead the shot early.
He held his body steady, kicked off, and turned. With the help of the inertial momentum of the sliding step, the turning force was integrated, and he successfully completed the ball in a small area.
boom!
The racket head swung rapidly, using speed and power to suppress Nadal's super top spin, and hit the tennis ball back along a diagonal line forcefully and violently.
At this time, because the body is out of position, no matter how fast the racket head is, it is too late to complete the swing of closing the door with both hands, so it is impossible to change the line, and the diagonal line is the only option.
Kick!
All the overwhelming power was poured into the left leg. An explosive force extended from the sole of the foot to the calf and then to the thigh. He completed the braking forcefully. Then he kicked hard, and the reaction force pushed the body to the right again, continuously for a small amount of time.
Adjust with small steps and jumps to find your body's center of gravity.
With his eyes fixed on the tennis ball, Nadal was obviously waiting at the diagonal position because he knew that Gauvin had no other shot options.
At this time, Nadal had already seized the opportunity through his own steps, calmly launching a forehand and continuing to attack——
Forehand!
work hard!
Spin!
...slash!
Nadal chose a diagonal attack for the second consecutive shot and continued to hammer Gao Wen's backhand. More importantly, for two consecutive shots, Gao Wen lost his position.
Part of the purpose of choosing to return the ball repeatedly was to force Gawain out of position for the third consecutive time and further embarrass Nadal, and Nadal's advantage was accumulated bit by bit.
Gawain is indeed embarrassed, very, very embarrassed——