Standing on hard courts, Nadal will adjust his return method according to his own state and the opponent's serve, especially after Moya took over in 2017.
But on clay, Nadal's iconic way of returning the serve has never changed, and has even become a way of returning the ball that everyone imitates on the clay court:
Stand back and spin strongly.
Nadal's return of serve is always witnessed with conservativeness and stability. Through this safe method, no matter what the serve is, it can be successfully returned to the court, even if it is a cannon serve like Isner and Karlovic, it is no exception.
Then enter Nadal's familiar baseline round mode.
However, this hitting method does not work for everyone, because strong topspin means giving the opponent space to attack; moreover, not everyone can hit Nadal-style strong topspin and return quality.
It's too bad, it's almost like inviting the opponent to attack directly.
Now, Gawain is trying to return the ball like this.
Mike tried to use a strong flat serve to restrict Gao Wen, but Gao Wen used strong top spin to slow down the rhythm of the round, and his line selection was also very special.
One volume.
A flick.
Gao Wen used strong top spin to cushion all the impact of the serve, and then with a flick of his forearm, the return ball flew out along a small diagonal line.
Backslash!
To put it simply, Mike and Bob created difficulties for Gao Wen to open up the angle, but Gao Wen used strong topspin to resolve the problem and open up the angle.
One time, one time, although the Bryan brothers quickly completed tactical adjustments, Gao Wen still found a way to adapt to the situation and complete the return according to the established tactics.
On the surface, it seemed that Dimitrov was "pressed" in place, unable to move; in fact, this was exactly the tactic of Gawain and Dimitrov. Dimitrov had to maintain a squatting position. Only in this way,
Gao Wen was able to separate the angle of the ball return.
Between calculation and counterattack, Gawain once again showed his wisdom——
The tennis ball actually landed near the bottom line of the serving area on Mike's side, which is the shallow area.
First, Bob is moving in the opposite direction and cannot hit the ball.
Secondly, Mike did not expect such a return method at all. The horizontal movement switched to vertical movement, and the entire body was directly pulled out of the doubles area.
The rhythm also becomes strange.
Of course, Mike still successfully completed the shot without any difficulty, but Mike soon realized that Gawain’s shot was also a layout——
Unfortunately, it's too late.
After Gao Wen's shot landed, he made full use of the characteristics of the clay to release all the strong rotation. When Mike was about to touch the ball, the position of the tennis ball was diagonally above his shoulder, almost parallel to the top of his head.
Moreover, this is still a backhand.
Mike's backhand was two-handed.
At this time, holding the racket with both hands and trying to hit the ball near the top of the head, the entire movement was blocked, which was very awkward and uncomfortable.
Originally, Mike was a typical North American hard court player, with a mediocre backhand ability. Most of the time, he relied on cutting and pushing, and his ability to actively exert force was mediocre; now that the hitting position is restricted, his backhand is even more helpless, and in the end he can only
Hit the ball with a high point and complete the shot.
Not even cutting.
This also means that there is no way to control the strong top spin of Gawain's shot. If you are not careful, Mike's shot may directly evolve into a cannon.
but!
Is this all the strength of the Bryan brothers?
of course not.
Mike had experienced many battles, and when faced with such a predicament, he barely managed to hit the shot with his backhand. He knew that his backhand shot could not be suppressed at all, so he simply went with the flow——
Lob shot.
Since the backhand can no longer exert force and cannot even control the parabola of the ball, it is better to follow Gawain's ball and further slow down the rhythm of the ball. This is also in line with the characteristics of the clay court.
Then, the tennis ball flew high and drew a parabola.
Oops!
Mike secretly exclaimed.
Such a response is a good idea, and it shows Mike's ability to adapt to changes on the spot, but the execution effect is unsatisfactory. The main reason is that Mike's batting technique is simple and rough, and he cannot "eat" Gawain's strong top spin, so as to lift the parabola of the ball.
There are some deviations in control.
See the high but not the far.
Ideally, the lob should go over Dimitrov's head and enter the second half, dragging Gawain to hit the ball at the bottom line; at the same time, the Bryan brothers won breathing time, both went to the net, and grabbed the ball in front of the net.
Take the commanding heights and reverse the situation.
In reality, Dimitrov remained in a squatting position, and Gao Wen's unexpected ball came. In a flash, Mike's judgment of the court space and the handling of the batting technique went wrong, and the quality of the lofted ball was also poor.
Not satisfactory.
Then, the crisis came.
When Mike and Bob saw the parabola of the return ball, they both realized that the situation was not good. Who would have thought that Gawain deliberately slowed down and shot the return ball at an angle to create such an effect. Mike's tactical execution was obviously not in place.
Immediately afterwards, Dimitrov stood up.
Originally, Dimitrov was pinned down and unable to stand up, but now he found a time difference and appeared on the return line at the right time.
Kick the ground!
Take off!
Pull onions from dry land!
Dimitrov's knees seemed to be filled with springs. With the help of standing upright, he jumped high on the spot and grabbed the rising point of the incoming ball.
ah!
Top down, block smash.
boom!
The whole place roared.
Dimitrov was like a swordsman with a long sword unsheathed. His white clothes were as white as snow, his hair was flowing, and the high-pressure ball came out like a bomb.
boom!
Even on clay, you can still feel the solid combined force of the ball.
The tennis ball exploded into a ball of petals on the ground.
but!
Bob showed up.
When he saw Gao Wen returning the ball, Bob had already realized the crisis of the situation. He switched and moved in small steps continuously and returned to the center of the court. He also predicted in advance and accurately caught Dimitrov's small diagonal high pressure.
The tactical intention is to cross into the batting line with a long stride.
One stop.
One.
On the last ball, Bob bravely faced Gawain's hitting. He was not afraid of confronting high-pressure volleys or close combat. This is the core of the men's doubles competition. As a result, Gawain used softness to overcome strength, and used a small ball to change the rhythm of the confrontation.
, score easily.
With this ball, Dimitrov seized the opportunity to complete the violent high pressure. Bob once again faced the front without fear. As a left-hander, he had to hit the ball on his right side, block and block with one-handed backhand, and even
Before the brain has time to turn, the muscles of the body have already taken action.
incredible!
So amazing!
Everything happened too fast. Everyone thought that Dimitrov's high-pressure ball would directly lead to the winning point. However, they did not expect that Bob actually completed the interception. Before he could even spit out his breath, he
I saw Bob blocking Dimitrov's high pressure that he was determined to win.
It all depends on on-the-spot reaction.
The charm of the doubles match and the intensity of the peak showdown burst out with unparalleled sparks at this moment, making me hold my breath involuntarily.
Immediately afterwards, the tennis ball hit the racket head-on.