Bob chose the most classic and common "backhand from outside corner" routine. Whether it is singles or doubles, this tactic can be fully effective.
Moreover, on the edge of the cliff, Bob also showed off his ability to press the bottom of the box and hit the ball hard flatly. The quality was very, very good, creating a powerful impact.
Speed, 205 kilometers per hour.
Some people may say that the speed is just over 200 kilometers per hour, which is nothing compared with the cannons of Isner and Raonic. Their serve speed is only 220 kilometers per hour, which is fast.
It's heavy, that's what's really tricky, Bob's serve is really not up to par.
This is obviously sarcastic talk.
People who say these things don’t realize that a speed of more than 200 kilometers per hour is a major threat. There are far fewer players who can serve at a speed of more than 200 kilometers per hour in singles matches. Among the Big Four, only Federer’s average serve speed can reach that
Such a level, and Federer does not often maintain such a strong serving posture.
At the same time, this is a doubles match. In addition to Bob's serve pressure, there is also Mike's net pressure, which puts further pressure on the receiving side. Mike is especially good at layout, changes, and front of the net, from a technical and tactical level.
Yes, he is the brains of Brother Bryan.
It is precisely because of this that Bob's serve can often create greater threats.
Just like this time.
Gawain is under tremendous pressure.
He was mentally prepared that Bob would definitely give it a try at the match point, but the actual situation was still higher than expected, and Bob really burned the small universe.
At the same time, from the corner of his vision, he could still see Mike taking small steps to keep his center of gravity flexible. He was ready to grab the net at any time.
Pressure, layer upon layer.
But saw——
Gawain, take your time.
In fact, if you observe carefully, you can notice that Gawain's position when receiving the serve is half a step back than usual.
Half a step is not obvious. If you don't observe carefully, you won't notice it.
However, this half-step gave Gao Wen more leisurely and ample time to receive the serve, especially on clay——
This is not all.
Kick the ground.
Retreat.
Lateral movement.
The moment Bob served, Gao Wen took half a step back again. Although Gao Wen was not sure whether Bob could enter the zone with his first serve, nor where Bob's serve would land, Gao Wen was fully mentally prepared.
, through the position of delayed steps, simulate Nadal's method, and strive for more hitting space.
Half step.
Another half step.
Accumulated, Gao Wen's receiving position was a full step back from the beginning. Obviously, this was a long-planned receiving tactic.
As a result, Gawain's distance from the baseline was extended to about three meters——
Compared with Nadal, it is nothing at all.
When Nadal played at the Roland Garros Center Court, he would often open up a distance of four or even five meters to receive the serve. Later, Thiem imitated Nadal and also extended his receiving position to about four meters on clay.
On television broadcasts, when they appear at the bottom of the screen, they may be almost invisible.
Distance, that is, space, is also time.
Gawain's retreat bought him enough space.
Lateral movement.
One step. Two steps.
Then...three steps.
Bob's serve accurately landed in the small triangle area and served from a wide outside corner, directly pulling Gawain's footsteps to near the doubles line, making full use of the court space.
But Gao Wen still got into position smoothly, and he set up his backhand with both hands early, ready to face the challenge.
The problem is that retreating steps gains space and time for hitting the ball, but it also means that it is more difficult to exert force and control the parabola.
Gawain glanced at the positions of Mike and Bob from the corner of his eyes, and quickly shot backhand with both hands.
Flat shot?
No.
Topspin.
Gao Wen clearly knew that his position made it more difficult to exert force, so he simply gave up exerting force and used both hands to backhand with strong topspin.
The swing speed is not very fast, but the contact between the string and the tennis ball is very full. The strong friction mobilizes the tennis ball and spins it at high speed.
change.
Turn around.
at the same time--
straight line.
It's actually a straight line.
At this time, the mystery of Gao Wen's receiving tactics was finally revealed. Just like Gao Wen's habit, he once again showed his big heart to break the deadlock at the critical moment.
unexpectedly.
It can be seen that Bob's flat serve from the outside corner did not go against Gawain's judgment. Even though Gawain was not prepared to predict it, it was not unexpected at all, so he relied on retreating to open up space to win the swing space, but he failed.
There is no blind exertion of force, but full use of space friction for top spin.
And, take advantage of the trend to complete the line change.
After opening up the space, Gao Wen was still very busy. There were many details hidden in the hitting action, and then the super topspin shot flew out in a straight line.
Stunning!
Accident!
Conquer hardness with softness.
No one expected that Gawain would fight back in such a way in the face of Bob's powerful serve.
In front of the net, Mike was a little panicked.
In fact, if we restore the entire tactic, Mike also vaguely anticipated the possibility of Gawain challenging the straight line——
Throughout the game, both sides' receptions were mainly diagonal, but at critical moments, Gao Wen did occasionally challenge straight lines, sometimes succeeding and sometimes making mistakes, with a mediocre success rate.
Therefore, Mike was also wary of this shot.
Standing in front of the net, Mike made a fake move to grab the net and volley, trying to attract the attention of Gawain and Dimitrov, but his center of gravity remained flexible and he had no problem moving left and right.
Therefore, when Gao Wen hit the ball, Mike moved to his right.
straight line.
Although Mike was a little embarrassed, his steps still appeared on the straight line smoothly. In the back-and-forth tactical game, Mike did not fall behind.
It's a pity that Mike calculated everything and missed one point:
Rotate.
Gawain's strong top spin brought about turbulent friction. Mike's body had been fully extended, and he blocked it with his forehand, and then he felt the collision of violent rotation.
Batting control is noticeably affected.
Mike tried his best to press down, but still couldn't fully digest Gawain's rotation——
red clay.
Damn red clay.
Obviously, Gao Wen made full use of the bounce of the clay, even taking into account Bob's serve, and then evolved the friction characteristics of the clay into spin.
When Mike hit the ball, the spin was not completely released, but after the ball came off the racket, the spin continued to be released, and the parabola rose high.
Oops!
Mike looked at the upward arc of the tennis ball, and his heart suddenly contracted.
The alarm bells sounded.
But before he could exclaim, Mike saw Dimitrov moving in small steps continuously and appeared on the flight path of the tennis ball for the first time.
Chain plan.
In this shot, Gawain actually used a chain trick. The Bryan brothers were plotting against them, and why weren't they plotting against the Bryan brothers?
Kick the ground.
Take off.
leap.
Dimitrov's white clothes were fluttering, and he was free and easy. With one step and one burst, his body was already in the air, and he directly intercepted the ball with a one-handed backhand.