During the break between sets, Gao Wen made arrangements for the fourth set. He needed to reasonably allocate physical energy and readjust tactics——
According to the plan, Gao Wen planned to focus on his own serve game and concentrate on maintaining serve.
After all, he is now leading by a big score, and it is Thiem who is under pressure. He only needs to keep serving to continue to put pressure on his opponent.
Then, as it enters the middle and later stages, and closer to the end, the impact of pressure will be more obvious. By then, he will launch an offensive and try to find opportunities in Tim's serve; and, by that time, his physical strength will
The peak should have passed and he could launch a full-scale attack.
However, plans cannot keep up with changes.
In the first game, Tim's serve fluctuated slightly, and then the opportunity came.
Objectively speaking, Gawain is at the peak of his physical strength, and Tim is also at the peak of his physical strength. Changes are always present, opportunities may appear at any time, and the entire situation is in a state of uncertainty.
Then, Gawain naturally has no reason to miss it.
Although Gawain is still at the peak of his physical strength, the opportunity is right in front of him. If he misses it without trying, this is not like Gawain's style at all.
then--
After eight equal points, Tim's first serve in the fourth set took more than ten minutes.
Because he could not fully stretch his hands to hold the racket, he might need to move two more steps, but Gao Wen knew that Tim's next attack would be very strong, and he needed his feet to get back in position quickly to defend, so he simply chose
One-handed backhand.
Disaster!
More difficult than ever!
But Tim still firmly grasps his strengths and his understanding of clay. Even if the ball speed is not fast, strong spin can still create problems.
ah!
An energy burst out from the depths of Gawain's Dantian.
One kick, one rush.
Every step seemed to be dancing wildly on the tip of a knife, hot, sharp, stinging, and... burning. The burning feeling released continued to surge and explode, pushing the body forward.
At this stage of the game, even an iron man like Thiem has physical problems. The obvious decline in the quality of his first serve is the most direct proof.
One-handed backhand!
With one pedal and one turn, Gao Wen quickly moved sideways and returned to the field, trying to cover the completely cleared field.
What?
small ball!
In other words, the quality of batting has declined.
Back and forth, deadlocked——
The large outside angle and side spin directly pulled Gawain out of the field——
For Tim, he had to keep it.
Because Tim not only chose to release the ball, but also chose a backslash, which was the ball that landed on Gawain's backhand.
Faced with the opportunity to attack from the bottom line, Thiem unexpectedly chose the small ball.
The lungs were pulling like bellows, and the ability to speed up instantly was significantly lower than in the previous two sets. The physical exertion caused every muscle in the body to be torn. The ankles seemed to be tied with lead weights, and they could not see the speed while running.
to a burst of speed.
Huchi, wheeze...
How did things evolve to this point?
Classic second zone serve tactic.
Second District.
In the clay court, making full use of friction and rotation to release small balls is the most classic and important tactical routine. Obviously Tim is better than Gawain in this aspect. When facing continuous difficulties, Tim will
The weapons from the bottom of the box were also taken out.
Even though Gawain completed his prediction in advance and expected that Tim might choose the outside corner, the strong rotation still destroyed the balance of the center of gravity, and Gawain flew directly out.
In fact, the confrontation was not as exciting as imagined.
Game point. Break point.
While observing the rotation of the tennis ball, observe Tim's position.
The stalemate lasted a little longer, and Tim was no longer anxious and could fully concentrate on thinking about how to score the point in front of him.
Tim, except for the first two consecutive game points, had three more game points, but missed them all.
Moon ball!
High and deep.
It was completely different from the appearance in the previous minutes of this game. Gawain once again increased his concentration.
As Tim's forehand slash slightly extended beyond the baseline, he once again sent a break point. This was the fifth time in this game that he faced a crisis.
Maybe, this could be a turning point in the fourth set?
Obviously, this was done intentionally by Gawain. He hit the tennis ball back with a lob. The main purpose was to slow down the rhythm of the whole round and gain time for himself to return to defense. At the same time, he tried to reduce the landing point of the return ball as much as possible.
Deep, increasing the difficulty of Tim's offense and winning space for himself.
Despite this, the confrontation between hand-to-hand and red-hot bayonets still made the air completely tense, and excitement and tension spread throughout the venue.
Gawain exerted his strength.
Gao Wen was moving at full speed without slowing down. Following the trend of forward movement, he completed a beautiful "U"-shaped drift, detoured around the center of the court and cut into the court, and then sprinted towards his backhand position at high speed in front of the net.
call……
Break point. Game point.
The speed is 180 kilometers per hour, which is a whole level lower than the previous three sets.
outer corner.
Like Nadal's left-hand advantage and Thiem's rotation advantage, choosing the outside corner in the second area can easily push the opponent into a difficult situation.
Footsteps, running wildly.
"Out of bounds!"
"40:AD".
This is a tactical change, but it more reflects Tim's understanding of clay.
This also means that Gawain must make a "U" turn, change his running inertia and trend, drift 180 degrees, and then enter the field again.
Everyone thought that Thiem could easily hold serve in the first serve, but it turned out to be a stalemate. As time went by, the importance of this serve also skyrocketed——
Due to physical constraints, both players' conditions have declined to varying degrees. The accuracy of the round shots has also fluctuated, and the proportion of mistakes has increased. Whether it is the number of shots in the round or the intensity of the confrontation, they are all unable to match the previous three sets.
In comparison, let alone the tiebreaker in the third set.
At this moment, Gawain's mind was clear, he didn't care about his body at all, and he was doing two things at once——
Tread.
With his back to the court, he spread his wings and cut and pushed with one hand to block a beat.
Gao Wen got four break points, but missed them all.
Tap tap tap!
Running at full speed, but——
Then--
However--
Tap tap tap!
Tap tap tap!
The sprinting speed has reached the extreme, and you can even clearly feel the burning heat and explosion in your calves.
Huchi, wheeze...
small ball.
At this time, the attendance rate of the Philippe-Chatier Stadium was close to 70%. For an afternoon matinee, such an attendance rate was already very gratifying. The bustling crowds spread throughout the entire stadium, and the heat wave permeated the entire stadium, making it difficult to distinguish for a moment.
Is it from the sun or the enthusiasm of the audience?
Just when Gao Wen was sprinting quickly laterally to prepare to defend his forehand, he saw Tim's forehand raised high and then gently lowered to complete the cut.
Tennis ball, draw a full arc.
Slide step.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, his body has already been pushed out. He simply sprinted with his feet. Gawain knew that he would definitely not be able to catch up. His entire center of gravity was still swinging; but this was clay soil, and sliding was the essence of this venue. Although
Gawain was still not that skilled, so he still pushed it out.
dusty.
Jersey, fluttering.
At that moment, Gawain seemed to be riding the wind and waves.