At the critical moment, Thiem broke the routine and faced a high-pressure offensive opportunity from the bottom line, but chose a forehand backslash ball, completely breaking expectations.
Whether it’s the timing of hitting the ball with the first shot after serving, or Gao Wen’s choice to hand over the moon ball deep in the baseline to give him an opportunity to attack; whether it’s hitting the ball in the forehand position, or the line selection of the backslash, every link and every detail,
Everything was unexpected, and then it exploded in the audience.
Buzz buzz...
There was a lot of commotion.
The heat wave boils.
Gawain must admit that this time, Tim's calculations were ahead of him. All his predictions and plans failed, and he was pushed to the cliff in an instant——
And it's not the edge of a cliff, it's still hanging on the cliff with one hand, narrowly escaping death and having little hope.
But, think about it carefully:
Is it really that surprising?
Does this kind of shot selection fit Tim's style?
In 2019, Chilean legendary player Nicolas Massu (s-Massu) joined Tim's coaching team and became a key turning point in victory or defeat.
As a professional player, Massu's career record is not brilliant. Although the highest ranking in the world was ninth, his best Grand Slam result was only the fourth round of the US Open in 2005. Apart from that, he has not reached the 9th level.
He has only reached the third round of Grand Slams five times.
run.
Sprint.
Obviously, Thiem today does not rely on tactical planning, but relies entirely on instinct and intuition, so there is no connection in the follow-up, and his footsteps are still on the bottom line.
After retiring, Massu stayed away from the public eye for many years until he joined Tim's coaching team in 2019. Under his guidance, Tim was transformed.
Because of the accident, but also because of the shock.
Slide step.
In a state of full concentration, the fatigue and soreness have become numb, and all that can be seen in his mind is the rapidly falling tennis ball.
Red soil?
One kick, one rush.
At the moment of releasing the ball, he glanced at Tim's position out of the corner of his eye. Then, with a slight flick of his wrist, the tennis ball flew back.
Lean forward.
extend.
Sliding while leaning forward.
As a result, Gawain seized the opportunity and replayed a small ball.
Even if there is only a glimmer of hope, Gawain is trying his best.
A forward thrust.
Got it!
Tim:!
An exclamation point appeared in his mind, and Tim immediately noticed Gao Wen's handling in front of the net. He actually rolled a small ball back, which was comparable to a badminton net fight.
Gao Wen's footsteps moved smoothly and smoothly, but in the blink of an eye, he had already moved from the baseline to the midfield, riding the wind and waves.
It was under the guidance of Ma Su that Tim transformed from a master to a top master.
A light pick.
The entire upper body is almost parallel to the ground, the legs are spread apart, and the lunge is gradually evolving into a one-word horse, which fully demonstrates the flexibility of Gawain's body——
Huh!
Everyone, hold your breath.
A little bit, that is, a little bit.
Tim ran with all his strength, stepping on Hot Wheels with both feet, making dust fly.
However……
After the tennis ball landed, it bounced high, and the bounce height actually jumped back to the net belt. It was not so much that the unloading force could not be completely discharged, but that Tim added too much spin as an insurance.
So light and soft.
However, Gawain did not give up. To be precise -
"Well……"
Gawain's skills with the ball were astonishing.
"Uh-huh!"
Second, the game is tenacious. Everyone knows that strength is easy to break. In the past, Thiem was tough throughout the whole process, but Massu changed this situation.
Red soil understanding.
However--
However, in the 2004 Athens Olympics, Massu was upset all the way, winning two gold medals in singles and doubles, becoming the first male tennis player in the history of the Olympics to win both singles and doubles gold medals. This also became the highlight moment of Massu's career, and he wrote a lot of stories.
of a sum.
From all aspects, Gawain had no chance. Tim was about to use a small ball to save the fourth break point, and the struggle would continue in the first game of the fourth set.
The crisis remains!
Tim stood on the baseline, facing Gawain's moon ball, and used his forehand to cut the ball, easily completing the unloading. The entire parabola control of the return ball was very fine, light and shallow, and the soft and light feel wrapped around the tennis ball would pass the ball.
The net falls like a feather.
Judging from the results, Tim is indeed slightly better than Gao Wen in understanding and using clay soil.
Tim rushed out like an arrow. At this moment, you can see the difference between the 2015 version of Tim and the 2019 version: lack of preparation for the follow-up.
Almost.
Gao Wen's baseline ball still caused some interference, so Tim had to be more precise and cautious. In order to avoid mistakes and cause the ball to not pass the net, Tim's backspin cutting arc was slightly higher.
The power erupting from the depths of the Dantian is not an instant release, but a continuous drag, and the body has been stretched to the extreme.
There are two points of changes that the Chileans brought to Tim:
First, the richness and three-dimensionality of tactics completely changed the model of Thiem's game relying solely on power balls.
Even if you are not just getting started, you should still be at a beginner level.
It is really unimaginable that someone with a height of 193 cm can be so flexible and malleable.
Just a little bit.
Refuse to give up.
Because Gawain didn't expect it, he didn't expect it at all, and he was caught off guard. It can be seen at this time that Gawain is still a hard court player.
If Tim after 2019 made different choices and made bold changes at critical moments, it would be excusable, because this is the chemical reaction that Massu injected into Tim's game; but now in 2015
, Tim does not have such ability, this is not his style.
If there's one flaw with Thiem's ball in front of the net, it's spin.
Gawain has already rushed out with a sliding step, but he knows that this little space is simply not enough, even if he adds a sliding step, it is still not enough. After all, his explosive power and acceleration have also been weakened, and the movement effect cannot be compared with the first three sets.
So he needs to make slight adjustments according to his physical condition.
This point shows Tim's talent on clay. His reading, understanding and interpretation of clay have already shown his talent early on.
The body is burning, in an extreme state of physical strength, and the last bit of energy has been squeezed out, but Gawain does not feel tired at all——
But tracing back to the origin is no longer important. What is important is that Tim chose small ball and Gawain fell into crisis——
Blue-collar player, this is the best adjective used to describe Massu. Among Chilean players, "Cannon" Gonzalez's reputation is much louder——
Therefore, this time the ball was hit, it was not that Tim suddenly enlightened on the tactical level and broke Gawain's prediction; it was -
Perhaps Tim did not have a clear understanding of the tactical level, but just an intuition and an impulse. He believed that he needed to do this so that he could best use the clay and maximize his strengths and advantages; so, he
Did this.
Therefore, this also gave Gawain space——
Like a feather falling on quicksand, it landed lightly without disturbing a single grain of sand.
drift.
Clinging to the net and falling.
The delicate and exquisite touch controls the flying parabola of the tennis ball to the limit, just like holding a paintbrush to draw it. The tennis ball crosses the net and falls quickly, but no force or rotation is detected. Everything disappears in the wrap of the wrist.
among them, return to the most primitive state.
Just after it touched the ground, it bounced up slightly, and then fell again, making two jumps and landing among dust particles without even rolling.