In this game, Gawain was limited by his physical strength. There was an obvious problem with his first serve, and his power could not be effectively converted. This was only Gawain's third serve that entered the zone.
Of course, Gao Wen also consciously made adjustments. The serving speed was not very fast, which was only 180 kilometers per hour, to ensure that the first serve could bring pressure when entering the zone.
At this time, it can be seen from Tsonga's reaction to returning the ball that Gawain's strategy worked——
Close to the backhand.
Tsonga tried to attack, but his tactical intention was not firm enough. After realizing that the first serve entered the zone, his response to the backhand shot was slightly slower, so that the speed of the racket head was not fast enough. In addition, the swing space encountered a certain degree of difficulty.
Due to the squeezing, the upper body was not able to fully get out of the way, and the attack failed.
When returning the ball, the arc is too high.
Slash, back to Gawain's backhand position.
Here, Gawain immediately seized the opportunity, took a step forward, and set up a backhand with both hands, ready to sweep the attack, but he was unexpectedly attacked suddenly!
tennis--
Land, bounce, fly.
This is a normal trajectory. However, judging from the rotation, speed and strength of the return ball, the rebound height should be at your waist and abdomen, slightly lower than the best position for baseline offense but still within a reasonable and comfortable hitting height range; I did not expect that
, the upward curve of tennis seems to be blocked.
The rebound height was lower than expected.
Mines.
Gawain realized the unexpected situation immediately.
Tsonga encountered a landmine before, and now it is Gawain's turn, but on the clay court, this is really normal:
As players move, step on the ground, kick on the ground and other actions during the game, the density of the soil is constantly changing. Some landmines may disintegrate as a result, but at the same time, some landmines are born because of this. During the game, landmines are constantly being "born".
And "death" is indeed inevitable.
It is even possible that the landmines encountered at this time were "created" by Gawain himself.
Landmines have changed the force pattern of tennis balls, and the rebound trajectory has also changed accordingly.
Everything, everything happens in the blink of an eye.
At this point, the brain has no time to plan and react, so it relies entirely on instinct——
The hands ready to attack backhand, pause for a moment, then bend the knees, sink the center of gravity, and then swing the racket a second time, but there is no room to draw the racket, so I can only swing it in a small area, relying on the strength of the forearm and wrist
Complete a roll-up lift and hit back.
The only good thing about the accident is that after encountering a landmine, the flight trajectory of the tennis ball did not change completely, it just couldn't bounce.
In other words, the rebound flight height should have reached the waist and abdomen, but now it has no propulsion force at the knees and thighs and has stopped moving forward.
In the blink of an eye, Gawain's second reaction was very quick. As soon as his swing stopped, his body center of gravity and swing movements immediately adjusted.
Swing the bat, hit the ball——
The ball return was successful.
What a pity! The charged attack turned into a transitional shot. Gao Wen, who originally had the advantage of serving, finally found one serve at a time, but now he has lost his advantage and even fell into a passive situation.
The scene seemed a bit familiar.
In Tsonga's last service game, a mine ball caused Tsonga to fall into a passive situation at "0:30".
So, what about this time?
Moreover, the score at this time is even more stalemate and tight, and any accident may break the balance. It seems that the Philippe Chartier Stadium has also realized:
Even if it is not prepared to give preferential treatment to the host country's players, it should at least be fair. Each player has a mine ball and sits in a row to eat the fruit.
Snapped.
A turning point has appeared, but the key point is, can Tsonga deliver?
Opposite the net.
Tsonga is also adjusting her steps. Because the close serve squeezes her body, in order to cope with the next shot, her steps must be adjusted first.
Then--
Chance!
Tsonga noticed the landmine immediately. He was moving towards the forehand position to defend, but with a kick, he was already moving towards the backhand position again.
step.
Two steps.
It was in place, but it still didn't stop.
Three steps.
From forehand to backhand and then to sideways forehand, Tsonga noticed that Gawain's attack evolved into a transition ball, and he made a prompt decision to seize the opportunity.
The offensive instinct in his bones can burst out powerful energy, and he can force his sideways forehand. With the movement of his footsteps and swinging movements, his body directly rises into the air, his clothes are fluttering, and the strong wind hunts him. His forehand is like a fully drawn bow and arrow, and his arms are high.
Raise it high, outline a full moon, and then attack in full force.
boom!
Although Tsonga's steps were still not fast enough and his sideways movement was not completely out of the way, he relied on his physical talent to forcefully complete the sideways movement——
Thor, hammer.
boom!
The tennis ball crossed the entire court, impacting towards Gawain's position like a missile.
Gawain's footsteps were still near the bottom line of his backhand position, and he could clearly feel the vast momentum coming towards him. The billowing air waves were like a hurricane, hitting his head and face with claws and teeth, and swallowed him up in the blink of an eye. Every pore was tense and clear.
Feel that surging power.
Kick the ground.
Bend your knees.
Stand firm.
Build walls.
Gawain had no time to retreat and was not prepared to retreat. He just stood there and lowered his center of gravity for the second time in a row, using his body to create a wall-colliding effect.
The two-handed backhand hit him head-on——
In fact, this is a classic return tactic on fast and hard courts, and Gao Wen has used it many times in the US Open.
Because the rounds on fast hard courts are very fast, the reaction time is often compressed to the extreme. Once the steps are retreated, the confrontation advantage will be lost bit by bit; therefore, in order to avoid falling into a passive defensive state, players choose to squat and hit the wall to fight back.
Way, strive for the rhythm for yourself.
This kind of hitting requires very, very high requirements for techniques such as leveraging, wrapping, and control. It is not as easy as it seems. More often, the action of hitting the wall is often completed, but the angle of the racket is wrong and the arc of the return ball is wrong.
If you can't control it, it will fly directly out of the bottom line, which is extremely difficult.
It is precisely because of this that it is rarely used on clay because the ball speed is not fast, so it is better to adjust the footwork to complete the return.
Gawain is no exception.
However, this time the situation is slightly special.
A landmine disrupted the layout, so that Gawain fell into a passive position. Tsonga launched a strong attack without mercy, and Gawain's adjustment was slightly slower. Choosing such a hitting method is actually through compression.
Tsonga's reaction time approach gives himself time to adjust.
Backhand.
impact.
Reel tape.
In the blink of an eye, the tennis ball had quickly brushed past Gawain's racket, just like a skateboard entering a "U"-shaped pool, rolling around and then being launched.
Whoosh!
Parabola, rising again.
Gao Wen immediately realized that his control of the angle of the racket was slightly lacking and he failed to suppress the parabola. The next racket should still be Tsonga's opportunity to attack.
The point is, straight line? Or diagonal line?
OK.
Cross step.
After finishing the ball, Gawain immediately moved his feet quickly, adjusted his center of gravity, adjusted his position, and immediately moved to his right, returning to defend, keeping his center of gravity light at all times; then the thought in Gawain's mind.
The alarm bells have already sounded in full force——
