The atmosphere in the commentary booth was lively.
"Wow."
"I once had a bold idea that Gawain might get Nadal into trouble, but even so, I never expected that Gawain would be able to do it to this extent."
"You know, he is facing Nadal; and this is the first clay court season of Gao Wen's career. All this is really incredible."
"Now, in the final stage of the second set, the pressure is on Nadal's side. What is certain is that technology, physical strength, ability and experience are all very important, but the most important thing is still willpower."
"Then let's see who can grit his teeth and persevere until the end."
"The interesting part is precisely here. Nadal's mental strength and willpower have always been among the best among male players, so he is known as the Spanish God of War; but Gawain is not inferior. This young player
In this year's Australian Open final, facing the world's No. 1 Djokovic, he allowed two to chase three, showing his unparalleled will and quality, and he is also known as the representative of the new generation's tenacity."
"There is no doubt that the next step will be a contest between the two gods of war."
Even the well-informed commentators could not help but gear up at this moment. The suspense of victory and defeat hung high above the Philippe Chartier Stadium, and the air was gurgling like boiling water.
Second serve.
The tennis ball had just bounced off the ground and was already being rushed back.
Game, plan, layout.
A bouncing ball puzzle.
The standard answer is to use softness to overcome strength.
And rely on the quick swing of the wrist to bring up the speed of the ball.
According to the plan, Gao Wen planned to return to a deep area in the middle to limit Nadal's route options for subsequent attacks; but as a result, the return point was not deep enough and landed near the bottom line of the service area, forming a midfield ball.
Straight line, deep area.
The tennis ball rushed towards Gao Wen's backhand. Although the landing point was not deep and the arc was slightly higher, it landed near the bottom line of the service area. However, Gao Wen did not have time to go online to press, so he could only wait at the bottom line, and then
Nadal's strong topspin can be seen exploding.
Slow and turn.
Reflexively, Gawain took a backhand shot with both hands and stepped forward to hit it in a straight line——
Gao Wen chose to use offense instead of defense, hammering the tennis ball towards Nadal's position, and the return ball that landed deep in the middle successfully squeezed Nadal.
Nadal once again chose to serve in the middle and inside corner, copying the landing point of the first serve. However, after adjustment, the power of the second serve weakened and the spin increased, accurately entering the service area and pressing the bottom line of the service area.
Repeat the landing point——
Gawain was squeezed, and he wrapped the tennis ball backhand with both hands and pushed it back. Obviously, Gawain also realized that when his physical strength was reduced, he had to avoid blindly exerting force and fighting blindly. The attack needed to be strategic, and the swing movement did not
If you are too anxious, you will avoid flying off directly.
Gao Wen's control of the ball was very, very good. The landing point was only half a step away from the baseline, and the landing point was near Nadal's position, still in the middle. After rebounding, he rushed directly towards Nadal.
Nadal took a small step back with his left leg to make way for a space on the left, and hit the rebound ball with his forehand. However, his wrist was frivolous, drawing a semicircular package, and the quick swing of his forearm had already hit the tennis ball back.
With a quick forehand, this is what Federer is very good at handling rebounds. With the ball at his feet, Nadal completed the shot in his own way.
When the tennis ball came to Gawain's position, the hitting point was already between the shoulders and head, and Gawain's two-handed backhand shot was very awkward.
Nadal's repeated second serve still hit Gawain, so that Gawain's return line was a bit short.
At this time, Nadal also deliberately slowed down the ball speed, but unlike Gao Wen's previous tactical purpose, Nadal sacrificed the ball speed to increase spin, and released the spin as much as possible to form squeeze and impact.
Gawain was a little surprised, but he responded promptly.
It was not a lob, but a rainbow ball with a slightly higher arc across the net. Nadal on the opposite side also failed to hit the net in time to create pressure. When the tennis ball flew to the baseline, it turned deep and turned, causing an impact.
At critical moments, Nadal also showed his wisdom on the court.
Danger!
The tennis ball was successfully controlled and flew back to Nadal's court, but the effect... was not satisfactory.
Gawain is still Gawain. At the critical moment, even if it is a little hasty and compact, the layout and game play at the tactical level are still bold.
Nadal had just entered the baseline to launch an attack, but his steps were still on the baseline. At this time, Gao Wen's shot aimed at the baseline hit Nadal head-on.
"ah!"
Gawain immediately sounded the alarm, and then he saw Nadal taking a step forward, stepping onto the baseline. In order to shorten the time and increase the rhythm, he did not even turn sideways, but directly used his backhand to press down and attack.
Slash, repeat the landing point, and return to Gawain's backhand again, but this time the speed is faster and the rhythm is tighter, obviously not leaving much time for Gawain to react.
Change line.
boom!
Backhand, slash, press down, exert force.
Nadal took a step back, but the ball came a little faster than expected. Nadal was still squeezed by the ball and made a backward posture to cushion it. He hit the rebounding ball with his forehand and quickly swung the racket to lift it.
Although Gawain was a little slower, in fact, there was no panic when hitting the ball; however, the problem is that when the racket touches the tennis ball, you can clearly feel the squeeze of rotation.
This is a trap. In fact, Nadal sets a bait to lure Gawain to attack. Such second serves are very common in Nadal's games. As a result, the opponent often gets spin and cannot control the ball at all.
Gao Wen failed to predict that the timing of his two-handed backhand shot was slightly slower; and Gao Wen noticed that the ball had Nadal's mark——
Sweep, strike.
First, it forms a test of pressure and continuous rebounding of the ball.
At this time, we can see Nadal's super ability to handle unexpected balls.
With one step, he successfully reached the position with a continuous cross-step change. He supported his right leg, swung the forehand, and shot with force while moving.
Nadal's attacks were very closely connected, and the tennis ball was like a missile rushing towards the big triangle on the bottom line of Gawain's forehand position.
Secondly, it is easier to adjust your steps in a large area, but it is difficult to control the space with trivial steps in a small area, resulting in misjudgment of the distance between yourself and the tennis ball, which ultimately affects the swing space.
In the blink of an eye, Gawain used his hands to backhand and pull out a rainbow ball.
Moreover, Gawain consciously did not widen the angle and deliberately chose the landing point near Nadal.
If Gawain forcefully attacks, there is a high probability that the tennis ball will be knocked away directly.
Gao Wen knew that Nadal could complete the return, so he was using his offense to cause trouble for Nadal.
However!
For the second consecutive shot, Nadal showed that his touch was not inferior to Federer's. In the backhand position, next to his footsteps, he completed a golf tee shot with a two-handed backhand -
The racket was quickly lifted from bottom to top to increase as much friction as possible in a short period of time. At the moment of release, the racket was quickly swung by the strength of the wrist, and finally a skateboard was thrown out to attack.
Whoosh!
The tennis ball moved in a diagonal direction and penetrated into the gap of Gawain's forehand.