The whole place was filled with heat. Even if no one spoke, you could still feel the surge of excitement and tension, and the sound of the heart beating against the chest stirred in the air.
Then, Gawain served.
Zone 2, outer corner.
It is still a classic tactical combination. Although today, in the outer corner of the second area, Wawrinka's one-handed backhand has directly formed an ACE twice, demonstrating his confidence and touch; but at the critical moment, Gao Wen is still very skilled.
He was brave enough to follow the classic routine again and challenge Wawrinka's backhand position.
The tennis ball is spinning and flying.
Wawrinka, move.
With one step and one dash, the whole body is thrown outward along the inertia, using the weight of centrifugal force to complete the twisting and transmission of power through the emergency braking and turning movements of the left leg. The one-handed backhand is transmitted directly and firmly,
Launch a point-grabbing attack without hesitation.
But--
Oops!
From serving to receiving, everything happens in a matter of milliseconds, relying entirely on instantaneous reflexes. Sometimes, if the reaction speed is too fast, you may miss the details.
It's like taking an exam. If you scan the questions at a glance, you may read the questions incorrectly, which may lead to deviations in the direction of the answer.
Obviously, Gawain has anticipated that Wawrinka is ready to give it a go——
Anyway, this was Gawain's break point in the service game. If he missed it, there wouldn't be much loss. But once the attack was reached, the match point would be honored directly. Coupled with Wawrinka's explosive confidence and fiery touch, he was not conservative.
reasons.
Therefore, Gao Wen seized on this mentality and deliberately chose the outside corner to serve, but the placement was very particular. He did not completely tear the angle apart, but pulled it back slightly, which was a vague and awkward area between the close body and the outside corner.
Then he caught Wawrinka's lack of finesse in adjusting his steps, destroying Wawrinka's judgment of the swing space and swing distance, and disrupting the hitting point.
Details, everything is in the details.
Wawrinka had already released the racket, but when he was halfway through the turn, he realized that the distance between him and the tennis ball was really too close. If he had followed the original swing trajectory, he might have hit the tennis ball directly into the stands because the ball hit the racket.
The ball point is too early and the swing range is too large.
shock!
At the critical moment, relying solely on instinctive conditioned reflexes, Wawrinka adjusted his posture slightly, curling up his shoulders and body to make some space to complete the swing. His backhand, which was originally intended to be fully exerted, also closed slightly to avoid hitting the return ball directly.
It flies, but the control is still lacking.
The tennis ball flew back and did not go out of bounds, but the landing point was obviously not enough——
The middle area is slightly to the left of Gawain, not deep enough and not biased enough.
The only good thing is that it is relatively in the middle, so it is not easy for Gawain to open up the angle. Maybe Wawrinka still has a chance.
Wawrinka immediately adjusted his steps and prepared to defend.
But this time, Gao Wen had completed the layout from the beginning of the serve, and the subsequent step adjustments were very clear and timely.
One step up, one sideways, from the backhand position to the sideways forehand, and come to the baseline, relying on the inertia of the previous step to complete the downward pressure.
Kick off the ground, turn sideways, and exert force.
"ah!"
--straight line.
——Dead corner.
Hands up! Knives down!
Sudden enough, violent enough, and precise enough, with a roar from Gao Wen's dantian filled with anger, the tennis ball got into the blind spot of Wawrinka's forehand.
It landed, rebounded, and stirred up a cloud of dust.
Wawrinka, no chance.
boom!
The whole place, the volcano erupted, and the Philippe-Chartier Stadium went completely crazy. One or two people jumped and roared frantically, joining the carnival.
"40:40".
Gawain once again showed his unparalleled big heart, calmly and neatly saved the match point, giving Wawrinka no chance to attack.
"The best defense is offense."
This sentence is not necessarily 100% correct in competitive sports. It still requires detailed analysis of specific situations, but at this moment, it is a wise saying.
Wawrinka, who is in a super state, is really playing like crazy. The entire offense is bold and hard-working. It is not only violent, but also precise. His shots aimed at the corners can always enter the bounds, making full use of the space on the court.
In the extreme, if you only rely on defense, it will be really difficult to form a counterattack.
Facing Wawrinka like this, the best way to deal with it is to use offense instead of defense, forcing Wawrinka to become passive and not giving him an opportunity to attack.
Of course, you also need to be careful with this tactic. In the last game, Federer and Wawrinka started a battle. Wawrinka relied on his unparalleled offensive touch to defeat Federer, who was attacking like mercury, in straight sets. It can be seen from the side that Wawrinka
We are not afraid of fighting each other.
Layout, control, timing, and tactics are still the key——
No one should forget that in the first half of this year, Gao Wen defeated Djokovic three times, relying on his courageous and sharp offense at critical moments.
Just now, Gao Wen once again showed his talent and ability on the offensive end. Maybe he cannot compare to Wawrinka in terms of pure speed and strength, but the offense of tennis is not just about three axes.
Stade Philippe-Chatier, crazy.
The same goes for the players' lounge.
"Ho ho ho! Come on, Gawain, come on!"
"Wow, Gawain, like it, a hundred likes."
"It's amazing! I have to accept it!"
Murray raised his head and looked at the TV screen in the players' lounge. The staff, other doubles players, youth players, and members of the coaching staff were coming and going. One or two of them paused their busy pace and looked involuntarily.
TV screen, fascinated by the game.
Because the match point occurs, it means that the game may end at any time, and players for the next game also need to come to the entrance of the stadium to make final preparations.
Murray did not hold back and applauded Gao Wen. In this point, Gao Wen's performance was perfect and impeccable.
"……how do you feel?"
There was a greeting from behind, and Murray turned his head, and then saw the face of Djokovic. He was also putting his equipment bag aside and stopped in front of the TV screen.
Although Djokovic is currently on a seven-game winning streak against Murray and is about to start a life-or-death showdown at Roland Garros, the two have grown up together since they were teenagers and have had a very solid friendship over the years. Among the Big Four,
, the friendship between Federer and Nadal, Djokovic and Murray will be more special.
Murray and Djokovic shook hands and hugged each other, "I think it's still hard to say now. Gawain's handling is very smart."
Djokovic put his hands on his hips and stared at the calm Gauvin on the screen. After saving the match point, he was ready to continue serving. "I think I saw the shadow of Rafa in Gauvin."
A simple sentence, but it contained too many profound meanings. The corners of Murray's mouth slightly raised, "I think the ball just now had a bit of Roger's flavor."
After the words fell, both of them did not continue talking, but continued to stare at the screen. Even they could not help but be immersed in the game. Precisely because they were top players, they understood the feeling at this moment better and were nervous.
I was excited again, with a full burst of adrenaline.
The eyes of the world are focused on Philippe Chartier.
Then, Gawain served——
Kick on the ground, swing the racket...outside corner!