Facing the break point, Wawrinka briefly vented his anger and irritation, but instead cleared his distracting thoughts and found calm, and became decisive again in his strikes.
In a tennis match, as the situation changes, subtle changes in mentality also occur all the time, and every point and every point is different.
Wawrinka found an accurate position for his forehand, and his first serve finally entered the zone smoothly. The serve with a speed of 188 kilometers per hour successfully squeezed Gawain, giving Wawrinka the advantage of serving. Immediately afterwards, he did not hesitate.
He launched a sideways forehand attack, but the backslash line was seen through.
So, the round ended in a stalemate.
From "forehand VS forehand", to "backhand VS backhand", and then to "forehand VS backhand", the two players' hitting routes are all over different corners of the court.
In this round, both players maintained a high degree of vigilance, and their predictions and arrivals were very timely, so that the opponent did not have many opportunities to take action, forcing both sides to not easily separate angles when attacking - of course the score was special.
It also has a certain impact on the psychological level.
In addition, don’t forget that this is the end of the fourth set. I have been struggling in two consecutive service games. Not to mention the impact on physical strength, the mental tension also further burns physical energy quickly. After entering an anaerobic state, I can exert force and take shots.
Deviations are inevitable and may even require a process of accumulating energy.
This is also a key.
When hitting the ball, because there is no suitable opportunity, there is no attack on the corners, which leaves room for defense or counterattack.
Back and forth, the round became a stalemate. The two players were all over the field. Both were arranging, both were confronting, both were suppressing, but neither of them could make an inch of their way to the collision.
Establishing enough advantage, the air also becomes tight.
Ten beats.
Twenty beats.
During this period, both players tried to break the balance, but neither succeeded in the end——
Wawrinka's two consecutive backhand slashes severely opened the angle, but Gao Wen's high-quality defense on the backhand position used a line shot to suppress Wawrinka's aggressive offensive again.
The ball that was suspected of going out of bounds triggered exclamations from Philippe Chatier.
Gawain's forehand attack in a straight line also broke Wawrinka's footwork balance. Wawrinka saw that he had lost his center of gravity, but his backhand straight return ball under extreme difficulties completely subverted Gawain's judgment. He made a forehand save when he lost his center of gravity.
The ball failed to apply pressure consistently.
Both players have brought their own abilities and characteristics to the fullest, and their back-and-forth transitions between offense and defense make every shot full of countless possibilities.
...Thirty shots.
In the blink of an eye, the two players had been locked in a stalemate for more than thirty shots - without a doubt, this was already the longest round of the game. It finally showed Roland Garros' clay-court qualities, which are hard-wearing, durable and hard-hitting. The real test.
Not just offense and not just defense, but all-round ability.
"ah!"
Wawrinka let out a groan, and Gao Wen hit a transition ball, but the skateboard shot from the midfield position did not exert any force. It relied entirely on skill and control of the line and landing point, but it created extraordinary effects. Forehand
The backslash shot landed in the shallow area of Wawrinka's backhand sideline and spun sideways.
Although it was a light slap, Wawrinka's steps were mobilized to the doubles area. His messy steps were slightly unable to keep up. His body was protesting. For a brief moment, he couldn't adjust his breathing. Naturally, from the steps to the swing,
Then use your strength to move the whole body.
Uh, uhhhhhhh...
Wawrinka, unyielding, exerts force, uses one-handed backhand, and strikes hard.
Sharp, tough, cunning, and chic.
slash!
In a passive situation, Wawrinka once again burned the small universe and achieved a super god state. He broke the balance with a one-handed backhand diagonal and the angle was torn apart.
With just one shot of the ball, Gawain, who had just taken the initiative a moment ago, fell into passivity in an instant, because Wawrinka's backhand slash completely opened up the angle, so that Gawain had to enter the doubles area, and it was not even close enough, which directly caused the situation.
The swing of the two-handed backhand is not complete——
Although Gao Wen still successfully completed the ball, the closing action of the racket head was still a little slow, and the parabola of the tennis ball started to rise directly.
The arc is not high, not to the level of a high ball, but it is indeed higher than the usual return arc, and the spin and speed have slowed down.
Chance!
It was an opportunity for Wawrinka, and Wawrinka, who had completed the explosion of Burning Universe, did not miss it, and his footsteps reached the bottom line immediately.
Push on the ground, advance, press.
Wawrinka quickly came to the midfield, and without waiting for the tennis ball to land, he pressed forward and launched a volley from the midfield, compressing the return rhythm to the extreme.
"ah!"
Forehand, exert force and release fully.
Across the court, Gao Wen could feel the power of the waves coming in layers. The overwhelming momentum rolled down unreasonably, and even the dense clouds shrouding the Philippe-Chatier Stadium also followed.
Shen, the world just fell into darkness.
However, Gawain did not give up——
With one kick, his left leg braked, and then he kicked the ground with an explosion, and his body was pushed out.
One step, alternating feet, sprinting sideways, entering a state of complete selflessness.
The only good thing is that in order to shorten the rhythm of returning the ball, Wawrinka chose to volley, which not only compressed Gawain's reaction time, but also compressed his own hitting time, so he did not choose too risky a line or landing point.
Just choose a straight line to hit the ball.
The tennis ball returned to the middle of the court on Gawain's side, near the left side, exactly on the route of Gawain's horizontal sprint——
It's like a crossroads.
Tennis goes down from the north, Gawain goes right from the west, and then they meet at the intersection.
boom!
Gawain's forehand had already hit, and the violent vibrations above the racket string were clearly transmitted to his wrists. Even his forearms began to tremble slightly. At this moment, you could feel the impact of Wawrinka's volley.
Power, powerful tail force surges between the racket and the racket.
Well.
Gawain groaned. Although he completed the ball, he had no time to control it in a hurry. He could only pick up the tennis ball very, very awkwardly.
With no spin, no control, no power, and even no time and space, lobbing the ball was Gawain's only option in an absolutely passive situation.
The tennis ball, drilling high into the sky, trying to get over the top——
Wawrinka, who is 183 centimeters tall, seems a bit inadequate when standing opposite Gawain, and his coverage ability in front of the net is also a bit cumbersome due to his footsteps.
At this time, Wawrinka also realized the crisis.
In tennis matches, the ability to lob the ball is often overlooked; but watching Nadal's games, you can know that this very passive skill is often the key shot for him to reverse the situation, when playing against top players and firepower.
When the time comes, you will be able to shine.
Gawain, the same is true.
The lofted ball, which was extremely passive, was light and agile. It jumped over Wawrinka's head thrillingly and flew towards the space at the back of the court.