The Philippe-Chatier Stadium was still shouting Gawain's name with arms raised. The billowing heat wave that filled the entire stadium caused the clouds over Roland Garros to disperse a little, letting in some sunshine. The thin and warm golden color sparsely filled the entire place.
The stadium was billowing with a dense cloud of hot air.
Even the players' lounge was no exception. Some people followed suit and shouted Gawain's name.
As a result, Murray turned his head and looked over, and there was a burst of laughter in the corner, making the atmosphere extremely relaxed.
Obviously, the audience wants to see the deciding set, but if the game enters the deciding set, it means that the game between Djokovic and Murray needs to continue to be postponed. The two players who are waiting hard at the scene do not necessarily want the game to be empty.
Go on endlessly, after all, this is red soil——
It's inextricable and endless.
However, this is the audience's wish, and they still need to ask Wawrinka's opinion.
To this, Wawrinka said "no".
Kick on the ground and swing the racket.
Stretch your arms and exert your strength.
Wawrinka's whole body was completely stretched, and his iconic one-handed backhand hit the front, and a perfect diagonal line penetrated into the dead space of Gawain's backhand.
Although Gawain had already stretched out his racket, the ball was coming too fast and too awkwardly. His serving action had not had time to recover, and his body could not extend.
In the end, Gawain failed to touch the net.
Mini break of serve, Wawrinka's third time in the tie-break, and fifth time combined for both sides.
In the way of receiving an ACE.
In the previous three sets, Wawrinka had twice received an ACE with a straight backhand, and this time it was an ACE with a backhand diagonal. For the third time in the whole match, Wawrinka once again showed his superb backhand performance.
There is no doubt that the fans can tell without the help of the commentator that Wawrinka is really in high spirits today.
Then.
Another match point was brought out, the second time in the tie-break and the fifth time in the entire match.
"6:7".
And next, it was Wawrinka's serve.
The air was almost frozen, the sound of the heart hitting the chest continued to roar above the eardrums, and the whole world fell into a commotion.
Second District.
Inner corner, slightly closer, speed 190 kilometers per hour, entering the area with one engine.
Wawrinka sped up. Having already wasted four match point opportunities, he realized that he needed to be more resolute and courageous on match points.
It can be seen from the choice of landing point that Wawrinka has stabilized. He does not pursue ACE or straight serve, but is willing to deal patiently, create suppression through close serve, and then use offense to score.
The angle is average, not torn apart, but it has both speed and strength——
Gawain was indeed squeezed.
The steps must be taken a step back to the left to barely make room, but the forehand swing is obviously too late and cannot be completed completely.
Wawrinka's serving tactics worked.
However!
Gawain was calm and focused, and an inspiration flashed through his mind:
In the midst of the electric light and flint, Gawain's right hand, which was pinned to his body and unable to stretch, slightly changed the way he held the racket, switching from pumping to cutting.
Lower cut.
Push block.
pack.
The lightness of the finger-winding soft steel swallowed up all the power of Wawrinka's powerful flat shot, and the control was completed through the friction of the rapid downward cut. The wrist controlled the racket head and shook slightly to complete the push.
bass.
The tennis ball has already flown back——
With an understatement and ease of use, Gao Wen's way of returning the serve seems effortless, even a little relaxed and freehand, revealing a bit of chicness.
But the entire Stade Philippe-Chatier was shocked to the point of collective panic.
Jaw-dropped, dumbfounded.
Including Murray is no exception.
Then, the thousands of eyes in the audience were all focused on that tennis ball. They did not expect Gawain's hitting method at all, nor did they expect the flight trajectory of the tennis ball.
high.
Very, very high.
It was almost three stories high and was comparable to an anti-aircraft gun. It shot straight into the sky and penetrated into the thin golden sunlight, making it difficult to see clearly for a while.
So, what’s going on with this parabola? What’s going to happen with the downward curve?
Difficult to judge.
At this time, spectators sitting on the side of the stadium can see the profile of the parabola and judge the falling arc through the rising curve and the highest peak.
But spectators sitting behind the players and on the side of the corner cannot see it.
Such as Wawrinka.
Wawrinka was stunned for a moment and did not react immediately. Gawain's completely unexpected way of receiving the serve completely broke the balance.
Immediately afterwards, Wawrinka reflexively prepared to hit the net. He kicked his feet and accelerated forward by half a step. But as soon as his thoughts changed, he quickly realized that if the parabola was full enough, then a three-story high ball over the top would be
There is no doubt that he has no chance to complete the high-pressure ball——
Naturally, he needs to stick to the baseline and prepare for high-pressure baseline or high-point attacks.
So, Wawrinka stopped and stood near the midfield waiting. Because it was so unexpected, he even forgot to make small adjustments.
Then, the tennis ball fell.
Hey! Oh!
Along with the exclamations from the audience one after another, Wawrinka's alarm bell rang.
"……Oops!"
Gao Wen's back-to-back serve control was like an almond, rising and falling rapidly. The peak area was not full, and it was almost like going straight up and down. It climbed to the highest point on Gao Wen's side of the court, and then quickly fell freely. Finally,
Landing in the shallow area of the court on Wawrinka's side.
Assuming that this is a lob shot, it will be a disaster if you see the height but not the distance. The opponent can easily complete the smash in front of the net.
But this isn't it.
This is an unconventional way of receiving the serve. It completely breaks the rules and directly subverts all predictions. It turns out to be a fatal weapon.
When Wawrinka realized that the return ball actually landed in the service area on his side of the court, almost falling against the net, creating a small ball effect, he was about to enter the baseline to go to the net to volley, but it was already too late.
Just as he started to move, his feet slipped.
Snap. The tennis ball landed on the ground, but jumped high. Wawrinka tried to push on the ground to accelerate, but his reaction speed was too slow, too slow.
Bang. The tennis ball has hit the ground for the second time.
The whole audience was stunned.
Even if I saw it with my own eyes, I still couldn’t believe how Gawain completed such a return of serve——
In fact, strictly speaking, this is a surprise tactic of choosing to release a small ball when receiving the serve. In the ATP and WTA, only Federer can do this. He often bursts out with unconstrained inspiration when receiving the serve, and brings something unique.
Effect.
Now, Gawain also tried it once.
However, Gawain did not expect such a hitting effect. The small ball did not look like a small ball, and the high ball did not look like a high ball. In the end, he scored incredibly?
Philippe Chartier's scene was quiet, and the audience didn't know how to react. They didn't expect that Gao Wen would choose to break the rules at the match point, and they didn't expect that he would actually hit such a magical and weird return ball in the end.
The tense atmosphere took a strange turn.
Including Gawain himself.
Gawain raised his hands and apologized to Wawrinka. Such a hitting effect was obviously not his intention, but he still got the point.