——Low bounce, fast speed, and less friction. The three major elements collide together and finally form the characteristics of grass, bringing a new tennis experience.
I have mentioned serve and net players before, and Sampras is the pinnacle representative. They are completely players born for grass.
In fact, the principle is very simple. Make full use of the low bounce characteristics of grass, look for opportunities to go online as soon as possible, and further compress the rhythm of the round.
Originally, low bounce does not leave much time and space for players to react. If the opponent presses on the Internet, on the one hand it will be a physical squeeze, on the other hand it will be an improvement in rhythm, and the rhythm of back and forth will become more and more intense.
The faster you go, the balance will be completely broken in the end and the winner will be decided.
Of course, this is not all -
The direct impact of low bounce is the hitting point.
For baseline players, footwork and center of gravity will play an important role.
First, the footwork must be lighter and more delicate.
Low bounce is part of the reason, and part of the reason is the lack of grip on the grass, which makes it easy to lose balance in the center of gravity and cause slipping when taking long strides.
People always think that red soil is easy to slip, but this is a wrong perception. Thanks to the strong friction, red soil can grip the ground; grass is not the case. There is almost no grip space between the sole and the ground, and the friction is also very limited.
, he fell to his knees if he wasn't paying attention.
Therefore, all the moving habits of red clay must be changed on grass.
Secondly, the center of gravity.
The principle is very simple. Because the refraction angle is low, the hitting point is often below the waist, and players must lower their center of gravity to find the best hitting position.
Moreover, the connection of the overall rhythm is very important. A slight disconnect may give the opponent an opportunity to attack and completely break the rhythm balance.
For various reasons, offensive players and cannon-type players can often achieve great results on grass.
Isner, Raonic, Ivanisevic and other big serving players all have their shining moments on grass, as are Dimitrov, Kyrgios, Aliasim and other young players who are good at attacking.
It is often at Wimbledon that the first breakthrough comes, and the two legends Sampras and Federer wrote their brilliance at Wimbledon.
At this point, someone may ask questions:
What about Djokovic? He is neither a serving cannon nor an offensive master. However, as of 2022, Djokovic has won seven championship trophies at Wimbledon, second only to Federer's eight.
Ranking second in history.
And what about Murray? His playing style is basically the same as Djokovic, but in 2012 and 2016, Murray also completed the feat of reaching the top twice, which was also the most outstanding Grand Slam performance in his career.
Generally speaking, in addition to the advantages of local operations, there must be other positive factors.
First, offensive players and cannon-type players can indeed gain advantages on grass and perform well——
The German player Sabine-Lisiki, known as the "Elf of the Grass", is the best proof. Her biggest highlight in the tennis world is the "French Open Championship Killer". Maybe she does not perform well in other parts of the tour every year.
But once you enter the grassland season, you can shine.
With a powerful serve comparable to the Williams sisters and a unique and excellent forehand, Lisicki indeed wrote a series of miracles at Wimbledon:
In 2009, she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova, who had just won the French Open, in the third round.
In 2011, she defeated Li Na, who won the French Open for the first time in her career, in the second round.
In 2012, she defeated Sharapova in the fourth round, who had completed her career Grand Slam at Roland Garros last month.
In the past four years, the only one who has escaped the curse is the Italian veteran Francesca-Schiavone, the 2010 French Open champion.
That was because Lisicki was injured and missed Wimbledon in 2010. However, in 2013, Schiavone was still unable to escape the curse. He was swept out of Wimbledon in the first round when he encountered Liskey. Then, in 2013,
The "Meadow Elf Curse" of 2006 has been successfully continued.
In the fourth round, Lisicki defeated Serena Williams, who had just won her second career French Open title at Roland Garros, and advanced to the final.
There is no doubt that Lisicki is the most special and dazzling exception at Wimbledon, not to mention Ivanisevic's miraculous feat of reaching Wimbledon with a wild card in 2001, which proves that cannon-type players can also win at Wimbledon.
The Grand Slam has always been a success, and grass is really for offense.
But in the final analysis, competitive sports still need to rely on on-the-spot performance and test overall strength. Otherwise, there is nothing you can do if you can't use all your strength.
It was also Lisicki who defeated Schiavone in 2013, defending champion and latest French Open champion Serena Williams, 2011 US Open champion Samantha Stosur, and Wimbledon in 2012.
The runner-up A-Radwanska and other players advanced to the finals.
However, in the final, Lisicki was trapped by his own nervousness. His hands and feet were trembling, and he even broke down in tears at one point. He was unable to show his strength at all. As a result, he was swept and defeated by French player Bartoli, making the latter's career a success.
The glory of the only Grand Slam in his career.
Second, Djokovic and Murray are special cases, but they are also the embodiment of a trend in modern tennis.
Thanks to the advancement of modern technology such as rackets, strings, sneakers, etc., the players' power conversion rate and speed conversion rate have been raised to a new level, just like sharkskin swimsuits, which also allows players to play in different venues.
Styles are gradually becoming more homogeneous, and they can still stand out by relying on the same tactics and types.
Of course, the premise is that your own abilities have reached a certain level.
This is the case with Djokovic and Murray. Their abilities have reached an absolute level. Even if they are not offensive players, they can still penetrate the grass.
So, the same is true for Gawain.
Although I have never played on clay or grass, after special training and slight changes based on my own understanding, I can still be competitive.
What's more, Gawain also has special weapons——
Sampras.
There is no need to hire a coach specifically for grass. Gauvin’s coaching team already has one of the best grass-court players in the world. There is no problem even removing one of them. Just like Nadal is to clay, Sampras is to grass.
Understanding has also reached a whole new level.
After leaving Paris, Gawain and his party arrived at Eastbourne, a small British town, and started preparing for the battle on the grass in this sunny town with meandering scenery.
Slightly different from clay, from the beginning, Sampras returned to the most basic and primitive techniques of tennis to start training——
Hit the ball.
Forehand and backhand.
Then--
Forehand and backhand.
That's all, without any new ideas or tricks. It's simple and boring, so boring that it makes you sleepy. It just keeps repeating.
If someone saw Gao Wen training at this time, it would be hard to believe that this is the world's second-ranked player training. Are you sure he is not a beginner who has just picked up a racket and entered the basic class?