In the world of competitive sports, regardless of personal strength, every player may enter a super state in a certain game or at a certain stage, perfect and unstoppable, playing all kinds of magic balls, and then completely
Dominate the game and don't give your opponents any chance.
The difference is that:
Some players appear more frequently, while some players appear less frequently; after entering the super state, some players have a longer duration, while some players have a shorter duration; in addition, after entering the super state, some players have stronger control and layout
, some players are weaker.
In the Grand Slam, the best-of-five-set format requires players to stay in top form for a longer period of time. For some dark horses, even if they enter a super state, they need to maintain it for a long time, otherwise once the state drops,
, a powerful opponent can reverse the situation.
At this time, some fans may be curious, since Istomin played so well, not only leading two sets, but also winning the match point, does this mean that he has entered a super state, with no flaws, all attack and all defense, god-level performance?
?
Gawain disagreed with this.
First of all, we must admit that Istomin's performance is indeed outstanding, very, very outstanding. There is no doubt that it deserves applause, but is there any flaw?
not necessarily.
From a calm and objective perspective, Istomin’s shortcomings are very obvious——
Tactical combination.
Not only this game, but throughout Istomin's career, his batting line combination and tactical arrangement changes are all shortcomings. This is also the root problem that limits him from going further. He has never been able to reach the highest world ranking.
Breaking into the top thirty is the most intuitive proof.
This game is no exception.
In terms of tactical layout, Istomin really lacks new ideas, and his batting lines and landing points are often relatively conservative. However, in this game, his batting feel and offensive and defensive status are indeed excellent. You can feel at a glance that he
The great feeling of Nottingham continues to Wimbledon.
Relying on the excellent batting quality on both offense and defense, he exerts a steady stream of pressure, which to a large extent conceals his shortcomings at the tactical level.
At the same time, Gao Wen's baseline hitting has always lacked inspiration in terms of ball feel and feel, resulting in mediocre hitting quality and never being able to bring enough pressure.
After going back and forth, they came here, which once again proved that tennis is a game of confrontation and game where you come and go, and the other goes back and forth.
Tactical layout, this is Istomin's shortcoming, but it is Gawain's strength.
Look, at such a critical score, Gao Wen once again chose to follow the ball and go to the net to press. However, Istomin actually chose the same batting tactic again, trying to copy and paste, waiting for Gao Wen's mistake to ruin the game——
Obviously, Istomin didn't understand Gawain well enough.
Game intelligence is not just about tactical layout, but also on-the-spot adjustments, interpretation of battle situations, summary analysis, etc. Your brain must be running all the time.
Today’s game so far is the best database, the same key scores, how the opponent’s tactics are laid out, how to choose your own tactics, which tactics score points, which tactics lose points, which shots encounter counterattacks, which shots cause trouble...
It's all in the head.
After all, they are no longer NCAA college students, right?
If Istomin thinks that the same routine will succeed twice in the same service game, then he has really misjudged Gawain. Of course, it may not be impossible to succeed, but there are only two possibilities of success -
One is that Gawain's state was really bad, very, very bad. Even though his brain was tense, he still couldn't adjust his hand feel when faced with the same situation in a short period of time, so he stumbled twice after making the same mistake.
Give up the victory.
One is that Gawain has completely collapsed emotionally and lost his mind. At the critical point of the match point, his brain was occupied by anger, eagerness, anxiety and nervousness, breaking his balance. He made a mistake in a cathartic manner on impulse, simply and crudely giving the audience a warm welcome.
The game came to a regrettable end.
To put it simply, it is actually a matter of luck.
Victory was close at hand and within reach, and Istomin's mentality also fluctuated. He expected Gawain to make mistakes and easily gain a free victory.
However, such a sense of luck may become a gap that can subvert the situation.
——Tennis ball, a head-on collision.
Gawain's footsteps were indeed squeezed.
Because Istomin basically aimed at his position and tried to hit the ball. The 193 cm tall man standing in front of the half-court net was equivalent to a close-range gun target. It was an accident that Istomin's return ball failed to hit.
.
However, Gawain not only did not panic, but also calmed down more and more.
For the first time, from this shot, Gawain could smell the tension, which also meant that Istomin's hands were tight and his tactics would become more and more conservative.
Since the steps could not be completely moved out of the way, Gao Wen simply leaned back and made a sideways movement, giving up half of his body, and shot with one hand, imitating Federer's classic net handling skills, which rely entirely on his wrist.
Everything, one block——
Relieve force.
Backspin.
The tennis ball, with a strong spin, crashed towards the ground like a meteor, then aimed again at Istomin's backhand, repeating the return shot.
And, deep zone.
But the difference this time is that the racket surface is not controlled so hard, there is no pursuit of the ultimate landing point, and a certain amount of space for returning the ball is left.
bass.
It can be heard from the unclear sound of hitting the ball that Gawain did not use force, but used rotation to bring some insurance; and the landing point was also a little conservative.
Obviously, Gao Wen also knows that his ball feel is not good and he is still in the process of getting used to it. However, he cannot catch the ball when he exerts all his strength. He has poor control and is prone to making mistakes.
So Gawain simply left some space.
Then, the tennis ball fell back to the position behind Istomin, light and agile, like a swan.
"Uh-huh!"
Istomin exclaimed and started walking a little slowly.
This is grass, and there is no way to stop and turn suddenly. There is not enough friction between the soles of the feet and the grass. If you push on the ground forcibly, it will slip easily, and you may slip if you are not careful. In terms of the control of sudden braking, it is even more difficult than red clay.
Difficult, even the "King of Grass" Federer often falls.
In the previous shot, Istomin had already moved towards the forehand position, because in the previous point, Gawain pushed into the gap, and ended up going out of bounds by a hair's length.
So, reflexively, Istomin prepared to defend his forehand, but as soon as his steps started, his center of gravity had already moved, and Gawain's return ball was already back——
Fast pace, low bounce, typical volley in front of the grass net.
The only good thing is that Gawain did not cut the short line, but the long line.
Accompanied by an exclamation and a groan, Istomin's steps came back again, but the hitting point was already slow, so he simply slid out, spreading his legs, and his whole body showed a "one" shape.
The backhand with both hands is extended to the extreme of the body, and the ball is barely touched at the racket head position.
"A little bit, just a little bit, just a little bit..."
This was the only thought in Istomin's mind. His palms seemed to be able to touch the temperature of victory, so hot that his fingertips couldn't help but curl up.
The body is stretched to the extreme like this, and the head is gently wrapped around it.