Does he remember the first takedown of the first set?
of course I remember.
For top players, analyzing and deconstructing the game is a very, very important step. The brain must be running throughout the game; only in this way can we choose the correct tactics for the key points that are difficult to separate, and finally find the way to the end.
The key to victory.
Dimitrov is no exception.
So, should he avoid the outside corner? Or go the other way and repeat the outside corner? On the other side of the court, how did Gawain plan for this point?
Game and calculation, confrontation and counterattack, this is the charm of tennis.
At this moment, the confrontation between Dimitrov and Gao Wen had already started before hitting the ball.
Then.
Outside corner!
Dimitrov boldly and riskyly chose the outside corner again, but here, paying more attention to the entire spin and placement, he chose to hit the serve hard and flat.
Moreover, once it enters the area, the speed is 124 miles (200 kilometers) per hour.
Although the extreme angle was not pursued and the outer corner was not completely torn apart, the power and speed were excellent and a serve was found at the critical moment.
The excellent serve meant that this point was already half successful, but Dimitrov did not take it lightly and focused entirely on Gawain.
However, he saw that Gawain kicked off his left leg and his body rose into the air, moving towards his backhand immediately——
Gawain did not predict and move in advance. In such an anxious and close situation, the receiving side was completely passive. He needed to avoid impatience, rashness, and impulsiveness. He could not expect the luck of a blind cat hitting a dead mouse. He must remain calm and calm.
Focus and ensure responsiveness.
Therefore, Gawain did not predict, but watched Dimitrov's serving action with all his attention.
The moment the racket surface touched the tennis ball, Gawain captured the details and made a judgment about the outer angle, and his body's conditioned reflex was activated and he stared.
One kick, one rush.
The body has jumped out directly.
This shot was completely different from the first point in the first set. On the one hand, it was because Gawain did not move in advance, and on the other hand, it was the detail of Dimitrov's choice to hit the serve flat, even though the angle was not completely broken.
But the impact of speed and power is different from that second serve to complete the circle.
This is a brand new point.
Gawain could clearly feel the squeezing and collision coming towards him.
"Well."
Gawain grunted, refused to retreat, planted his feet firmly on the ground, and pressed forward with his hands slapping quickly at his sides.
The next second, the reaction force pushed the tennis ball back.
Gawain didn't have time to finish the shot, let alone control the details, and watched helplessly as the tennis ball drew a full arc and flew towards Dimitrov.
Parabolic, too high, leaving a very obvious space for the opponent to attack.
Oops.
Gawain kicked his feet, stopped and turned suddenly, and his body was already moving towards the forehand position. More than half of the court had been cleared, and everything was empty.
His gaze was firmly fixed on Dimitrov——
Sure enough, Dimitrov was ready to attack.
Although the parabolic point of Gao Wen's return serve was slightly deeper than expected, and Dimitrov's footsteps also felt squeezed, he still relied on small steps to adjust and swept forward with a one-handed backhand without hesitation.
slash.
The tennis ball, like a bullet, came back with a billowing wave of air.
"Well!"
Gawain groaned again.
One step, another step, sudden stop and sudden turn, second start, and return to the backhand position.
In just less than three weeks, Gao Wen has made the fastest progress in his footsteps. He has successfully found some feeling of moving on the grass. The adjustments of braking and starting are very soft. You can see at a glance that his basic skills are solid.
but!
Although Gao Wen's response was very quick, he was still passive, his steps were still lacking, he was not fully in place, and there was not enough space for his swing.
what to do?
Step on the ground, squat, lower your center of gravity——
cutting.
Facing Dimitrov's smooth attack, Gawain was indeed passive. Now he had no time and space to counterattack, so he could only passively cut.
Side cut, downward rotation.
Gawain increased the spin as much as possible in the cramped space, and the racket hit the ground directly, making a muffled sound, but he had no time to care. Instead, he used the reaction force of the racket and the ground to regain his center of gravity and adjust his steps.
He was already running towards the right.
Return to position, make up for defense.
Obviously, Gawain's center of gravity in the backhand position is unstable, and the gap in the forehand position is wide open. It is a high probability that Dimitrov chooses to use full firepower.
Tread, tap, tap.
From small steps to long strides, Gawain found his rhythm in the stormy sea, and in a flash of lightning, he crossed the midpoint and cut into the right half.
Then I saw Dimitrov's sideways forehand——
Facing the chip, Dimitrov showed no mercy and directly adjusted his position in small steps. With a sideways forehand, he prepared to fire and aimed straight.
boom!
The tennis ball exploded and hit Gawain's forehand baseline like a meteor.
But that's still not all.
Dimitrov went to the net, and his continuous offensive hammering on the bottom line had created enough advantages. He needed to further put pressure on Gao Wen.
Across the court, Gawain was in a very embarrassed state.
Although anticipating and moving in advance bought him some time, it was still not enough in the face of Dimitrov's airtight offensive connection.
Moreover, Dimitrov's sideways forehand was fast, heavy and had no bounce. He accurately found the landing point of the bottom line triangle and pushed Gawain to the edge of the cliff, leaving almost no room for Gawain to breathe.
"……ah!"
In a hurry, the steps were barely in place, but there was no room to hit the ball. The upper body continued to extend, and finally intercepted the tennis ball on the falling track, and reluctantly picked up the tennis ball with the racket.
Lob shot.
In an extremely passive situation, Gao Wen had no choice; at the same time, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Dimitrov surfing the Internet, which further reduced Gao Wen's options.
The space for hitting the ball through the net is basically zero, because the height of the rebound of the ball this time is too low, and it is too late to adjust the steps.
The lob is the only chance left.
The only thing Gawain can do is to increase the friction as much as possible to pull the tennis ball up.
But it is not easy, there is no time and no space.
Therefore, Gawain is indeed embarrassed.
The initiative is tilting towards Dimitrov.
However, Gawain still did not give up.
After the high ball was picked up, Gao Wen quickly regained his center of gravity, moved in a series of small steps, and stared intently at Dimitrov, who was preparing for high pressure in front of the net.
For such a short moment, the heartbeats of the entire audience stopped——
Perhaps, Dimitrov will end the fight in the second set with this high-pressure ball, and then the two players will return to the same starting line, and the best of five sets will become the best of three sets.
The audience, holding their breath, no one except them, raised their heads to look for the falling trajectory of the tennis ball:
See the high but not the far.
The height is sufficient, but the depth is obviously lacking, leaving too little space for Gawain to hit the ball. In the end, the tennis ball fell a little behind the baseline of the service area, giving Dimitrov a chance to press the ball in the half court.