Not just tennis, almost all competitive sports are no exception and need to face the same problem——
How to show your training strength 100% during the competition?
It is often seen that people are at the top level in the world in training, but they are never able to show their strength in the competition, not to mention those outrageous mistakes or huge loss of standards. Even if they perform "normally", they are only...
Can barely reach part of the training level.
Moreover, not only young players who lack experience, but also senior veterans and top players are no exception.
Every time the off-season ends, every time I come back from injury, every time I switch between home and away games, every time I play in different games with different weather, different venues, different audiences and different environments, every time I step on the important stage of the semi-finals or finals, every time I enter
During live TV broadcasts, everything needs to be adjusted.
Different, just different.
Overall, mentality adjustment is the key.
But just talking about "mentality adjustment" seems too vague. Individual cases are different, and everyone has their own psychological constraints.
In Gao Wen's view, "confidence" is the key, "strength" is the confidence, and "experience" is the assist.
Tim's situation ultimately boils down to a lack of confidence.
He is a typical "no-sighted" player, with no calculations or cleverness, relying entirely on strength; and he goes all out and gives his all without reservation in every game.
For him, he needs to believe that he can win, he needs to believe that he has the strength, otherwise any doubt, any wavering or even any hesitation may become a loophole at a critical moment, and he does not even need his opponent to take advantage of it.
He had already taken the lead in showing mercy.
For a long time, Thiem tended to think that it was due to the venue, and he still believed more in his ability on clay.
Gawain doesn’t think so——
Indeed, according to the original historical trajectory, from 2016 to 2019, Tim reached the semi-finals of the French Open for four consecutive years, and advanced to the finals twice in a row. The French Open is indeed the Grand Slam tournament where Tim performed best. His playing style
It can also be used to its full potential on clay courts.
But for now, what Tim really lacks is confidence. This year at Roland Garros, he unfortunately stopped in the second round.
In other words, Tim is not used to winning yet.
Winning will become a habit, especially when you are in a bad state or the situation is difficult. If you are in a winning streak, psychological suggestion is a powerful force that can often turn around the situation.
Losing will become a habit. Even if you already have an absolute advantage, you will start to question yourself at the slightest sign of trouble. You don't even need to see how good your opponent is before you beat yourself.
This is what Tim is like now.
In training matches, Thiem is undoubtedly among the top ten in the world, but once he stands on the stage of a Grand Slam or Masters, he is immediately at a loss and unable to show his strength at all.
Data doesn't lie.
In the year since he broke into the fourth round of the US Open last year, Thiem's best result in a Grand Slam was to stop in the third round of the US Open; and his best result in the Masters was fourth in Miami.
round, but Indian Wells, Monte Carlo, Toronto and Cincinnati all exited in the first round.
This is not normal.
For Thiem, and for a player ranked among the top 30 in the world, such results are very, very abnormal.
Therefore, it is not a lack of strength, but a lack of confidence.
The only thing Tim needs is confidence.
Gawain was not stingy with his applause and praise, and gave Tim a thumbs up; of course, this does not mean that Gawain will let go——
True self-confidence does not come from a gift from your opponent, but comes from working hard step by step.
On the front foot, Tim hit a backhand straight line that shocked everyone.
On the back foot, Gao Wen used two consecutive backhand diagonal shots to suppress Tim and finally won the winning point with his backhand straight line.
Faced with the stability and strength displayed by Gawain's backhand, Tim could only look up at the sky. His first shot failed to suppress the parabola and he immediately fell into a passive position. He could not control it just by relying on the collision of strength and power.
The situation, as expected, Gawain is indeed superior.
The training ground was awe-inspiring.
The biggest feature of tennis is that watching it on TV and enjoying it live are two different things.
On the TV screen, tennis is a very ornamental sport, and it is precisely because of this that Federer's elegance is so deeply rooted in the hearts of the people; but only by being there can you feel the power and speed of tennis, and the solid sound of hitting the ball.
The speed with which it moves is eye-opening.
Just now, they witnessed the violence of Tim's backhand. In terms of pure strength, Gawain's backhand was still unable to suppress Tim; but Gawain completely restricted Tim's through placement, rhythm, rotation and strength.
Backhand, finally relying on the iconic backhand to finish in a straight line.
Only by enjoying it on the spot and witnessing it up close can you deeply feel the charm of tennis and make your mind sway——
"6:4".
This training match ended with Gawain's victory.
The two players only played one game, but the back-and-forth collision lasted for more than an hour. The high-quality, high-intensity and high-level training was no different from a formal game. To the audience,
It is undoubtedly a kind of enjoyment, and the scene is full of heat:
Is this something they can watch for free?
"Ah, ah, ah, Gawain!"
"Gawain is the champion!"
"I love you, I love you, I love you ahhhhhh!"
"Dominique, beautiful!"
"Brown bear, hey hey hey, brown bear!"
Cheers, applause, whistles, screams... one after another.
Not only dedicated to Gawain, but also dedicated to Tim.
Tim was a little reserved. Although he didn't blush, he was almost there. He didn't dare to look at the audience stand at all, and kept pretending to be busy nearby.
The training match is over, but Gao Wen's footwork training and batting training are not over yet. He will also need to do some basic muscle relaxation training later.
In the US Open final, Gao Wen's ankle did go through a severe test. In order to ensure smooth progress in the second half of the season, he must start with training.
"Domi, so many fans are cheering your name, you should also give some response, otherwise they will be pitiful." Gao Wen's face was serious.
Tim raised his head in embarrassment and scratched his head, "Gawain..."
Gawain laughed heartily, "Haha, Duomi, this is just an interaction, there is no need to give it too much meaning. What's more, you are worth it."
Tim pursed his lips cautiously, hurriedly turned back and waved, and then quickly looked away as if he had seen a ghost, which made the fans laugh.
Tim changed a jersey, taking off the one that had been completely soaked. He looked at Gao Wen, hesitating a little, as if he was hesitant to speak.
On the contrary, Gawain was generous, noticed Tim's gaze, and took the initiative to look over, "What's wrong? Is there any oil paint on my face?"
Tim laughed dumbly and waved his hands repeatedly, "No, it's just that there is one thing..."