A regular serve was not too fancy. Murray's reaction speed was very fast. He stepped out immediately and used his forehand to make a sweeping shot.
This is Murray's typical tactic in this game. He doesn't think or plan, and hits the ball according to his instincts. The line is quite satisfactory, but the rhythm and quality are improved, and the aggression and pressure of the first three shots are increased. It is not so much that it changes Gawain's style.
Competition, rather, is about changing the content of one's own competition.
The ball return was very clean.
Murray has such energy in the forehand position. He does not use pure force like Wawrinka or Del Potro, but relies on whipping to increase speed. In terms of pure speed, he is faster than Federer and Nadal.
This shot scored him numerous winning points.
At this time, the forehand return without any distractions was like this——
Simply and neatly, he jumped into Gawain's forehand position and pressed near the sideline. Not only did he increase the rhythm and speed, but the angle was also torn apart.
After Gao Wen finished serving, he didn't have time to adjust his steps and his movements didn't fully return to position. He stepped sideways in a hurry and came forward with his forehand.
On the surface, it seemed that Gawain was passive and it was too late to swing the racket; but in fact, Gawain was completely mentally prepared and was not surprised at all.
Although the footwork rate was a little poor, the upper body swung the racket and sent it out immediately, without hesitation——
Spin around the head.
Gao Wen's forehand swing produced strong topspin in a "passive" situation to adjust the rhythm and control the game.
The entire topspin not only slows down the rhythm, but also further separates the angle. The landing point is very shallow, with a full step away from the baseline, but only half a step away from the sideline. Therefore, the tennis ball hits the ground with a strong
Spin and fly outward.
Murray's footsteps have left the singles line and are approaching the doubles line at full speed.
At this point, you can see a detail.
If Murray had a strong sense of attack, he should have cut into the baseline, grabbed the rising point, launched an attack, and even followed the ball to the net, but he didn't.
The so-called increasing rhythm and speed is just a tactical concept. Murray still has not completely gotten rid of his usual playing style.
As a result, Murray's footsteps when he was standing near the baseline were completely pulled out, which also gave Gao Wen enough time and space to release the spin when he returned the ball.
Turn, turn, turn, and keep rising.
Murray sprinted and jumped along with the moving steps, soared into the air, striving for a higher hitting point, and swept the forehand for the second consecutive time to attack the shot.
boom!
Hitting the ball, solid and strong.
But Murray's attention was completely tense and he didn't dare to relax at all——
Taking off to hit the ball looks cool and exciting, but in fact it is useless and not very practical, because after taking off, their center of gravity and steps need to be readjusted. Instead, they may waste time before hitting the next shot.
Both offense and defense may fall into passivity.
Generally speaking, it is often used frequently by young players like Kyrgios and Monfils who are keen on performing, and it has a performance nature.
Just look at Federer and Nadal and you will know that they hardly know how to use it. There is no need to sacrifice their footwork adjustments for an instant "good look".
As for Murray, he occasionally uses it, but not for the purpose of viewing, but because the hitting point is too high. Gawain's strong top spin is all released and then rises to the ear level. In order to compress the connection time and improve the hitting rhythm, he has no choice but to
Not choosing to hit the ball from the jump is a tactical choice.
Now, after hitting the ball with a sweep, Murray immediately realized the importance of subsequent adjustments.
After pulling the center of gravity back to the ground quickly, he made a small jump on the spot to get rid of the cumbersome entanglement of gravity. Then he moved sideways in small steps and continued to adjust. His body was already pulled back into the field, ready to return to defense, but he was pulled out by his footsteps.
In an instant, Gawain’s movements were captured for the first time——
slash.
Topspin.
Repeat the drop point.
Murray, nervous, stopped and turned suddenly, started again, and the center of gravity that had just been pulled out was pulled back again, returning to the forehand position amidst the bumps and chaos.
but.
Here comes the ball...?
Compared with the previous ball, Gao Wen's hitting point was shallower, basically landing in the small triangle area of the service area; at the same time, the super topspin was completely outside, almost equivalent to an outside corner serve, through the landing point and
The control of the line directly pulled Murray out of the sideline.
Murray moved sideways following the flight of the tennis ball, and before he knew it, his footsteps had already crossed the doubles line.
After a moment's delay, Murray realized the dilemma:
In fact, he should step forward to grab the ascending point.
Although he kept trying to steal the rhythm, at the critical moment, he returned to his familiar comfort zone, and the distance between his footsteps and the bottom line quietly widened again.
Gao Wen aimed at this point. He started the layout from the serve, and made two consecutive shots with strong topspin. Each shot was shallower than the last, and each shot was skewed. The entire layout was clearly a conspiracy, and there was no intention to hide it at all, but
Murray still fell for the trick——
Where is the brain?
Murray is dissatisfied, very, very, very dissatisfied with himself. If his mind is not turned on during a tennis match, it will be a disaster.
However, now is not the time to care about this, he needs to respond, he needs to fight back.
In fact, the crisis is not strictly a crisis. After all, this is the game mode that Murray is familiar with. He is just returning to the mode he is accustomed to.
The point is, how should he return the ball?
The brain starts to spin.
Slash?
straight line?
Middle road?
The advantages and disadvantages of each route are laid out inextricably in the brain, as well as Gawain's movement, Gawain's next step, his own next step, all kinds of thoughts are intertwined, and it is enough in the blink of an eye.
I thought of several plans, then overturned them all, and then re-conceived them...
late.
Murray also realized that he had fallen into his old habits again, being too hesitant and entangled, and the timing of his shot was obviously wrong.
Damn it!
It turns out that this is Gawain's real trap.
Everything happened in a short moment. Murray had no time to hesitate, and then habitually returned the ball——
Transition ball.
Murray has returned to the familiar Murray mode, but with this transition ball, he missed the best hitting point during a brief hesitation, and the package was obviously a bit more, preventing the return ball from going out of bounds. The entire speed, connection, and rhythm were all
Slowing down, even the return point of the ball has been moved back a little.
The only thing worthy of recognition is the line.
Murray has not forgotten his special skills. Even when he is upset, he still chooses the route wisely.
Middle road.
Murray's tactical intention is to hit the deep area in the middle of one shot to limit Gawain's next shot and buy himself some breathing time. There is not enough depth now but there is no problem with the line.
Gawain's footsteps moved quickly. After two consecutive beats with strong topspin to slow down the rhythm, he moved more calmly. He cut to the middle without haste and did not continue to move. He had already set up his backhand with both hands, without any hesitation.
Take action hesitantly.
Turn, swing, push.
Welcome forward!
At the moment of release, Gao Wen made a forward movement to hit the ball. With a flick of his wrist, the rhythm instantly increased again.