The stalemate of the game can be seen from the serve and return of the serve at this point. Both players were completely tense, and the difference was evident from the determination of the shot.
Naturally, the quality and feeling of hitting the ball also changed. The crisp and solid sound of the ball stirred up in the O2 Arena, and the air gradually became blazing.
The tennis ball hit Gawain's racket hard like hitting a wall, and before he could blink, it dragged its long tail and hit Murray again.
Before Murray could recover from his serving action, he saw a comet rushing towards him. His footsteps and center of gravity were completely unable to keep up. He could only rely on the extension of his upper limbs to complete the coverage. His arms and torso had been extended to the extreme.
, you can’t see clearly at all and rely entirely on intuition to hit the ball.
One touch, one touch.
...Touched!
Well.
A wave of air hit him head-on, and hit his chest like a heavy punch. Murray grunted, but had no time to adjust. He relied on his hand to complete the package and tried to pocket the tennis ball back. His fingertips were numb for a while, and he had just completed the stroke.
The next second, he took small steps to move his center of gravity back to the ball.
Return to defense.
That was the only thought in Murray's mind.
Because Murray knew that in the fierce competition between serving and receiving, Gao Wen had already gained the upper hand, and subsequent offensive connections would follow.
Step, cross, jump.
In the turbulent chaos, Murray continuously adjusted his steps and center of gravity, pulling his body quickly back to the middle of the court, trying to return to the defensive position as soon as possible, his eyes fixed on the tennis ball and Gao Wen, all the muscles and nerves in his body were
It's already tense.
Then--
He.
A gasp of cold air surged in the air.
Damn it!
Murray sounded the alarm and his brain reacted immediately.
Emergency stop, emergency turn, second start.
Turn around, make a sharp turn, and throw out a "U" shape as if drifting, change the trajectory, and sprint diagonally forward to the right.
--small ball.
It’s actually a small ball!
Unexpectedly, Gao Wen unexpectedly chose a small ball for his next shot. It was a combination of hardness and softness, with a degree of relaxation. From the toughness of receiving the serve to the lightness of the follow-up attack, the entire rhythm and power control can be called
Perfect, it vividly demonstrates the beauty of combining tennis techniques and tactics.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.
At this time, Murray had no time to be annoyed or depressed. He rushed forward, accelerated with all his strength, kicked off the ground, stepped on the ground, sprinted, and then rushed out with a sliding step.
It's like surfing.
Amidst the chaos and bumps in the center of gravity, my body had stretched to the extreme. I finally caught up to the net, but still couldn't get it completely in place.
It has to be said that Gawain's tennis is tactical, courageous, and quality. This tennis shot captures the softness of Murray's return, perfectly unloading the force, and cleverly controls it. A forehand slices the diagonal ball to make the ball feel better.
The softness and delicate ball control are brought to the extreme, and the quality of the ball is absolutely top-notch.
Murray, there really isn't much room.
He could only slide and scoop the ball before the tennis ball was about to jump twice, and lifted the tennis ball from the ground.
But quality?
Horrible.
The next second, you can see Gawain quickly stepping up to the net, intercepting it with a flick, and pushing the tennis ball into the completely empty court without spending any effort. In an understatement, leisurely, this round is over.
It has come to an end, and all the stormy waves have returned to calm.
"40:AD".
The break point and count appeared.
"ah!"
Murray, angry——
Dissatisfied with oneself.
Amid the exclamations and admiration at the O2 Arena, Murray roared, with his iconic "zombie" expression, the anger in his eyes burning, cursing, nagging, bulging veins, red eyes and tense muscles.
It shows the surge of emotions and is released without reservation.
Dissatisfied, very, very dissatisfied.
In Murray's view, he made too many mistakes.
In fact, Gao Wen's tactical combination of the goal just now should be Murray's specialty.
He should have thought ahead that when faced with Gao Wen's high-quality return and attack, he could cut a shot of the ball to turn the situation around, instead of just pushing the tennis ball back to the baseline, knowing that there was no spin, no power, no speed.
A well-placed return of the ball is simply equivalent to feeding Gawain the ball.
To take a step back, even if he didn't expect such a tactical layout in a flash, he should have expected Gao Wen's unconventional tactical choices. The starting speed and response were too slow. Even if the quality of Gao Wen's small ball was worse, he should have expected it.
His steps were dragging and he couldn't keep up with the rhythm.
In a duel with a top player like Gawain, any oversight or deviation may become a loophole, let alone continuous mistakes?
In this round, Gawain defeated Murray in Murray's way. This is what makes Murray most depressed and angry——
He is not satisfied.
"Grass!"
"Church!"
The muttered words could not be heard clearly at all, and amidst the bustling sound of the whole place, one could only vaguely catch the emotional venting of the swear words.
In fact, Murray also knows that he has been a bit... strange recently. Although he is in good condition and has no physical problems, he just can't play his own tennis. He has lost to Gao Wen twice in a row recently, and the score was a big score. Murray naturally knows this.
This game today is not easy.
But, that's it?
Murray still couldn't accept it, not because of pride, but because of self-esteem. He believed that he should be able to play better.
"Calm down, Andy, calm down!"
The emotions were finally vented, and Murray tried to regain focus.
The home audience at the O2 Arena finally reacted. They could all see that at the end of the first set, the local hero Murray encountered a dilemma. Now Gao Wen is ready to cash in on the victory in the first set. Murray needs their support and support.
, and the sound surged.
"Bah! Andy!"
"Bah! Andy!"
After experiencing a short period of dullness, a raging and scalding heat wave swept across the entire venue, igniting the fighting atmosphere at the O2 Arena step by step.
Now, it finally feels like the year-end finals.
The reason why a top duel is a top duel is not because it is exciting throughout. After all, giants are also ordinary people, and there are peaks and lows in a game, which are inevitable; but because the critical moments are wonderful, and the giants always
Ability to improve status at critical moments.
For example, right now.
Then.
Both players are ready.
Murray, serve.
Second District.
——Outer corner, speed 203 kilometers per hour.
One shot and entered the area smoothly.
At the critical moment, whether it was Murray or Gawain, both players entered the state. Murray found a serve, which created a containment from the serving link.
But Murray did not relax, because he knew Gao Wen's ability, and Gao Wen's ability to return the ball was already on the same level as the Big Four.
Tread, tap, tap.
Murray continued to adjust in small steps, his pupils shrank, and he noticed Gawain's return serve——
really.
Gao Wen's steps have been pulled out of the singles line, but Gao Wen's handling is very clever. He cuts the straight line with his backhand with both hands, which perfectly resolves Murray's tactical intention of serving.
Moreover, the straight line is straight and deep. From a parabolic view, aiming at the blind corner of Murray's forehand baseline, this is a return serve that is defensive and offensive.