Nadal's forehand hit a flat shot. After two consecutive forehand super topspin suppressions, the Spanish Bull's iconic attack on the fast hard court finally came on stage, with layers of power rolling out.
go.
Generally speaking, Nadal's forehand closing movement goes around the top of his head, which is a strong topspin; when Nadal tries to speed up the attack, the closing movement does not go around the head, but closes towards the bottom of the shoulder.
Shoot, this is a flat shot with force.
Nadal's grasp of the offense can be seen from Nadal's closing movements. This season, Nadal has always been in mediocre form. If the forehand flat shot is fully exerted, it will often go directly out of bounds and the power cannot be controlled. Therefore, his
The closing movement of the racket stops at the parallel position of the shoulders, and the closing movement of the racket head is not dared to pass through the armpit and continue to tilt back.
until now.
Coming to London, Nadal's forehand hit was full of fire, whether it was a strong topspin around the head or a powerful flat shot under the shoulder, everything was in place, which also marked Nadal's full power without reservation.
Although he is known as the "King of Clay", Nadal's energy should never be underestimated on hard courts. From top spin to flat shots, Nadal's continuous suppression and offensive connection have completely opened up the situation with Nadal's forehand.
However, on the other side of the net is Gawain——
"Forehand VS backhand", this is the most important and core matchup in the game against Nadal, specifically referring to Nadal's forehand and Gao Wen's backhand. In other words, whether Gao Wen's backhand can withstand
Surviving Nadal's forehand attack and finding counterattack opportunities is the key to the game.
Just like this time.
Nadal's forehand was full of firepower, completely suppressing Gawain's backhand, and then Nadal directly attacked. How did Gawain respond?
Fight back?
No, no.
If it were any other player, Gao Wen might have hit back with a straight backhand shot; or he might have used a backhand chip to slow down the rhythm and change the situation, but against Nadal, neither of these two moves would work.
In the former, due to the different textures brought about by the switch between strong topspin and fierce power, backhand shots often cannot bear the power, and the return ball is prone to errors.
In the latter case, the chipping return played right into Nadal's hands. He had many forehand attack options on the next shot and could easily end the round.
Therefore, Gawain’s choice is...
Backhand topspin.
Using spin to deal with Nadal is obviously a choice that ordinary players dare not make, including Djokovic and Murray. They often choose to make a transition shot and control the return ball in the middle.
He came to find breathing space, but Gawain made a bold choice.
Use both hands to backhand, pull, and rise, using strong friction to completely pull up the rotation. The wrapping of the wrist and the push of the forearm will completely pull up the parabola.
And, push deeper.
In fact, top spin plus returning the ball from the deep baseline area is also a very important skill for Gao Wen. Both his forehand and backhand have this ability. He can use defense instead of attack, and form a counterattack through the combination of spin and landing point.
really--
Nadal tried to attack continuously, but Gawain's return hit the ball very, very close to the baseline. The strong topspin quickly caused a squeeze, making it difficult to hit the ball. Nadal had no way to attack directly, and continued to roll.
He pulled back and made a topspin and rushed back again.
Subconsciously, Nadal still tried to create a confrontation through strong topspin, but the connection of the entire offensive round was interrupted.
This was still the habit of "clay clay" Nadal. It was not until Moya became Nadal's head coach that he slowly and forcibly got rid of this habit. As of now, this instinct is still engraved in his bones.
On the other hand, Gao Wen is more proficient in the connection and transition of hard court attacks. He is ready immediately, and immediately seizes the buffer space with his backhand with both hands. He uses his forearms to throw quickly without hesitation, and walks directly with the speed of his head.
, just like skating, silky and smooth, attacking resolutely.
boom!
Backhand straight line.
The tennis ball turned into a stream of light, tearing open the gap for Nadal's backhand. Although Nadal's speed has increased to the extreme and his steps are incredibly in place, the hitting point is still far back. The backhand must be fished behind the body to try to catch the ball and swing the racket.
Without retracting it, it fired a shot of anti-aircraft gun.
This point belongs to Gawain.
boom!
Boom boom boom!
The O2 Arena was simply crazy. The transition from offense to defense to offense, this round fully demonstrated the strong collision between the two players, and with Gao Wen scoring this time, break points appeared again.
"40:AD".
In the fourth game, Nadal's serve.
The two players have been in the state since the beginning, and the quality of their back-and-forth offensive and defensive transitions has been raised to a new level. The confrontation has become more intense, and the interlocking stalemate and heat permeated the entire field.
Then--
Nadal missed two game points, but also saved three break points. After five equal points, there was still no winner. The single game lasted more than eight minutes, which was extremely long.
but!
Gao Wen relied on his astonishing defensive counterattack to get the fourth break point, and continued to ignite the game, pushing this giant showdown to a new peak.
Wonderful and endless.
Nadal was sweating like rain, his shirt was completely soaked, and the hot sweat gathered into a small river, flowing rapidly.
Eyes focused and concentrated.
Maybe, some people will say that this game has nothing to do with qualifying, and there is no need to work so hard. Rather than wasting energy and physical fitness on such an insignificant game, it is better to save energy and prepare for the next semi-finals; even if this game
The game is related to the semi-final showdown. It's just a simple test and competition. There is really no need to give it your all.
Strategically, this is correct.
But for Gawain and Nadal, the year-end finals are not only about victory and championships, but also about the duel between masters.
Every game is a peak showdown.
The only thing you need to focus on is the opponent in front of you. Be pure, simple, and sincere, and restore the original appearance of competitive sports.
In the heat wave, Nadal was ready to continue serving.
Second District.
One shot.
Even though he was closer to the forehand position when chasing the body, the strong side spin after landing went towards Gawain's arms. It was obviously a chasing body serve.
The first serve with a speed of 180 kilometers per hour is not very fast, but the strong rotation completely improves the tail power and quality of the tennis ball, successfully limiting Gawain's return space.
Gawain took a sideways step to the left and leaned his upper body back, trying to get out of the way. However, Nadal's rotation control was indeed sophisticated and excellent enough. The spin attached to the slightest bit of tail power ate up what little Gawain had left.
In terms of hitting space, the forehand can only rely on the forearm area.
There is no rotation, no power, no speed, and even the control of the parabola is unsatisfactory. In a hurry, Gawain can only choose to control the line, and try to push the return ball deeper by relying on the power of the skateboard as much as possible -
As for the effect?
Gawain was not sure either.
Sideways, straight, push deep.
This was Gawain's tactical intention, and he watched the tennis ball fly out of a rainbow bridge and drift across it.