Following the referee's voice, Gawain took out the tennis ball from his pocket and threw it to the other side of the net, ended his serve and prepared to receive the serve.
Like Federer, Gauvin also continued his excellent form in London, losing only one point in the first service game and successfully holding serve.
"1:1".
At the beginning, the scores were evenly divided, and the two games were over in less than four minutes. The entire game was very fast-paced, mainly focusing on the first three shots.
It is obvious at first glance that both players are well prepared for this game.
In the third game, Federer continued to serve.
Gao Wen slightly adjusted his serving position and moved half a step closer to the baseline to increase the pressure of receiving the serve and appear more active.
What kind of tactic is this?
Gao Wen is still Gao Wen. This is a test and also a kind of oppression. He knows that Federer's serve often plays an important role on grass and indoor hard courts. He can beat Federer in New York. Breaking the serve is the key; Federer can
In defeating Djokovic in the group stage, serving is also key, and today is certainly no exception.
Therefore, Gao Wen needs to start with the serve and cannot retreat or be afraid. Judging from the start, Federer has also made adjustments to his serving state today. The speed and placement distribution have been designed. He can find a solution just by relying on one serve game.
Obviously it is unrealistic, but Gawain needs to take the initiative and break the balance to create opportunities.
Standing in advance, this trick was learned from Federer. Although Gao Wen would not choose a trick like "SABR", he needs to create pressure from the action of receiving the serve and exert psychological pressure.
Of course, generally speaking, when receiving a serve on a hard court, the position will not be too early because the speed is too fast. Positioning early means shortening the reaction time of the receiving side. If facing a cannon, it is often
Position yourself later to gain reaction time.
But don’t forget that Agassi, recognized by professionals as the legendary master of return of serve, is now in Gauvin’s team. From Wimbledon to New York, the change in the advantage of Gauvin and Federer in the serve-receiver link is not just about the venue.
It's just a change.
Everything is a plan and a strategy——
Step by step.
then.
In the absence of waves in the first two games, in the third game, Gawain took the lead in making changes, which, as always, was in line with Gawain's consistent style.
Test, observe, adjust, and then get in the zone.
Gawain, highly focused.
In fact, the serving position is related to the reaction speed. If the serving position is advanced, it means that the reaction speed must be fast and the response must be made immediately; if the serving position is close to the mouth, you can win more reaction space.
Now is the early stage of the game, with sufficient physical fitness and high energy, he can make more attempts, position himself in advance, and improve the entire rhythm.
Bend your knees, lower your center of gravity slightly, stare at Federer intently, spin the racket quickly in the palm of your hand, and then start your attack immediately.
Inside corner!
With a kick of his calves, Gawain had already jumped out. The difference in detail was that before taking the step, he shot the backhand with both hands and had already knocked out. He relied entirely on the strength of his upper limbs to push forward with force.
boom!
Very strong and very solid.
The power and speed came down in a mighty way. Even though Gawain started quickly, the swing space was limited and he didn't have time to pull away. The reaction force had already knocked the tennis ball away.
Federer's first serve was strong, fast and heavy enough, completely suppressing Gawain.
Well.
Gawain groaned.
However, he didn't flinch, and his whole posture of grabbing the serve was very firm and decisive. His backhand swing was crisp and clean, and he pushed straight forward, facing the ball head-on with a home run posture, and exerting force.
ah!
However, the entire contact time is still too short and the force is not fully exerted.
The tennis ball pulled out a low parabola and hit it straight back.
Almost at the same time, with a gap that could only be distinguished at the speed of light, Gawain saw Federer surfing the Internet, very suddenly and very determinedly——
This is a serve to the net.
Federer is still a seasoned player.
He saw Gao Wen's stance in advance and knew Gao Wen's intention of receiving the serve with his fist, so he also used his good serve and net to further subvert the rhythm. The whole tactical idea was very clear.
The reason for choosing the inside corner is because Federer knows that in a passive situation, Gao Wen will often choose to return to the straight line and deep area, in this way limiting the opponent's attack connection in the second shot.
In the last game, Djokovic chose to force a sideways forehand attack to deal with Gawain's shot. Federer should have studied Gawain's strategy, so he chose to serve to the net to break the shot.
Calculation, game, this is the first head-on collision between the two players in this game.
And Federer...well, he is confident enough in his serve. He knows that his serve can suppress Gauvin in the inside corner, so Gauvin's return route is completely within Federer's layout.
Gao Wen's return serve flew in a straight line and returned to the center opposite the net, but it hit the arms of Federer who was serving and hitting the net.
Federer, who had been prepared for a long time, seized the gap when Gauvin had not yet stood firm after receiving the serve, turned his body sideways, and used a one-handed backhand to block the deep area of the bottom line of Gauvin's backhand, trying to reach the line.
Push the tennis ball behind Gawain.
Even if Gao Wen catches up, there is not much room left to swing the ball behind him in the backhand position.
One step after another, Federer pushed Gawain into a desperate situation.
So, what about Gawain?
From the moment he noticed Federer serving the ball out of the corner of his eye, Gawain's brain was in full operation, observing, predicting, and making decisions. Before his center of gravity could be adjusted back to its original position, his body had already tilted in advance.
Backhand.
Calm down and think rationally, pushing the backhand deep is indeed the best choice.
Federer's shots are always full of inspiration, wonderful but just right at the same time, able to cause maximum damage in the simplest way.
So Federer's tennis is always elegant and looks completely effortless.
On the front foot, Federer accurately predicted Gawain's reaction.
On the back foot, Gawain accurately analyzed Federer's layout.
In a battle between masters, the test is all about the details. Although the game has just begun and this is only the third game, sparks and tension are already quietly filling the air.
Therefore, Gawain continued to lean to the left along with his action of receiving the serve, using the weight of his body and gravity to complete a simple push of the center of gravity. Instead, his steps were half a beat slower and he staggered to follow.
Passive, indeed passive, but Gawain's attention was further concentrated——
Standing on the edge of the cliff, I have no choice but to fight against the odds. Naturally, my mind is free of distractions and I enter a new realm.
Kick, step, and cross the court.
coming.
Gawain's eyes were firmly locked on the flight trajectory of the tennis ball, and he quickly judged the position between his footsteps and the landing point of the tennis ball. Then he realized that the position of his shot should be behind him, which made it extremely difficult to handle.
With his peripheral vision, he scanned the position of the figure in front of the net. He was still standing in the middle and close to the net, but his whole posture was different——
That's Federer, the tennis king with unparalleled skills in front of the net.