The situation is indeed difficult, but Gawain's attention is still on the game, and he is more focused. He temporarily puts aside the dilemma of physical fluctuations and enters a state of selflessness.
Federer's return of serve was indeed excellent, but did he take advantage of the situation?
not at all.
So, in a flash of lightning, Gawain picked up the parabola.
This move was often used against Djokovic in the last game. Although it didn't work for Federer, Gawain was not new to it.
The high ball was picked up immediately and flew quickly towards the deep area of the baseline.
Federer immediately realized Gawain's intention, but after half a beat before preparing to go to the net, the opportunity was missed. So Federer simply stood there without retreating, and continued to adjust to his forehand in small steps.
With that posture, you can tell at a glance that you are preparing to attack with a sideways forehand.
However, Gao Wen was not afraid. He used the flying time of the lofted ball to complete the adjustment, return his steps to position, and prepare for defense.
Diagonal line? Straight line? Center?
At this moment, Gawain noticed Federer's concealed hitting gesture——
small ball.
Gawain, start now.
Obviously, Federer also knows Gao Wen's defensive ability, and forcing a sideways forehand attack may not be able to open up the situation. Anyway, he has three break points, so he might as well be more bold and simply cut the ball.
Cut from top to bottom, spin down, release force, and aim to push in a straight line.
Situation, sudden change.
Federer made a lot of fake moves. He not only turned sideways and pretended to prepare for a forehand attack, but also looked diagonally as if he was preparing to hit the ball in that direction, but in the end his shot was neither a volley nor a diagonal shot.
Straight line, small ball.
In a flash, there were two shots.
However, Gao Wen was highly focused, and when he noticed Federer's hidden hitting action, he had already started to hit the baseline and cut to the baseline immediately.
His footsteps moved diagonally to the left for a moment, and then he noticed Federer's second fake move. He turned around and still had time to adjust his direction and sprinted toward the diagonal to the right again.
Move at full speed.
Observe while moving.
Then I saw that Federer also cut to the baseline immediately and went to the net along the diagonal line, but Federer was not in a hurry and was obviously observing Gawain.
Although judging from Federer's high-quality small balls, it is a high probability that Gawain chooses the slash, but Federer will not underestimate Gawain's ability, so he still remains calm and calm, observing Gawain's position.
By coincidence, Federer was observing Gawain, and Gawain was also observing Federer.
The difference is that Gawain is passive and has no choice, so he cannot stroll around like Federer, and the speed of his step has been increased to the extreme.
and--
That's too late.
Federer's small ball is very good, the quality is absolutely top-notch, it is completely textbook level:
The unloading force is perfect, the landing point is perfect, the line is perfect, and it falls quickly after landing. It has no height in the first place. It even starts falling twice before it is parallel to the net, leaving almost no space for hitting the ball.
Federer, seizing Gawain's opportunity to hit the ball, perfectly combined unloading force and spin, and finally completed a textbook shot of the ball.
If Gawain hadn't moved ahead of time, the ball would have had no chance at all.
But even if Gawain moved ahead of time, there was still little room for adjustment. He couldn't get distracted and could only keep up with him immediately and sprint at full speed.
He raised his head slightly, scanned the court, and then took action, cutting into the narrow gap between the tennis ball and the ground, and gently picking it up.
It all depends on the feel.
So, what about the return line?
Federer noticed that Gawain was looking straight ahead, trying to trick him into blocking the backhand position behind him, but his peripheral vision was actually looking at the diagonal forehand gap.
This is indeed the case. Federer's position was originally on his backhand, but after going to the net, he did not cover his forehand position. Now the right half is completely empty.
Federer paused deliberately, waiting for Gawain to take action, then swayed and moved to the right. However, as soon as he started to move, he realized -
be cheated.
Gawain's shot was a straight line.
Relying on the wrapping and control of the wrist, he pushed the tennis ball in a straight line and inserted it into the small gap behind him where Federer left.
And, push deeper.
Federer was shocked.
Earlier, he used fake movements and false eyes to deceive Gawain.
Now, Gawain deceives Federer with a fake look.
Is this considered... friendly contact?
Federer stopped, turned and started again, turned over and rushed back, but before his body could stretch out, the tennis ball had already jumped into the gap behind him.
That's too late.
Tennis, break the blockade and embrace freedom.
Federer made a 360-degree turn to control his swinging center of gravity, and finally turned to look across the net. You could see Gawain standing on tiptoes, tensing up and braking, standing in front of the net to control himself and avoid touching the net.
"15:40".
The referee will directly announce the score.
Gawain and Federer exchanged glances, and both of them laughed——
At this point, both of them played tricks, dug holes, deceived and calculated, but in the end it was Gawain who figured out Federer and repaid him with his own tricks.
A smile crept up to the corner of his mouth, his eyes brightened, and he nodded slightly.
A knowing smile.
Nervousness is tense, stalemate is stalemate, but the game is still a game. Such a round and such a shot are not something you can see casually. The two players exchanged a tacit smile with each other.
Then, turn around, walk to the baseline, and continue to the next point.
The whole place was boiling.
Ho ho ho.
Oh oh oh.
With a bit of commotion and noise, applause and cheers surged throughout the audience. Jiang Yanqing, Gu Xiao and the others in front of the TV could not help but be envious as they looked at the incredible and astonished expressions on their faces on the live broadcast screen.
At this moment, you can only feel the tension at the scene, subtle and turbulent, and immerse yourself wholeheartedly in the world of competitive sports.
One break point, save, and two more.
However, things are not that simple. Just like Federer escaped from death with a stunning forehand winner in the last service game to save the break point and awaken his momentum, the real significance of this point is to interrupt Federer's eight-point streak.
Let Gawain return to his sight.
As a result, the game quietly changed again.
Step by step, return to area one.
Kick on the ground, throw the ball, swing the racket——
outer corner.
The speed is 180 kilometers per hour, pressing the small triangle of the teeing area, with strong rotation.
You can tell at a glance that Gawain is trying to completely open up the venue.
However, Federer started very quickly and predicted the situation immediately. He took a big step, and when his center of gravity was shaking and his steps were not fully in place, he extended his forehand...
Push flat.
Beat lightly.
straight line.
Surprise, total surprise.
Federer used a combination of push and cut to return the ball skillfully, completely breaking expectations. His unparalleled form in the last two games continues.
Just because Federer gave up his attack doesn't mean he didn't steal the serve.
With a flat push and a light hit in a straight line, Gawain found a gap in his completely cleared backhand position, and then Gawain was mobilized again.
In essence, Federer and Gauvin were subject to fluctuations in physical fitness, which led to a decrease in the power of their serves. Their opponents started to seize the opportunity from the return of serve. This was the focus of the two games, and it was still a competition around the first three shots.