It was even slower than the first serve speed of many female players, which really broke Gao Wen's expectations. After all, Djokovic rarely does this.
At the same time, Djokovic increased the fierce friction. The tennis ball emits strong topspin after landing, and jumps high after landing near the T-point.
One pedal, one is enough.
To be precise, Gawain was already in the air, but it was still difficult to stretch his hands for the backhand. He was pinned and finished the shot above the shoulder line.
Very, very awkward.
Not to mention controlling it, even the basic hitting was almost impossible to complete; moreover, because the serve had no power, Gawain could not use the force. In the end, he just used the strength of his wrist to barely turn and pull back the flying parabola of the tennis ball.
, trying his best to pass towards the opposite court.
Danger!
Without observing Djokovic's position, Gao Wen already knew that the situation was critical. Obviously, this serve was a trap carefully planned by Djokovic.
Tap tap tap.
Tap tap tap.
At this time, his mind was clear, his attention was highly concentrated, and he sprinted horizontally with all his concentration, his eyes fixed on Djokovic who quickly entered the court.
Go online!
Djokovic immediately noticed that Gao Wen's return shot was shallow and the entire parabola was not suppressed. This was an obvious high-pressure opportunity.
high pressure?
If there is one shortcoming among Djokovic's comprehensive skills, it is high pressure at the net. This is not a secret.
Djokovic's high pressure in front of the net has always had technical flaws.
On the one hand, his sense of three-dimensional space in front of the net is average, and his talent is average. Obviously, his achievements in the doubles field should not be one-tenth of what he is now.
On the other hand, his batting movements and the way he exerts force are always not smooth, so that it is difficult for him to exert force. He often relies on his wrist to slam down, and naturally it is difficult to control the angle without paying attention.
will be out of your control.
Over time, Djokovic's strong mental toughness began to show gaps when faced with high pressure in front of the net. Even he did not trust his high-pressure skills in front of the net, and even often made outrageous simple mistakes.
So, what about this time?
Tap tap tap.
Gawain's horizontal steps were light and agile, and he watched Djokovic's movements intently.
Kick the ground.
jump.
Soon, Djokovic noticed that the height of the entire arc was slightly beyond his judgment. Because Gawain's hitting was a subconscious conditioned reflex and there was no control at all, so Gawain himself did not expect the rotation and parabola.
What on earth is going on? There is actually a little side spin.
But this is still not a problem, Djokovic takes the absolute initiative.
Lean back.
push down.
spike!
"My hands are soft."
When Gao Wen saw the release of the wrist shot, he immediately realized that Djokovic did not dare to use all his strength, but relied on the action of waving his arm and pressing down on his wrist to complete a block——
To put it simply, it's not a slam dunk, it's a block shot.
The former requires active force, while the latter requires blocking downward pressure.
This goal is not over yet.
Slash, Gawain accurately predicted the direction!
One step, emergency brake.
Turn once and send the body forward.
With one swing, the racket came forward.
The entire batting action is done in one go. The backhand swing of both hands is very full and sufficient. It rushes forward with the forward movement of the body, and uses the soft wrapping of the wrist to complete the push with the help of force.
Change the line!
A two-handed backhand shot in a straight line, turning into a line of light and shadow and rushing out.
However!
Djokovic seemed to have anticipated Gao Wen's return route. He made dizzying adjustments with his steps, moved laterally, intercepted near the bottom line of the service area on his right, made a light chop push with his forehand, and aimed diagonally.
The position of the shallow area of the line.
Whoosh!
You can tell from the sound of hitting the ball that Djokovic unloads his force very lightly.
trap!
It turned out to be a trap!
Djokovic also realized that this point was crucial and that his high-pressure ball was not worthy of trust, so he simply completed a downward pressure skillfully and accurately predicted Gawain's straight-line break of the net, a horizontal net
The forward volley pushed Gawain into the bottomless abyss.
Immediately afterwards, Djokovic's footsteps moved directly towards the net, further putting pressure on the net——
Djokovic's baseline ability is known as "unparalleled in the world", which is also his main playing style. However, at the end of last year, he hired German Becker as his coach and slowly began to improve his net front skills.
It also gradually began to enrich the content of his games.
Perhaps Djokovic's net awareness still needs more development, but at least he is now bolder and more decisive.
At this time, Djokovic's steps were very determined.
But Gawain didn't have time to breathe, his attention was completely focused on himself, his footsteps kept running wildly, and his eyes were firmly fixed on the tennis ball:
After unloading the force, the tennis ball bounces very low when it hits the ground; and the landing point is very shallow, which further expands the space between Gao Wen and the tennis ball.
The only good thing is that Djokovic didn't have much time to adjust. His skills at the net still lacked polish, so his placement control was a little lacking.
Ideally, this return ball should land in the service area of Gao Wen's first zone, which is equivalent to a small ball, so that Gao Wen's running distance will be greater; however, now, the return ball falls in the service area and the bottom line.
The midfield position between them left Gawain a little breathing space——
But only a little bit.
Run, run with all your might.
At the same time, the center of gravity sinks.
Gawain could almost feel his knee hitting his stomach. He leaned forward with his whole body, and used his forehand to cut between the ground and the tennis ball in a moon-catching manner.
At the moment when the ball was released, his wrist did a flip trick. It was not a fake move, but an increase in rotation, and he cut the ball back with a side spin.
The angle of the return was not able to be separated. Djokovic took a sideways step to his left and was already in place. His two-handed backhand evolved into a one-handed backhand, and he sliced the shot lightly.
However, just when he was about to take the shot, Djokovic realized the space created by the strong side spin, so that the hitting point deviated slightly from the expected sweet spot, which also made Djokovic control the return more carefully.
Some.
Damn it!
Djokovic had just finished hitting the ball when he realized something was wrong. Because he was too careful, the quality of the shot was really uncomplimentary——
The line is too long and the angle is not opened.
This was basically equivalent to giving Gao Wen a defensive opportunity, but Djokovic's footsteps immediately reached the front of the net, completely covering all lines.
"ah!"
Gawain's body almost lost its center of gravity. He stopped and turned suddenly, stopped and turned suddenly, and stopped and turned again. In a short period of time, he had changed direction for the third time and sprinted at a fixed point. His whole lungs were burning, as if
Every breath he takes is lava, it will explode in minutes, and his mind is filled with heat waves.
But what about tennis?
The flying and falling tennis ball was reflected in Gawain's pupils, and his messy footsteps were still pushing his body to run wildly.
Opportunity, this is his chance!
Djokovic has been weak for two consecutive times, hasn't he?