It’s not surprising that he keeps his hair. “Love-game” keeps his hair, so he’s not surprised either.
What is truly noteworthy is Gawain's well-prepared tactical layout in the opening stage.
Here, Tong Kexin was still sighing, "It started with a love-game. It seems that Gawain is still very friendly to Nishikori Kei, and he was so loving from the beginning."
On the other side, Xu Yang stopped talking and paused for a moment. Although he had long been accustomed to his partner's childish words, he still couldn't help but be surprised occasionally.
However, Xu Yang still stubbornly insisted on his explanation.
"In the first game, Nishikori Kei's ball counting speed could not catch up with Gawain."
"Gawain set up a trap from the moment he served. He served with decelerated topspin, limiting Kei Nishikori's return route."
"Immediately afterwards, Gawain accurately waited on Nishikori Kei's return line and compressed the return time with a rebound shot. Although the line and angle control were slightly rough, the time compression successfully broke Nishikori Kei's defense.
Balanced, winning the winning points very easily and successfully maintaining serve.”
"The real cleverness of Gawain is that he changed speed from slow to fast, and used two effective strikes to limit Nishikori Kei's punches and feet."
In the first game of the game, Xu Yang could already vaguely see Gao Wen's tactical layout, and he was indeed very discerning.
Tong Kexin joked with a smile, "You mean, like a cat catching a mouse?"
Xu Yang:……
After a pause, Xu Yang continued speaking in his calm explanation style.
"It can be seen that Gao Wen has made full preparations for this game and entered the state very quickly; however, it is just the beginning. As the game progresses, there should be some changes in the tactical execution of both sides. We will continue to observe.
"
"Next, let's take a look at Kei Nishikori's serve."
Rustling.
Rustling.
The air in the O2 Arena is surging slightly, and you can vaguely catch the sounds of whispers. They are not obvious, but they exist objectively.
In the opening stage, the game had not yet entered its state, and the audience's attention was not fully focused on the game.
However, the two players were exceptions as they both maintained their focus and focused wholeheartedly.
Pah. Pah. Pah.
Kei Nishikori was shooting the ball, but because of the trivial noise coming from the stands, he paused briefly, glanced at the stands, and waited for the sound to subside before shooting the ball again.
Nishikori Kei was slightly distracted, but it wasn't because of the audience - that was just an excuse. The real reason was because of Gawain.
Facing the second match, Kei Nishikori is fully prepared; moreover, Gao Wen just won the championship in Paris last week and is in good condition, so he is even less likely to take it lightly. After learning that Raonic had withdrawn, he and Zhang Depei
I have been analyzing tactics and making sure I am ready to fight.
However, the actual situation is very... awkward.
It's not a matter of forehand or backhand, or a technical issue, but the entire batting rhythm, which is sometimes fast and sometimes slow, is elusive.
At least in the opening stage, Kei Nishikori had a lot of disturbing thoughts in his mind, and he still needed some time to sort out his thoughts.
"15:40".
In his own service game, Kei Nishikori had to face the test of two break points in the blink of an eye, so he needed to be nervous, which is why he was particularly sensitive to the slightest noise.
a district.
Interior angle? Exterior angle?
More important than serving is how to lay out the offensive connection for the next shot?
Kei Nishikori took a deep breath, thought carefully, and then shot the ball again.
Pah. Pah. Pah.
The echo continued to roar above the eardrums, Nishikori Kei threw the ball——
outer corner.
After all, Kei Nishikori chose the outside corner, suppressing Gawain's forehand and trying to break through from Gawain's forehand position, even though in the past two weeks, Gawain's forehand has been particularly good.
Speed 173 kilometers per hour.
The first serve speed is not high, but Nishikori Kei and Gawain are different. Gawain does it intentionally, while Nishikori Kei's average serve speed has never been high.
However, he saw that Gawain had already rushed out with a big stride, and made a large looping whip swing with his forehand, his body completely in full bloom.
coming!
Kei Nishikori stared intently at Gawain's return, adjusting in small steps continuously, moving towards his left side——
Return the ball closer to the backhand position in the middle area.
It can be seen that Gawain tried to draw a straight line, but because the swing time was not enough, the entire movement was not completed, so the straight line was not completely straight.
This also gave Kei Nishikori enough time to move and prepare his two-handed backhand early to prepare for the attack.
etc!
Nishikori Kei's pupils shrank, and he immediately noticed the strong upward spin. Before landing, he could already see the exploding fluff, like an angry bird.
The ball speed is not very fast, but the spin is very strong.
This is the hitting effect of Gao Wen's forehand swing. Although the speed is not as high as Nadal's, the combination of spin and landing point is very good.
The return ball landed in the deep zone, only half a step away from the baseline.
After rebounding from the ground, it jumped up very quickly. In the blink of an eye, it had already crashed directly into Kei Nishikori's face——
It's this ball.
In today's game, Gawain's batting has been changing since the beginning.
Or, it is a strong topspin in the deep area of the baseline, and the angle may not be forced to tear apart, thus squeezing Nishikori Kei's hitting action.
Or, it is a flat shot in a shallow area, but the angle is deliberately widened, because the rebound height after landing is limited, which also leaves Nishikori Kei without much space to hit the ball.
Overall, the speed and power are relatively weakened. The most important thing is to disrupt Nishikori Kei's rhythm of grabbing the rising point. To a certain extent, it limits Nishikori Kei's ability to hit the ball with strength, and creates different effects through changes in landing points combined with rotation.
The effect of returning the ball has always put Kei Nishikori in an awkward position.
Kei Nishikori wanted to grab the rising point, and really wanted to pick up the speed, but the effect of each hit could not meet expectations. The hit was always in an uncomfortable position, and the rhythm of the entire game slowed down according to Gawain's idea.
.
Kei Nishikori doesn't like it, he really doesn't like it.
But Kei Nishikori will not continue to be beaten passively.
One step, one step.
Because he had enough time, Nishikori Kei took a step forward. Not only did he not avoid it, he also took the initiative to move forward and grabbed an ascending point:
Use quick to make quick.
Before the strong topspin is completely released, and before the impact point rises to your shoulders, you have already taken the lead.
Then, quickly brush up the backhand with both hands, and with a light belt, you have completed the diagonal hit. Increase the speed of the ball as much as possible, and hit it flatly across the net.
On one side, Gawain tried to slow down the speed of the game, and on the other hand, Kei Nishikori tried to speed up the game.
On the indoor hard court, it is obvious that Kei Nishikori's hitting strategy is correct, and then you can see the figure running fast and horizontally on the other side of the court.
Fast and lightning fast.
It can be seen from the movement speed and position that Gawain has predicted Nishikori Kei's hitting line in advance. After the action of receiving the serve in the previous shot, his footsteps have quickly returned to the backhand position, so before Nishikori,
When Ori Kei hits the ball, his steps are already close to the midfield position.
Run with all your might!
However, are Gao Wen's tactics really that simple? Slow down the pace of the game on indoor hard courts? Forcibly use indoor hard courts as clay courts?