At the beginning of the game, in two rounds, Gawain and Kei Nishikori had a total of nine points. The score ratio between the two was:
"8:1".
Moreover, the entire match process was very straightforward. Less than four minutes after the two games ended, Gawain had already widened the gap like a chopping of melons and vegetables, without giving Kei Nishikori any chance to breathe.
what happened?
Is Kei Nishikori really so vulnerable? Or is Gawain really so hot?
of course not.
In fact, the most important thing is the difference in preparation and understanding of the competition.
The incident happened suddenly and time was tight. Whether it was Gawain or Kei Nishikori, they were all the same. They did not have enough time to study the game video and formulate tactics in depth. They had to redesign tactics for their opponents in just two or three hours.
.
The two teams and the two players also showed different styles.
Nishikori Kei's tactics are still "put me first" and "use fast to control fast". He should take the initiative as much as possible and launch the attack first. Even if the quality of the attack is relatively inferior, he doesn't care. He uses rhythm to form a storm of suppression.
, essentially, there is no difference from the first two group matches.
But Gawain is not like that.
Gawain's tactics are to "lay out around the opponent" and try to destroy the rhythm as much as possible, whether it is active attack or passive defense, to destroy Nishikori Kei's batting rhythm. This is the first goal, even if it risks the possibility of Nishikori Kei
It doesn’t matter if you directly attack with ruthless hands or even risk scoring points——
Because Gawain knew that Nishikori Kei's initiative lacked any breakthrough and explosive power, and it was difficult for him to become a conventional weapon.
It can be said like this.
In Nishikori Kei's eyes, Gawain is the Gawain of New York and the Gawain of Paris, but in the final analysis, his tactics have not been adjusted according to Gawain.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with this idea. For all competitive sports, "I am the main one" is the most correct and safest style. Only by insisting on yourself can you interpret the game in your own way and take it one step at a time.
close to victory.
The key is that Kei Nishikori is not Federer. A powerful cannon like Wawrinka, who controls the game by himself, often finds it difficult to finish strong.
Kei Nishikori's confidence mainly comes from defeating Murray in straight sets. However, Gawain is not Murray.
The Kei Nishikori in Gawain's eyes is the Kei Nishikori in London. Just like Kei Nishikori adjusts his tactics based on indoor hard courts, Gawain also adjusts his game based on Kei Nishikori's tactics and revolves around Kei Nishikori's tactics.
System, and then use your own style and method to break the balance of the game.
Taking Kei Nishikori as the main player does not mean losing his own style and being led by the nose. It means that he believes in his ability to adapt to the situation and interpret the game. He can adapt to the actual situation and the status of the players and formulate a tactical framework before proceeding.
Look for opportunities to break the balance of confrontation.
Gao Wen's confidence mainly comes from his own interpretation and control of the game, and it can also be seen as another way of "putting myself first".
Then--
Nishikori Kei tried to start the game with himself as the main player, but hit a wall head on; Gawain started the game around his opponent, but quietly took the initiative.
This is obviously not the usual routine.
So, what’s next?
surrender?
Obviously, this will not be the answer of the entire audience, let alone Kei Nishikori's answer.
This life-and-death battle for the right to advance to the group stage has only just begun two games.
"40:30".
In Gawain's second service game of the match, Kei Nishikori finally found some touch and used two wonderful winning points to open up the situation.
In this game, Gawain always scored in the first area, and then Kei Nishikori scored in the second area. They were chasing each other and always kept the score gap tight.
Now, it’s District 2 again.
In the previous two duels in the second zone, Gao Wen chose to use the backhand from the outside corner and the backhand from close to the backhand, but Kei Nishikori's backhand performance was very good.
So what about this time?
One shot, close to the body, and suppress the backhand.
In fact, this was not obsession, but a trial game between calculation and counter-calculation. Gawain still used a fast flat serve to squeeze Nishikori Kei's backhand.
Kei Nishikori really didn't expect it. He thought that Gawain would switch to the forehand position no matter what, but unfortunately, Gawain pressed the backhand again.
Moreover, with a speed of 196 kilometers per hour, the entire flat shot and serve were pressed very well, which really did not leave much time for Kei Nishikori to adjust.
One yield, one bounce.
Kei Nishikori only had time to give up half a step, and he barely hit his waist and abdomen with the racket. Although it was not a rebound ball, it was almost there.
It is obvious that Kei Nishikori's body has been completely squeezed. After catching the ball, his body's center of gravity took a big step back.
However, the return quality is excellent——
Backhand.
Kei Nishikori's backhand is sometimes more offensively threatening than his forehand, not because of his personal ability, but because his backhand hitting action is relatively stable, and he can still maintain a stable rhythm even on indoor hard courts.
In extremely chaotic situations, the racket angle will not deform.
Therefore, the entire batting rhythm can be steady and fast, and a killer trick will come out if you are not paying attention.
Gawain's serve had already calculated on Nishikori Kei, but Nishikori Kei's return ball still kept the integrity of the parabola, flew to the deep area of the baseline, and jumped up.
However, Gao Wen, who has the advantage of serving, still has a tight offensive connection. As soon as he hits the forehand with a small backslash, he flies back towards the middle of the court.
There is no deliberate tearing of the angle, but further squeezing in the deep area of the bottom line. The strong topspin will be released very quickly after landing and rebounding.
However, Nishikori Kei continued to adjust his position in small steps, and despite the chaos, he still found the hitting point. He placed his backhand with both hands under his knees, and then you can see that Nishikori Kei is still playing according to his established tactics:
Attack, attack, attack again.
It was clear that Gawain had pressed the ball deep enough, but Kei Nishikori not only did not give in, but also took the initiative to step forward. Before releasing the strong topspin, he already made a moon-catching movement with his backhand, and accompanied by
With strong pulling movements, he forcefully knocked the tennis ball back.
boom!
A flick.
Kei Nishikori took a very bold and risky shot. As soon as the tennis ball hit the ground and started to rise, it hit the wall and hit the racket. Then it was hit back again, and the entire speed and rotation moved in an irregular direction.
The other side of the court was unleashed.
It's light and fast, floating and spinning.
The most important thing is that Kei Nishikori's backhand control is very delicate.
pretty!
This should be the tennis Kei Nishikori has been trying to play since the beginning.
With just one shot, Nishikori Kei switched from defense to offense, eliminating all of Gawain's serving advantage and forcing Gawain to the edge of the cliff.
Danger!
Danger Danger Danger!
Every cell in Gawain's body was ringing with alarm. He had expected Nishikori Kei's attack, but he had not expected that the whole connection would be so quick.
Gawain's previous serve and attack had already compressed the rhythm, but now it was further compressed by Kei Nishikori, so there was no time to predict, and the tennis ball had already flown over.