Everything is a conditioned reflex, and reactions and actions must be completed in a split second, all in one go. Moreover, because you stand in front of the net, the time and space for reaction are further compressed, and the difficulty rises straight up.
At this time, the offseason special training began to show results.
A simple movement, but the flexible feel successfully wrapped the tennis ball.
Take off the load!
Pronation!
With a clever downward rotation of the wrist, the mustard-yellow tennis ball, like an elf, drew a small arc, straight along the sideline, and returned to the other half of the court.
Whoosh.
All the eyes of the audience were focused, their hearts stopped beating, and the entire audience froze.
Crossing the net, falling sharply.
Borrelli immediately realized: small ball.
Tap tap tap.
His footsteps started immediately and he ran at full speed.
Close.
Closer.
He was already about to rush over, but after the tennis ball hit the ground, it bounced higher than expected. It must have rotated too strongly and Gawain's unloading action failed to completely remove the force.
This is opportunity.
Burelli ran faster and faster, and then watched helplessly as the tennis ball flew high above the net, made a backspin, and crossed the net again. Like a lost dog, he obediently found his way home.
Road, back to the court on the side of Gawain and Nadal.
Borrelli's speed had reached the extreme, but he was still a step slower, and just watched helplessly as the tennis ball returned to the other side of the court and landed.
Is this...all of this okay?
Borelli was dumbfounded.
Gawain was also dumbfounded.
Obviously, it was an accident for both of them, or in other words, including Nadal and Mayer, all four of them were dumbfounded.
Blinking and blinking, the audience reacted first and exchanged glances with each other:
What just happened? What did we see? How did the ball come back in the end? Is it like a boomerang with self-taken home properties?
It was Gawain who reacted first. He looked at Borrelli and laughed dumbly. He raised his hands to indicate that there was luck in the return of the ball this time.
Bo Laili's head was full of question marks. Looking at Gawain's smile, he couldn't hold it back and started laughing along with him.
In fact, this point also directly led to a break point and a check by the Borelli team, but he didn't mind, took a step forward, raised his fist, and gave Gao Wen an encouraging look.
This is……
Gawain was about to walk towards Nadal when he stopped and took a step forward. He and Borrelli bumped fists across the net and completed the celebration, with a smile surging in his chest.
Such entertaining scores are not common, and they should put the game aside for the time being and celebrate.
Nadal and Mayer also exchanged glances, and smiles crept onto their lips.
At this time, the audience finally came to their senses.
What just happened? What did you just witness?
Before he could clear his mind, his smile bloomed.
Ho ho ho!
Ahhhh!
Cheers and excitement!
This time, the whistles and screams could no longer be controlled. Even though the thunderous applause from the audience remained, the cheers and cheers still burst out with incredible energy, igniting the entire stadium.
The conservative local audience were a little overwhelmed, surrounded by the hustle and bustle, and didn't know whether they should join in. The disoriented eyes looked a little flustered and a little enjoying themselves, and unknowingly they were enthusiastically attracted by the audience.
submerged.
The sky in Doha burned up in a mighty way.
The whole place was boiling.
Nadal and Gauvin met again to discuss tactics for the next point.
Nadal raised his eyebrows high, looked at Gao Wen in disbelief, and said with a slight laugh, "This is really a good shot."
"Ha, it's hard to copy." Gawain's smile rose from the corners of his mouth and fell into his eyes——
He also knows that this shot is more or less lucky and is indeed difficult to copy. It is precisely because the doubles game is more relaxed and enjoyable, and the delicate touch can often create some small miracles.
Then, Gao Wen did not continue to discuss the ball just now, but looked forward to the follow-up, "I want to try to attack a straight return ball."
Generally speaking, there are relatively few serve-receiving routines in doubles matches. After all, there is a big living person standing upright in a straight line. If you choose a straight line, you will most likely hit the wall and be pinned to death.
Therefore, when receiving the serve, we often choose a diagonal line to return the tennis ball to the server, forming a pull. The main tactic is to look at the player standing in front of the net:
To seize the net, or not to seize the net: If you want to seize the net, should you go straight or diagonally? If not, should you wait for the ball or apply pressure in front of the net?
The so-called net grab is the action that Gao Wen just tried but was caught by Borelli. To put it simply, it means suddenly moving laterally and appearing on the opponent's return line, intercepting halfway, forming a block, blocking, high pressure, small ball, etc.
Wait for the return effect to disrupt the basic routines of both sides.
Such tactics are very common in doubles matches in tennis and badminton, and the same principle applies to blocking in volleyball matches.
Faced with a break point and a count, Gao Wen boldly chose a bolder and more adventurous tactic.
Nadal was a little surprised——
In fact, when playing doubles, you often watch your partner's tactical choices and layout at close range, especially the handling of some key balls, which will more or less "leak" some of your own tactical ideas.
It is precisely because of this that the "Big Four" rarely play doubles with each other.
In the 2017 ATP Cup, Federer and Nadal played together in doubles for the only time, and it became a match that went down in the history of men's professional tennis.
At this time, Nadal took another look at Gawain, which was an interesting choice.
But Nadal did not argue, but immediately followed Gawain's train of thought.
"Do you want me to move laterally with a fake move on the right side, or do you want me to move to the left side to block the gap in the middle?"
"On the right side, if the serve is from the inside corner, I may still be forced to choose the diagonal line. If you move to the right side, I have more room for choice."
Gawain gave the answer without any hesitation. The two exchanged glances, understood each other's tactical intentions, and then walked towards their positions.
Gawain is at the baseline and Nadal is at the net.
The entire tactical exchange lasted only five seconds, but the two players' tactical capture of the three-dimensional space of the court sparked sparks.
Then, Borrelli was ready to serve.
"30:40".
The break point and inventory of the combination of Gauvin and Nadal.
It was obvious that at the end of the set, both sides were exerting their strength and the game was getting closer, so both teams encountered trouble in their serving games.
Just now, Gao Wen's combination saved two break points and secured serve. Now it is the turn of Bo Laili's combination to face the test of break points.
The air was slightly tight, and you could clearly feel the dense heat waves in the whole place giving off the smell of gunpowder smoke, and your breath could not help but feel hot.
But the four players on the court remained focused and ready to continue fighting.