Chapter 1005 Passively Taking a Beating
Fans who are familiar with Gao Wen’s games should know that Gao Wen’s serve reception is very good.
Especially after Agassi joined the coaching team, this technical aspect showed top level in this year's Australian Open. Facing Murray and Djokovic, he even dared to attack directly on the first serve, which really made the opponents very uncomfortable. This also became the starting point for Gao Wen's reversal of Djokovic in the final.
In addition, Gao Wen's outstanding performance against the big serve further proved Gao Wen's ability to handle the serve.
But…why?
Facing Cilic's serve which was neither heavy nor fast, Gawain actually chose to lob the ball?
No, to be precise, it should be the moon ball.
The tennis ball drew a full parabola and dived into the sunlight sky like a spaceship descending. Just when it was about to disappear, it reappeared and fell rapidly.
Audience: ??? What kind of serve return is this?
Gao Wen's footwork was almost in place, why did he suddenly choose a moon ball? What kind of tactics was this? Did Gao Wen voluntarily give up the serve and attack?
Coric: ???
The audience was not the only one who was confused. Cilic was also puzzled. What was going on with this random return?
But Coric had no time to panic.
Adjust in small steps, adjust in continuous small steps.
Coric waited a long time at the baseline because the parabola of Gawain's moon ball was very full.
To be more precise, it should be very long, very long...
Gawain's moon ball made a diagonal line and landed on the left side of Cilic's baseline, which suppressed Cilic's backhand.
As a result, because the tennis ball took too long to fly, Cilic had enough space to adjust. Not only did he switch from backhand to sideways forehand, but he also had his forehand racket action set up for a long time, but he still didn't wait for the ball to arrive.
It really is like "waiting until the flowers wither".
Then--
It's finally here!
The landing point was delicate and precise, and Gao Wen's touch and feel for the ball could be seen at this moment. He made a leisurely and active moon ball, controlling the return ball within the big triangle of the baseline and landing accurately in the dead corner.
Pressing the line!
Moreover, strong topspin also means squeezing Cilic's hitting space.
Cilic was also very uncomfortable.
"Topspin VS topspin", this is called giving someone a taste of their own medicine.
In fact, the best way for Cilic to deal with it is to do the same as Gao Wen, step back two steps, create space, and then sweep the ball with a forehand.
However, the difficulty lies in the fact that it requires a higher level of forehand stroke power, otherwise the ball may go directly into the net.
Like Del Potro, he can sweep the opponent with one forehand shot. Such a moon ball is his offensive opportunity. He will step back and move his upper body away, then forcefully sweep with his forehand, and suddenly whip the ball. He can kill the ball with one shot, and winning points is as easy as drinking water.
Unfortunately, there is only one Del Potro.
Not only is Cilic not Del Potro, but strength is his fatal weakness, both forehand and backhand. His attack power is insufficient and he cannot sweep the ball.
Cilic was also somewhat conflicted. His mind told him that he should step back, swing his racket completely, and hit the ball fully; but his emotions roared that he should seize the opportunity. Gawain took the initiative to pick a moon ball, and such an opportunity must not be missed.
A brief hesitation only lasts for a moment, but in competitive sports, it is a huge mistake and the entire hitting action immediately becomes slow.
Moreover, Cilic had just waited too long. After setting up his forehand, he kept waiting and waiting, and his grasp of the hitting point became dull.
One millimeter, one centimeter.
When Cilic made his move, he immediately realized that something was wrong.
It's too late.
The hitting point was a little late, but just that little bit, the whole hitting force was not sufficient, which can be heard from the hitting sound.
Cilic did not retreat, but stood in the same place and forced an attack. However, his two-handed backhand attack also drew a small parabola. Although it was not as full as Gawain's moon ball, it had neither speed nor power. He simply sent the tennis ball back in the form of a transition ball.
The ball was sent back diagonally, but the problem was that the line and the landing point were mediocre and had no restrictive effect. It was basically an invalid shot.
Oops!
Cilic's alarm bells rang. Now he finally understood the purpose of Gawain's moon ball. The most important thing was to break the balance and disrupt the rhythm in an instant.
The offensive opportunity came to Gawain!
However, Cilic was not panicked. What he is best at is "passively taking a beating". In a passive defensive state, he can often find his touch.
really!
Gawain's two-handed backhand immediately launched an attack, sweeping diagonally -
One shot.
One more shot.
Cilic was in a very, very awkward situation. He barely blocked two consecutive backhand shots with his two hands. Without any time to think, he reflexively sent the tennis ball back diagonally.
At the same time, he kept his steps light and did not forget that his entire forehand half was cleared, and Gao Wen could change line at any time and directly break through the defense.
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The third shot! For the third time in a row, Gao Wen hit the tennis ball diagonally again, and this time he controlled the tennis ball very deep, with significantly more power.
What about Coric?
Although it was in a mess, it was still able to cope with it. It looked like a tree branch in a storm, shaking violently but still firmly grasping the ground.
This passive shot is exactly his unique skill——
The baseline defensive shots in the chaos and turbulence are very stable, with guaranteed quality and quantity, ensuring that one's return shots can form a diversion, block the opponent's offensive frenzy, and then look for opportunities for defensive counterattacks.
Bang! For the third time in a row, Coric hit the ball back with some quality, but then Coric saw Gawain's move.
tread.
A step up, into the baseline, ready to grab the rising point of the ball.
Kill the board.
Cilic immediately realized that Gawain was about to smash the ball, so he kicked off with his left foot and sprinted towards his forehand position with all his strength.
The backhand straight line is Gao Wen's famous skill, and it was also the protagonist in the last three sets of the Australian Open final this year.
In this regard, Cilic had already prepared himself mentally. The entire start and movement were very fast, and the conditioned reflex responded.
but!
He had just taken a step forward when his pupils dilated. He looked at Gao Wen on the other side of the court in disbelief as he completed his swing. The whole shot was light and crisp.
Slash!
It's still a slash!
Moreover, it was not only a diagonal line, Gao Wen took a step forward, grabbed the rising point, and then used a half-volley method to fully release the entire two-handed backhand shot, hitting a skateboard shot, and the entire diagonal angle was completely torn apart, shallow and biased.
Tear.
You could even hear the sound of the court being torn apart, and then the tennis ball shot out in a diagonal direction.
It landed in Cilic's left serving area, and like a serve, it was wrapped in outward spin and side spin, and flew towards the outer photo-taking area for reporters.
With ease and grace, Gao Wen was like a roc spreading its wings, making full use of the width of the court.
Cilic was powerless to save the situation and could only watch the ball being returned without any way to do anything.
"30:40".
Break point, it appeared.
(End of this chapter)