Chapter 1177 Starting from Zero
"In fact, watching Djokovic vs. Nadal, you can see a very obvious point."
"Every time before he was about to receive a serve, Djokovic would open his eyes wide, just to keep an eye on the ball and see Nadal's strong spin clearly."
"First, it's to prepare for hitting the ball; second, it's also to prepare for footwork."
"So, clay court hitting requires these two steps, neither of which can be missing. Otherwise, in the continuous rounds of confrontation, the advantage will be eroded little by little by the opponent."
"Many hard court players have this confusion. Obviously, the quality of their shots has not declined, but why do they gradually fall into trouble on clay courts?"
Tell the story slowly and clearly.
Easy to understand.
Then, the clouds cleared and the sun came out.
Graf's words are soft and gentle, without too many ups and downs or pauses, neither fast nor slow, but one can feel the tenacious power in the gentle breeze and drizzle.
“That’s the way most typical hard-court players are.”
"Either they blame the clay court for eating up their power and speed, so they are not suited to clay; or they conclude that their footwork is not up to par, so they conclude that they are not suited to clay."
"They wish that clay would disappear from the tour, as if clay is the root of all evil, but they have never experienced the unique charm of clay."
As she spoke, Graf raised the corners of her mouth gently, paused for a moment, and glanced vaguely at the sidelines.
Sampras inexplicably felt a murderous aura, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, but when he turned his head, he saw nothing:
What's going on? Gawain noticed Graf's look, and his lips curled up slightly, with a hint of smile in his eyes, but he quickly restrained it and kept a serious expression.
"That's what I just did."
The answer is found——
Why did Gawain feel stiffer and more clumsy, as if he was stuck in a quagmire, even though there were more turns in the third round of the warm-up game? In the final analysis, he still didn't know how to do it.
Graf's return shots are often ever-changing, especially when confined to one side of the serving area. Such a small space gives Graf room to play. Just by spinning, side spin, back spin, inspin, backspin, top spin, etc., countless tricks can be seen, and the landing points are very rich.
Combined with the characteristics of the clay court, the changes in Graf's return shots are further magnified.
At the same time, Gao Wen did not leave himself any time to observe carefully, whether it was the shape of the incoming ball or his own space to move. It was too late to change his strategy when the time came. Even if he successfully completed the shot, the effect was not satisfactory, and then he gradually consumed his advantage.
Essentially, he's still playing the same hard-court game without making any adjustments.
then.
It's like stepping into quicksand, slowly sinking in without you noticing. Even if you hold out longer this time, you'll still inevitably fall.
"Steffi, so, what you mean is that when we practice basic skills on clay, we should learn to change the rhythm and way of playing."
"Leave a little time for observing the return, judging the position, and choosing the movement of footsteps?"
Even in a formal game, it may only be one or two milliseconds, an invisible time, but the real core is a way of playing.
Looking at Gawain in front of her, Graf's eyes revealed a look of relief.
“These are two different things.”
"One is an understanding of the way a tennis ball bounces off a clay court, with spin being one part of it, and also the different heights and angles of the bounce."
"Naturally, our batting position, return trajectory, and understanding of the entire court space all need to change."
"The second is the understanding of footwork. The same ground-pushing force can produce different effects, and there are differences in the parts of the body that exert force during movement."
"Forward vertical sliding, sideways sliding, etc. require high control of the thigh and gluteal muscles, and corresponding muscle training is required for sliding in different directions. If the muscle strength is not enough or the skills are not mastered well, it is easy to get injured."
"So, we often see typical hard court players who dare not slide on clay courts and can only rely on their hard court footwork skills to hold on, because they don't have the corresponding skills and are worried about falls, sprains, strains, etc. This is indeed a skill that requires professional training."
"And it takes a long period of actual combat to truly integrate into one's own tactical system."
"Of course, not all players are like this. Your situation is a little special because you are agile and flexible enough to dare to slide on hard courts."
"Novak is indeed gifted in this regard. Even on hard courts, his sliding steps can achieve the same effect as on clay, so you should be able to learn it very quickly. However, Novak relies entirely on his physical talent. If we simply discuss his understanding of clay and the use of sliding steps, he is still slightly inferior to Rafa."
The layman watches the excitement, while the expert watches the details.
Graf's simple words suddenly made people suddenly enlightened.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
"But in fact, we all know that a tennis match is one thing. All the scattered individual trainings finally come together to become one thing."
Having said that, the definitions and concepts at the theoretical level have actually given an outline, and the rest requires learning slowly through practical training.
In fact, to be honest, Graf has no interest in being a coach. She does not think she is suitable to be a professional coach.
Regarding Gawain, Graf was willing to agree to serve as a clay court consultant. Agassi's request was not the main reason, but her appreciation for Gawain was.
Graf saw in Gawain the intelligence and wisdom, as well as the rare spirituality and humility, which prompted her to agree to the job; but even so, Graf still had no interest in coaching, so she only coached Gawain in Mallorca for a week.
Now, Graf couldn't help but be curious about how high Gawain's growth on the clay court would reach.
"Gawain, I know you're a smart kid and you don't need me to worry about you, but I still want to remind you."
“On clay courts, the worst thing to do is to rush.”
"Even for Roger and Novak, their growth and transformation on clay courts cannot be completed quickly in one or two seasons. It takes a long time, just like the clay itself. It requires patience, perseverance, and will. Only tenacious people can be the ones standing to the end."
"So, now we have to start from scratch, from the basics, and you have to be prepared to face failures and setbacks, and things won't go so smoothly."
"Do you understand?"
Although Graf still spoke softly, Gawain could feel the determination and resolve in Graf's eyes, which was unquestionably tough.
Now, Gao Wen finally understood: why Graf was able to win 22 Grand Slam titles, and why Graf was able to make Agassi's steel become soft as silk. The tenacious temperament radiating from the inside out is the true style of a champion.
Gawain stopped joking, restrained his smile, nodded seriously, and affirmed solemnly and seriously, "I understand."
Then, eager to try, he said, "Well, warm-up game, round four, continue?"
(End of this chapter)