Chapter 1182 Personal Experience
In fact, according to the historical trajectory that Gao Wen was familiar with in his previous life, the 2015 and 2016 seasons were the lowest point in Nadal's career.
Ankle injuries, knee injuries, wrist injuries, left foot nerve injuries, etc., injuries of all sizes continued to occur without a break.
In those two years, Nadal's performance in the entire clay court season and even in the French Open was very sluggish. In 2015, he was eliminated in the quarterfinals; 2016 was even worse. This was the only time in Nadal's career that he withdrew from the French Open due to injury. Before the start of the third round, he had to hold a press conference to announce his withdrawal decision because his wrist injury was too serious.
Missing the French Open title for two consecutive years officially ended Nadal's glorious record of winning Grand Slam titles for ten consecutive years. His career fell into chaos and was overshadowed.
It started to spread from the second half of the 2014 season and reached its climax when the 2016 season was again forced to end early, sparking countless speculations: Perhaps Nadal's career has come to an end. Like countless great professional players, injuries will eventually become a mountain they cannot overcome.
At the same time, Federer's 2016 season was also plagued by injuries. He competed in the first half of the season in a fragmented manner, and ended the second half of the season early due to a knee injury. The two rivals who once joined forces to write a new era of giant myths both ended the entire season early due to injuries.
That year was undoubtedly a heavy blow to tennis fans, and industry insiders believed that the era of giants might be completely reshuffled.
With the future of Federer and Nadal uncertain, serious injuries may even end their entire careers; Djokovic and Murray have risen strongly and completely taken over the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Does this mean the beginning of a new era? Perhaps the "era of giants" remains, but the protagonists need to be changed?
However! At the opening of the 2017 season, Federer and Nadal both returned from injury and reached the final together in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. In the end, Federer won the championship in Melbourne Park, suppressing all the controversy and chaos, once again proving the power of the two giants.
Greatness requires championships and battles to be written, but it is not limited to the championship itself. It also includes the hardships and setbacks of getting back on track after falling into a trough. That kind of indomitable spirit, that kind of tenacity, that kind of belief, and the continuous challenge of the limit interpret the spirit of the champion.
Of course, now, the trajectory of history has changed. A butterfly has flapped its wings and is causing a stir in the professional tennis world. Everything is different now; but Gao Wen still believes that champions are still champions, warriors are still warriors, and some spirits and souls will not change.
However, this is all in the past, and the focus returns to the present.
indeed!
It is a fact that Nadal has been plagued by injuries and has been in poor form from the Australian Open to the Sunshine Double.
Putting aside the historical trajectory that Gao Wen is familiar with, people can also see now that Nadal has not yet found his best form.
However, it would be naive for anyone to think that beating Nadal would be very easy and painless.
More than one player has said that even if Nadal plays with an injury, he should never be underestimated. The "Spanish God of War" is not just talk. Even when facing a damaged Nadal, the match is full of difficulty and challenges. Just look at this year's Australian Open match between Gawain and Nadal.
What's more, it's red soil.
The name "God of War" comes from the fact that Nadal never gives up easily and never stops fighting, even if he is at a disadvantage, even if he is absolutely passive, even if he is in a desperate situation, even if he goes into battle with injuries, he will never surrender without fighting. That is the tenacity and indomitable spirit in his bones.
As the saying goes at Roland Garros, victory belongs to the tenacious. This is the core mystery of clay and also the essence of Nadal.
Therefore, Gao Wen is looking forward to meeting Nadal, and is even more looking forward to meeting Nadal on clay to truly experience the ultimate challenge of tennis.
Even though... Gao Wen had just stepped onto clay for less than four days and was basically at a beginner level, it didn't matter that he challenged the hell mode right from the start.
Anyway, it will happen either this week or next week, or the week after next. It may happen at any time in the next two months. There is no time to slowly build up mental strength. I will just have a shocking education right from the start, and then I won’t panic when I encounter other nightmare modes or difficult modes.
However--
Some things cannot be dealt with smoothly just by being mentally prepared.
Some things cannot be solved simply by having a spirit of challenge.
It’s difficult. It’s really difficult.
Difficulties beyond imagination.
Looking at the entire timeline, from Federer to Nadal to Djokovic and Murray, they all suffered serious injuries that could have ruined their careers, and after returning from injuries, they had to adjust their playing styles and tactics, and gradually developed different styles.
Federer and Nadal both completed their adjustments after 2017, Djokovic in 2018, and Murray in 2019.
Before and after the watershed, the changes of the four players were objective. Among them, Djokovic and Murray were slightly younger and still insisted on their usual tactical combinations; but Federer and Nadal could be seen to have obvious changes, not only in technology but also in style.
After changing to a racket with a larger racket face, Federer's backhand has increased the sweet spot area for hitting the ball, and the control and resistance of his one-handed backhand have been improved, allowing him to achieve five consecutive victories over Nadal on hard courts.
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Nadal has gradually transformed from a defensive counterattack player to an offensive player. He not only actively attacks, but also increasingly shortens the number of rounds by going to the net. The entire game mode has undergone a fundamental change.
However, that is what happened later. For now, Nadal is still a typical defensive counterattack player, especially on the clay court.
Two points are the most obvious.
First, he often does not pursue the first serve in the serving game. During this period, Nadal's winning depends on the second serve. He basically does not rely on the serve, but relies entirely on the baseline.
Second, he habitually starts each round with defense. Rounds with more than 15 shots usually result in Nadal scoring because he is good at defense. He is also good at pushing pressure to his opponent little by little through defense, accumulating enough advantages for himself. The more shots he has, the easier it is to score.
Moreover, Nadal takes less risks.
Of course, relatively speaking, the physical and energy consumption is also more severe. Later, with the growth of age and physical burden, Nadal's style of play faces more and more challenges.
Why do I want to bring this up in particular? The reason is simple, because the two previous encounters between Gawain and Nadal were both on hard courts, with one win and one loss. He thought he was somewhat familiar with Nadal, but when it came to clay, it was different. Maybe not a world of difference, but the difference and difference were very obvious, and the pressure was piled up.
(End of this chapter)