Chapter 1192: Continuous loss of position

Stalemate——

Ten beats.

Nadal was still testing his ability to suppress Gawain's backhand, while Gawain borrowed the tactics he used against Djokovic in the Miami final and controlled his return in the middle.

In other words, Gawain tried to give Nadal an opportunity to attack, but Nadal is not Djokovic. His forehand has the ability to make the final decision, so Nadal is not afraid of the ball coming from the middle. As long as he wants, he can turn sideways and use his forehand to directly tear the angle of the ball coming from the middle.

The key point is that this is a training match and Nadal is testing himself. He is not in a hurry to end the point, but to show his ball control ability and continue to test Gawain's backhand.

Similarly, Gao Wen was also testing the difference between Nadal's strong forehand and backhand topspin, and the effects of different responses on the ball to maintain a stalemate.

Twenty beats.

Gao Wen was the first to break the balance, using a backhand small diagonal shot to create an angle. The return ball no longer landed in the middle area, but rushed towards the sideline.

Nadal also responded positively, disrupting the return line instantly, with continuous changes in straight line, diagonal line, forehand and backhand, fully mobilizing Gao Wen.

You come and I go!

Open and close!

In a blink of an eye, the clay court entered a turbulent mode, with Gawain and Nadal running all over the court, and the hitting lines were completely open.

Sprint and exert force.

Sliding and cutting.

Turn sideways and save the ball.

Nadal had chances, and so did Gawain, but both players demonstrated their top defensive abilities and successfully resolved the crisis.

The stalemate continues.

Heavy rain!

Ups and downs!

In a trance, everyone had completely forgotten that this was a training match and deeply felt the tension and anxiety in the air, as if this was Roland Garros.

Thirty beats.

Gradually, Gao Wen's steps could not keep up, and as the rounds lengthened, it became obvious that his basic movement skills were not solid enough.

Moreover, the lack of experience in clay court competitions was a hindrance. In a crisis situation, he had no idea how to adjust his steps.

The only thing you can do is to rely on your instincts and deal with it the hard way.

But the result is that it's like stepping into quicksand. Once you fall into a passive state, it's very difficult to regain the rhythm, and the situation will only get worse.

rustle--

With a push and a thrust of the foot, and a sideways slide, the body rushed out directly, as if it was ice skating.

When there is a pause in the connection between pause, turn and second start, even if it is only for a millisecond, it will accumulate over time and once accumulated, you will be completely passive. Sliding is the last resort to make up for the movement gap and expand your coverage as much as possible by extending your body.

On hard courts, Gao Wen often does this and is no stranger to it.

but!

This is not a hard surface, and there is no grip under my feet. After sliding out, I cannot control my speed and position, let alone starting again after braking.

Gao Wen deeply felt that he was like a spider wearing ice skates.

Forehand, reach, cut.

Obviously, Gao Wen did not have many choices. If he could control his sliding step well and gain the appropriate swing space, he could still try to hit the ball. But now, his sliding step could not be controlled, his whole body was in a bumpy and turbulent state, and he could not find the hitting point. Cutting was the best solution.

After hitting the ball, he didn't stop sliding, and his body continued to slide forward a small half step. Then he controlled his body, supported the ground with his left hand, and used the support to complete the adjustment. He pulled his legs inward, jumped lightly, kicked with his right leg, and sprinted horizontally to the left.

From this small detail, we can see that Gao Wen's footwork control is obviously not as precise and neat as on hard ground, which leads to a deviation in reaction time.

As a result, the batting position, timing of shooting, etc. will also be affected, ultimately limiting the entire batting layout and tactical choices.

A series, all are chain reactions.

Despite this, Gao Wen remained fully focused. Different situations require different arrangements.

In this shot, Gao Wen cuts to the deep middle area and limits the opponent's return by the landing point without enough time to add rotation.

With a kick, the body quickly moved sideways towards his backhand position.

really!

Nadal also noticed that Gawain was out of position. Due to the lack of control in his footwork, he lost his position on the court and fell into a passive position in the second start.

So, Nadal took a series of small steps, adjusted his pace, attacked with his forehand, drew his heavy sword, and made a small forehand diagonal shot, aiming at the left sideline of Gawain.

Backhand!

It was still a backhand, but it was slightly different from the previous continuous testing of Gao Wen's backhand. This time, the gap was captured and the forehand attack chose this gap.

On the other side of the court, Gao Wen was running at full speed. One could clearly see the red soil turning into dust and flying behind him. His speed had reached its limit.

The opportunity has not disappeared.

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As expected, Nadal's forehand attack on the clay court, even when aiming for the winning point, still habitually carries a strong topspin; especially when Gawain chooses to return the ball in the middle, naturally, Nadal's forehand attack space is relatively limited, and he needs to add more insurance.

This also means that Gao Wen still has some space to hit the ball; of course, Nadal also knows his own shots, so he is still preparing for the next shot.

Push off the ground!

Sprint!

Slide!

Again, slide.

Gao Wen was not restrained by the fact that he lost his position in the last shot. If he didn't dare to try in the training match, what would he do in the official match? Practice and exercise are the only way to improve.

This time, the timing was a little earlier. His left leg slid out and his center of gravity fell on his right leg. His whole body broke through the calm lake surface and rushed out like a small boat.

Body, fully extended.

Backhand, lead the racket early.

He held his body still, pushed and turned, using the momentum of inertia from the slide and the power of rotation to successfully complete the shot in a small area.

Bang! The racket head swung quickly, using speed and power to suppress Nadal's super topspin, and hit the tennis ball back diagonally with force and violence.

At this time, because the body is out of position, no matter how fast the racket head is, it cannot complete the swing action of closing both hands, so changing the line is impossible, and the diagonal line is the only option.

Push! All the overwhelming force was poured into the left leg. An explosive force extended from the sole of the foot to the calf and then to the thigh, braking abruptly. Then, with a sudden push, the reaction force pushed the body to the right again. He took a series of small steps and jumped to adjust and regain his center of gravity.

His eyes were fixed on the tennis ball. It was obvious that Nadal was waiting at the diagonal position because he knew that Gao Wen had no other options for hitting the ball.

At this point, Nadal has already seized the initiative with his footwork, and calmly launched a forehand attack.

Forehand!

Make an effort!

Spin!

... diagonal! Nadal chose to attack diagonally for the second consecutive shot, continuously hammering at Gawain's backhand. More importantly, for two consecutive shots, Gawain lost his position.

Part of the purpose of choosing to hit the same return shot repeatedly was to force Gawain out of position for the third time in a row, further putting him in trouble, and Nadal's advantage accumulated little by little.

Gawain, indeed, was in a mess, very, very messed up—

"ah!"

A roar erupted from deep within Dantian.

(End of this chapter)