Chapter 1238 Awkward Position
The situation is tense and ready to explode.
Gao Wen understood that the match was now entering a pattern that the Bryan brothers were familiar with. Although it was played on clay, the rhythm of the round balls was actually the hard court pattern. If Gao Wen wanted to break the situation, he had to disrupt the Bryan brothers' hitting rhythm.
However, it is easy to say but difficult to implement.
After all, the Bryan brothers were the ones who took the initiative. Facing the first set, they were highly focused and burst out with top energy.
Gao Wen tried to make a change, but was caught by Mike. His close-range action in one step compressed time and space, and the quality of his interception improved immediately.
Dimitrov was in a very awkward situation. He barely hit the rebound ball, and the quality of his return ball was obviously reduced.
Chance!
Chance for the Bryan brothers.
The rebound ball had almost no control, lacking rotation and power, and the high arc made it a high-pressure feed in front of the net.
However, this time Dimitrov's rebound ball was a little special, neither high nor low, and the height of the tennis ball when it flew over the net was a little awkward, so that it was difficult for Mike to grasp the hitting point, and it was easy to make mistakes if he forced the force. In the end, Mike used his forehand to block the ball and pressed the tennis ball straight over.
But there was no smash.
Eh? Gao Wen immediately noticed Mike's volley at the net. The hitting technique was very ordinary, almost without any fancy moves, just a simple dive. Apart from compressing the rhythm of the round, there was no special feature in terms of power, speed, rotation, etc., which also meant that -
If you are on hard ground, the compression of rhythm is enough, "the only martial arts in the world that cannot be defeated is speed."
But on clay, after the tennis ball lands on the ground, the power and speed are absorbed by the clay, the impact of the rhythm is weakened, and the oppressive feeling of the ball no longer exists.
In other words, even though the Bryan brothers had taken the absolute initiative in front of the net, they were unable to score, which spoke volumes.
So, is this a chance for the Gawain team to turn the tide? Gawain has an idea.
Everything was condensed in a brief millisecond: Dimitrov's rebound, Mike's volley, and in a blink of an eye, the tennis ball flew towards Gao Wen.
Gawain did not hesitate, and made his judgment and choice in a split second.
With a wave.
A mention.
Gao Wen took a half step forward and hit the ball backhand with both hands, but he changed his previous continuous force hitting method and consciously used lifting and pulling to slow down the hitting rhythm.
On the surface, it seemed that Gawain and Dimitrov were under continuous pressure from the Bryan brothers, and their advantages were further eroded by consecutive rebounds.
In fact, Dimitrov was passive, but Gawain was active, pulling up and spinning, hitting an awkward line that was neither up nor down.
Like Dimitrov's previous return, the flight path of the tennis ball was a bit awkward, not high enough to go over the top; not too low either, around the shoulders.
This is an ambiguous hitting position. It is not high enough to generate high force for a high-pressure smash; it is not low enough, so there is no way to hit the ball normally. But unfortunately, this is a high ball, which means an attacking opportunity. It would be a pity to give up directly, and a strong attack would easily lead to mistakes.
Such returns, such lines, and such hitting positions are often the most annoying in tennis matches.
Because there are so many options and possibilities.
Once there are more thoughts in the mind and the shot is slightly hesitant, errors will occur. In actual games, players often face such balls and make offensive shots near the shoulders, and make inexplicable and outrageous errors, such as the ball going into the net, out of bounds, and high-flying cannons.
Moreover, not only ordinary players, but even the Big Four will occasionally make mistakes - not because of lack of ability, but hesitation. Tennis is a sport that emphasizes timing, and hesitation means deviation in timing. Any slight misalignment between the timing of hitting the ball as you imagine it and the actual timing delayed due to hesitation will result in two different results.
Return the ball, aiming at Bob.
Bob was a veteran and realized the embarrassment of the ball at the first moment.
This is a tricky situation for singles players because they need to worry about the effect of their return and then prepare for the next shot.
But for doubles players, thanks to the presence of their partners, their shots are much simpler. If they don't dare to take risks, they can choose to transition.
Bob, that's what he did.
Hold the racket with your left hand and block with your forehand.
Bob used the simplest forehand shot to push the transition ball and pushed the tennis ball into the deep area again, easily resolving the problem and pushing it to Gao Wen again.
Gao Wen was delighted: an opportunity.
The trap really worked. The Bryan brothers always seemed to handle this kind of half-high ball too simply. This is also the habit of all doubles experts. They are more inclined to seize the rhythm rather than gain an advantage through changes in shots.
Tennis ball lands lightly on the clay.
Originally, in the four shots just now, starting with Dimitrov and ending with Bob, none of the four players had any force in their shots, so that there was very little force attached to the tennis ball, and it completely turned into a light hit. Now that it fell on the clay, the force was further absorbed, and when it reached Gawain's position, it had almost no impact force.
Bob tried to create pressure by increasing the tempo and controlling the landing point, but without the increase in power, such impact posed no threat to Gawain.
But see.
Gawain took half a step back.
Even though his body was not squeezed and there was no need to retreat, Gawain took half a step back.
At the same time, bend your knees, squat down, press the center of gravity of the entire body completely downward, and raise your hands to backhand.
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Move forward, lift, rub, and rise.
At this point, it can be clearly seen that Gao Wen makes a hitting motion similar to a golf swing, trying to create sufficient friction between the racket strings and the tennis ball.
Topspin.
Strong topspin.
All along, Gawain hoped to create the effect by utilizing the characteristics of red clay, but he succeeded in creating it after an unexpected bounce from Dimitrov's ball.
The tennis ball flies lightly and nimbly.
Whoosh! Overhead lob.
The entire audience looked up along with the Bryan brothers, watching the tennis ball disappear into the sunlight, but—
etc!
Why does Gawain's lob look like a half-finished product? A truly excellent lob should go over the head and then fall into the baseline, preferably directly on the baseline or even in a dead corner of the baseline.
This will push Mike's position to the baseline, break the blockade in front of the net, and naturally give Gawain and Dimitrov some breathing space.
Gao Wen has such ability.
However, Gao Wen's lob seemed a bit hasty, as if his touch was not good, and the entire lob parabola was not full or deep enough.
It was over the top, but unfortunately, the depth was not controlled enough, as if he was worried that the lob would go directly out of the baseline so he controlled the power of the shot.
What's going on?
Could it be that Gao Wen didn't practice his backhand lob enough?
Mike, retreating quickly.
Bob, moving sideways quickly at the same time.
One is ready to hit the ball, the other is ready to defend, the Bryan brothers still have a tacit understanding in their partnership.
Just as Bob reached the center of the field, Mike was already at the batting position.
Gao Wen's lob is turning into a high-pressure ball opportunity for Mike.
So, Gawain lost more than he gained? (End of this chapter)