Chapter 1293: Baseline Shot
In competitive sports, when masters compete, what they often compete on is psychology and will. The more critical the moment, the more determined the party will often win.
It is precisely because of this that when a team had match point but failed to win the game, the subsequent psychological fluctuations cannot be ignored, and the loosening of faith may become a turning point.
The party holding the match point is the leader; the party facing the match point is the laggard. In such a situation, it is easier for the laggard to stay focused, burn their boats, and give it a try. After completely unloading the burden, they can often exert all their abilities and even burn their inner universe beyond their level.
In sharp contrast, when the leader loses the opportunity to strangle the game and throws away his leading advantage, the change in psychological position may produce a domino effect, causing him to either become impatient, shaken, or have a fluctuating mentality and find it difficult to calm down. Then, the difficulty of re-establishing the game state will double.
Of course, tennis matches are somewhat similar to marathons. The positions of leaders and pursuers may change at any time, and their mentality may also continue to change. When the former pursuers come from behind and get the match point, they also need to face potential fluctuations in mentality.
Opportunities are always there. The key lies in mentality. Who can seize them, who can maintain them, and who can cash in on the match point?
So far, in Gawain's short career, he has always been a pursuer and a challenger, always keeping an all-out attitude, so he has saved match points and reversed to win more than once -
It was the same in his first official match of his career against Koggenakis and in last year's Paris Masters against Djokovic.
In this year's Australian Open final, although Djokovic did not get a match point, the three consecutive break points in the middle of the third set were basically equivalent to a match point.
However, Gao Wen has never experienced a situation where he wasted a match point and then fell into trouble when his opponent turned the situation around.
Until now.
Ultimately, professional experience is still insufficient.
Strictly speaking, this was the fourth meeting between Gao Wen and Kei Nishikori in their careers, and the situation did change subtly.
In the previous three meetings, Kei Nishikori had more experience, momentum and popularity than Kobe. Kei Nishikori was the number one player in Asia and played a role in writing new history; while Kobe was always a rising star who emerged out of nowhere and chased after the competition, impacting every aspect of the entire professional tennis world as a dark horse.
When they met for the fourth time, the positions were finally reversed. Gao Wen had moved from the pursuer to the leader. Whether it was the world ranking, Grand Slam breakthrough, off-court influence, social discussion, or the momentum to challenge the historical record, the positions of the two players were no longer the same.
Faced with such a situation, some people are narrow-minded and difficult to accept. It is hard to imagine that the guy who was a nobody just a few months ago is stepping on their heads. They refuse to accept the reality, so it turns into anger, irritability and anxiety. Apart from talking big, it is difficult for them to turn the situation around on the field.
But some people are humble and sincere, with strong wills. They accept the progress and rise of their opponents calmly, and show an unyielding fighting spirit. They transform all their emotions into motivation, do their best down-to-earth from training, and then wait for the arrival of the game to engage in a dignified head-on confrontation.
Kei Nishikori belongs to the latter.
Moreover, this match took place on a clay court, which is not a surface that Kei Nishikori is good at, but more importantly, Gao Wen is a novice rookie.
So, Kei Nishikori never gave up the fight.
When Gao Wen was rushing towards victory and had the match point, Kei Nishikori, who was fighting with his back against the wall, ignited his inner strength and launched a full-scale counterattack.
Mentality, state, fighting spirit, morale, etc., all showed a vertical surge momentum, and the whole temperament of the game was completely different.
The balance is broken.
In fact, at the end of the second set, including the match point, it was definitely not Gawain's poor performance. Gawain was still the same Gawain, without any fluctuations.
But Kei Nishikori was indeed assisted by God, and he played a series of magical balls in succession, from rhythm control to route points, and the incredible shots were jaw-dropping, which is commonly known as -
Beat like crazy.
That level, that state, was basically equivalent to the round of 16 against Federer in the 2013 Madrid Masters. At that time, it also went to the deciding set. As a result, Kei Nishikori was already in a rage and completely suppressed Federer with a score of "6:2", defeating Federer for the first time in his career.
From the end of the second set to the beginning of the third set, Kei Nishikori maintained his peak Super Saiyan form, fully controlling the game and bringing his technical style of grabbing points and compressing the tempo to the extreme. Even on the clay court, he continued to output firepower and fired in all directions, firmly suppressing Gawain's counterattack.
In the deciding set, Kei Nishikori, who served first, successfully broke Gao Wen's serve and took a "3:0" lead; if the three consecutive wins at the end of the second set are included, Kei Nishikori has won six games in a row, giving away an invisible bagel and completely reversing the direction of the final.
Gao Wen, he is indeed in a very miserable state.
Moreover, the situation was indeed unfavorable. He failed to win the first and second match points, and was broken at the beginning of the deciding set and fell behind.
Don't forget that Kei Nishikori was the first to serve in the deciding set, which means that the pressure of serving will be on Gao Wen's side throughout the whole process. Kei Nishikori is a player who is better at receiving serve. The layers of pressure make his mentality fluctuate more violently, and the whole situation is not good.
But will Gao Wen just surrender like that?
The answer is 100% no, absolutely not possible.
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As mentioned before, being in a backward position can often make people calm down, and there is no room for chaotic and distracting thoughts.
Slowly, Gawain regained his composure and rationality.
It is obvious that Kei Nishikori is in a peak state, his confidence is rising steadily, and his attack success rate remains high. He can be said to kill gods and Buddhas when he meets them.
However, this situation would not last long: firstly, Kei Nishikori gritted his teeth and improved his condition at the end of the second set. The full burst of adrenaline masked the extreme physical strength and entered the super god mode.
Secondly, such a high-frequency state consumes physical and mental strength more intensely and fiercely. Once the nerves relax, the physical strength will surge in multiples, and the peak state may show a straight line of a cliff drop. At that time, the rhythm of the game may fall into chaos.
So, what should Gawain do? He should adjust his physical strength, be ready to go, and stay calm. He should not only wait patiently for the opportunity, but also not panic when the opportunity comes.
At this point, the precious value of the match against Auger-Aliassime was reflected. Gao Wen's hitting ability on the clay baseline improved significantly. With some maneuvers, some tactics, some layouts, and some stalemates, he was gradually able to play in Gao Wen's style and drag on the baseline round.
On the one hand, in order to consume Kei Nishikori's energy and at the same time reduce the success rate and threat of Kei Nishikori's attack.
On the one hand, it is to smoothly get through the limit of one's physical strength and look for opportunities to take the initiative.
Layout is the layout of the hitting route, and it is also the layout of psychological tactics.
(End of this chapter)