Chapter 1388: Punch to the Flesh
The air is burning, as if it is the eve of doomsday.
District 2.
With one shot, it actually went in.
In this round, Gao Wen was limited by his physical strength and had obvious problems with his first serve. The power of pushing off the ground could not be effectively converted. This was only Gao Wen's third serve to enter the zone.
Of course, Gao Wen also consciously made adjustments. His serve speed was not fast, only 180 kilometers per hour, to ensure that the first serve into the zone could bring pressure.
At this point, it was clear from Tsonga's reaction to the ball that Gawain's strategy had worked.
Close range pressure backhand.
Tsonga tried to attack, but his tactical intention was not firm enough. After realizing that his first serve had entered the zone, his reaction with his two-handed backhand was a little slow, so that the racket head was not fast enough. In addition, the space for swinging the racket was squeezed to a certain extent, and his upper body was not able to get out of the way completely, so he failed to attack.
The return ball has a high arc.
Diagonally, it returns to Gao Wen's backhand position.
Here, Gao Wen immediately seized the opportunity, took a step forward, and prepared to attack with both hands, but was suddenly attacked! Tennis -
Land, bounce, fly.
This is a normal trajectory. However, judging from the rotation, speed and power of the return ball, the rebound height should be at the waist and abdomen, slightly lower than the best position for baseline attack but still within a reasonable and comfortable hitting height range. Unexpectedly, the upward curve of the tennis ball seems to be blocked.
The rebound height was lower than expected.
Mine.
Gao Wen realized the unexpected situation immediately.
Tsonga had encountered a landmine before, and now it was Gawain's turn, but on clay courts, this is really normal:
As players move, step, push the ground and other movements during the game, the soil density is constantly changing. Some mines may disintegrate as a result, but at the same time some mines are created. During the game, mines are constantly being "born" and "disappeared", which is indeed difficult to avoid.
It is even possible that the landmine encountered at this time was "created" by Gawain himself.
Landmines change the force law of tennis balls, and the rebound trajectory also changes accordingly.
Everything happened in a flash.
At this point, the brain has no time to plan and react, and it all depends on instinct -
The two-handed backhand that is ready to attack pauses for a moment, then the knees are bent, the center of gravity sinks, and then the racket is swung a second time. However, there is no room to lead the racket, so it can only swing in a small range, relying on the strength of the forearm and wrist to complete a winding and pulling, and hit back.
The only thing to be thankful for in the accident was that after hitting the landmine, the flight trajectory of the tennis ball did not change drastically, it just couldn't bounce up.
In other words, the rebound flight height should have reached the waist and abdomen, but now there is no propulsion force at the knees and thighs, and it stops moving forward.
In a split second, Gao Wen reacted very quickly. As soon as he paused in his swing, he immediately adjusted his body center of gravity and the swing.
Swing the racket, hit the ball——
The ball was returned successfully.
What a pity! The power-accumulating attack turned into a transitional shot. Gao Wen, who originally had the advantage of serving, finally found a first serve, but now he lost the advantage and even fell into a passive situation.
The scene seems somewhat familiar.
In Tsonga's last service game, a landmine ball put Tsonga into a passive situation of "0:30".
So, what about this time?
Moreover, the score was even closer and tighter at this time. Any little bit of surprise could upset the balance. It seemed that Philippe Chatrier Stadium also realized this:
Even if it is not prepared to give preferential treatment to the host players, it should at least maintain fairness, with each player having a mine ball and sitting in a row to eat fruit.
Pop.
The turning point has appeared, but the key point is, can Tsonga deliver on it?
Opposite the net.
Tsonga was also adjusting his steps because the close serve squeezed his body, and in order to cope with the next shot, his steps had to be adjusted first.
Then--
Chance!
Tsonga noticed the landmine immediately and was moving towards the forehand position to defend, but with a pause, he moved towards the backhand position again.
step.
Two steps.
In place, but still didn't stop.
Three steps.
From forehand to backhand and then to sideways forehand, Tsonga noticed that Gawain's attack turned into a transition ball and seized the opportunity without hesitation.
The offensive instinct in his bones burst out with powerful energy. He forced himself to move sideways and use his forehand. Along with the movement of his feet and the swing of the racket, his body flew directly into the air, his clothes fluttering in the wind, his forehand was like a fully drawn bow and arrow, his arms raised high, outlining a full moon, and then he launched an all-out attack.
Boom! Although Tsonga's footsteps were not fast enough and he did not completely move aside, he relied on his physical talent to forcefully move aside.
Thor, hammer.
Bang! The tennis ball flew across the court, heading towards Gawain like a missile.
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Gawain's footsteps were still near the bottom line of his backhand position. He could clearly feel the vast momentum coming towards him. The rolling air waves came down on his head like a hurricane, swallowing him up in the blink of an eye. Every pore was tense and he could clearly feel the surging power.
Push off the ground.
Bend your knees.
Stand firm.
Build a wall.
Gao Wen had no time to retreat and was not ready to retreat. He just stood there, lowering his center of gravity for the second time in a row and using his body to create a wall-hitting effect.
The two-handed backhand hit him head-on——
In fact, this is a classic return tactic on fast hard courts, which Gao Wen has used many times at the US Open.
Because the speed of fast hard court rounds is very fast, the reaction time is often compressed to the extreme. Once the steps are retreated, the confrontation advantage will be lost little by little. Therefore, in order to avoid falling into a passive state of defense, players choose to squat and hit the wall to fight back and gain rhythm for themselves.
This kind of shot requires very, very high techniques such as leverage, wrapping, control, etc. It is not as easy as it seems. Most of the time, the action of hitting the ball against the wall is completed, but the angle of the racket is wrong, the arc of the return ball cannot be controlled, and it flies directly out of the baseline, which is extremely difficult.
It is also because of this that it is rarely used on clay, because the ball speed is not fast, it is better to complete the return by adjusting the footwork.
Gao Wen is no exception.
But this time the situation is a little special.
A landmine disrupted the layout, so that Gawain fell into a passive position. Tsonga launched a strong attack without mercy, and Gawain's adjustment was a little slower. Choosing this way of hitting the ball was actually to buy himself time to adjust by compressing Tsonga's reaction time.
Backhand.
Impact.
Roll tape.
In just a blink of an eye, the tennis ball quickly brushed past Gao Wen's racket, just like a skateboard rolling into a "U"-shaped pool and then launching out.
Whoosh! The parabola started to rise again.
Gao Wen immediately realized that his racket angle control was slightly lacking and he failed to suppress the parabola. The next shot should still be Tsonga's attack opportunity.
The point is, straight line? Or diagonal line?
Small steps.
Cross step.
After hitting the ball, Gawain's footsteps moved quickly, adjusting his center of gravity and position. He immediately moved to his right side and returned to defend, keeping his center of gravity light at all times. Then the alarm bells in Gawain's mind started to ring.
Tsonga, no mercy.
Sideways forehand, and sideways again.
(End of this chapter)