Chapter 1413: Frontal Counterattack

The entire stadium was completely silent, even the sounds of breathing and heartbeats had disappeared in the grandeur of the Philippe Chatrier Stadium.

"40:AD".

It was the fourth break point and set point in this game, and the tense atmosphere dancing wildly on the wire rope was almost about to explode.

However, the two teams on the court were focused and attentive.

District 2.

One shot.

Push off the ground, bend your knees, throw the ball, swing the racket——

Outside corner.

At the critical moment, Gao Wen chose the most classic outside corner serve tactic in the second zone.

Wait, this tactic won’t work against Nadal, because for ordinary players, the outside corner of the second zone suppresses the backhand, but for Nadal, the outside corner of the second zone just hits the forehand position. Isn’t this like a sheep walking into a tiger’s mouth?

Gao Wen, are you sure?

Sure!

Zone 2, outside corner, 180 km/h.

The speed is not fast, but the landing point is accurate, pressing in the small triangular area at the bottom line of the serving area; at the same time, it has a strong rotation, and the obvious outward rotation continues to move outward after rebounding on the ground. The horizontal space of the entire court is slowly spread out along with the flight of the tennis ball.

However, Nadal was well prepared.

One kick, one stride.

But Nadal took a big step sideways and his body was already in place in time. He made a forehand super topspin attack around his head. Not only was he not affected by Gawain's strong rotation, but he continued to lift and rub along the direction of rotation. The rotation was superimposed on the rotation, and the entire force and quality reached the extreme in an instant.

The tennis ball flew back in a rainbow arc, crossing the net at a height of more than two meters, and advancing all the way to the deep area of ​​Gao Wen's baseline.

It is clear at first glance that Nadal tried to push the return ball as deep as possible to limit Gawain's offensive connection. If it could be pushed above the baseline, it would be perfect; but at this time, Gawain's serve advantage can be seen, and Nadal's footwork is still a little lacking, relying entirely on wrist control.

The landing point is deep enough, but still not deep enough. It finally lands about one step away from the baseline.

Middle road, deep area.

It was not perfect, but it still effectively restricted Gao Wen's offensive options. It can be clearly seen that Gao Wen's feet were slightly squeezed when standing at the baseline.

Gao Wen, quick response——

With a step back, the right leg retreats half a step to make room, and the entire forehand is in an open stance. The racket is drawn early with arms stretched out, like a roc spreading its wings.

Push off the ground, turn around, swing the racket, crack the whip... finally, attack.

The entire shot was smooth and crisp. One could tell at a glance that it was all planned in advance. From the choice of serve to the possibility of Nadal's return and then to the response method, the entire blueprint was imprinted in Gawain's mind. Not only did he react quickly, but he was also extremely resolute and courageous in his tactical execution.

Forehand, high point attack, backslash.

Wall attack.

The tennis ball returned along its original trajectory and hit Nadal's forehand sideline again at an even more tricky angle.

For the second consecutive shot, suppressing the forehand position——

Nadal was somewhat caught off guard.

After receiving the serve in the previous shot, Nadal had already moved to the right, preparing to defend his backhand. After all, from a tactical point of view: Gawain chose to serve at the outside corner, pulling Nadal out of the court, and the entire court was cleared. No matter how Nadal returned the ball, Gawain only needed to hit the tennis ball towards the empty space with one shot, and Nadal would fall into a passive position. At the same time, Gawain's subsequent offensive connection could immediately advance in a chain.

Without hesitation, Nadal moved sideways toward the backhand position.

However! An unexpected situation occurred. Gao Wen did not choose a forehand diagonal line, but a forehand reverse diagonal line, hitting a return ball on a repeated line to break the routine.

"Uh huh."

Nadal groaned.

He kicked with his right leg, and the speed of his conditioned reflex was extremely fast. The dazzling connection of his steps was like light walking on water, and it was impossible to see the crossing and changing of steps clearly. However, in the brief moment of kicking and rushing, his body unexpectedly returned to the forehand position again, and he was in place with a big stride.

This is the risk that must be faced when choosing to return the ball. Once the opponent reacts in time, returns to position quickly, and uses the opponent's force to play, the added speed and power of the attacking party may become a threat that backfires on you.

A kick.

A flick.

"ah!"

Without his footsteps being fully in place, Nadal used force with his forehand. At this moment, we could see the strong upper limb strength of the Spanish bull. He relied entirely on the rotation and drive of his upper body, but was able to launch an attack in an extremely passive situation, and his violent forehand and strong topspin continued to exert their power.

bass.

Tennis, it's going crazy.

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The intense friction and high-speed rotation of the tennis ball could be seen with the naked eye. The entire tennis ball turned into a mustard-yellow halo, with tiny hairs exploding and drawing another stunning full arc, crossing the court diagonally and speeding towards the left sideline of Gao Wen.

It turned and became heavy again.

Both rushing and sinking.

Like a swooping osprey.

However, Gawain did not panic at all. Not only did he not retreat, but he moved to the left, took advantage of the situation and went straight to the bottom line.

When Nadal is at his peak, his forehand is omnipotent. Maybe his hitting power is not as good as that of Del Potro, Kyrgios and other players, but his attack, control and changes in forehand are absolutely top-notch in men's professional tennis, and he is also slightly ahead among the Big Four.

Especially on red clay.

Nadal's forehand is very distinctive when hitting the ball on clay. It is not just about rotation or power, but comprehensive control covering the entire court.

Otherwise, Nadal's forehand will aim to hit the ball deep near the baseline.

Using the fierce tail force of the shot to create impact and pressure, even Djokovic, who has unparalleled ability in wrapping tennis, finds it difficult to withstand Nadal's impact from deep in the baseline continuously. If the hitting point is slightly not in place, the ball may be returned shallowly, and then Nadal will follow up with an attack immediately.

Or, Nadal's forehand will deliberately hit the ball shallow.

Make full use of the depth of the court so that after the tennis ball hits the ground and bounces, its strong rotation can be fully released. When it flies near the baseline, even if the opponent can get into position smoothly, the hitting point will often be at the shoulder or even the top of the head, making it impossible to complete the swing.

Combining deep and shallow, criss-crossing, and both offensive and defensive, Nadal's forehand can fully utilize the three-dimensional space of the entire court to the extreme, and then constantly change the rhythm and rotation, but continue to exert pressure and create impact, bringing out the variability of the clay to the fullest.

In fact, this round just now was Nadal's classic forehand move.

A deep area suppression is combined with a shallow area containment. The landing point, rhythm, depth, rotation, position, etc. are all changing, disrupting the opponent's prediction and routine, thereby creating space for Nadal to switch from defense to offense.

But the point is that Nadal is in bad shape this year, very, very bad, and it is mainly reflected in his forehand. The power of his overall control and pressure has been greatly reduced. Not only the accuracy, but also the tail power and the quality of the ball have all declined. It is conceivable that the overall sense of pressure cannot meet the standards.

In the previous shot, the baseline was not pushed deep enough.

In this shot, the shallow rotation is not enough.

Therefore, Gao Wen seized the opportunity and took the initiative, moving forward very actively and proactively, showing his decisiveness and courage.

With one step, Gao Wen had already reached the baseline.

(End of this chapter)