Chapter 1466: Counterattack
Stalemate, stalemate——
"40:AD".
Facing the break point, Wawrinka briefly vented his anger and irritability, then cleared his mind and regained his calm, and acted boldly and resolutely again.
In a tennis match, as the situation changes, subtle changes in mentality occur all the time, and every point is different.
Wawrinka found an accurate spot for his forehand close to the opponent, and his first serve finally entered the zone smoothly. The serve at a speed of 188 kilometers per hour successfully squeezed Gao Wen, allowing Wawrinka to realize the advantage of his serve. Then, he launched a sideways forehand attack without hesitation, but the backslash line was discovered.
Thus, the round came to a stalemate.
From "forehand vs. forehand", to "backhand vs. backhand", and then to "forehand vs. backhand", the two players' hitting lines are spread across different corners of the court.
In this round, both players remained highly alert, and their predictions and positioning were very timely, so that the opponent did not have many opportunities to shoot, forcing both sides to not easily open up angles when attacking - of course, the special score also had a certain impact on the psychological level.
In addition, don't forget that this is the end of the fourth set. Two consecutive service games were tough battles. Not to mention the impact on physical strength, the mental tension also further quickly burned physical energy. After entering the anaerobic state, deviations in force and shots are inevitable, and even a process of accumulating strength is required.
This is also a key point.
When hitting the ball, because there is no suitable opportunity, there is no aiming at the corners to attack, which leaves space for defense or counterattack.
After a few exchanges, the round became deadlocked. The two players were all over the court. Both of them were planning, both of them were confronting, and both of them were suppressing. However, the fierce collision between the two could not establish enough advantage, and the atmosphere became tense.
Ten beats.
Twenty beats.
During this time, both players tried to break the balance, but in the end they failed.
Wawrinka's two consecutive backhand diagonal shots opened up the angle, but Gawain's high-quality defense on the backhand side pushed back Wawrinka's aggressive attack with a line shot. The line shot that seemed to be out of bounds triggered exclamations from the audience including Philippe Chatrier.
Gawain's forehand straight line attack also broke Wawrinka's footwork balance. Seeing that Wawrinka had lost his center of gravity, the backhand straight return ball in extreme distress completely overturned Gawain's judgment. The forehand save without center of gravity failed to exert continuous pressure.
Both players brought their abilities and characteristics to the fullest, and the offensive and defensive transitions made every shot full of countless possibilities.
...Thirty beats.
In a blink of an eye, the two players have been deadlocked for more than thirty shots - there is no doubt that this is the longest round of the game, finally showing the true nature of Roland Garros's clay court, which is durable and resistant to attack. The real test is not only offense and defense, but all-round ability.
"ah!"
Wawrinka uttered a muffled groan, and Gawain hit a transition ball, but the skateboard shot from the midfield position did not use any force, but relied entirely on cleverness to control the line and landing point, creating an extraordinary effect. The forehand backhand diagonal shot landed in the shallow area of Wawrinka's backhand sideline and rotated sideways.
Although it was a light hit, Wawrinka's footsteps were moved to the doubles area. His messy footsteps could not keep up a little bit, and his body was protesting. There was a brief moment when he could not adjust his breathing. Naturally, from the footsteps to the swing of the racket to the force, the whole body was affected.
Uh, uhhhhhhhhh…
Wawrinka, unyielding, forced his power, hit a one-handed backhand, and attacked vigorously.
Sharp, tough, tricky and cool.
Slash!
In a passive situation, Wawrinka ignited his inner world again and played in a super god state. He broke the balance with a strong one-handed backhand diagonal shot and the angle was torn open.
With just one shot, Gawain, who had just taken the initiative, suddenly fell into a passive position, because Wawrinka's backhand diagonal shot completely opened up the angle, so that Gawain's footsteps had to enter the doubles area, and even not far enough, which directly led to an incomplete two-handed backhand swing.
Although Gao Wen successfully completed the shot, the closing action of the racket head was still a little slow, and the parabola of the tennis ball went straight up.
The arc is not high, not even to the level of a high ball, but it is indeed higher than the usual return arc, and the rotation and speed have slowed down.
Chance!
It was an opportunity for Wawrinka, and he did not miss it after burning his little universe to complete the explosion. He stepped into the baseline in the first time.
Push off, move forward, press.
Wawrinka quickly came to the midfield, and without waiting for the tennis ball to land, he pressed forward completely and launched a volley directly from the midfield, compressing the return rhythm to the extreme.
"ah!"
Forehand, exert force, and release fully.
Across the court, Gawain could feel the overwhelming force coming at him layer upon layer, the surging momentum like a tidal wave pressing down unreasonably, even the dense dark clouds hanging over the Philippe Chatrier Stadium began to sink, and the world just fell into darkness.
But Gawain did not give up.
With a push, the left leg brakes, and then pushes off the ground with an explosion, pushing the body out.
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With one step, the feet alternate, sprinting sideways, entering a state of complete ecstasy.
The only thing to be thankful for is that in order to shorten the rhythm of the return ball, Wawrinka chose to volley, which compressed Gawain's reaction time while also compressing his own hitting time. Therefore, he did not choose a too risky line and landing point, but just chose to hit the ball in a straight line.
The tennis ball returned to the left side of the court on Gawain's side, right in the path of Gawain's lateral sprint.
It's like a crossroads.
Tennis went down from the north side, and Gao Wen went right from the west side, and then met at the intersection.
Bang! Gawain's forehand had already hit the ball, and the violent vibration on the racket strings was transmitted to his wrist very clearly, and even his forearm began to tremble slightly. At this time, he could feel the power of Wawrinka's volley, and the powerful tail force was surging between the racket strings.
Well.
Gawain groaned. Although he completed the shot, he had no time to control it in such a hurry. He could only pick up the tennis ball in a very awkward manner.
There is no rotation, no control, no power, and even no time and space. The lob is Gawain's only option in an absolutely passive situation.
The tennis ball, high into the air, trying to get over the top—
Wawrinka, who is 183cm tall, seems a little short when standing opposite Gawain, and his ability to cover the net is also a little clumsy because of his footsteps.
At this time, Wawrinka also realized the crisis.
In tennis matches, the ability to lob the ball is often overlooked; but by watching Nadal's games, you can know that this very passive skill is often the key shot for him to turn the situation around. When facing top players and firepower gunners, he can shine.
The same is true for Gawain.
The high ball, played in an extremely passive situation, was light and agile, leaping over Wawrinka's head thrillingly and flying towards the empty space at the back of the court.
(End of this chapter)