Chapter 1568 Hunter's Intuition

In the first game of the fourth set, Gao Wen tried to take advantage of the victory and continue to break serve to widen the gap and continue his momentum, but unfortunately he failed in the end.

From that time on, Gao Wen adjusted his strategy and maneuvered patiently, adjusting the distribution of his physical energy to reduce the impact of his physical extreme as much as possible. After all, he needed to look at the long term. If he wanted to win this game, five sets was the only option. At the same time, he accumulated strength and waited, looking for flaws.

In the seventh game of the fourth set, Gao Wen got his chance.

On the surface, everything seemed normal and calm, without any special circumstances; but in Gawain's eyes, the game took on a different look.

"0:15".

In this game, Gao Wen scored the first point, a very, very ordinary point. Gao Wen continuously put pressure on Istomin from deep in the baseline. Istomin tried to counterattack and speed up further. As a result, his forehand attack went into the net and his center of gravity was not completely lowered, so he could not pull up the return ball.

That's all.

It was an ordinary and normal point, which is even more common on grass courts, nothing special.

Gao Wen doesn't think so.

He was waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity to break the deadlock, suddenly speed up and break through Istomin. Such an opportunity sometimes requires a little luck or an accident, like the landmine in the tenth game of the third set; sometimes he needs to take the initiative to create and break the balance.

Just like now——

Istomin's physical limit has not yet completely passed, and the quality of his return shots is declining; at the same time, this game does not seem to be a crucial one, so it is easy to be careless, and the sense of crisis will inevitably be delayed.

Most importantly, Gao Wen scored the first point.

So why not give it a try and see if you can tip the balance?

The hunter's sense of smell can keenly detect the reefs beneath the calm river, and moments that seem to be no opportunities can often bring surprises unexpectedly.

So Gawain did just that.

District 2.

Gao Wen came to the baseline, ready to receive the serve, and moved forward a little. From a visual point of view, it was not obvious. Whether forward or backward, it was within the normal range. It looked more like a tentative deterrent.

Istomin noticed it and reminded himself not to be affected by Gawain, to stay focused, continue with his serving routine, and not to be distracted.

--tread.

Over there, Istomin threw the ball.

Here, Gawain took a small step forward.

--tread.

On the other side, Istomin served.

Here, Gawain took another small step forward.

Everything is done simultaneously.

In just a blink of an eye, Gawain's footsteps had already reached the baseline.

It has been mentioned more than once during the previous clay court season that Nadal often chooses to stand four or five meters away from the baseline to receive serves at Roland Garros.

The reason is very intuitive, which is to gain more space and time to return the ball.

With the help of high-tech equipment, the speed and power conversion rate of tennis are getting higher and higher, and the impact forces that players need to face are becoming more and more fierce. Without physical adjustments, the reaction speed is often difficult to keep up with the serve speed; even if it keeps up, it is difficult to control the parabola of the return ball.

Later, not only Nadal, but also young players including Thiem, Ruud, Tsitsipas and others often chose to keep a distance when receiving serves on clay.

However, at this time, Gao Wen not only did not retreat, but also took the initiative to move forward, compressing his receiving space; moreover, this was a grass field.

Serena Williams often does this in WTA competitions.

Because the opponent's serve was soft and lacked power and speed to create pressure, Serena Williams simply stood at the baseline or went to the baseline to receive the serve. In this way, she could gain a higher point, use her strength advantage to directly attack, and finally sweep across with an ace return serve.

Especially at Wimbledon, this is one of Serena Williams's tricks.

But the point is that ATP is not WTA. Even if a male player's serve is soft, even if it is a second serve, the impact of power can still feel oppressive.

What's more, this was Istomin's first serve! So, when Gawain stepped forward, the entire No. 2 court was collectively shocked. Before they even had time to react, they exclaimed -

Huh! Stunned and dumbfounded.

The next second, the exclamation was cut off, and attention was completely attracted by the movements on the court.

Everything happened so fast that there was not even time to blink.

Step.

Come forward.

Gawain's entire brain remained absolutely clear and calm. He knew he was taking a risk and he knew he was gambling, which required even more concentration.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

Objectively speaking, if Istomin's serve had been at an angle, either the outside or inside angle, Gao Wen's stepping forward would have cut off his possibility of receiving the serve, as his footsteps would not have had enough time to cover the large angle. In the end, Istomin would have easily and nervously made an ACE and ended the game quickly.

But now, Istomin is facing the limit of his physical strength and is worried that his second serve will become the target of Gao Wen's concentrated attack. He must improve the success rate of his first serve. He often does not take the risk of opening the angle to aim at the corners to serve, but creates squeezing through close serves and continues to maintain the pressure brought by the first serve.

At least, that was the routine. Gawain was betting that Istomin would continue with the routine this time. After all, in the seventh game, the score was not critical or dangerous, and there was no sign of crisis or chaos. There was no need to break the routine and take risks, right? One step.

Two steps.

In the blink of an eye, Gawain was already standing on the baseline, and Istomin's serve was already expanding in his pupils.

Coming towards you.

Inside angle, forehand, but the angle is not big, still close to the body.

“Just right!”

Gao Wen was highly focused and did not stop. Not only did he not stop, but his center of gravity continued to move forward, ready to take a step forward.

However, before stepping forward, Gao Wen stretched out his forehand and tilted his body slightly to the left to make room for swinging the racket. He reached out and touched the tennis ball: it came up from the bottom like a torpedo. Gao Wen kept his knees bent and his center of gravity lowered, and finally completed a shot near his knees that was almost a rebound. He did not exert any force at all, but instead used the force of the opponent's opponent, and relied on the wrapping of his wrist to lightly touch it back.

bass--

In a flash, without any breathing space, the tennis ball jumped back.

opportunity!

The forehand had just touched the ball, and then Gao Wen leaned forward with his center of gravity and continued to move forward, following the flight trajectory of the tennis ball.

Serve and net! Tap, tap, tap, tap.

His steps were light and agile, his thinking was clear and his execution was resolute. The connection from hitting the ball to reaching the net was smooth, leaving no room for breathing.

Sampras' eyes lit up and he secretly clenched his fists, cheering for Gawain. After half a year of continuous practice and practical execution, he finally got some results.

Whoosh…

The wind was howling, and in the blink of an eye, Gawain's figure was like a giant lying in front of the net. His 193-centimeter height easily covered most of the space in front of Istomin's field of vision. His outstretched arms were like a white-robed wizard blocking a dragon, and the mighty momentum poured down.

Istomin: ??? (End of this chapter)