Chapter 1662: Star River Herons Rise
It is both defense and offense. The speed of transition between offense and defense is getting faster and faster. This is the development trend of the entire ATP tennis trend.
In the most crucial points confrontation of this game, Murray and Gao Wen showed this trend vividly, and this point pushed it to a new climax again.
Both players were fully focused, gave their all, and immersed themselves in the game.
Here, Gao Wen's hard brake failed to touch the ground, his feet slipped slightly, and he was about to fall.
Huh! There was a cry of surprise at the scene.
On the other side, Murray also made an emergency brake. He continued to go to the net, but after realizing how Gawain returned the ball, he started again with a push. He retreated to the baseline before he could get close to the net. He retreated while observing, and a sense of crisis instantly gripped his heart.
Turn enough and go deep enough.
Gawain's lob showed solid basic skills, and was not affected by fake moves at all. It drew a full parabola, which not only ensured that it could pass over Murray's head, but also ensured the depth, forcing Murray to continue rushing all the way to the baseline.
With sudden stops and turns, second starts, and even third starts, Murray showed all his basic skills without reservation.
"ah."
Murray roared, and his speed increased again. He returned to the baseline at a swift pace, made a 180-degree clockwise turn, swung his racket in the direction of the turn, and hit the ball very solidly with his two-handed backhand. His movements from movement to turn to hitting the ball were all done in one go.
There was no time to observe Gawain's position at this time. Murray had to make a judgment based on his own situation, and the collision of strength broke out.
"ah!"
He roared again, this time using all his strength to push the tennis ball back with his backhand.
Waiting for Murray to turn around, he could see Gawain's pupils dilating continuously.
This time, it was Gao Wen's turn to go online.
You come and I go, you go down and I go up.
Although his steps were a little slippery, Gao Wen supported his body with the help of the racket. He did not bother to adjust his center of gravity. He pushed his feet, used the racket to support the ground, and stood up again. His toes and soles could clearly feel the surge of power, and he adjusted quickly with a series of small steps.
Immediately following.
Rushing forward at full speed, he quickly adjusted himself while swaying, and entered the serving area in a flash, with his center of gravity restored to balance.
As soon as he stopped, Gao Wen was ready to cover the net.
Murray and Gawain were like a seesaw, pushing and pulling back and forth between the net and the baseline. Neither of them could be said to have the upper hand, but neither had lost the initiative. The dazzling offensive and defensive transitions were overwhelming, and then the entire center court fell into a breathless stare, without any sound.
Bang! Murray's 180-degree spin was solid and steady, but the power, rotation, and line were not enough, and he couldn't adjust them in a hurry. Moreover, he was facing away from the court, and his judgment of the court position was not very accurate. In other words, apart from the power, this shot was basically a transition.
So, Gawain's chance? Not necessarily.
Gao Wen rushed to the net in a hurry. He had just adjusted his steps and had no time to judge and plan. Murray's shot was already coming. He had to react immediately, relying on instinct in the midst of the storm.
Objectively speaking, net technique is indeed a very obvious shortcoming of Gao Wen at the moment, and he still relies more on his touch to play.
But there is a classic saying in tennis about net technique: "It's not enough for the hands to follow up, the feet must also follow up."
In most rounds of confrontation at the net, laymen tend to look at the hands, while professionals tend to look at the feet.
There is no problem with Gao Wen's hand technique, but his footwork in front of the net still needs to be honed.
At this moment, in the panic, it can be seen that Gao Wen's lateral movement is obviously not proficient, and his judgment and control of spatial position are also slightly insufficient. He took a lateral step into the right place, but the hitting point was too close to the body, and his right hand holding the racket was blocked.
Straight, forehand, Murray's turning shot rushed towards Gao Wen's forehand.
Although Gao Wen took a step forward and moved in the first moment and got to the position quickly, his control of space was slightly off, and his forehand interception was lacking in control.
Pop.
In a flash, before I could control it, the tennis ball had already flown back.
When Gao Wen saw it, he immediately cried out that something was wrong.
The force was not unloaded completely, so the final interception line was a little longer and returned to the baseline; but at the same time, the line was not long enough. If it had pressed the line, then this interception could be considered a success. Now it is still one step away from the baseline, which is almost like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth.
This is equivalent to sending the tennis ball to Murray through a volley; moreover, the angle is not torn, and Murray only needs to adjust a small step to get it into place.
Oops.
Gawain immediately sounded the alarm, but in the ever-changing game, there was no time to hesitate or regret. He had to put the previous shot behind him, take small steps to adjust, and keep his center of gravity light to prepare for the next shot. Then, Gawain's pupils contracted.
Murray, the ball goes high.
——Mirror image.
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Just now, Gawain used a lob to push Murray to the baseline and turned the situation around.
Now, it's Murray's turn to lob the ball.
It was very unexpected, but both unexpected and reasonable.
Because Gawain's volley at the net had no power, although the force was not released cleanly enough, resulting in a long return line, the tennis ball itself had little power, so the height of its rebound was limited. Murray's desire to break the net was also restricted by the hitting space, so he simply chose to pull up the tennis ball.
Once the lob goes over the top, Gawain, like Murray, will have to return to the baseline, which will also be an opportunity for Murray to go to the net again.
The tennis ball rose high up, like a crescent moon.
In the VIP box, Beckham held his breath. This parabola was too similar to his famous stunt. Those arcs and rotations, everything was too familiar.
Thousands of eyes were focused on the flight trajectory of the tennis ball.
The same is true for Gawain.
Retreat.
Continue to retreat.
Adjust while retreating.
Gawain raised his head and adjusted his position with small steps, looking for the tennis ball in the golden splendor. The sky was full of bright stars twinkling. It was the best time of the afternoon sun. A gorgeous galaxy lay in the blue-gray sky. A few white birds flapped their wings and flew high, drawing a leisurely trajectory in the sky. The golden color was spreading behind the arc.
In the tense and suffocating game, I actually found a rare bit of leisure. It seemed that I could press the pause button and enjoy the afternoon in Wimbledon, with a cup of afternoon tea, some snacks, green shade, white clothes, and a gentle breeze. I couldn't help but close my eyes and bask in the sunshine.
The sound of the hourglass of time blows gently on the eardrum, which is a bit itchy.
Then.
Found it! The tennis ball is flying, spinning, trying to break through the blockade and embrace the blue sky.
(End of this chapter)