At the beginning of the second set, Gao Wen was a little unsure whether it was his illusion. He always felt that Nadal's ball quality was improving, and he was becoming more and more handy as the game progressed, and was continuing to improve.
What we are talking about here is not the intensity of the game.
In fact, after the fierce battle in the first set, the physical fitness of Gawain and Nadal declined to a certain extent, so that from the beginning of the second set, both players made slight adjustments to their tactical layout.
Naturally, fluctuations in the intensity of rounds are inevitable.
But in Gao Wen's opinion, Nadal's shot quality has improved significantly.
The switching, adjustment and combination of rotation, landing point, power, rhythm, etc. are getting better and better. He can always find the right way to return the ball at the right time. The impact and pressure brought by the quality of the shot are slowly accumulated invisibly.
It cannot be seen with the naked eye, but the pressure is extremely clear.
Gao Wen had heard more than once before that Nadal was a player who was keen on training, even fanatical, so much so that after Moya took over Nadal's coaching job, he made a request to reduce training, forcing Nadal to reduce his training time.
One of the most famous anecdotes happened at the All England Club.
Before the opening of the 2010 Wimbledon tournament, the Queen visited the All England Club and invited a group of top players to the central club for a small party, including Federer, Djokovic, Serena Williams, Sharapova and other players, and naturally Nadal.
But Nadal declined the Queen's invitation because he had a training appointment and he believed he needed to stick to his training schedule and go to the training ground.
Finally, that year, Nadal won his second Wimbledon championship gold cup.
Nadal has always been like this. He needs training and competition. The closer the clash with top players, the more it can stimulate his fighting spirit. His good form is often achieved through one game after another.
Gawain had heard a lot of rumors, but this was the first time he had experienced it face to face.
During the game, the quality of Nadal's returns improved significantly, and his confidence and condition rose little by little, as if Nadal was the one who had the system and had just completed the extra points to quickly improve himself.
However, this is actually happening. In the match between Gawain and Nadal, Nadal continued his overall recovery since the Asian season, improving step by step and showing top competitive form.
The most obvious and direct thing is that Nadal's forehand feels smoother, more confident and more determined. The choice of some lines and landing points is also more natural, without hesitation, no faltering and no worry.
Naturally, the entire connection becomes smooth.
Pressure, very direct.
"4:3".
The strong clash between the two sides was stalemated and the deadlock was never broken. Although Nadal and Gawain both got some opportunities in the opponent's serve, the wonderful performance at the critical moment still belonged to the serving side, so no one has been able to break the serve so far.
In the eighth game, Gao Wen's serve game, he encountered some trouble again.
Originally, Gao Wen had already got the game point, and two in a row, but due to physical fitness, he did not squat enough on a forehand shot, and his center of gravity did not lower completely, causing the final return ball to go into the net and give away a point. The situation immediately changed, and Nadal then tied the score with a forehand straight line winner while running.
Then, the game became a stalemate.
In addition to the two consecutive game points before, Gao Wen missed another game point, but at the same time, Gao Wen also narrowly saved two break point crises. The two players returned to a tie for the fourth time and were still tied.
And then...
With a repeated forehand "inside-out" line, Gawain's forehand swing speed increased by a whole level, the racket head speed was fully swung, and the tennis ball was instantly hammered towards the repeated landing point behind Nadal.
Nadal's backhand was met with continuous hammering from Gawain, leaving him no room to breathe. He kept trying to return to defense, but was pulled back again and again, like quicksand, stumbling and being pulled back again.
His steps were staggering and his center of gravity was completely unstable.
Nadal was in a squatting position, trying to hit the ball with both hands on his knees. His body was awkwardly leaning towards the right, and he did not have enough space to swing the racket, so he could only rely on the strength of his upper limbs to hit the ball.
Use your forearms, swing quickly, push hard, use the opponent's force, and explode instantly.
In the narrow space, Nadal actually used Gawain's "inside-out" shot to tear out a larger angle, found a shallow angle at the diagonal position, and returned the ball into the serving area and swung it out.
collision!
Flat hit!
Make an effort!
Landed, bounced, and rushed out of the doubles line.
Although Gawain pulled his feet out immediately, Nadal's diagonal return was too tricky and his feet were unable to keep up.
The winning point! The iconic defensive counterattack, the iconic all-out effort, the iconic reversal, standing in despair to find a glimmer of opportunity to create a miracle, running tirelessly, focusing with all your strength, and unyielding fighting spirit to hold on to the game tightly, and push both the opponent and yourself to the extreme.
This is Nadal.
"40:AD".
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The third break point in this game.
"ah!"
Across the court, Nadal roared like a god of war, clenched his fists and raised his arms, instantly pushing the surging heat of the O2 Arena to a new peak.
In this game, Gawain performed outstandingly, and Nadal was not only able to keep up but also surpassed him. It was worthy of the long-awaited peak showdown in the death group, and Nadal unexpectedly showed the energy of a giant.
Now, Nadal has pushed Kovan into another crisis, forcing him to improve his condition again. How should he handle this break point ?
Outside corner.
Generally speaking, when facing Nadal, the second zone often does not choose the outside corner, because the outside corner does not have an advantage against Nadal's forehand; but occasionally a sneak attack on the outside corner can achieve unexpected results.
After careful consideration, Gao Wen deliberately slowed down the speed of this serve and chose to control the landing point, directly tearing the angle apart from the serve.
The tennis ball flew out after it landed on the ground.
Although the speed was not fast, only 183 kilometers per hour, the strong side spin completely opened up the angle, instantly mobilizing Nadal and pulling his feet outside the singles line. The awkward hitting point limited his swing space.
Then you can see Nadal hit the ball with his forehand.
Unlike Djokovic, Nadal's forehand shot can be pulled out in different lines according to the strong topspin, such as shallow area, deep area, mid-field, etc., so the tactical combinations are rich and varied.
This time, Nadal also noticed Gawain's tactical intention. He knew that Gawain was ready for the subsequent attack, so he pulled a super topspin in the deep zone to create a squeeze and limit Gawain's attack. However, due to the limited swing space and hasty shot, the parabola control was still not in place.
The tennis ball landed in the deep area but didn't quite hit the line.
Despite this, Nadal still improved the quality of his returns in a limited space, which was also the competitiveness he showed in the second set.
The tennis ball, with a strong spin, rushed towards Gao Wen's cheek.