Chapter 2052: Down to Earth
This scene before my eyes is really unbelievable——
The game has entered the deciding set. After a full 120 minutes of competition, the winner is still undecided. In a blink of an eye, the deciding set has come to the tenth game. A tense and stalemate atmosphere permeates the entire court. However, the two players are still holding on tightly as if the game had just begun.
"15:0", Nadal scored the first point with a straight serve.
"15:15", Gao Wen sneaked in a small shot.
"15:30", Nadal's backhand went straight into the net.
"30:30", Nadal's iconic forehand straight line winner.
They are intertwined and difficult to separate.
Even at this moment, the outcome is still a big question mark. Anyone has a chance. Is this definitely the tenth game of the deciding set? But.
When the eyes fell on the two figures on the court, all the questions seemed to be answered——
After all, both of them are gods of war, right?
This is not the first time that Gawain and Nadal have met, but over the past year, the two players have not been on the same wavelength. It was not until London that Nadal, who had a strong recovery at the end of the season, finally found his form and touch, and the collision of Mars and the Earth took place.
They refused to give an inch and fought with bayonets.
"ah!"
Nadal finally clenched his fists and roared, the God of War descended.
“Ahhhh!”
Once again, he launched a desperate counterattack in an extremely passive situation, and with an incredible lob, he dribbled past Gao Wen and scored this point to surpass the opponent again.
"40:30".
Nadal took the lead in fighting for a game point, and firmly seized the opportunity in the breathtaking collision of strong opponents, winning breathing space.
However, Gawain remained unmoved.
Dare to attack, dare to start, the whole vigorous attack is powerful, like mercury pouring on the ground, three consecutive attacks are layered.
Moreover, he broke through Nadal's forehand position with a backhand diagonal "inside-out" return shot, destroying Nadal's swing trajectory and forcing the return ball out of bounds.
"40:40".
The score returned to balance again.
Wheezing, wheezing, wheezing—
At this time, even the spectators in the stands of the O2 Stadium could feel their breath coming short, not to mention the two players who were facing off on the court. Indeed, the atmosphere of the game was just like the opening, but the physical condition and competitive level were not, and the scorching carbon dioxide was filling the entire stadium.
Snap. Snap.
For a moment, it was unclear whether it was the sound of Nadal's sweat dripping onto the court or the sound of the tennis ball bouncing, but those sounds were like being trapped in quicksand, including being muffled in a heat wave and unable to make any sound. Only a gust of air faintly hit the eardrum, and the blood began to boil.
Zone 1.
Everything still has to start from scratch, right?
Bend your knees, push off the ground, and swing your arms.
Nadal started to serve. His tossing height was never high and the whole serving action seemed very simple. The tennis ball had already hit out.
Flat hit.
It was actually a flat hit.
Less commonly, Nadal serves a flat serve.
Of course, Nadal's flat serve is still different from Isner and Querrey. It still has more or less rotation, and the speed is not fast, only 195 kilometers per hour, which is not enough in front of real cannons. But Nadal's flat serve, the whole rhythm and power are very special.
A school of its own.
And, this is… the inside corner.
See also inner angle.
Gawain pushed his body to the left with a kick, but just as he started walking, he caught a glimpse of a figure in his peripheral vision.
——Go online.
Is this a serve and volley?
In the tenth game of the deciding set, with the score at 40:40, Nadal chose to serve and volley, a tactic that might only be used once in eight hundred years?
But this is where Nadal's brilliance lies. Not only does he have diverse tactics, but he also has abundant weapons. His top tactical combinations can always bring new ideas. Even giant-level players need to be extra cautious at such moments. If they are not careful, they will fall into Nadal's control.
The same is true right now.
Gawain, what should he do? In a split second, Gawain had to make a judgment, a decision, and a move, overturning his original return serve plan and coming up with a completely new plan on the spot.
Gawain was not nervous—
Respond to ever-changing situations with constancy.
At this moment, everything happened too suddenly and too urgently. Gawain was undoubtedly at a disadvantage. If he changed rashly or hesitated, he would be like a prey caught in a dragnet. The more he struggled, the tighter the net would become, which might kill his potential for survival.
What he needs is to be calm, focused and down-to-earth.
then.
With just one step, Gawain pushed forward with both hands.
No fancy moves, no techniques, no rotation, just a flat push, like a straight punch in boxing.
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There is no force, no angle, no arc, it is just a straight forward movement using the opponent's force to hit the opponent.
It was a very clean and simple shot, and the goal was to hit the ball fast. When the eyes caught Nadal's intention to serve and go to the net, he reacted reflexively at the first moment.
Since Nadal chose to serve and volley, actively shortening the tempo of the round; then Gao Wen took advantage of the situation and further increased his speed, passively shortening the tempo of the round.
"Speed VS Speed"——
This is an elementary school math problem. When Nadal rushes towards the net at a speed of 36 kilometers per hour, Gao Wen hits a return ball at a speed of 140 kilometers per hour towards the net, so Nadal and the tennis ball will meet at a speed of 176 kilometers per hour. The superposition of speed creates an acceleration effect.
Although Nadal was mentally prepared, as the one who took the initiative to go to the net, he was well prepared, both mentally and physically.
But before he could even blink, he could see a flash of light coming towards him, and at the same time his footsteps were still moving further forward. The impact was so great that he had no time to breathe, and Nadal had to respond.
Gawain's intention of returning the ball was very clear. Not only did he compress the tempo, but he also chased after Nadal, and his return ball was aimed at Nadal's stepping position.
Nadal had to move his body sideways while moving at high speed, barely using his racket to create an obstacle and hit the tennis ball back head-on.
Like swatting a fly.
Unfortunately, his body was still squeezed and hit and he couldn't stretch out, so Nadal had no way to smash with force and could only simply push and block.
Then, the reaction force and gravity pull the tennis ball down quickly.
Opposite the net.
Gao Wen, is stepping up.
Stride, big stride, continuous big stride.
His first action after completing the shot was not to restore his center of gravity, but to take a step forward directly, not caring about the violently shaking center of gravity. He adjusted while stepping forward, and without hesitation he cut into the baseline and rushed towards the net, further impacting Nadal from a visual level.
The whole connection was very tight and smooth, which bought Gao Wen some time.
He needs this little bit of time.
Between his consecutive strides, Gawain had already noticed Nadal's movements.
Diagonal, backhand.
Nadal also knows that things change rapidly, especially in front of the net, there is no time to hesitate, and once the judgment is made, he must trust his intuition.
So, Nadal started immediately.
Gawain's footsteps were too late to get into position. Nadal's return was light and spinning, and the rebound height was limited when it landed. Gawain extended his upper body, fully stretched his forehand, cut under the tennis ball, and lightly lifted it.
However! Just as he made his move, Gawain saw Nadal coming back——
Fake move.
Oops, got fooled.
(End of this chapter)