Everyone knows that Nadal's defense is unparalleled in the world, but few have the opportunity to witness Nadal's different methods on the offensive end. Only in the game with Federer can one feel this texture. Now Gao Wen should be added to the mix. The confrontation between the two on both offense and defense is really exciting to watch.
Nadal also clearly understands this.
Therefore, attacking is not just about attacking. You also need to grasp the rhythm and seize the opportunity, hit a signature forehand topspin, and continue to increase the intensity.
This time, Nadal did count on Gawain.
Although Gawain was well prepared, Nadal's ball quality was indeed excellent, and he created an advantage for himself without any fancy shots.
A little bit late, Gawain's footsteps appeared.
Passive, very passive.
But Gawain did not panic, and he quickly completed the process with a two-handed backhand cut; it was a strong backspin cut that swallowed up all of Nadal's topspin, a high-point cut that knocked the tennis ball back from top to bottom, and consciously pulled the angle back a little to reduce the impact of the angle.
In other words, Gawain needs to compress the coverage space of the court, not only to pull Nadal back, but also to create convenience for his own defensive adjustments.
Defense is not just about defense. It requires planning for the next shot and the next shot through defense in this shot. This is what excellent defense is.
Otherwise, once you fall into the defensive position, you will be in a passive position and will never be able to reverse the situation.
Truly excellent defense requires more thinking than offense.
This is what Gao Wen was like at this time.
Cutting is cutting, and the rhythm of this round did not drop significantly. Gawain's backspin cut made the tennis ball fall to the baseline as fast as a meteor.
Step! With a push of his foot, his left leg pushed his body across the singles line and back into the court. Just as he was about to return to his position to defend, he saw Nadal take the lead.
Nadal was trying to gain the ascending point, but Gawain's backspin slice could not limit him. He did not even need to bend his knees completely. A forehand topspin shot was enough. For the second consecutive shot, he completed the violent release with a forehand attack.
Ah! Nadal screamed again, hitting his forehand with full force.
The tennis ball, along the diagonal direction, with similar lines and similar landing points, continuously hits Gao Wen's backhand, and the endless heavy punches continue to hit the same position.
Like boxing.
But this time, Gao Wen's center of gravity had been adjusted, and the landing point and rhythm of the defensive cut in the previous shot won him a precious breathing space.
then.
While the front foot is still moving along the right side to defend, the back foot stops and turns suddenly, then takes a big step into position, and the upper body leans forward, and the shot is released before the footsteps are even in position.
Grab the rising point.
Look, this is the detail and also the layout. The space gained by the defense in the previous shot not only allowed Gao Wen to adjust his steps, but also won some offensive space for Gao Wen. Gao Wen did not hesitate or delay, and seized the opportunity without hesitation, tearing open a path even if there was no gap.
On the other side, Nadal took advantage of the rising point to shorten the tempo.
Here, Gao Wen also took advantage of the rising point to increase the tempo.
The whole game was completely tense.
Without warning.
Gawain's backhand skill can be seen from this shot. Seizing the rising point is only part of it. His upper body and arms are fully extended, and he hits the ball at a low point with both hands, completing the shot before Nadal's super spin is released, and straightening his arms to complete a heavy hammer shot.
It's not about changing the line, it's just like a baseball home run, hitting along the diagonal line.
Ah! He roared.
Ahhh! Full force.
Gawain's two-handed backhand was very sudden and powerful, creating an angle to complete the shot. The tennis ball aimed at the shallow area on the left sideline of Nadal and went through it. In an instant, the horizontal space of the entire court was widened again.
Power, speed, angle, perfect collision.
The whole audience was stunned and stunned.
Although Nadal's footsteps were at the forehand position and he was taking small steps to adjust and return to defense, he immediately realized Gawain's hitting intention, braked and controlled his steps, and immediately rushed to the left, and took another step.
But, it's still embarrassing.
Mainly the angle.
Gawain controlled the landing point in the shallow area, so that he could completely tear the angle apart. However, Nadal did not have time to step forward to gain space for hitting the ball, so he stood outside the singles line and extended toward the doubles line to try to hit the ball.
The body has been stretched to its limit, but it is still not enough.
Very, very reluctantly.
The root cause is still the game -
Nadal's steps have been returning to defense and taking care of his backhand position. After all, in the second half of the deciding set, Gawain was completely aiming at Nadal's backhand and continued to attack, including this round. In the first half, Gawain's return balls repeatedly restrained Nadal's backhand and held on tightly.
However, no one expected that without any warning, when Gawain launched his next attack, he actually chose to break through from the forehand, and Nadal was caught off guard.
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In the connection between offense and defense, Gao Wen's game this time gained an advantage.
Nadal reacted promptly enough, but his footsteps still did not keep up. He relied entirely on his upper limb strength to reach the ball. His forehand blocked the ball at the extreme position and then dodged it. In a flash, he could only rely on his wrist to strongly rub out the topspin and complete the push.
Uh ah.
Nadal groaned.
but!
The tennis ball was pushed back, pulling a full rainbow arc and flying back. At this moment, Nadal's superb defensive ability could be seen again. Even though he was so passive and had almost no time to touch the ball, Nadal still rubbed out a strong topspin diagonal return ball.
Tennis ball, raised high.
This bought Nadal valuable time to adjust, regain his center of gravity, adjust his steps, quickly return to defense, and regain his position to continue the confrontation.
Everything happened in a flash.
By the time Nadal was waiting for the tennis ball to reach Gawain's position, he had already made his adjustments; moreover, it was not easy for Gawain to handle this return ball.
Tennis balls land shallowly, bounce high, and spin strongly. Although they have no speed and appear to have no power, Nadal's return balls always have a very strong tail force. If one is not careful, Gawain may hit the return ball directly, and it will not go into the net, but into the audience stands.
Moreover, Gawain’s position was awkward—
Or, cut in near the doubles line to complete the shot, which is equivalent to clearing the entire court.
Or, you can get inside the baseline to complete the shot and go to the net, but the right side of the court is still completely open.
On the one hand, it is difficult to handle the ball; on the other hand, it is difficult to cover the space on the court.
This is Nadal's defense. Even when returning the ball in an absolutely difficult situation, he can still create problems for the opponent and launch a counterattack through defense.
In fact, this is also Gawain's strong point, but in front of Nadal, he lacks the weapon of strong topspin, and some of his shots are not as rich.
Now, what should Gao Wen do? To be honest, Gao Wen was not surprised nor panicked. He stepped forward, cut to the baseline, and went to the net. He had already set up a two-handed backhand.
Just as Gawain was about to launch an attack, he paused and pulled back the ball at the moment of attack.
Turn the world upside down.
Hit the ball for the second time in a row.