"You have a plan, but I have a ladder."
You come and I go, neither giving an inch; we counter each other's moves, and the situation changes rapidly.
This is the charm of the powerful collision between Djokovic and Gao Wen.
Just on the backhand diagonal line, the two players showed a rich variety of hitting techniques and confrontation methods, and neither of them could take advantage.
Of course, strictly speaking, Djokovic was at a disadvantage. After all, he was the serving player and had the offensive power, but now he was in a stalemate.
From this small detail, we can see why Djokovic must improve the quality of his serve. Entering the end of the second set, the quality and intensity of Djokovic's shots declined, and Gawain regained control of the situation - not only returning to a balance, but also gaining a slight advantage.
So, there was a double fault in this game.
Likewise, even if a double fault occurs, you still need to fight for the second serve; if the first serve enters the zone, you must increase your aggressiveness in the first three shots to resolve the battle as quickly as possible.
However, on the break point, Gao Wen's return unexpectedly broke the deadlock, and he reversed the passive situation in just one shot.
No wonder people are exclaiming that Gao Wen is now the "fifth giant".
However, Djokovic is no pushover.
Move, sprint, teleport underground——
Someone once studied Djokovic's movements. Why is Djokovic always able to cover the entire court and stay at the baseline without losing the ball easily?
In addition to prediction and dribbling the ball, there is another key point: movement.
Later on, Djokovic's defense has replaced Nadal as the ATP's top defensive master, mainly because of movement.
On the one hand, as he gets older, Nadal's movements are no longer as explosive as when he was young, and he relies more on his own predictions.
On the other hand, Djokovic further explored his flexible talent after his style was formed, and he was able to move with a low center of gravity for a long time.
You can imagine that moving with the knees straight and moving with the knees bent are two completely different things. The former is the norm, while the latter is like running while squatting, which is almost an impossible task. Therefore, the difference can be seen on grass and indoor hard courts, where players often need to lower their center of gravity.
After bending the knees and moving a short distance, players often need to straighten their center of gravity and adjust their balance before they can continue running. This slight adjustment time may often disrupt the inertia of movement and lose opportunities in a rapidly changing game, not to mention the continuous consumption of physical energy.
But Djokovic is different. He can keep his knees bent and move in a low center of gravity for a long time, like a ninja. This not only allows him to gain more coverage area, but also ensures that his low hitting point is always stable, which also creates advantages for him on grass and indoor hard courts.
This ability is also unique.
Therefore, entering the second half of his career, Djokovic's defensive coverage ability is stronger than Nadal.
The same is true right now.
Gao Wen's backhand diagonal shot not only creates an angle, but also hits the ball flatly with force. The rebound height of the tennis ball after it lands is limited, further compressing the hitting space.
Djokovic simply bent his knees and crossed the court in a way that made the distance seem tiny, adjusting as he moved, like a complete ninja. His upper body was almost parallel to the ground and his knees seemed like they could hit the ground at any time, but he was able to maintain his balance and quickly approach the target.
Then--
From the corner of his eye, Djokovic saw the direction in which Gao Wen was moving.
Make up for the forehand gap.
There is no doubt about this. After all, the entire court for Gawain has been cleared. Whether he is defending a gap or returning to defend, he must move to the right. What's more, Djokovic's hitting point is already very low, and the angle of the diagonal line has been locked. The straight line is the only chance.
In every way, Gawain had to move this way.
Djokovic admitted that if it were him, he would make the same choice, just like the last shot; but it is precisely because of this that Gawain can always break the routine and turn the situation around in an unexpected way, so should Djokovic also take the risk? The answer is yes.
Djokovic knew that he could take the initiative by choosing to go straight and then go to the net, but he believed that Gawain should have been mentally prepared. Gawain predicted that Djokovic would make this choice and might be prepared to deal with it, so he needed to take risks and break the routine.
He slid forward at a low point and rushed out.
The center of gravity unexpectedly dropped further and was about to touch the ground. Then, he clapped his hands back, and with a scoop and a pull, the parabola was pulled up.
squeak--
The harsh sound of the soles of shoes rubbing against the ground pierced the sky, and the next second, the tennis ball broke the routine and flew back along the diagonal line again.
"Slash vs. Slash" is not over yet.
this……
Amid the exclamations and astonishment, Gao Wen just returned to the middle when he braked suddenly, and the next second he pushed off the ground and rushed in the opposite direction.
huff huff.
His lungs were heaving like a bellows, and he couldn't feel any oxygen even when he took deep breaths. His speed had already reached its limit, and the secretion of lactic acid was causing every muscle to burn like crazy. But Gawain didn't care at all, his eyes were fixed on the tennis ball, and he quickly scanned the court with his peripheral vision.
Oops!
Djokovic's shot went against the grain and produced topspin, because he knew that Gawain would not have time to cut into the baseline and would not be able to grab the rising point, so he used Gawain's strategy of lobbing the ball back on him, pushing the tennis ball into an uncomfortable hitting position and pinching Gawain's backhand.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
At the same time, the return ball had a strong side spin and continued to spin outwards after landing, pushing Gao Wen's footsteps outside the singles line for the second time in a row.
It's high, spinning, and in an awkward position, and it's also difficult to exert force.
What to do? Cut, slash, small ball.
Gao Wen caught a glimpse of an opening in his peripheral vision. As long as he could control the force release accurately, he could use this counterattack to catch Djokovic off guard.
However--
Djokovic went to the net.
Damn it.
Djokovic is also improving his condition. Although his feet have been pulled near the doubles line, his second start is very timely and swift, and he uses his speed advantage to the extreme. In the blink of an eye, he has cut into the baseline with two or three big steps and is approaching quickly.
The visual pressure is overwhelming.
Calculate. Calculate. Calculate again.
Gawain is plotting against Djokovic, and Djokovic is also plotting against Gawain.
However, Gao Wen had no time to hesitate. His footsteps had already reached the hitting point. He had to choose to hit the ball. There was no time to hesitate.
It was at this moment that an idea came to me.
Gawain did not have time to think any further. He followed the inspiration and continued to move forward without braking. Then he rushed forward with both hands backhanded.
Not a cut, but a topspin.
To be more precise, a lob.
Gao Wen used the inertia and centrifugal force of his run-up to complete the shot, pulling the tennis ball high up, drawing a rainbow arc and flying in a straight line.
whoosh.
The tennis ball rose up.