"Forehand VS Forehand".
Gao Wen stole a shot when receiving the serve, and Djokovic also stole a shot when connecting the second shot and went one step further.
Gawain opened up the angle, and Djokovic further opened up the angle. In the fierce collision between the two sides, the horizontal space of the court has been completely opened up.
Sparks flying everywhere.
Gao Wencai had just turned the situation around by receiving the serve, but he didn't expect to fall into a passive position again when he turned around. His steps to the left to return to his position were immediately pulled back; and this time the angle was larger, the speed was faster, and the force was greater, making the difficulty of hitting the ball suddenly rise to a higher level.
Both players were the same, not only playing fast, but also continuously exerting force in the collision of using the opponent's force, and the confrontation was obviously becoming more and more intense.
Tough. Firm. Decisive.
So, is it a fight to the death now? If it was Wawrinka, Gawain admitted that he probably wouldn't get the upper hand in a head-on fight; but Djokovic? It's a different story.
In a split second, what Gao Wen was thinking about was not whether he could suppress Djokovic in a head-on fight, but the overall layout.
Is this a trap?
Given Djokovic's personality and style, would he really just throw his arms around and rush forward recklessly?
Moreover, the premise is that Djokovic had just smashed a racket, which also meant that the negative emotions were vented and rationality returned to the brain.
In this situation, Djokovic suddenly started to fight to the death? Gao Wen didn't believe it.
In the ever-changing confrontation between the two powerful opponents, Gawain had already completed observation, judgment and selection, and took action at the first opportunity.
Forehand, cutting.
Huh.
There was a cry of surprise at the O2 Stadium. They all thought that Gawain was young and full of vigor, and that he should of course press on to defeat Djokovic with his absolute strength and speed. However, they did not expect that Gawain would change his stroke in the second round of forehand confrontation.
Cutting, straight line.
Gao Wen controlled his steps in time, wrapped the tennis ball with the delicacy of tempered steel, completed a cut, and pushed the tennis ball into a straight line.
Then, the two figures on both sides of the net moved—
Gao Wen was moving sideways, very firmly and decisively. While observing the movements on the other side of the net, he changed his footwork without any hesitation.
Djokovic was also moving sideways at full speed. Although Gawain chose to cut and his speed was not fast, leaving him enough time, he did not take it lightly. His speed increased instantly, and while moving, he immediately discovered Gawain's trap and was startled.
Cutting, not just cutting.
First is the backspin.
The second is the shallow area.
——Small ball.
What does this mean? The answer is very simple.
Whether Djokovic is willing or not, he has to go to the net. Gao Wen deliberately used such a shallow return to move Djokovic to the front of the net.
At the same time, the strong control of backspin caused the tennis ball to fall rapidly over the net, probably leaving little space for returning the ball. If Djokovic had arrived slower, there would have been even less space for hitting the ball.
There is a needle hidden in the cotton, and there is a mystery hidden.
The layman watches the excitement, while the expert watches the details. When everyone at the O2 Stadium was regretting that Gao Wen did not choose to fight to the end, the professionals immediately saw the danger.
Djokovic had to move quickly and sprint at full speed, but even so, there was not much space left for him to hit the ball.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that both players are running towards their left side, forming a misalignment on both sides of the net and creating space. If Djokovic chooses to hit a straight line at this time, that is, the empty space behind Gawain's forehand position, he can easily score the winning point.
Couldn't Djokovic see that? But Djokovic couldn't.
Because of the backspin and the reduction of force, Djokovic is in a high-speed moving state, and the difficulty of controlling the two-handed backhand increases exponentially. If he chooses a straight line, the possibility of it going into the net is very high.
Djokovic immediately realized that Gawain had set a trap to lure him into hitting the ball diagonally, and then Gawain waited at the diagonal position to launch a counterattack.
The point is, if Gawain sets a trap, won't Djokovic fight back? Calculation and counterattack, this is where tennis is really interesting.
Like Gao Wen, Djokovic also completed observation, judgment, selection, and action in the first place.
A sliding step.
Djokovic stretched his body completely, grabbed a small half-beat with his two-handed backhand, and lightly flicked the tennis ball before it continued to fall.
At the same time, exert force——
Hey! The slash is indeed a slash, but it is not just a simple slash.
Djokovic used both hands to pull up the backspin ball, wrapping it in a parabola and pushing it toward the deep area of the baseline. Relying on his own active force, he wrapped up the rotation and power to complete a difficult loop shot, pushing it into the blind spot of Gawain's backhand.
This is called "returning favors as you would have them do for you."
whoosh.
The tennis ball was like an arrow of light, sweeping across the entire court, drilling into a dead corner, turning and becoming heavy, and rushing towards Gawain's nose with great force.
Although Gawain moved and prepared in advance, the quality of Djokovic's return still exceeded expectations, creating a squeeze from the moment it landed.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
In Djokovic's opinion, Gawain's shots are usually from a half-step behind the baseline, refusing to retreat, and this is no exception when facing such a return position. So if Gawain forces his shot, a straight line is unlikely, because the swing is not complete and there is no way to bring the racket head in and close the door.
The result of not being able to close the door is that the ball cannot enter the straight line, and the return ball will go out of the sideline.
Naturally, Gao Wen had to choose a diagonal shot or a high lob.
But Djokovic was already waiting in front of the net, ready for the crosscourt and lob.
He is not afraid.
Even if he has stumbled twice on the lob at critical moments, so what?
Djokovic has faith.
It's not confidence, but belief. He will not be soft-hearted, timid or even shrink back. If Gao Wen dares to lob the ball again, he will dare to smash it again.
On the other side, Gawain set a trap to trick Djokovic into hitting a diagonal shot.
Here, Djokovic also set a trap to trick Gawain into choosing a diagonal crossing.
You give and I give, and we reciprocate.
Traps come and go, and then Gawain realizes that he is trapped in his own trap, so is this considered shooting himself in the foot? Not necessarily.
Gawain was still moving sideways, but this time, the horizontal axis was slightly shifted backwards.
In a rare move, Gao Wen created space in his defensive position and chose to retreat, away from the baseline. Although this increased the defensive space, his hitting position also became passive.
Tap, tap, tap.
Gawain did not hesitate. He created half a step of space while moving, then stretched out his hands with his hands back, like drawing a bow to shoot an eagle.
Pull it full, and pull it full again.
He pushed with his left leg, applied emergency brake, then swung the racket quickly from a position slightly behind him, buying himself some space to swing the racket.
ah.
Power, explosion.
Ahhh! Total, release.
The speed of the racket head instantly increased by one level, and then by another level. It seemed that the body was about to fly out, but the power was fully released along with the swinging action.
Take a step back and the world will be broader.
Then, straight line, attack.