Chapter 236 Breaking Down the Defense
"Come-On!"
On the court, Gawain watched the tennis ball break through Kokkinakis's net coverage and score the winning goal through the net. He clenched his fists and roared passionately.
“Ahhhh!”
He vented his emotions heartily and unrestrainedly, not only because it was Kokkinakis' match point, and not only because he was forced to the extreme of one-handed cutting, but more because the energy burst in the desperate situation truly stimulated his potential.
He liked such moments, as if his blood was burning.
The whole stadium was boiling! Gawain roared and raged at Kokkinakis in front of the net like a proud lion, and the powerful energy engulfed Kokkinakis like an overwhelming force.
Let the storm come even harder! This battle is not over yet! Kokkinakis was panting heavily. He had tried his best, exerting force with every beat. He had released all his strength and speed without reservation. He had also pursued the extreme in the line and the landing point. However, he still could not score, and was counterattacked by Gawain with such a vigorous attitude.
What's going on?
Kokkinakis believed that he could beat Gao Wen, and he had this belief unwaveringly, and the progress of today's game also proved this, but after entering the second set, things gradually got out of his control. What happened?
Kokkinakis couldn't help but think of the game in which Gawain defeated Kyrgios. Was that really luck?
My faith was slightly shaken.
But Kokkinakis quickly forced himself to calm down. Two points, he was only two points away from victory. He should believe in himself. The game was still under his control. Kokkinakis kept cheering himself up and cutting off the signs of wild thoughts.
Is it really that simple?
Psychological state is like this. Once there is a gap, everything will become turbulent. Even the Big Four may be short of money at a critical moment, let alone young players who are just starting out?
Kokkinakis forced himself to stay calm, but the act of "forcing" itself caused his concentration to break down.
The question is, can Gawain seize the opportunity ?
Whoosh.
The court became quiet again, and the two players returned to the baseline. This serve-winning game would continue.
Snap. Snap. Snap.
Kokkinakis was dribbling the ball. He forced himself not to pay attention to Gawain's movements, but he seemed to be able to feel Gawain's gaze out of the corner of his eye. It almost penetrated his skin, burning him so hard that he couldn't breathe. This made his palms slightly moist.
However, Kokkinakis still did not slow down the pace of the game. He took a deep breath and immediately started serving.
I am still impatient.
One shot and the net is gone.
Kokkinakis wanted to increase his power, but his serving action was obviously distorted, and then the ball was a little late and did not cross the net.
Gurgling.
I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but I always feel that the air is getting hotter and more boiling.
Kokkinakis still did not adjust, took out the second tennis ball from his shorts pocket, and immediately prepared to serve.
How to serve in the first zone? After two consecutive outside corners, should we continue to serve to the inside corner? Or change tactics and serve to the outside corner? Or should we serve close to the opponent?
Gawain's brain was working rapidly.
With Kokkinakis' style, close serve is actually the most effective.
Because it is difficult to score a winning point just by serving, it often requires one or two more shots of attack; and close serve is the best way to suppress Gao Wen's return line - just look at the point when Kokkinakis got the first match point. In addition, now it is the second serve, so close serve is the safest.
But given Kokkinakis's personality, he might not be able to figure this out. Even if he could, he might not be willing to do so.
So……
Outside corner?
Guessed it right! Gawain's pupils suddenly contracted, and he immediately caught sight of Kokkinakis' serve. Kokkinakis, who had always hoped to disrupt Gawain's prediction by surprise, was always taking risks and making changes, and he was most daring to change at the most critical moment. Just like the inside corner serve that had worked wonders before, he now also tended to challenge the outside corner to break Gawain's guess.
But I didn't expect that -
Stepping! Pushing off the ground! Diving! Extending! Gao Wen simply took a big step to his right side, his upper body fully extended, and the forehand racket was completed.
This time, Gao Wen did not fully lead the racket, but quickly pulled the racket in a small range, and then used the force to push back, and he was able to push back the power of Kokkinakis' serve without having to exert any strength himself.
Moreover, Kokkinakis' second serve speed and power were obviously reduced by a level, which gave Gao Wen enough time, but Gao Wen did not choose to swing the racket completely, but chose to -
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Lower your center of gravity and grab the rising point.
Gao Wen took a big step sideways, bent his knees completely and squatted down, stretched out his upper body, and seized the first moment when the tennis ball rebounded. He used the force to push it back, and compressed the time for returning the ball as much as possible.
Then, the knees stand up like springs. Because the force from pushing off the ground is not sufficient, the inertia from squatting and standing up is fully utilized to pull up the flying arc of the tennis ball.
Whoosh! The speed of the tennis ball increased significantly. Kokkinakis' second serve was only 142 kilometers per hour, but Gawain's quick connection and hitting the rising point increased the speed of the return ball to 155 kilometers per hour, and it even flew back at a faster speed.
Kokkinakis had just time to adjust his center of gravity when the tennis ball came back diagonally.
Damn it!
Kokkinakis took a big step sideways, trying to catch the ball, even if it was a cut, it would be fine, but unfortunately -
Bang! "First, Gao."
The referee was very sure that Gawain's return was within bounds and that Kokkinakis could not touch the tennis ball at all, so he announced the score directly after the tennis ball made two bounces.
Ah! Ah! Kokkinakis roared, very dissatisfied, and continued to complain in a low voice, swearing non-stop. He never expected that Gawain would catch his second serve and directly return an ace. This was simply too embarrassing! Kokkinakis tried to open the angle to the outside corner, but he failed to tear the angle apart. Instead, it became an angle for Gawain to use the force to hit the ball back and win the game - as expected, being tall and strong with height and long arms is a natural advantage.
Kokkinakis threw his tennis racket into the sky in frustration. Even his continuous swearing was not enough to vent the bad emotions boiling in his chest. Not throwing the racket was the result of his patience, but he still needed to vent his emotions.
Looking at the racket spinning in the air, Kokkinakis' shoulders drooped weakly, his eyes blank, without an answer -
It's not just one or two points. Why is it so frustrating when I serve to win the match?
Everything is the same, nothing has changed, but why can't I get it? Wait, is everything really the same?
Second update.
(End of this chapter)