Chapter 303: First Meeting
"...Is this the young general?"
Hu Litao was slightly surprised.
Judging from the information, he is 193 cm tall and weighs 83 kg, which makes one imagine that he is tall and thin, but in fact he looks slender and well-proportioned, and his whole movement posture is light and graceful, and he doesn't look worried at all.
Zhan Jun is no exception. "It seems that the ATP official website has not updated the information. It may still be the data when he first registered the player information. Nowadays, young people grow up like a string. They are different in just a few months."
On the training ground, Gao Wen was practicing baseline driving.
Forehand, backhand, movement.
A quick observation will reveal that he has good basic skills, especially his footwork, which clearly shows that he has worked hard on it.
Many young tennis players often neglect their footwork training and would rather lift weights in the gym than practice their footwork. However, they only realize the importance of footwork after reaching a certain level. At that time, they will have to work harder to practice.
From this point of view, it can be seen that Gao Wen must have been taught by a famous teacher, and for a man with a height of 193 cm, his movements are light and delicate, which is really eye-catching.
In fact, you can't learn anything from batting training, because training and competition are two completely different things, but Gao Wen in front of them is basically a blank slate, so Zhan Jun and Hu Litao did not miss the opportunity and wanted to figure it out even if it was just training.
At this time, on the training ground, Gao Wen was completely unaware that there were people watching him and was concentrating on hitting the ball.
After several rounds of driving the ball, Gao Wen took the lead and attacked with a forehand in a straight line. The instant acceleration of speed and power forced his hitting partner on the other side of the court into a dead corner.
The hitting partner was moving quickly, and even though his body was about to lose its center of gravity, he used a one-handed backhand to exert force, not only returning the ball completely, but also forcing it to come back in a straight line - a return shot with repeated landing points, which instantly caught Gao Wen, who was preparing to return to the midfield, off guard.
At the critical moment, Gawain actually took a big step back, cut the ball with his forehand, and barely hit the tennis ball back. The whole parabola was high and floating.
The hitting partner did not quickly enter the baseline to shorten the return time, but waited at the baseline for a while before using the full force of the forehand to hit Gao Wen's backhand.
It was during the short period of waiting at the baseline that Gao Wen immediately adjusted himself. With a series of small steps, he used both hands to backhand a straight and fast line back. In an instant, he turned from defense to offense again. It can be clearly seen that his body made a pushing movement with the ball.
"pretty!"
Zhan Jun couldn't help but clench his fists——
For lay fans, they often wonder why the tennis ball has already flown out, but the player's swing continues. Isn't it an unnecessary and redundant action?
Of course not.
A complete swing action can ensure the complete release of force at the moment. If the swing action is incomplete due to laziness or the pressure from the opponent's return ball, the effect of the return ball may be completely off target.
Just now, Gao Wen's body took a step forward as the racket swung, which was to make full use of the power of his body to exert more propulsion on the tennis ball, and the final return effect must be even better.
really!
The tennis ball flew fast and flat. Although the hitting partner stretched out the racket and was ready to continue the round, he was still a little slow. The tennis ball hit the racket frame and flew out directly.
The next second, Zhan Jun's cheers broke the concentration of the training ground, and everyone looked over.
Zhan Jun was a little embarrassed——
The most basic etiquette for spectating a tennis match is not to make any sound, not even cheering, before the ball becomes dead.
Of course, the requirements are not so strict during training matches, and players and coaches often speak, otherwise how can training be carried out? But as a professional commentator and an amateur tennis player, Zhan Jun was still ashamed and lowered his head in guilt for his gaffe.
In fact, it was not only Zhan Jun, Hu Litao also applauded, but Zhan Jun still raised his voice to apologize.
"Feel sorry!"
Gao Wen looked over, his sweat sparkling in the sun. He first saw the very conspicuous camera, and then saw two familiar faces that he often saw on TV broadcasts. A smile broke out on the corners of his mouth.
"Ah! You're here for an interview, right?"
"Dominic, how about we take a fifteen-minute break and then continue?"
Dominic?
It was then that Zhan Jun noticed that Gao Wen's hitting partner was Dominic Thiem! This is an Austrian rookie, born in 1993, who will be 21 years old in September. He turned professional in 2011 and has seen a rise this year: in the second round of the Madrid Masters in May, he reversed the world's third-ranked Stan Wawrinka in three sets, becoming the first 20-year-old player to beat the world's top three since Del Potro in 2009; and he participated in the first three Grand Slams this year, losing in the first round of Wimbledon, and the second round of the Australian Open and French Open.
Currently, his world ranking has reached a career-high 45.
How did this highly anticipated rookie become a hitting partner with Gao Wen? When preparing for a match, players often need a hitting partner or a practice match opponent. After all, tennis is a confrontational sport, and professional players usually look for suitable players in the player restaurant to invite them. The "Big Four" are no exception. They have basically practiced with young players in private.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
Of course, not all invitations will be accepted, and you can refuse them if you don’t like them or they are not suitable.
Originally, Gawain was planning to invite MacDonald to come to the US Open to be his hitting partner, but Tobias thought that Gawain could make some new friends. After all, MacDonald was not Gawain's exclusive hitting partner. Considering that MacDonald had just finished five consecutive weeks of competition, Gawain thought Tobias' words made sense.
But the question is, Tim? What's going on here?
At this time, Hu Litao also noticed the sunny boy on the other side of the court. He showed a big smile and raised his thumb to indicate that there was no problem, but he did not say hello. He turned around and walked to the sidelines silently. It seemed that he was looking for his water bottle and then discussing the previous shot with the coach.
“Tim?”
Hu Litao asked his doubts directly and looked at Gao Wen who was coming towards him.
Although he did not introduce himself, Gao Wen did not seem to be shy at all and spoke with a smile on his face.
"Yes, Dominic is a very kind friend."
"I saw him in the players' restaurant with his equipment bag ready to go to the training ground, and then I went up to him and asked if he could practice with me, because I had just entered the tour, I had no friends, and even no one I knew, so I wanted to give it a try."
Gao Wen described the whole process in a very confident manner. Hu Litao couldn't believe it. "And he agreed?"
Gawain nodded, "He agreed."
Is this okay? "That's why I said he is a very kind friend."
(End of this chapter)