Chapter 593 Test Subject
Backslash!
Backhand!
Johnson, who had the advantage in serving, tried to gain more advantage through forehand attack.
However, Gawain was still one step ahead! Indeed, after receiving the serve, Gawain was heading for the forehand position to make up for the loss, but he immediately noticed that Johnson had already stopped and turned sharply when he was about to hit the ball sideways.
Because Johnson's body center of gravity had already revealed his hitting intention in advance, there was no other possibility except the backslash.
Take small steps, and then more small steps.
Gawain used a series of dazzling footwork to get to the position ahead of time, and even had time to adjust his center of gravity on the spot. He was ready to lead the racket with both hands backhand early, and quickly glanced at Johnson out of the corner of his eye.
Push off the ground! Turn around! But at the moment of shooting, he deliberately paused for a moment, making full use of the advantage gained by anticipating and moving in advance, delaying the shot.
The previous point was about grabbing the tempo; this point is about slowing down the tempo.
Seeing that Johnson's footsteps had already started, he quickly moved sideways to cover the gap in the straight line. Then Gawain swung his racket, and the outward force of his wrist slightly changed to an inward push, and the entire racket-retracting action also changed, fully completing a loop.
Then!
A straight line shot becomes a diagonal line.
Of course, facing Johnson's sideways forehand attack, changing the direction of the ball before shooting is very risky. Few players would do this because if they are not careful, they might end up shooting themselves in the foot and making mistakes.
But this time, Gawain was very clever.
He did not exert his full strength, but just made a simple light hit; moreover, he deliberately made the diagonal line light and thin. Without actively exerting force, all his muscle control was concentrated on the details of his wrist. The movement of pushing off the ground and turning his body was particularly full. Most importantly, his consciousness was very clear and he was extremely determined.
whoosh.
Gawain's return ball landed in Johnson's service area and continued to bounce outward, with a strong outward spin that could be clearly seen.
It was precisely because Gao Wen did not forcibly break the trajectory of his own swing, and won by using softness to overcome hardness and cleverness, that the entire shot was not as risky as imagined.
At this point, even if Johnson predicted successfully and moved in the correct direction, it would probably be difficult to catch up, not to mention that Johnson was running towards the other half of the court.
Score! Smooth and easy!
Familiar scene, familiar ending. Johnson was still running and still turning his head to look at the other side of the court, his face full of confusion:
How did Gawain do it? This time, Johnson's serve and the first shot of the attack were all in place, exactly as he expected, but why did he lose the point in the blink of an eye? And Gawain's shots looked so easy and simple, without any effort or risk. What happened?
"Competition, high."
After winning three points in a row, Gao Wen broke Johnson's serve for the first time in the game and took a "2:3" lead.
However, Gawain still did not clench his fist to celebrate.
Johnson could see that Gawain just jumped lightly on the spot and looked at where his ball landed. He couldn't see his expression clearly because of the distance, but his relaxed body language still made it easy to feel that Gawain was full of confidence, which made Johnson a little depressed.
Why not fist pump?
Anyone who has watched Gao Wen's game at the US Open should be impressed by Gao Wen's playing style. Fist pumping celebration to boost morale is undoubtedly the most exciting moment. Every time he wins a key game, Gao Wen's passionate and exciting celebration always ignites the atmosphere of the stadium.
But just now, Gao Wen hit a series of good shots, but why didn't he clench his fist?
Wasn't the break worth celebrating? Was it because the competition wasn't intense enough? Because he didn't bring enough threat and impact to force out the best of Gawain? "Why why why?"
My mind is full of question marks.
However, Johnson would never ask Gawain, as this was too embarrassing. His only thought now was that he should try his best to push Gawain to the extreme, and then the moment of making a fist should come, right?
It is also because of this that Johnson's performance in the following games has been significantly improved. The quality of his forehand and backhand shots has become fuller and more complete, the pressure and impact of the entire confrontation have been more outstanding, and his defensive effectiveness has also been improved. He moved with gritted teeth every time.
On the other side of the court, Gao Wen was also full of questions:
Is Johnson like Popeye? Can he eat a bucket of spinach between games and then improve his condition? However, there is a better explanation than Popeye. That is, Johnson realized that he was in danger in the first set after being broken, so he improved his condition in time to launch a counterattack; naturally, Gawain also needs to improve his condition, stand firm and maintain his advantage.
In fact, Gao Wen did not clench his fist to celebrate, not because it was too easy or simple, but because his attention was completely focused on the layout and calculation.
The fifth and sixth games, which was the middle of the first set, were still the stage of strategic deployment and initial results. Gao Wen needed to collect data and lay the groundwork for subsequent games, so his brain was always working and there was no need to get too excited about scoring or losing points.
Gradually, Gawain had figured out the correct way to score, and the match against Johnson gradually became clear.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
Rhythm, this is the core.
Why does Gawain keep trying different techniques in receiving serves, sometimes Nadal and sometimes Federer? Just like Gawain keeps changing the serve arrangements in his own serve games, it all comes down to disrupting the rhythm and destroying the rules, and he is brewing changes from the moment he touches the ball with his first shot.
Such attempts will certainly not work every time. Johnson's serving basics are indeed solid, and Gawain is not a robot. He can perfectly achieve the desired effect every time he receives the serve, so there are bound to be some risks, but the rewards are rich, because Johnson has never been able to hit the ball in his comfort zone.
Johnson was trying to get into his own hitting rhythm, but Gawain refused to give him a chance, starting from the first shot and then the subsequent layout:
Occasionally use topspin balls to press into the deep area of the baseline to create squeezing, and occasionally use backspin balls to complete the transition and change the rhythm; occasionally step forward to grab the rising point to compress the offensive connection, and occasionally consciously slow down the rhythm of the shot and combine it with changes in rotation to break the rules.
Most importantly, the shot path is always changing -
Last time I challenged a straight line with my backhand, so this time I will do a small diagonal line; last time I challenged a diagonal line with my forehand, so this time I will do a straight line. Even if there is a risk of failure in changing the line, or the ball goes out of bounds or into the net, the tactic of enriching the arrangement and combination of the hitting lines has never wavered.
Moreover, Gawain gave up the risky shots that pursued the ultimate landing point, and instead fully mobilized Johnson by changing the shots by weight, speed and speed.
This is exactly the type of game that Johnson dislikes the most.
Once Gao Wen has completed the layout, the last shot to score can be easily completed without taking any risks!
(End of this chapter)