Chapter 594 Key Abilities
Slippery or not?
Full of tricks?
Elusive?
If Gawain knew how Johnson felt at this moment, he would definitely say "overrated" and that his current ability level was far from reaching such a high level.
The overall trend of this game is constantly changing, not because Gawain’s strength is already strong enough to easily suppress Johnson, so the game is so imaginative and effortless; but because he has been experimenting, rehearsing, trying and exploring, and most importantly, he is still learning and growing: before him, there is a whole new world.
Obviously, winning a Grand Slam title is an incredible honor, but that's not all. There are still many things to learn on the road to professional tennis.
We can get a glimpse of this from the score.
After breaking Johnson's serve and taking a 2:3 lead, Gao did not continue to push for a wider score, and the match did not become one-sided.
Johnson's performance was remarkable, and the most important thing was his stability. Although he was always forced out of his comfort zone by Gawain and it was very uncomfortable for him to hit the ball, he still gritted his teeth and withstood the test.
At the same time, Johnson also tried to create some waves in Gawain's serve to reverse the situation. Several times of fighting with all his might really made Gawain break out in a cold sweat.
then.
Gawain saved two break points, and Johnson also saved four break points. The two players showed a strong confrontation with equal strength and continued the momentum of holding each other's serve. In the end, Gawain took advantage of the break in the set and won the first set: "4:6".
After successfully holding his serve and winning the first set, Gawain did not celebrate. It was obvious that his advantage was not that great, and Johnson did not seem to have any signs of collapse, which meant that the second set would still be a fierce battle, and he needed to concentrate and consider the subsequent tactics.
When returning to the dugout, Gawain noticed that Johnson had a confused and inquiring expression on his face. He kept looking him up and down. It was as if... as if he was studying "a hundred thousand whys". There seemed to be a clear question mark in his pupils.
Gao Wen didn't understand what was going on, so he took the initiative to look over.
Johnson said nothing, retracted his gaze, turned his head and muttered "why" in a low voice, but the vague words were impossible to make out.
Gawain was also at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and a question mark popped up in his mind. The live camera seemed to notice the little exchange between Gawain and Johnson, and immediately took a close-up shot of Gawain.
Gao Wen stared at the camera with wide eyes and an innocent look on his face.
The audience was able to see Gao Wen's expression on the big screen at the first moment, which caused a burst of low laughter and the tense atmosphere was relieved a lot.
The second set of the game started soon.
At the beginning of the game, the two players were still very close. In fact, Gao Wen still found some opportunities and got three break points, but he missed all of them. One of them was because Johnson's performance was really outstanding, and there was nothing to say; however, for the other two break points, Gao Wen was dissatisfied with his performance.
Strictly speaking, the performance on the break point is the key point, and it is at this moment that one can best see the player's condition and touch.
In the later period of his career, Federer was nicknamed the "King of Missed Points" by fans because he often performed poorly on break points and was unable to improve his condition at critical moments according to his own needs. Sometimes he even missed more than 20 break points in a game and lost the victory. This was absolutely impossible to see in Federer's peak period.
It can be said that the performance on break points is, to a large extent, the best reflection of current strength. After all, for players who are truly among the world's top ten or top twenty players, the suspense of victory or defeat often depends on the performance on key points in each set, and the difference between victory and defeat is often just one or two points.
From the end of the first set to the beginning of the second set, Gao Wen had missed seven break points. From this, we can see that he is still a long way from his best form at the US Open - of course, Johnson's performance was also very good; but it is also a fact that Gao Wen's own form needs to be improved and adjusted.
However, at the real critical moment, Gao Wen still demonstrated his current strength.
In the second set, Johnson still served first, so after the "4:4" tie, the next game was Johnson's serve. As long as he could hold his serve smoothly, all the pressure would be pushed to Gawain, because Gawain would have to face a serve game that he had to hold on the edge of the cliff.
However, it was in this game that Gao Wen launched a powerful attack, took the lead in improving his condition, broke the deadlock, and seized the opportunity when Johnson's shot was slightly conservative. The overall quality and rhythm of his shots were improved comprehensively. In a blink of an eye, he had taken a "15:40" lead and got two consecutive break points.
Moreover, on the first break point, Gao Wen took the risk to attack from the moment he received the serve.
This is also a tactic that has rarely been used before.
Although Gao often rushed to receive serves during the US Open, after entering the Asian season, he tended to be much more conservative when receiving serves because of his mediocre touch. He only used it occasionally as a means of attack and fought for a shot. The focus was not on scoring, but on shocking the opponent.
The same was true this time. The attack on the serve return on this break point was mainly to prepare for the next break point.
It was precisely because of his relaxed mentality that the quality of his attack was good in the end, pressing on Johnson's backhand near his feet. Johnson's footwork, which had just finished serving, did not have time to fully return to position, and he subconsciously pushed the ball with his backhand, with average quality. This also gave Gao Wen the opportunity to enter the baseline and connect the attack.
Johnson immediately realized that the situation was not good. His first reaction was to hold the racket tightly with both hands and continue jumping on the spot, keeping his center of gravity active and light. His body had already moved slightly toward the backhand position to make up for the defense, but he did not act rashly and stared at Gawain intently.
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
Gao Wen stepped into the baseline, made some space, and prepared to attack with a two-handed backhand.
The atmosphere in the whole venue was tense and everyone held their breath involuntarily.
Johnson's entire body was on high alert, his muscles tensed to the point of almost bursting.
However, Gao Wen lifted it up heavily and put it down lightly, and at the moment of backhanding with both hands, he changed from a drive to a slice and actually hit a small ball in front of the net.
Actually!
Johnson was totally unprepared for this. While moving sideways, he quickly turned a corner and rushed towards the net. He had already accelerated his speed to the limit in a flash, but the start was still too late. In addition, movement was not his strong point, so he was unable to catch up even after running at full speed.
Watching the tennis ball bounce twice, three times, four times in front of my eyes...
Johnson looked up at the sky with a depressed look on his face, then glanced at Gawain out of the corner of his eye.
Gawain raised his chin slightly, watched the trajectory of the tennis ball, and curled his lips slightly, as if he was dissatisfied with the quality of the ball. If it weren't for Johnson's lack of mobility, the ball would have been too long this time. If it were Nadal, he would have caught up with it directly and even hit it dead with one shot.
Johnson seemed to sense Gawain's dissatisfaction, and his chest tightened: Damn it.
(End of this chapter)