Chapter 698 Critical Moment
Mid lane, deep bottom line.
This is Gao Wen's return serve route.
It can be seen that although the center of gravity of the body is in an unbalanced and bumpy state, Gao Wen's wrist control is very delicate. The entire route and landing point can be completed to a large extent according to the arrangement in his mind, and a slight deviation is within an acceptable range.
Then, the landing point was very deep, only one big step away from the baseline.
Moreover, the strong upward spin after the rebound from landing completely jumped up, fast and sharp, and the arc was full -
The only shortcoming is that he has no power. After all, Gawain has no way to actively exert force and can only limit Djokovic by controlling the landing point.
So, what about Djokovic?
He took a series of small steps back to make room, then raised his forehand like a cannon and attacked ruthlessly.
Here, Gao Wen was somewhat familiar with Djokovic's serve routine of sneaking forehand attacks at critical moments.
On the other side, Djokovic had also prepared himself mentally and was not at all panicked when facing the return ball from deep in the middle.
Sideways forehand!
Why choose the sideways forehand? It is often because the forehand is more powerful than the backhand, so when the ball can be received by both the forehand and the backhand, the player will choose to move his feet and then hit the ball with the sideways forehand to increase the offensive power.
But Djokovic has a balanced forehand and backhand, and his attacking power is comparable, so he rarely uses his sideways forehand deliberately, but he will occasionally use it if necessary.
For example, at this moment.
The footwork moved, the racket was fully drawn, and even though Gawain's return ball had already reached near his shoulder after it bounced off the ground, Djokovic still completed a downward forehand attack from top to bottom.
The shells are fired!
Boom! Diagonally, diagonally, thunderously!
Backhand, Djokovic still chooses to suppress the backhand, "sneak attack forehand to suppress the backhand", this is a very skilled routine, and Djokovic's attack is not the kind that is fatal in one shot, but the kind that is endless like a river, this shot is definitely not the end.
Push! Gao Wen's starting speed was very fast. After nearly a hundred minutes of competition, he knew Djokovic's hitting lines very well. His conditioned reflex pushed his body out like a rocket.
Hold the racket tightly with both hands and complete the racket lead-in action in advance. During the fast movement, make full use of the centrifugal force and swing it out along with the racket swinging action.
One push and one push.
The whole action is very smooth——
"Slash vs. Slash".
Following Djokovic's hitting line, Gawain combined speed and strength to push the tennis ball back in a tougher way.
Moreover, the angle is slightly widened.
Instead of avoiding Djokovic's backhand, he broke through head-on.
Djokovic was not in a hurry and took small steps to adjust. Although the speed of the incoming ball was slightly higher than expected, Djokovic's two-handed backhand was still solid and strong, giving a wall-like counterattack.
Bang! Coming and going, as fast as lightning.
The tennis ball was just like a ping-pong ball. It had just left Gawain's racket and returned to Gawain's court in the blink of an eye. It was still diagonal and landed at the same spot. And just like Gawain, the angle was slightly changed.
A little bit. A little bit more.
The two men's powerful confrontation in the backhand position slowly opened up the field completely, and the speed and power continued to be added layer by layer.
Djokovic's body was also completely thrown out, and the centrifugal force and body weight were all superimposed on the hitting action, so that the center of gravity was also thrown out, but his control was amazing. He controlled his body with two consecutive small steps, and then his pupils suddenly dilated: Oops!
Alarm bells were ringing.
Because Djokovic noticed that Gawain's footsteps were a feint, and it seemed that he was preparing to defend the forehand position, but his footsteps did not leave at all, and he was waiting at the backhand position.
But this is not the alarm point. If it were just this, it would at most be a continuous confrontation in the backhand position.
What’s important is that Gawain’s footsteps continue to move sideways.
Tap tap tap.
Continue to move sideways to your left side, across the backhand swing space, and then turn your body sideways again to enter the forehand swing space.
Sideways forehand!
What? Gawain's advance judgment and preparation were not for the continuous confrontation in the backhand position, but for the sideways forehand, which immediately surprised Djokovic: compared with the two-handed backhand, the sideways forehand hitting line is much more difficult to judge, because Gawain, like Djokovic, rarely sideways.
But it can be seen from the sight that Gao Wen seems to be ready. Without any hesitation, his footwork and swing of the racket have already reached the hitting point in a flash.
Push off the ground, stand firmly, and your steps will be firmly rooted in the ground like a towering tree.
Turn sideways, swing the racket, and the speed of the entire forearm is fully increased, just like cracking a whip to fully increase the speed of the racket head.
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Instantly, there was an explosion! The overwhelming force seemed to be about to explode the tennis ball.
Boom! Ah.
Along with the action of hitting the ball with full force, a roar from the depths of the soul also erupted.
Ah! Those eyes that looked like the vast starry sky burst out with murderous intent, decisive and clean. The entire hitting action was done in one go, without any delay. In the multiple superposition of strength and power, the speed of the tennis ball increased to the extreme, and it disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Diagonal line? Straight line? Straight line!
Gao Wen used a sideways forehand to change the line very suddenly and unexpectedly.
Bottom line, big triangle, blind spot.
Within the boundaries!
Score!
Djokovic had just taken his first step when he could only watch the tennis ball pass through the gap in his forehand like an arrow piercing his heart.
Then, an incredible roar broke out from the other side of the court.
"ah!"
All eyes were focused on Gawain. This young man who had suddenly appeared two months ago was emitting an incredible amount of energy.
Full of killing intent! Gao Wen clenched his fists and looked at Djokovic with burning eyes. He did not shrink back because of the majesty of the world's number one, nor did he become timid because he was always in a backward situation. He exuded an unyielding and passionate spirit, igniting the enthusiasm of the whole audience.
Djokovic was a little out of breath.
In fact, the confrontation on this point was not that intense, but in this week's competition, Djokovic has never felt such a level of impact and confrontation. As the battle progressed, Djokovic's consumption became greater and greater.
From the end of the second set to the tie-break, Djokovic focused on speeding up, trying to "crush" Gawain, but the price was a severe consumption of both mental and physical energy, and then with each point, the burning feeling became more and more obvious.
Djokovic turned to look at his coaching staff in the players' box, as if asking with his eyes: How did Gawain complete the shot just now? Fighting? Was it luck? Was it just luck?
Panting, Djokovic quickly adjusted his breathing and regained his composure: he still had two match points, and he also had a serve point.
So, how should we score this point? (End of this chapter)