Chapter 814: Instilling Confidence

Zhang Shuai, born in 1989, is a professional female tennis player from China.

In fact, Zhang Shuai became famous very early. In 2008, when she was only 19 years old, she passed three rounds of qualifying tests at the US Open and stepped onto the Grand Slam stage for the first time.

In 2009, Zhang Shuai defeated the then world number one Dinara-Safina in the second round of the Imperial Capital Tennis Open, cheered on by her home fans.

Moreover, Zhang Shuai also performed well in doubles competitions. In 2011, she partnered with Kimiko Date to win the doubles championship of the Osaka Open, and she has maintained excellent results since then.

By 2011, Zhang Shuai was able to qualify directly for the Grand Slam main draw based on her world ranking, without having to go through the qualifying rounds.

As of this year, Zhang Shuai has been in the professional tennis world for six years, and the graceful girl has grown into a 25-year-old lady.

For a very long time, Zhang Shuai was considered the most promising young player of the younger generation after the golden generation gradually retired to the second line.

However, the reality is cruel. These expectations and pressures have become shackles that bind Zhang Shuai. Younger Wang Qiang and other newcomers have begun to emerge one after another, but Zhang Shuai has been unable to make a breakthrough in the professional arena and has been struggling with ups and downs.

For tennis fans, Zhang Shuai is best known for a shameful record:

Since she made it to the US Open for the first time after passing the qualifying round in 2008, Zhang Shuai was eliminated in the first round in all fourteen Grand Slam tournaments until the 2015 French Open.

She also created a record of consecutive defeats in the first round of the WTA Grand Slam main draw, which was so tragic that it was unbearable to watch. Later, it seemed to have become a tight hoop, just like Tang Monk restraining Sun Wukong. Every time a Grand Slam event came, it would buzz in her head.

and!

It's not just about losing games, she often loses with a score of "6:0" or "6:1". One is an egg and the other is a fried dough stick. It's a horrible defeat. Netizens who are disappointed in her gave her a shameful nickname, "Lunch Mom" ​​- all scores are breakfast scores. This has also become Zhang Shuai's black history.

There is no way to know whether the curse exists objectively, but what is certain is that pressure absolutely exists.

When losing becomes a habit, you will start to question yourself every time you stand on the court, especially the threshold of "first round of Grand Slam", which you cannot cross again and again, until you no longer believe that you can win in the first round, and the game will become more difficult.

Finally, I simply didn't know how to hit the ball.

At this moment, it is no longer a competitive issue, but a psychological issue.

In fact, this year is Zhang Shuai's seventh time participating in the Australian Open and her fifth consecutive year entering the main draw of the Australian Open. So, does she really know nothing about the subtle differences in the match balls?

In Gao Wen's opinion, it should be half and half.

Half of the reason was that she didn't have the energy to pay attention. All of Zhang Shuai's attention was focused on hitting the ball: exert force, exert force, and exert force again.

On the one hand, it was to confront Gawain; on the other hand, he was eager to increase his attack power to prove himself, so much so that he neglected the control of details.

She didn't notice at all that Gao Wen's shots were not even as powerful and strong as Zhang Shuai's, because the ball used in the Australian Open is indeed not suitable for full force.

Part of the reason was that the pressure was too great. Zhang Shuai always doubted whether she could score by attacking.

The nickname "Can Ma" is not only due to the bad score, but also partly because Zhang Shuai rarely attacks in the game. Most of the time, she is on defense in a miserable way, frequently playing moon balls at the baseline, just like a "rainbow cake".

The ball used in the Australian Open is slightly heavier than that used in the US Open, which means that the shots are more solid and the force applied to the tennis ball is fuller and more complete, so the offensive effect is immediate.

It's like hitting a sandbag. As you hit it, you get more and more excited and you involuntarily hit it harder and harder, to the point where you forget that this is not a sandbag. The harder you hit, the greater the reaction force, and the more difficult it is to control the flight trajectory of the tennis ball.

Perhaps Zhang Shuai knew that the balls used in the Australian Open were different, but she subconsciously ignored this point.

Similarly, Gao Wen's reminder was not real advice, nor was it so-called popular science. Instead, it was a way to draw back Zhang Shuai's attention and help her regain her concentration.

Does Zhang Shuai have what it takes to be in the top ten in the world?

This point needs to be discussed.

Does Zhang Shuai have what it takes to get through the first round of a Grand Slam? Undoubtedly.

At the 2016 Australian Open, Zhang Shuai passed the qualifying round and entered the main draw. In the first round, she faced the second seed Halep. As a result, Zhang Shuai won in straight sets, which was the biggest upset since the start of the tournament. Not only did she eliminate Halep, but she also ended her streak of 14 Grand Slam first-round defeats.

Not only that, after completing the breakthrough, Zhang Shuai was like a reborn from the ashes, and made it into the quarterfinals in the same Australian Open.

After that, Zhang Shuai advanced to the fourth round of the French Open once, the quarterfinals of Wimbledon once, the third round of the US Open twice, and the third round of the Australian Open three times.

Therefore, what Zhang Shuai needs is just an opportunity to break the psychological pressure.

The day before yesterday, Gao Wen met Zhang Shuai, Wang Qiang and others at the training ground. Very unexpectedly and abruptly, Zhang Shuai invited him to train together.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

Gao Wen agreed without hesitation.

Just like when Tim accepted Gawain's invitation, there was nothing special about it. It was just a daily routine between colleagues.

Moreover, if he could bring a little help to Zhang Shuai's training and hope to see Zhang Shuai overcome her inner demons as soon as possible, Gao Wen would be very happy.

really!

Gao Wen's reminder seemed to give Zhang Shuai an "excuse" -

It turned out that I didn't notice the subtle difference in the weight of the tennis ball, which was why I kept hitting the ball out of bounds. The quality of my offense was always hampered by mistakes and could not be improved.

She was able to stop blaming herself, the pressure found an outlet, and she focused entirely on controlling the shot and recalibrating her feel.

Slowly, confidence and concentration returned, and the quality of my shots improved as well. I was able to not only maintain depth and line, but also create impact.

Correspondingly, the overall training quality also improves.

At this point, the advantage of training with female players can be seen. Gao Wen can feel the impact of hitting the ball, but he will not lose his center of gravity. This allows Gao Wen to adjust his hitting method under high pressure and high confrontation at all times: sometimes pure force, sometimes leverage force, sometimes control the landing point, sometimes transition hit...

Never underestimate professional players, even female players. When they stand firmly on their feet and start to hit the ball, the instantaneous explosive power of their strength and speed is very powerful.

In the forehand-to-forehand confrontation, Gao Wen repeatedly familiarized himself with his new way of hitting the ball and exerting force, slowly adjusting his feel.

(End of this chapter)