Chapter 892: Interlocking

Boom!

The commentator from the European Sports TV next door stood up again and applauded, completely ignoring the chair that was overturned by his action.

At the same time, the entire Rod Laver Arena began to boil, paying tribute to the two players with the hottest and wildest applause and cheers.

In this quarter-final match, the two players demonstrated the most wonderful and moving charm of competitive sports with their actions, and no one could refuse it.

Not only the two players on the court have unleashed their all, but every fan watching the game at this moment -

In the seats of Rod Laver Arena and in front of the big screen at Melbourne Park, every corner of the world is connected through the TV screens.

Everybody, all of them, let it all out thoroughly, their hearts hitting their chests hard and their blood boiling and burning, surging with powerful vitality.

Zhang Sheng couldn't help but feel his heart beating fast. Although he tried his best to control himself and continue with his work, sighs were still stirring in his chest.

"Wonderful!"

“It’s really wonderful!”

"Gawain played this game so beautifully, so tenaciously, so firmly, and so brilliantly!"

"Nineteen minutes and forty-seven seconds, a nearly twenty-minute game, with fourteen deuces. In the end, Gao Wen seized the opportunity on the sixth game point and saved his serve."

"Compared to the analysis of pure technical aspects, I think the most outstanding point of Gao Wen's performance is his belief in victory."

"Facing Nadal, Gao Wen was fully prepared. He knew what he was going to face. At the same time, he still believed that he could win."

“Not only firm, but also decisive.”

"The entire offensive mood was fully mobilized, and he dared to plan and shoot. He followed up without hesitation every time an opportunity arose. His tough hitting style showed great vitality in the opening stage, which indeed created a series of troubles for Nadal and successfully converted it into a lead in the score."

"But Gawain is facing Nadal, a man who will fight to the last point regardless of winning or losing, a man whose fighting spirit should never be underestimated."

"Obviously, the game has just begun, and Nadal should try to fight back next."

"From the three games so far, Nadal is still slow to warm up today and needs to adjust his form further. His forehand attack lines are not open, and his forehand attack efficiency is relatively low. The suppression effect on Gao Wen's backhand is obviously lower than expected. It depends on Nadal's adjustment next."

As Zhang Sheng said, the competition has just begun.

The reason why Nadal is known as the "God of War" is that game after game has witnessed the tenacity and perseverance of this Spanish player time and time again.

Everything is possible.

But at the same time, Zhang Sheng is not the only commentator who sees Nadal's hidden dangers:

The status is indeed not yet at its best.

Nadal's forehand was not able to bring enough impact and pressure to Gao Wen, and the control of the landing point and line was lacking. This was one of the important reasons why Gao Wen's entire offense was able to be activated, because tennis is originally a sport in which both sides compete and then gain and lose.

The key is, is this a short-term slow start or a persistent poor form? Before this year's Australian Open, everyone was concerned about Nadal's form. After a long period of injuries and surgery, returning to the court always requires time to adjust and adapt. His elimination in the first match in Doha showed people's concerns, and Nadal himself admitted that he could lose at any time.

After the Australian Open kicked off, Nadal's form did have obvious ups and downs.

In the second round, he faced American player Tim Smyczek, who was ranked 112th in the world and made it to the main draw after passing the qualifying test.

Born in 1987, he has only won two games at Melbourne Park in his career, including a first-round victory over an Australian wildcard player this year; if all four Grand Slams are added up, he has only won five games in the main draw, two from the Australian Open and three from the US Open.

In all aspects, this is an opponent that lacks impact.

However, Nadal fought hard for five sets and won the final set with a score of "7:5". He almost broke the biggest upset of the third match day -

By the way, that match was also Rod Laver’s night match.

Apart from that, Nadal's road to promotion has always lacked severe tests, with only the straight-set victory over Anderson in the fourth round being a highlight.

It is precisely because of this that when the dust settled on the quarterfinal lineups, people's attention was focused on the "Gawain VS Nadal" duel.

On the one hand, this is a competition in which the new generation challenges the Big Four. It has indeed been the focus from last year to this year, and it has also become the biggest highlight of this year's Australian Open quarterfinals.

On the other hand, this is also a touchstone for Nadal's true competitive state at this year's Australian Open. People can see whether Nadal has the condition to challenge for the championship.

Judging from the actual progress of the game, Nadal...is indeed far from his best.

“3:0”.

The opening score is only part of the story. More details are scattered in the baseline shots between the two players:

Forehand.

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It has been said more than once before that the forehand is Nadal's strongest weapon and the cornerstone of the entire tactical system; but after many encounters, Djokovic found a breakthrough in Nadal's forehand. Compared with Nadal's stable and solid backhand, the forehand is prone to instability.

There are a series of tactics in Nadal's games that are classic:

For example, a side-step back and a forehand diagonal inside-out.

For example, serve from the outside corner of zone two combined with a forehand straight line.

For example, an outside-in forehand hook shot in a defensive position.

And so on and so forth.

It can be seen that for Nadal, the forehand shot is not only used to set up the suppression, but also to make the final decision.

When Nadal is in good form, his forehand shots are fast, heavy and spinny, and he can rely on the spin to control the point of landing, often aiming at the corners. Therefore, even if his forehand always adds strong topspin and is not an ordinary flat shot, he can gradually build up an advantage through the point of landing and spin.

But when Nadal is in bad shape, his forehand shots are often inaccurate, shots aimed at corners are always easy to go out of bounds, and his hand control is slightly lacking.

So, in order to ensure that his game can go smoothly, Nadal can only add insurance to his forehand. The control of the landing point and line needs to be more conservative, and even the topspin will be further increased.

But the key is that Nadal's forehand has a strong topspin, and it bounces very high after landing, which also means giving the opponent more defensive opportunities and room for adjustment.

Once the landing point is not deep enough or biased enough to form effective suppression, the impact of Nadal's forehand will also decrease.

This also means that not only is the power of the final shot weakened; the pressure and restriction during the round of hitting are also weakened.

These links, one after another, are interconnected and have a profound impact on Nadal's game in all aspects.

Today, that's the case.

(End of this chapter)