Chapter 910 Breaking the Balance

"15:0..."

The referee stretched out the last syllable and announced the score.

Murray turned and walked to the baseline, continuing to ask the ball boy for the ball. In the eighth game of the third set, which was also Murray's fourth serving game, there was no change at the start, and the trend of this set continued.

Then--

One shot and the net is gone.

The reason is very simple. The physical strength fluctuates and there is a lack of sufficient force to push off the ground. Naturally, exerting force is the first technical link to feel the impact.

Murray's serve has never been outstanding. His first serve has an average speed of about 190 kilometers per hour, while his second serve drops to about 170 kilometers per hour.

Speaking of first serve alone, Murray is not a cannon-type player, but he also has his own set of tactics. Overall, his first serve level is almost the same as that of Djokovic and Nadal. It can be said that each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

However, when it comes to the second serve, Murray's level can't keep up and has dropped significantly. This is one of the reasons why he has more losses than wins when facing the other Big Three. Murray's second serve is already a struggle against ordinary players, let alone the giants at the top of the game?

So, in fact, Murray really needs his first serve.

However, when his physical strength is at a low point, the decrease in leg and arm power will inevitably lead to a decrease in the success rate of first serve. During this period, Murray will often adjust his tactics and cooperate with the quality of his serve to complete the tactical deployment, looking forward to overcoming the difficulties and getting back on the right track.

Of course, this is not difficult for Murray.

Defense, that's his strong point.

In the eyes of ordinary fans, there has always been a deep impression that Nadal is a typical representative of starting from defense, especially compared with Federer.

But in fact, after all these years of polishing and growth, Nadal's emphasis on offense has become more and more obvious, and his entire tactical system and game style have quietly changed, although defense is still his forte.

At the same time, among the Big Four, Murray is the true typical defensive player.

There are many reasons.

This is partly because of Murray's physique. Compared to Federer's coordination, Nadal's strength, and Djokovic's flexibility, Murray's strength has always been a shortcoming. Even if Murray eats six meals a day and tries to increase muscle and strength, his congenital deficiencies still limit his further improvement.

Part of it is because of Murray's character. Deep down, he lacks the murderous spirit of boldness and decisiveness, and his edge is slightly rounded. However, it is also undeniable that the influence of physical factors plays an important role in the growth process, which has shaped such a character.

Murray said in an interview that he likes boxing very much because he believes that boxing and tennis have many similarities.

"World-class boxing champions are not offensive. Victory in boxing matches will only go to those who stand firm."

This is also Murray's philosophy of the game.

So, Murray is not afraid of defense, nor is he afraid of being passive.

A serve went into the net? It didn't matter. Murray knew that this was an inevitable dilemma as his physical strength had reached its limit. He had already prepared himself mentally and just executed according to the plan.

Second serve.

Before preparing to serve, Murray looked up at Gawain and noticed immediately that Gawain's position was advanced.

As mentioned before, in today's world tennis, the power of serves has been steadily increasing due to technological developments in rackets and strings, as well as the improvement in the physical fitness of the new generation of players. Even players who are not cannon-type players often have powerful serves.

This also forces the receiving side to step back slightly to gain more time and space for receiving the serve. Nadal has further promoted this tactic. Other players may be one and a half or two meters away from the baseline when receiving the serve, but Nadal may be four or even five meters away from the baseline.

But in fact, in the 1990s, top serve receivers, represented by Agassi, all received serves standing at the baseline.

Just look at the women's players' games.

Because women's serves lack power, Serena Williams often goes inside the baseline to receive serves and kills the ball with one shot.

Nowadays, male players who advocate offensive play tend to stay closer to the baseline, especially when facing second serves. Federer is a typical example.

At this time, Gao Wen did the same, and his footsteps had already reached the baseline.

Murray was not surprised because it was his second serve and it was indeed a little weak. It was normal for Gawain to want to attack after receiving the serve, but Murray was not stupid. He remained indifferent after seeing Gawain's actions. After all, the initiative of serving was still in Murray's hands, so he could naturally make adjustments.

Push off the ground! Hit the ball!

Second zone, outside corner!

The serve speed is only 158 kilometers per hour.

Such a serve is almost equivalent to a woman's second serve, but when Murray is at the extreme end of his strength, he often serves so slowly.

However, Murray also has his own tricks: shallow landing point, wide outside angle, and reduced power serve.

This is a tactic that deliberately uses the physical principle of the angle of incidence to tear out a large outside angle. After landing, the tennis ball will rush out of the doubles line. At the same time, after the force is completely reduced, the opponent has no way to use the force to attack, and must actively exert force while moving at high speed.

The difficulty increases sharply.

Finally, because of the super large outside angle, it is often difficult for the opponent to play a straight line, and the diagonal line is the most likely choice, which also prepares Murray for the next shot.

The seemingly weak serve is actually a tactic.

Especially for Gao Wen's position.

Gao Wen's footsteps are standing on the baseline, which means that the time and space for rushing to the outside corner to catch the ball are compressed by Gao Wen's own movements, and the difficulty is naturally further increased.

"Attack VS Counterattack".

Just from one shot, you can tell what the game between Gawain and Murray is about.

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but!

Gao Wen seemed to have been prepared for it. He anticipated Murray's choice in the outside corner. His lateral movement was very timely and firm, and he started at the first moment.

And, a step up.

Not only did he not avoid it, but he also took the initiative to face it.

It was precisely with this step that the tall and strong Gao Wen entered the inner court, and used his two-handed backhand to lead the racket early, grabbing the first rising point after the serve landed and bounced.

Murray's serve has almost no speed and power, which also means that Gao Wen has enough time to react and enough time to attack.

Grab! Gao Wen's backhand was solid and heavy, a sweep across the entire court, and a burst of power erupted from deep in his dantian.

"ah!"

At the highest point of the tennis ball, sweep it from top to bottom, and then the tennis ball jumps out.

Slash!

Murray's prediction was also accurate. Gawain did choose the diagonal line, but the tennis ball had just jumped out as soon as he started moving.

As fast as lightning.

Murray didn't even have time to swing his racket before the tennis ball had already broken through, making Murray's movement completely useless and he could only sigh to the sky.

Return serve ACE.

"15:15".

The game and counter-game between Gawain and Murray produced intense sparks, but this point was more or less due to luck... right?

However, Gawain then proved with practical actions that this was not the case.

"15:40".

After scoring three points in a row, Gao Wen got break points again in Murray's serve, two in a row.

Everything happened kind of fast.

(End of this chapter)