Chapter 98: Unyielding
A tennis match is like this. Between games and points, there are many variables. Suppression and counter-suppression, offense and defense are constantly changing. Only by seizing opportunities and situations throughout the long game can you have the last laugh.
A 26-round duel showed Gawain's tenacity and faith, and he broke Sacramento's serve in one go.
Sacramento stood there for a long time without moving, looking at Gawain on the other side of the court with his fists clenched and his eyes burning. At this time, Gawain did not have the strength to roar because of his rapid and disordered breathing, but his sparkling eyes could clearly feel the determination that was coming towards him, and he was determined to win.
Even though the body has reached its limit, the passion and desire deep in the soul are still releasing energy, driving the body to push off the ground, exert force, and run! Sacramento saw himself, the self who had just started to like tennis, running, sprinting, and chasing under the sun with a passion and persistence for tennis. But he didn't know when the fun of tennis was no longer pure, but to prove himself to his father.
He had almost forgotten the joy of tennis.
"Go! Brown bear! Go!"
"We are Trojans!"
The whole stadium roared! Whether it was the home team fans or the visiting team fans, they all burst out with incredible energy at this moment. The cheers from both sides collided with each other, creating a rolling heat wave. Even the sun hanging above their heads was inferior to it. The air in the stadium began to gurgle and boil.
As a result, the blood began to boil.
Tap tap tap.
Sacramento jumped up again and clenched his fist secretly: Let tennis return to its purity.
He wanted to try harder, not for his father, not for the future, and not to prove anything, but just for tennis, just for... to release all his passion on this court, to live up to his dreams, his love, and his youth.
In the midst of fatigue, Sacramento's eyes lit up again.
"Next, Gao Wen was about to enter his serve to win the game, and he had only four points left to upset Sacramento, the seventh-ranked team in the United States."
"However, Sacramento is also a very tenacious player who will never give up until the last moment. Now it depends on whether Gao Wen has such a big heart and believes that he can beat his opponent and win the game."
"It is particularly important to note that Gao Wen's service games in the second set were particularly smooth and he did not encounter too many challenges. If he was suddenly hit hard, coupled with the pressure of being so close to victory, whether Gao Wen could quickly stand firm and deal with the crisis would be the key to the next game."
Sampras, who has experienced countless critical moments in his career, immediately pointed out the core of the problem.
To this, Sofar nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Australian tennis legend Rod Laver once said that the most vulnerable moment in a match is when you have a match point."
"This sentence is now engraved on the windward side of the entrance to the Australian Open's center court named after Rod Laver, reminding every tennis player."
What does Laver’s famous quote mean?
In fact, it is not complicated. To put it simply, tennis games are ever-changing, and the technical and psychological levels influence each other very closely. At the moment of getting the match point, a slight relaxation of the mind may lead to a subversion of the situation.
Because every shot in a tennis match is the result of countless judgments and calculations, the brain is always running at high speed. One point can change a game or a set. Conversely, the players can also remain calm and make this crucial point an ordinary point that will not affect the overall situation.
Ultimately, it depends on the players' psychological quality and mentality.
Match point can be the last point leading to victory, but it can also be the turning point that overturns the game.
On the court, the sudden change in the situation also confirmed Laver's wisdom.
Serving for the match, Gao Wen's mentality was still a little bit fluctuating. It wasn't nervousness, but a little bit excited and excited, and a little bit urgent.
After such a long, arduous and intense game, he was finally on the verge of victory. With his physical and mental strength reaching the limit, Gawain was eager to end the game and grab the victory in one go.
The emergence of such a mentality is ultimately due to lack of competition experience. Even though he has lived two lives as a human, Gawain does lack actual competition experience.
The fluctuation of mentality can be seen through the line and landing point of the shot: At the critical moment, do you dare to take risks? Do you dare to hit the ball towards the corners of the court? Do you dare to take the risk of mistakes and continue to attack? For the side that leads the offense, these questions are very real; correspondingly, for the defensive side, it is relatively easy, because they are used to passively taking beatings and only need to stick to their usual strategy. The most direct and obvious impact on them is reflected in the feel of the hand, whether the hitting action will be tight, which in turn affects the quality of defense.
In general, offense requires taking risks, while defense is more stable. If there is a fluctuation in mentality, the direct impact can be immediately seen on the offensive end.
The score is “30:40”.
"Ah, mistake. Break point is here."
"This was Gao Wen's second forehand error in this game. At the critical moment, his unstable forehand was exposed again."
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"Of course, we can't ignore that Sacramento's defense was excellent, and both its ball-reaching rate and ball-return rate put tremendous pressure on Gao Wen."
"In this inning, Sacramento's presence really covered the entire court. He tenaciously saved at least three shots that were necessary to score. It was also because of this that more pressure was put on Gawain's offense. Gawain seemed a little anxious, and his route layout was not so calm."
"Now, Sacramento has a break point on Gao Wen's serve in the match point, which is also Sacramento's first break point in the second set."
"Dear audience members, please don't forget that Gao Wen is still not ranked in the U.S., while Sacramento is ranked seventh in the U.S. However, judging by his performance throughout the game, we almost forgot this fact until now, when we were able to feel Sacramento's experience."
“As a senior, I still have a clear advantage in terms of experience.”
In the live broadcast room, Sofar was expressing his opinion, then turned to look at Sampras.
Sampras, who had expressed his admiration for Gawain without hesitation today, smiled and said, "I am looking forward to it."
Hmm? What's that?
"I am looking forward to how Gawain handles the situation. The more critical and critical the moment, the more you can see a player's potential, just like sharpening the sword. If Gawain can save the match point and win the game, then the value of this game is far greater than winning the game smoothly by holding serve."
(End of this chapter)