Match point

Chapter 312 The Serving Machine
Snapped.Snapped.

Gawain's concentration was high, this game was obviously different from any other game.

On the one hand, it is the feeling from the Grand Slam.

The sense of space in the entire Arthur Ashe Stadium is completely different, and even the touch of hitting the ball and the footsteps of movement need to be adjusted, especially today the stadium is not very full, and it seems that less than one-fifth of the seats are seated. The more spacious the stadium is, the more the sound of hitting the ball is different.

Everything is new and unfamiliar to Gao Wen, and he needs time to adapt.

On the one hand is the pressure from Isner.

Isner's entire game was pretty fast. Not only did the ACE ball ping-pong pong end the battle, but the connection between points was also very fast. His whole body revealed a kind of ease, which also The game process has been running at a high speed, as if thrown into a dryer.

There was not much room for Gawain to breathe and adjust.

Since the opening, there were actually not many rounds.

The biggest difference from usual is that Gao Wen needs to spend time adapting to the venue and the atmosphere, so that he has no time to initiate a test in Isner's serve. His lack of experience makes Gao Wen passively involved in Isner's serve. In the rhythm of the game.

Gao Wen strategically concentrated more energy on his serve——

Keep in mind that if you lose a serve against Isner, you may lose a set. Only by keeping your serve can you create more possibilities.

Similarly, Isner's game strategy has always been to steadily consolidate his own serve. As for the opponent's serve, he will try to continue some rounds to see if he can find opportunities.

If he can't find it, he will not change his tactics to find other possibilities. Anyway, he just needs to keep his serve and enter the tiebreaker.

In Isner's games, there has never been a lack of tie-breaks. This is his style of play.

It is precisely because of this that the progress of the game so far has been uneventful, and neither player has been able to find any opportunities in the opponent's serve.

During the break just now, Gao Wen calmed down and thought about it seriously. He realized that he was still too conservative——

Originally, he was the challenger who launched the attack. If he didn't take the initiative to break the balance, then both sides would keep serve in a regular manner, and then go all the way to the tiebreaker. Then Isner's experience and strength can easily gain the upper hand.

Just look at Isner's stroll in the courtyard. He is very satisfied with the progress of the game.

Moreover, so far from the opening game, his own style of play has not been played out at all.

Although all three serve games were saved, the hitting was quite satisfactory. In addition, Isner did not insist on entanglement, and the round ball did not become stalemate, so he kept it in a regular manner. All patterns are gone.

If it goes on like this, he definitely has no chance.

If he wants to beat Isner, he should at least form a confrontation. He should strive to disrupt Isner's rhythm, pursue the control of the initiative between back and forth, and break Isner's comfort zone for hitting. Even forcing Isner into chaos would do.

Tiptoes, knees, kicks, jumps.

Gao Wen concentrated on Isner's serve, his knees bounced lightly on the spot like a spring, keeping his center of gravity active.

Then you can see Isner—

Toss the ball, push the ground, turn, hit the ball.

With a height of 208 centimeters, Isner has an innate serve advantage, so his knee-bending action has always been incomplete, and it is difficult to squat down when hitting the ball.

But compared to the 211cm Karlovic, Isner's center of gravity control is already excellent.

boom!
Outer corner!

Gawain's knees straightened suddenly, his calf pushed his body forward and rushed out horizontally, his arms and upper body completely stretched out.

You are right!

However, it is still too late!
The speed is 132 miles per hour - the US Open still uses imperial units, which is 211 kilometers after conversion. Looking at Isner's appearance, it doesn't seem that much effort at all, and it is easy to serve at a speed of more than [-] kilometers per hour.

Even if Gao Wen's judgment is correct, as long as he hesitates for a moment in the prediction, he may miss it. Either he misses the hitting point and directly hits the ball, or he simply misses the hitting point and causes an ace ball.

"15:0".

Gao Wen stepped lightly twice, if he started it and went up a little faster, he should be able to hit it.

Then, ACE, 130 mph.

"30:0".

And then, straight tee shot, 135 mph.

"40:0".

In a blink of an eye, it was just a matter of three serves, and Isner still won three consecutive game points, all relying on serving to resolve the battle, and had no intention of forming a round for Gao Wen at all.

Moreover, looking at the combination of serving speed and landing angle, it is stable and strong. This is Isner's ability-when he is at his best, he can always maintain this state for a whole set or two consecutive sets.

It's simply a ball machine.

Maintaining an efficient, high-energy, and high-strength serving state throughout the whole process really makes people feel powerless.

call……

Gao Wen exhaled lightly, signaling to himself to be calm——

Since the statistics of ACE ball records began in 1991, until 2021, the Croatian player Karlovic has the most career ACE ball data, with a total of [-].

And the second place is none other than Isner, with [-] ACEs.

Behind them are Federer, Feliciano-Lopez, and Querrey. The top four of them all have more than [-] career ACEs.

In other words, Isner is one of the best servers in history, and may even be the best in history.

So, he needs to keep calm—

Although I understand the truth, standing on the Arthur Ashe Stadium still feels a little different. It is inevitable that I want to perform better, but if I can't even catch the serve, how can I perform?What if Isner does this every serve, without even getting a chance to touch the ball?
Unconsciously, I feel a little irritable.

And it's not just Gao Wen?
The two commentators in the live broadcast room were also very anxious, but they still tried their best to calm down and maintain an objective position.

"...This is Isner. He has such ability. He won four ACE balls in one game and won in just one minute without giving the opponent any chance. Gao Wen needs to learn to accept this fact, and then focus on In his own serve game, patiently look for opportunities."

"Yes, Gawain needs to keep his focus. Isner's serve is really good and strong, but there is no solution. He should learn from Djokovic or Murray's game, patience and concentration It’s an opportunity to lay out the content of the entire game.”

Both commentators tried to give advice to Gao Wen, but facing a serving machine like Isner, patience is indeed the only rule, and there is no other way.

The question is, Gao Wen is so young, and it is his first Grand Slam, can he remain patient and focused?
(End of this chapter)