Match point

"...Center of gravity, pay attention to the center of gravity, bend the knees, sink the center of gravity, hold on, keep your body balanced, toes... slap! slap! slap! Move your toes..."

Sampras' voice echoed over the training ground, over and over again, repeating familiar words without any new ideas at all.

Under the scorching sun, sweating profusely, everyone looked as if they were fished out of the water, but no one was distracted, and no one complained of being tired. They were still concentrating on training, and the boring basic training was still enjoyable. Build muscle memory little by little.

In training, there is no shortcut, repeating and repeating, running and sweating and continuing, this is the only way.

Sampras knows Gawain's ability. In fact, Gawain's most outstanding talent is wisdom, interpretation of the game, understanding of the field, tactical layout, etc. He can always keenly capture the atmosphere of the game, and look for Find the correct combination, and then master the initiative of the game.

Sampras is not worried about Gao Wen's ability to adapt to the grass, especially after the clay court season, his confidence is more firm and firm.

Now, Sampras has many expectations for Gao Wen's grass-court season, and those enthusiasm, excitement, and excitement have returned to his body.

Even after retiring for many years, the grass field still has a special place in Sampras' mind. The memory of June revived the dormant heart of the champion. , Sampras's confidence is getting stronger and stronger, and the expectations will naturally rise slowly. After experiencing the surprise of Roland Garros, his ambition is burning uncontrollably.

On his first night in Eastbourne, Agassi spoke to Sampras alone:

"You need to calm down."

Gao Wen has already been under countless pressures, from the frenzy of "Big Four VS Challengers" to the hot discussion of "World No. [-]", to the recovery and adjustment after the Grand Slam winning streak stopped. It is also necessary to add the attention brought by the title of "Peter Sampras"——

After all, before Federer, Sampras was the well-deserved king of the grass, so what about Gao Wen as a disciple of Sampras?
"Peter, you know it, and I know it, we all want to continue our enthusiasm and passion through this kid and continue to climb the peak of the limit; but he is not responsible for our daydreams, he is himself, he has his own. life, he has his future, he doesn't need to take on our unfinished dreams."

"I know your desire to get back on the No. [-] court is not possible now, but let me remind you that you shouldn't expect this kid to do it for you."

Faced with Agassi's accusation, Sampras denied it, not only denied it, but also issued a strong protest, and even had a dispute with Agassi.

Sampras thought that Agassi was worrying unfoundedly and imposed false accusations on himself. He expressed his dissatisfaction with this, and argued hard without hesitation. Today's training atmosphere is slightly tense.

However, looking at Gao Wen who was concentrating on training in front of him, Sampras was a little uncertain——

His ambition is indeed expanding bit by bit, and the news headline "Sampras disciples reach the top of Wimbledon" pops up in his mind inadvertently.

That thought, like a seed, once it takes root and germinates, it can no longer stop, and it grows vigorously in a blink of an eye, spreading wildly and wantonly.

This is not a good thing.

For Gao Wen, the biggest shortcoming from the clay court season to the grass court season is experience.

For this young man, the tennis world is still fresh, full of countless unknowns and adventures, and he needs to stay active and keep exploring.

However, a balance should be found between the strong thirst for knowledge and the strong desire to win, otherwise, ambition may backfire and destroy the entire game.

Thinking back carefully, Gao Wen was able to make a breakthrough at Roland-Garros, patience and concentration were the key——

They did not set goals, not because of lack of confidence, but because they gave Gao Wen enough space to explore, to try and make mistakes, to take risks, and to grow.

Throughout the clay court season, whether Agassi or Sampras, they have always held a humble attitude and slowly sought to get in touch with Gao Wen. From doubles to singles, from victory to defeat, each game is summarized in detail, Then make local adjustments to the details according to the actual situation.

After two months, when they arrived at Roland-Garros, they were in a certain state, and then they ushered in an explosion and breakthrough.

Now comes the grass season, the basic training is not over yet, the confidence has already swelled, the picture of winning the championship is lingering in his mind, and then Sampras realized that Agassi was right, he lost his normal heart and patience and focus.

Maybe, Gawain can indeed make a breakthrough at Wimbledon, maybe not, but what is certain is that he needs to give Gawain room to grow.

but……

The truth is not difficult, but the actual implementation is very, very difficult. After all, this is Wimbledon.

Closing his eyes, the former splendor and glory surged in front of his eyes, frame by frame quickly passed by, even though it was blurred, it was still vivid, those applause, cheers, and carnival surged in the depths of his mind, and now, he will again Get back there and throw yourself into the fray again.

The thoughts in Sampras's mind were raging. He glanced at Agassi on the opposite side of the court, his eyes were a little confused, and then took a deep breath, trying to regain his focus——

"...the batting movement remains consistent, and the turning movement needs to be adjusted according to the center of gravity..."

Sampras, no answer.

But at least, at this moment, he should focus on what is in front of him.

Watching Gao Wen, who is conscientious and meticulous in completing the basic training, adjust his footsteps, movement and hitting habits from the basic skills, and the boring repetitive training is still enjoyable. That concentration and dedication, that enthusiasm and excitement are the best. of sedatives.

On the whole, the tactical system of the grass does not need to make earth-shaking changes, and a slight adjustment can be made on the basis of the hard court, but the foundation of the entire tactical system is the footsteps and the center of gravity.

Players need to have a deep muscle memory of grass shots to ensure that they can respond correctly when faced with low bounce balls.

Otherwise, on the grass, it is easy to reduce the quality of the ball returned due to the deviation of the hitting point, and further lead to passiveness in the round.

What's worse, miss the hitting point and make mistakes directly, just like Federer, he is used to grab the rhythm of the ball on the grass, but in the fast-paced rounds on the grass, this needs to be very, very precise, so he often appears off. The condition of the shot.

It is precisely because of this that Gao Wen devoted himself to the basic batting training, without any fancy, just the basic forehand and backhand, through the basic batting again and again to get used to the rebound of the grass, and then partially adjusted his batting habits, And adjust the shot selection according to this situation.

again and again.

Once, again.

In a trance, it really seems to have returned to the time when I was just learning tennis.