Chapter 10: The Doubles Dilemma
The next day, Pansiqi rushed to the tennis hall after work to make an appointment with Da Wei. When they arrived at the court, Da Wei and the other two were chatting and warming up on the court.
Seeing what Da Wei said, his eyebrows flew and his mouth frothed, and the two of them were dumbfounded, Pan Xiqi knew that he was probably bragging again.
"Da Wei, I'm here."
Hearing Pan Xiqi's voice, Da Wei hurriedly ran over.
I saw him smile all over his face and pat Pansic on the shoulder. "Why did you just arrive, I thought you weren't coming. The two over there are players I've just met, and I've already told them about your level, and people want to play with you. If you don't come today, I really can't explain it. ”
"Who told you to brag to others, didn't blow the cowhide?"
"Look at what you said, I see, your level is definitely better than what I bragged, no, only higher than what I said. By the way, these two buddies are usually quite proud, and the level is also there, this time you have to give them some color to see, and grow a long face for my brother. Da Wei whispered.
"I can't help it. As you know, I usually practice singles with you, and I haven't played doubles much. Besides, the two of us are not matched, at least the tacit understanding is much worse than them. ”
"It's okay, I believe in your abilities. Isn't it doubles, how different can it be from singles? "It seems that the performance of Pan Xiqi in the last practice left a deep impression on Da Wei, and Da Wei is full of confidence in Pan Xiqi.
Da Wei was wrong to think so. Tennis doubles and singles are very different, and for professionals, they can almost be considered two different sports. A player with a high level of singles does not mean that he must be a doubles master. If you are particularly strong in doubles, you may not be very competitive in singles.
The reason for such a big difference is that the number of participants has changed from one person to two. As long as there are more than one person, cooperation and tacit understanding will have a great effect on the outcome of the game, and the impact of individual ability will be reduced accordingly.
Take, for example, the most famous American twin brother in tennis, who only compete in doubles and almost never set foot in singles. The singles level of the two of them is in the ATP, which is simply unusual. But the two relied on their natural telepathy and long-term cooperation from childhood to adulthood to call for wind and rain in the doubles arena and won numerous championships. At the same time, sometimes Cow and Natto will also participate in doubles competitions on a ticket-like basis, but because the partners are temporary, there is almost no tacit understanding, and the results achieved are completely different from those they achieve in the singles court.
Therefore, although Da Wei has strong confidence in Pan Xiqi, Pan Xiqi himself has no bottom in his heart.
"Come, Boss Wu, Boss Wu, let me introduce you to each other, this is the buddy I told you, Pan Xiqi, a super tennis master." Da Wei pulled Pan Xiqi to the two men.
The two looked Pan Xiqi up and down, suspicion leaking out of their eyes. The taller man spoke first: "Hello, I have admired the name for a long time. I'm Boss Wu, and this is my younger brother Boss Wu. I don't usually have any hobbies, but I like to play tennis doubles. It's been a few years since I matched it, and I have won a lot of people. I usually hear Da Wei praise you for your high level, so why don't you let him make an appointment so that I can ask you for advice. ”
Look at what he said politely, but the tone and demeanor revealed disbelief with a capital letter.
"It seems that this time is not a simple appointment, Da Wei praised me ruthlessly, made others unhappy, and wanted to test my body." Pan Xiqi was a little speechless to Da Wei, this big mouth.
"Where, Da Wei and I have hardly ever played doubles, but he told me that there is a doubles master, so I want to come over and learn." Pan Xiqi is still very good at being a person, and a few words made the brothers' faces much better.
"It's getting late, let's get started." Wu Laoer, who had not spoken, suddenly spoke, seemingly impatient.
Pan Xiqi changed his clothes on the sidelines, hurriedly did a five-minute warm-up exercise, and walked to the side of the field with Da Wei, who had prepared earlier.
The rules are mostly the same in tennis doubles and singles, but there are a few notable differences to be aware of. One is that the doubles tennis sideline is the outside sideline on the left and right sides of the court, while the singles sideline is the inside sideline. The second is that the doubles serve is served by one of the two players on the same side in each game, and if it is the turn of the next service game, the other player will serve, that is, Pan Xiqi will serve a game, and then the next time they serve, Da Wei will serve a game.
In the first game, Wu Boss started to serve. I saw that the two brothers exchanged a few words in a low voice, and then stood on the left and right sides of the bottom line. From this step, it can be seen that these two are old guns who often play doubles. For doubles players, communication between each ball is almost a necessary step. Not only can you discuss the problems that arise on the field, but also the tactics you will take to deal with them next.
On the other hand, Pan Xiqi and Da Wei did not have any communication, so they each chose a side and stood up. After all, this is their first time in doubles, and even they don't know what to communicate with.
In the first point, Boss Wu sent a flat shot that was not too fast, and it was only seventy or eighty kilometers per hour. For doubles players, a great advantage is that the requirements for serving ability are much lower than those of singles players, and basically only need to ensure the success rate of serve. After all, even if the opponent receives a dangerous return serve, there are teammates on the other side who can make up for it. In singles, you don't have that kind of opportunity, and a soft serve to greet you is basically a return to win points.
Da Wei received the serve, only to see him staring at the incoming ball, giving full play to the advantage of his good strength, hitting a return ball with a very heavy quality, and hitting the ball back to the feet of Wu Boss, who had just finished serving. Boss Wu seemed to have been prepared, and he dodged and shot a straight line at Pan Xiqi, and the ball speed was not slow.
However, this level of return to the ball Pan Xiqi is quite simple to deal with, a chic SLR, hitting Wu Lao Er, who has not touched the ball. Pansiqi's diagonal ball was of excellent quality, with both speed and depth, and landed very close to the baseline.
Wu Lao Er obviously didn't expect Pan Xiqi to be able to return such a high-quality ball as soon as he came up, so he was not in a hurry, so he hurriedly used his racket to block the ball into the sky and returned a high and shallow ball.
Just as the two brothers were standing on the bottom line, concentrating on preparing for defense, Pansiqi didn't give them time to react at all. I saw him stepping on Hot Wheels under his feet, quickly coming to the net, holding his racket high, and staring at the tennis ball falling from the sky. didn't wait for the ball to land, a high pressure in the air, hit the middle gap between the two brothers' positions, and handsomely won the first point.
"Wow, that's beautiful. Panzi, you can really do it! Da Wei ran to Pan Xiqi excitedly, praising non-stop.
But over there, the Wu brothers glanced at each other, and there was a little surprise in their eyes. The two approached, Wu Lao Er said a few words, Wu Lao Er glanced at Pan Xiqi, but shook his head, and seemed to disagree with Wu Lao Er's proposal. Seeing that his brother disagreed, Wu Lao Er no longer insisted, switched places with his brother, and prepared for the next game.
Boss Wu came to the second zone and sent another flat shot that was about the same as the first point. This time it was Pansiqi's turn to receive the serve, and he came up to make a strong return attack, quickly returning the ball to the junction of the two.
However, this accident did not make the Wu brothers panic, and the tacit understanding they usually accumulated played a role at this time. Since Boss Wu had just finished serving the ball and his body was still in a state of return, it was definitely more difficult to catch the ball than his younger brother, so he didn't chase it. At this time, Wu Lao Er took the initiative to move quickly to the left as if he had a heart, and returned the ball in time.
Although it was a bit rushed, the quality of the ball was really good, so that Pansiqi's side did not have too good offensive opportunities. He hit a forward slash and hit the ball towards Boss Wu.
At this time, Boss Wu was completely prepared, and he slapped a fast slash with both hands, and went straight to Pan Xiqi.
Pancicic seemed tired of the grappling and threw the ball out with a one-handed backhand that aimed at the opposite corner of the left baseline and sideline. The tennis ball seemed to be exactly what Panci was aware of, and it smashed precisely at that intersection. Although Wu Lao Er was in this position, because the landing point was too awkward, he ran with all his strength and almost didn't save the ball.
After losing the ball, the two brothers' faces became even more solemn. When communicating, Wu Lao Er seemed to suggest something again, and at the same time glanced at Pan Xiqi. Boss Wu seemed a little hesitant, but after thinking for a while, he still shook his head insistently. Seeing that he couldn't persuade his brother, his younger brother had to return to the bottom line depressed.
In the next two points, just like the previous repeat, the two Wu brothers seemed to consciously aim all their attacking firepower at Pan Xiqi, and no matter what the ball was, they would all return it to him. And Da Wei, except for the shot of the serve, don't even think about touching the ball. However, no matter how the two brothers took turns attacking, it was Pansiqi who ended the game with a beautiful direct score.
In the first game, Pansiqi and the others broke serve with straight fours. This result was unexpected by the four of them, but it seemed to be reasonable.
The Wu brothers returned the ball to Pan Xiqi in a targeted manner, and the final result was called playing doubles, but Pan Xiqi was actually playing singles, and even cooler than doubles was that he even saved running. Because he doesn't have to take care of the field on Da Wei's side at all, there will be no ball going over anyway.
In the second game, Da Wei served and Wu Boss received. Before starting, the two brothers communicated as usual. The difference is that after Wu Lao Er said a few words, this time Wu Lao Er actually nodded. Seeing that he finally said that he had moved his brother, the second child breathed a sigh of relief and trotted all the way to his position.
Da Wei served with his lower hand as usual, and the ball speed was of course very slow, but it was harmless. After all, he knew that his opponent's return would go back to Pansic, and no matter how fierce the return was, it was none of his business.
Who knew that this time he guessed wrong, Boss Wu saw that the ball was soft, and he had already held his breath as if he had found an outlet to vent, and he slapped the rising point and pressed it back, and returned a very threatening ball. The ball came to Da Wei's feet in an instant, and Da Wei didn't prepare to catch the ball at all, so he didn't have any reaction at all and let the ball slip away directly from his side.
"Holy, what's going on? I thought there was nothing wrong with me in this game? Da Wei came to Pan Xiqi and complained quietly.
"Be careful. In the first game, they deliberately tested me, trying to suppress my momentum, but I didn't expect to get any benefits. Looks like they're starting to focus on you this game. Pansic gradually saw a clue.
"That, that, what to do? I don't have the skills of you, I can hit two. Da Wei was obviously a little panicked when he heard this.
"Don't worry, let's do it when the opportunity comes." Pansiqi reassured.
But in fact, at this time, he himself had not yet figured out how to deal with this situation. He is very confident in his own strength, but if the opponent only returns the ball to Da Wei, this is not something he can control.
Sure enough, as he expected, in the next few points, whether it was the eldest or the second eldest to receive the serve, they only returned the ball to Da Wei, making Da Wei tired and embarrassed. Da Wei was not the opponent of the two brothers in doubles, and when they met one or two again, the scene was not to mention how tragic it was.
Pansiqi and Da Wei did not try to come up with a way to deal with it, they agreed that once the opponent returned the ball slightly to the middle line, the ball would be picked up by Pan Xiqi, who was farther away, and Da Wei didn't care. However, although Pansiqi returned the ball very well, no matter where Da Wei hid in the next shot, the brothers would definitely return the ball to Da Wei again, and try to keep the ball away from Pansiqi.
Naturally, Da Wei, who was taken care of, made mistakes again and again, they didn't score a single point, and soon lost four points in a row and were broken back.
"How can we solve the current dilemma? If it continues like this, not only will I not be able to touch the ball, but Da Wei will definitely be defeated, and there will be no chance of winning this game. "It's the first time I've had a smooth ride since Pansich got his tennis prowess, and this is the first time he's been in such a predicament.