rub. loiter.

Gao Wen rubbed the court with the soles of his shoes a few times to feel the texture of the entire court. Obviously, this is a completely different court from a hard court.

The whole feeling is completely different. On the one hand, there is a slightly loose and sliding sandy texture, but it is not obvious; on the other hand, the thick and thick soil texture is very obvious. After a few steps, the soil will be embedded into the gaps in the soles , then the whole friction force is different.

It is precisely because of this that tennis shoes are known as the only part of tennis equipment with professional skills

Look at those jersey and shorts sponsors, there are countless brands that you have heard of but not heard of, but tennis shoes are not the case.

Nike, Adidas, New Balance, etc., only a few top brands produce professional tennis shoes, and they still dominate the market.

It's not uncommon for players on tour to wear other sponsors' outfits but still choose Nike or Adidas for their shoes.

This is the case with both Djokovic and Murray. After leaving Adidas for a long time, they still wear Adidas sneakers; Federer is no exception. After leaving Nike and turning to Uniqlo in 2018, he also still wears Nike The sneakers continue to compete in the game.

Of course, tennis is different from football, rugby, etc. after all, the professionalism and exclusivity are not so strong. If players insist on wearing non-professional tennis shoes to participate in the competition, that is also an option. There is nothing wrong with it, but you need to bear the risk .

Like Kyrgios, he has worn his own "AJ" basketball shoes on the court many times, which is a little slippery, but he himself doesn't mind the risk of injury and sports injuries, and others don't need to worry about him.

Generally speaking, tennis shoes are divided into three types: hard court, grass court and clay court.

Hard tennis shoes, the grooves on the soles are inverted trapezoidal grooves, which increase friction and grip.

Clay tennis shoes, the grooves of the soles are all wavy, and are "V"-shaped grooves, so that the mud attached to the edges and corners can be quickly thrown off; of course, clay tennis shoes can also be worn on hard ground, but The grooves will be smoothed out quickly because the clay sole is softer overall.

Lawn tennis shoes are the most special. The soles have no grooves, but fine grain patterns, so as to increase the friction to the extreme and prevent slipping.

In essence, the principle of tennis shoes is the same as the tires of F1 racing cars. They are adjusted according to different weather and conditions. The ultimate purpose of different designs and materials is to increase friction and grip. , increase control and improve game performance.

Therefore, in clay court games, players can often be seen hitting their sneakers with rackets during the game intervals to knock out the clay in the grooves to ensure the friction and grip of the soles.

At the same time, in grass court games, it is often seen that players change their sneakers because the soles of the shoes are worn out, losing friction, and it is very easy to slip and fall. Obviously not the most friendly venue.

The difference between different venues has been highlighted from the footsteps.

In 2007, Sharapova dedicated a famous saying after losing a clay court game. She laughed at herself,

"I move like a cow on ice".

If you can't effectively control your footsteps, can't stop and turn quickly, can't brake suddenly, and can't make a second start, then Sharapova's famous saying applies to all players.

Tiptoe, jump.

Leg press, stretch.

Sprint, brake.

Gao Wen stepped into the clay court, using a series of basic movements to feel the changes of the court, and carefully felt the particles of the clay with the soles of his feet.

Everything is fresh.

Freshness actually means unfamiliarity. Gao Wen in front of him looked like a baby learning to walk, his movements were clumsy.

A voice with a slight smile came from behind.

"How long has it been since you played clay?"

Turning his head, Gao Wen saw Graf in tennis equipment, wearing her signature headband, which was far from her usual demure appearance. Now she can see the temperament of a goddess of war, but compared to when she was young Speaking of which, the sharpness has been restrained, and it is not so ostentatious.

Only at this time can the memory be awakened. The lady in front of him is still the strongest candidate for the best tennis player in history.

Not only won 22 Grand Slam singles championships, but as of 2015, he is still the strongest in history, surpassing all men's singles and women's singles players.

And he is the only player in history to achieve the annual Golden Slam. In 1988, he won the four Grand Slams and the Olympic champion, showing top-level dominance.

Behind them, Sampras and Agassi have also entered the court and are chatting, they seem very relaxed, because the initiative has been transferred to Graf.

Even Pelt was no exception. He followed Graf not too far away, warmed up briefly, and listened to Graf at any time.

Four hours after arriving in Mallorca, Gao Wen had already entered the training ground.

Today, there will be no high-intensity training, but simple training to adapt to the field, a little warm-up, and preparation for the follow-up training.

Gao Wen thought about it seriously, "It's been more than a year."

NCAA games are all played on hard courts, and clay courts are rarely seen at ordinary times; therefore, the last clay court training was in high school.

Graf was not surprised at all, and without looking back, he pointed to the two people behind, "Just like them, if it wasn't for the Paris match, they might not be able to set foot on clay once a year."

Sampras and Agassi said the knee was broken.

Graf stared at Gawain, pondering for a moment.

"Gowan, you're a smart kid, you know what people talk about most when they talk about Nadal on clay?"

In fact, in the long history, there has been more than one "King of Clay".

For example, the legendary Argentinian Vilas has maintained a historical record of 681 clay court victories, which is almost an unbreakable record, including Nadal, which is also very difficult, especially since the number of clay court events has decreased sharply in the tour , Nadal's pursuit of Villas was also forced to slow down.

For example, the Austrian star Thomas Muster ~ www.mtlnovel.com ~ has 44 championships in his career, 40 of which all come from clay.

For example, the famous Brazilian player Gustavo Kuerten, the three-time French Open champion, was still the unique darling of the Parisian audience until after he retired.

Etc., etc.

Of course, after Nadal was born, the definition and standard of "King of Clay" has been raised to a new level, completely changing history.

So, why?

Number of clay court wins? Clay win rate? Number of clay court champions? Or the number of French Open champions? Or is it clay court dominance?

Obviously, victories and championships are undoubtedly important indicators, but Graf's question is definitely not considering Gao Wen's memory.

With a flash of inspiration in his mind, Gao Wen thought of the answer, "What is your understanding of red soil?"

(end of this chapter)