Tennis For Beginners THE SERVICE

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21404, 21 February 1935, Page 5 (Supplement)

Tennis For Beginners THE SERVICE

The service is the stroke with which every rally in a game of tennis is commenced. It is the only stroke, too, which is made without regard to the nature of a previous stroke played by one's opponent. It follows, therefore, that any player can make the service his or her best stroke, and the possession of a really good service, [means that the player will be able to attack at the commencement of each rally during at least half a match. Conversely a weak service will immediately place one on the defensive, and it will readily be seen that if the opponent at the same time should possess a good se.ve the chances of success in that game are very remote. The first essential of a good service is that the ball should be struck at the full extent of the player's reach; The higher the point at which the ball is struck the greater is its chance of clearing the net and falling into the service court. The tall player has an advantage over the short one in serving, but short players, with the use of spin that makes the ball dip quickly after it has passed the net, can without dificulty acquire a speedy delivery. The service should be fast, because speed increases the difficulty of the receiver in making the return, but speed is useless unless the ball can be hit accurately into the court and so placed that the receiver has difficulty in reaching it and getting into position for the return. Service used to be merely the means of putting the ball into play—of starting a rally. Now it is a winner of points; it must be the means also of ending the rally outright, or of forcing the receiver to send back weak returns that will enable the server to end the rally with a placement or a "kill." There are no hard and fast rules for the making of the stroke. Even among the best players there is a great variety of style. The grip should be one that enables the player to swing the racket freely behind the shoulder and then forward. The racket is used just like an Indian club, body, shoulder, arm and wrist all being used to impart speed to the delivery. The same rules of footwork as those outlined for the drives apply to the service, only the player does not face quite as far away from the net, At the commencement of the stroke the weight should, for a right-hander, be back on the right foot; then, as the racket is swung forward with gradually increasing speed to strike the ball, the weight is transferred to the left foot which should be a few inches behind the baseline. The ball should be thrown up high enough to ensure that it is struck at the full stretch of the arm, and far enough forward to make it necessary to throw the weight of the body forward at the ball. The secret of good serving is to hit down on the ball —that is, the racket should strike the ball above its "equator." As the learner be-

(By Crosscourt)

comes more proficient in the art at serving he or she will be able to strike the ball with an upward sweeping motion from left t» right—but still with the face of the racket pointing down into th« service court —thus imparting to it that spin that makes the ball dip in its flight. This will enab!» the player to hit the ball harder without any loss of accuracy. Later, too, a variety of service d«« liveries can be learnt. Watch good players in action. Note how the racket is awunfl back and forward smoothly, wi»i no breaks in the swing: how tMj weight of the body is put into twi

shot as the ball is /truck, h<& shoulder is thrust ward with the swing ot .iT-napl and finally how the as the racket strikes thew* parting to it additional sPfjtytW service is well w photograph of C. J. Australian player who won the New Zealand championship with *— *■