TOURNAMENT NERVES

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 90, 13 October 1923, Page 16

TOURNAMENT NERVES

AN ESSENTIAL IN TENNIS.

During the holiday season heaps of players participate in tennis tournaments for the nrst time, and the great bugbear of the novice is match fright. At first, writes Alan E. Norman in the "Daily Chronicle," everybody suffers from this malady; but, applying the right frame, it can soon be overcome by concentrating upon each particular shot, by thinking where you want to hit the ball, and watching it closely up to the last fraction of • a second. That rule—keep the eye on the ball—is one of the most important. The average man and girl should recall it many timees during every match. Have a knock-up with your opponent for a couple of minutes before beginning; see that you get two.or three forehand and backhand drives, and try a service or two to loosen your shoulder muscles.

Suppose you loss the first three games, do not let it discourage you in the least. You should have commenced play with the definite object in view"" of discovering your adversary's weak points. I know of many players who say quite frankly that they think it is unlucky to win the first three games—that, however, mainly depends, I fancy, upon whether the other fellow has been playing with a definite plan in mind. Anyhow, heaps of times every year sets are won from 0-5.

When serving, it is essential to place your service ball; usually it pay to bombard your opponent's left-hand corner. But don't take this for granted, make sure he is not weaker on the forehand. In any case, after peppering one side sling an occasional ball across to the opposite corner. Always remember that in any kind of fight the initiative is gained and held by the element of surprise. Therefore try' to keep your man guessing always. Vary the direction of your returns, strive for a full length to within a yard of the base line, and having ont-positioned yoar opponent, then remember the value of the slow, short return to the opposite side. In the foursome against active net players lobs to the base line are most effective. * At Hurlingham recently the y/inners of the men's, .doubles accounted for stronger and more versatile opponents in the semi-final and final rounds simply by pursuing a campaign of doep lobbing to the base line. Very few pairs in the world can smash well enough to break up a first-class defence of high tosses. Even in the single-handed game a high lob is an excellent defence. Especially useful to gain time when out of position, good again to try when your opponent evidently relishes your low returns. As a rule girl players are impotent when, faced with the task of returning a high-bounding lob on the back hand. When tiring try to lob, making your opponent run for each one R3 much as possible.