PROMISING YOUNG WOMEN PLAYERS

Evening Post, Issue 86, 11 April 1936, Page 18

PROMISING YOUNG WOMEN PLAYERS

SEASON FINALE AT EASTER

The following notes on some of the promising younger women players of Wellington are set out for those who are interested in the technique of tennis and in improving their own style, as they indicate a view, not intended to be final, as to the direction in which development should take place.

Miss J. Bedford,

Miss J. Bedford is the sister of N. Bedford, the New Zealand junior representative who recently returned from Australia. Her play resembles very closely that of her brother and is clear cut and decisive. She has not fallen into the error that many juniors make of slicing the drives before they have learned the flat racket return. Miss Bedford's flat racket driving though it lacks control, is generally good, and she might well experiment with spin. Her forehand tends to be hit too hard, and to go out. Her backhand driving of high balls should be strengthened. Like many of the other younger players she tends to smash too late. During the recent champion of champions' tournament Miss Bedford at times played brilliantly, but her game waV not steady and tended to be very erratic. '

Miss 3. Nicholls.

Miss Nicholl's service is sliced on both deliveries. She does not yet get her body weight into the shot, and is sometimes inclined to hit over the service line. Her forehand drive generally carries slight underspin, and should be varied with a flat and top spin forehand. She should learn to drive with a flat racket as well as with a slice, as at present. Her overhead lacks confidence and pace, possibly- because it is taken too late. She has a good assortment of strokes which will improve considerably with practice.

Miss J. Matterson.

Miss Matterson has the best forehand and backhand of all the players mentioned here. She plays her forehand drive with the Western grip and her backhand with the same face of the racket as the forehand. Her service is reversed, the second delivery, being tot> weak. The second service should be practised. ,

Miss P. Ludlow.

Miss Ludlow is one of the keenest of the younger players and has benefited much from her coaching. Her service is weakened by an error which affects innumerable Wellington players —not getting the full advantage of one's height for speed and placement, by hitting the ball too low. She should perfect her flat racket driving and in backhand driving particularly, should change her grip quicker. Her volleying should not be delayed, as pace and direction are thereby lost. Even more important, however, is the necessity for watching the ball during the course of the stroke.

Miss N. Marshall,

Miss N. Marshall has a sliced backhand which is very effective in match play but which should be suppressed until the flat stroke has been mastered. Her forehand is good for strokes of ordinary heights but she should practise with returning low-bounce drives. Her service is good but rhythmically not perfect because the weight is thrown too quickly on to the front foot. An endeavour should be made by Miss Marshall as well as by the other junior players to place the service better.

Miss L. Akel,

Miss Akel is both a keen and a promising young player. She too should practise flat driving and not rely upon her present exaggerated top spin. In forehand driving the racket should swing like a pendulum in the direction in which the ball is to proceed. Miss Akel tencfs to pull the body away from the direction in which she intends to hit, mainly because her feet are not placed, before the stroke, in the direction in which the;ball is to travel.

Miss M. Meier,

Miss Meier has some of the best and worst strokes of all junior ladies' tennis players. Her first service is flat and is one of the best, of any age group, in Wellington. Her second service is slow, weak in placement and able to be returned with interest. She does not get into a good court position to drive the ball and as a result is far to much inclined to chop her forehand return. Without good foot-

work she will not attain correct balance and swing necessary for clean forehand and backhand driving. Her backhand carries too much top spin. She should perfect her flat racket driving first. 'Miss Meier is a natural vol-leyer-and has one of the best women's smashes in Wellington. Her lobbing is good but erratic. If she practises her ground strokes she will be prominent in ladies' tennis in Wellington .in the future.

Miss P. Monkman,

Miss Monkman must improve her footwork before she can get the proper swing for effective driving. At present she is hitting too far away from the body and without sufficiently firm grip and control. A player must avoid tensing the leg muscles and driving on tip toes, as balance is thereby lost. Miss Monkman is improving rapidly.

Thanks are due to Mr. T. S. Williams and Mr. R. Howe for their co-operation in the preparation of notes on junior players. Mr. Williams expresses the opinion that "although it is only natural for a rising young player to demonstrate her ability as often as possible, it would be in the interests of these girls of they refrained from all, or at least as much match play as possible for at least one season after their coaching has been completed."

One would agree with Mr. Williams, provided the young player spends the non-competitive season practising her. strokes under the eye of one properlyqualified to. criticise and give helpful advice. Suzanne Lenglen is an excellent example of the value of this type of development. There are few, however, who can spend such long periods as that great player did, purely upon improvement in technique, and there are few still who have fathers with the same tennis experience and willingness to instruct, as Mon. Lenglen. Without the assistance of com-; petitive play in keeping a player fit, keen, experienced in tactics, and particularly in meeting different forms of attack, it is felt that a player here, would tend to go off form owing to the lack of competitive ■ play. However, the moral still remains that the.strokes in the long run make the player and strqkes will be developed along proper lines, not by.competitive play but by rigorous practice of . each ' particular stroke until it is mastered.