TENNIS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11827, 7 January 1933, Page 10

TENNIS

LUCK SHOULD NOT BE ELIMINATED

CONTROVERSY OVER THE NET-CORD SHOT.

There are some people who never seem able or willing to understand that, in games as in more serious matters, rules are rules, and that law is not necessarily concerned with equity (says an English paper). They complain that such-and-such a happening in a game is “not fair", and that rules that permit such a happening must- be altered. They de'siro, in fact, to eliminate luck altogether from the game in which they are for the moment interested.

Age-long have been the attacks, for instance, made upon the stymie at golf. It is not fair, Hie cry goes, but if I lay in'.y ball dead nine inches from the hole, my opponent may (of course, by ai bad shot on his part) prevent me from holing my putt for a win by playing his ball to a position an inch from the hole in a direct line between it and my hall. Hard hick, perhaps, but that is the rule; and it has so far resisted all iconoclastic attempts to alter it. That it may not be “'fair” has really nothing to do with the matter : as long as the rule remains the rule, it must, be kept. Again, there are still some very old stagers who regret- that the old rule of Rugby Football which gave victory to tho side which secured a. goal over over any number of trios scored by an opposing team was ever altered for tho sake of “fairness.” A. goal’s a goal, say they; a. try, from its very name, is but a try at a goal, and on that very account ought- not- to count as an actual goal. Yet that alteration made and rightly made; but is was “bad luck” it entailed n,s in. the case of the stymies but because gradually the whole energies of the Rugby Footballer were directed to scoring a try rather than the getting the goal. A LEGITIMATE STROKE. ,Now it is tho turn of the “net-cord shot,” at lawn tennis to come under review. Evcrbody who plays the game has suffered at some time or another from this piece of misfortune—and at gained by it. That it has been felt, by the maker of it, to be a pieco of unmerited fortune is sufficiently in cheated by the fact that the pepetrator almost invariably ejaculates “Sorry!’’ —with what amount of truth must he left to his or her conscience to decide Yet, though an unintentional, it is a perfectly legitimate stroke, the hall lias been returned, over the net, into the opponent I,} 1 ,} court; the manner, in which it got the not- does not enter into consideration.

But, oddly enough, when tho same thing occurs in service, it is a “lot,” ■i.e.j 'tho .receiver of service is not disadvantaged by it.• There is no logical rea'son, apparently, why a let should he allowed for a hall hitting the net in -service and dropping over, and not for one doing the same tiling in the course of a rally; hut- the rules so enact. To put both on the same footing -is the aim of those who wish to alter the rule; and they have been vocal enough to induce the International Lawn Tennis, Federation’s Advisory Committee to seek the opinion of the Council of the Lawn Tennis Association of England (and doubtless of the other national associations which constitute the International Federation) by the following questionnaire: “Are your association and your players in favour of adhering to the present practice; and, if not, is it your de'siro to abolish tho net-cord shot, i.e., to g’ivo a “lot’ on all occasions wlion a net-cord shot occurs; or have you any alternative proposal to make?” VIEWS OF PLAYERS SOUGHT. With a view to providing an answer to this inquiry it is stated that the CQunc-il will take the opinions of the principal British players, he., Davis Cup, and ranking-list players, officials of county associations and some, of the leading professionals on the point. It will be interesting -to see what the

result' of tho inquiry will he. Tho opinion of many players whom I liavo talked with is almost unanimous in the desire to retain the rule as it stands. But with the modern tendency to play pretty nearly all game s as a science rather than a pa’stime, with a correlative idea of eliminating “luck” and. “rubs of the green” from them there is, a possibility that tradition will go by the board, and that quite a respectable number of players will vote for tho abolition of the net-cord stroke altogether.

The last word will lie with the, International Federation which, s ineo on it’s foundation England 'surrendered its rights to make or alter tho rules of the game, is now the only lawgiver. The change would certainly ho equitable; hut if it is made, tho nctcordl fault ought to he abolished at time, since in that case the server is mb present penalised for a stroke which would nearly always have been a perfectly good service if it had not touched the nct-cord in its passage. Personally, I am all for tradition, and the upholding of the rules; buti it can scarcely he denied that this is a case where the modern desire for a change ha’s more to ho said for it than in a good many other instances Yet I doubt whether, even then, it will be strong enough to obtain the majority necessary for a change in rules.