A FRENCH OPINION
OF AUSTRALIAN LAWN TENNIS. The “Windsor’s” notable series of lawn tennis articles by famous players is continued in the December number with a vivacious and at the same time usefully critical contribution by Jean Borotra, the brilliant young covered court champion of France, and world’s hard court and covered court champion in doubles with Henri Coohet. In the course of his subject, Lieutenant Borotra says:— “After such a run of successes, I might well have thought my tactics nearly perfect. Rushing to the net on every posible ball, sending slow, heavily-cut balls of good length, and following them to the net, then killing every return with acrobatic volleys, seemed to me the ideal game. Then I came to Wimbledon, was badly defeated by Patterson, saw, thought, and learned. I found out that my tactics were no good against the Australian game, which never gave me the opportunity of taking the offensive. I understood the absolute necessity of good ground strokes, which I lack almost completely', for they wan b months and months of practice, to be learnt. The Australians serve so hard that perfect ground strokes are needed to send back tho ball. They hit their own returns with such power that, unless your service is a very strong one, following it Up to the net is courting disaster. The fastest jump does not enable one to touch their cannon-ball returns, and one’s vain attempts seem only useful as inspiration for Tom Webster’s cartoons. “Against this type of game one must be able to wait on the base line 'for a good opening before rushing to the net. I know now that I have to work and learn better service and ground strokes. “The Australian game really appears to me quite a different game from ours. Power and pace are used rather than fine placing. Th© cyclonic service, if it does not score outright, makes it posible to come to the net. Once there, the Antipodean player tries to make a winner of every volley. He always plays an offensive game, and. hits so hard that he keeps his opponent on the defensive.”
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11454, 26 February 1923, Page 4
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356A FRENCH OPINION New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11454, 26 February 1923, Page 4
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