LAWN TENNIS

NZ Truth, Issue 889, 9 December 1922, Page 9

LAWN TENNIS

Somo Dot aid Draft ON THE COURT AND OFF. A Talk on Taotlot.

(BY <V UMPIREJ. M ) Lawn tennis robbed of its lactlca would, In the words of one champion, be as dull as an egg without salt. There la always a certain amount of pleasure derived from a good stroke made, but this poles into insignificance beside the outwitting of an opponent, [ of putting a "dirty one" over tho net ! after ho has been forced to play the stroke you are waiting for and you give him the return which he expects least In the world. That is tennis tactics m a nutshell. But before you do this you must Bcarch out a man's strength or weaknesses. Supposing you meet a complete stranger m a tournament, don't, as some players will advise you, waste several games giving him experimental balls to see how he hits them. He will hit them all right, supposing that he is a fair enough player and has not entered tho competition "for fun." PLAY YOUR ORDINARY GAME and soe what effect that has on him. if you are level-pegging keep to It, and don't change it unless your opponent forces you by reason of an alteration m his own tactics. Now, broadly speaking, as I mentioned a week or so ago, m tennis you will find throe types of players— tho net-rusher, the baßQ'iinor exclusively, and tho man who mixes bin game. Against tho net-rusher you may try lob*, shortnngled pawing shots and BOft top-ipln drives at bis feet or to that side of hlii racket upon which ho m&ko* the greater number of errors. Beware always of taking for granted the fact that the backhand U» tht point of at*

tack. You may meet the exception, as I have, who prefers backhand work to the forehand, and punishes it severely. Yet I have met men with good backhand ground shots whose backhand volleying was comparatively poor. And this serves me to remind you that, with the majority of players the backhand volley is i . . , : ; I the easiest of shots, " ' i mainly, I suppose, because of the bracing of the wrist 'with which they make It. The fallacy of attacking the backhand of a man on every opportunity cannot be stressed too strongly. Not only is it fatal m the case of a. man who possesses a powerful shot off tbat side of his racket, but often m the case of the man with a strong forehand but whose backhand is weak. And> for this reasons Your man is so used to v defending v^la'**Bl>ot that he has, made a strength V- of it. He has usually cultivated sue*, agility that he can run round most shots to this side of the court and then is m the best position m the 'court, as he has the choice of two winning shots, the, straight drive down the line and the' cross-court to your own backhand. This usually spells disaster swift and sure. Remember that you are giving him the opening for the stroke which he has had most practice In playing and consequently * likes most. And thia breaks one of the primary rules | of safety. "Never: play a man A SHOT HID LIKES." In this and tn many other cases It will pay you to concentrate v often as possible on your adversary**, forer band. Try this and you will find that moat men are slower m covering their forehand cburt than In going the othor way. Anc*%hen you, hit for your aces distribute i your shots equally and watch thy result. NOW, DEAI4NG WITH VOLLEYEBS will naturally occupy your attention, and if you are unsuccessful it will worry you more than any other kind of play. . Against the class which rushes the net consistently your intention Bhould be to get the ball down over' the other side of the net as quickly as possible, or, If s«»ary, don't worry, about direction. On the other hand, if you are essaying a clean pass don't hurry yourself and spoil the shot from overeagerness. You will have as much and more chance of bringing it oft soon as late. And remember to make your passing shots short. Qood length against a base-liner is bad length against a net man, as it enables him to return a ball which otherwise would beat him. Against the class of volleyer who seeks to drive you out of position keep a good length and beware of any shot which' will give him the opening Tor the low shot or doep drive to your backhand upon which he will make his advance for a kill. In the case of the man who refuses to come to the net your main object should be to get him there. Short cross-court shots hit with good speed are useful here. As often as you can you should play them, as you may draw him up or down the court when frequently be defies all your efforts to run him across. Remember, too. that against. all classes of players the much-despised lob is ONE OP THE BEST of defences. A well-timed toas has won many matches m the topmost grades, and is the moat harassing of returns if sent de«p, aa It makes, the volleyer slacken his speed la ad vane- j

Ing 1 , and tills gives you increased opportunity for a passing shot or crisi concerts "him even more by turning I attack into defence. ! ■ Another of ono of the oldest maxims is to beware of "pet shots." It tends to the over- development of one side of your game at the expense of others, and also gives, you away to your opponent. In tennis it usually signifies a lack of brains. To give a man who is fond of a cross-court 'drive an Opportunity for that shot and advance to the net for a kill, a player may leave all the backhand side of his court open, with reasonable certainty of not being passed. For. by the time a shot has become a favorite the chances of another and harder being played successfully from the same position are correspondingly less. And this brings me to an important and little recognised factor, THE STRAIGHT SHOT, which many players make unconsciously, is the most dangerous of all. both to volleyer and base- liner. It is also the most difficult. It takes less time, and has less margin of error than the cross-court, but It Is si winner every time. And, last of all, let me impress you with the Importance of study. Trial and experiment on the court will teach you many things as to position itself and the style of stroks which is most effective m given . positions. More even than this, time beside the court is not wasted. You can learn much from watching other men's mistakes. Note the shots which a man has difficulty m dealing with, and learn from any mistakes of policy or position Whloh he may be making. ' Every player is also a possible opponent, and you wiU find this knowledge useful when you meet him In a match. It. was by aiich study that Tony Wilding, when world's champion, was able to check the all-conquering career of Maurice Mclroughlln In the challenge round at Wjrnbledon m 1913. And It was hecause of what he learned through watching the Wilding- MoLoughlln match that J. C. Park* was able to down the Red Rusher In five <sets m • match for the Davis Cup.