TILDEN’S TACTICS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19202, 19 June 1924, Page 5

TILDEN’S TACTICS.

HOW SPIN MAY BE SECURED. ITS EFFECT ON RETURNS. William T. Tilden, champion of the United States for four consecutive years, and acknowledged to be the world’s foremost player, has been giving his views on the question of spin (writes B. H. Liddell Hart m the Manchester Guardian). As this is one of the most, important factors in lawn tennis, and as Tilden is the supreme exponent of spin, the secrets of his success and his opinions can hardly fail to be of interest and value to lawn tennis followers. As he points out, most tennis players look upon the ball as merely something to hit. a moans to an end. not an individual factor like their opponent or (heir own lorrn. He suggests that the ball should bo regarded as a third party, and that the issue will turn on which of the players succeeds in gaining the help of this third party. “Suggest (with your racquet, not your tongue) that the ball curves this way or that, and it obeys. Every ball has an inside and outside edge every time it comc--to you. I admit that it is round, yet to the player the side nearest you is its inside edge, and that away from you its outside edge, and the edge you hit determines the curve and spin on your return ” LEADING OPPONENTS INTO ERRORS.

The object of applying spin or curve to the ball is either to gain belter control of our shot or to fool our opponent. After pointing out that (he ball is the factor in the game most affected by external conditions—wind, heal, court-surface —Tilden lays down the old maxim: “Never give your opponent a chance to make a shot he likes.” Tilden secs tennis as a form of war. and applies to it the conceptions and skill of the strategist. The western front idea of attacking the enemy at his strongest point and giving him every chance to develop his heaviest armament was not war. nor is it tennis. Tilden declares that nothing upsets a man's physical and menial poise as to be continually led into error, and it is with this all-pervading idea of the effect on the opponent that he advocates never making any stroke without a c6nscious. deliberate, and intentional spin on the ball. Passing on to the fundamentals of spin, he gives ihe reminder that the more spin the loss will be the pace of the shot, lop spin tends to drop; slice or cut spin lends to rise. Spin may be applied either by a long follow-through, the soundest method for ground strokes, or by a wrist movement, preferable in volleying. In hitting a slice or undercut shot the racquet pisses under the ball and closer to the body, so that the curve of the ball in (tight tends towards the side-lines, whereas top spin, where the racquet-head is outside the ball and passes up and slightly over :i. (ends to curve the hall towards the centre of the court. The qualities of Ihe two kinds of spin may be summed up by saying that lop spin and undercut give greater control than the flat-hit shot, and that the former is offensive, while (lie latter.is defensive. Against a volleyc-r, Tilden advocates that all passing shots should be hit with lop spin, because the quickly dropping ball forces the opponent to volley upward from below the level of the not, and because the reverse of its spin when volleyed tends to make the opponent’? shot rise in the air. For a high lob, however, undercut is the better, as the ball stays longer in Ihe air. whilst Ihe pulling-down tendency often makes the opponent put his smash in the net. THE VALUE OF UNDER-CUT. When both players are in the back court Tilden considers that the difficult hound of the undercut shot makes it an equal weapon with the top-spin drive; it forces more errors (hough it scores fewer outright points than the pace of. the top-spin shot. The best game, however, is to mix the two forms. “I study my man, and lay my attack accordingly. I form the basis of my game on a top-spin drive, using the slice shot to mix pace, speed, and depth.” Tilden defines speed at the rate the ball travels through the air, and pace as the velocity with which it comes off the ground—dependent on the weight put into the stroke. “A sliding chop to the forehand of \V. M. *.Johnst.on or R. N. Williams is fairly ei‘fective, whilst against Wallace Johnson or Vincent Richards it is a waste of time; yet this shot will almost alone defeat Shimizu or Kmnagae, owing to their faulty forehand grip.” As a general principle lilden advises slicing to a player who prefers a high-bounding ball to drive, and top-spin drivinn- to an exponent of chops. Chopping, however, is difficult and unsafe, in a high wind: a soft court is an invitation lo undercut the shols; a hard fact court favours the possessor of ;i speedy top-spin drive. |he grass court surface Tilden considers ideal for the mixed-spin game, but some types of hard court handicap the sliced shot, and on wood, ccmenl, or asphalt render it usek' is not sufficient to know how to apply spin; its effect on the probable return should also be understood. 'A slice 10 either corner will tend normally to come back down the side-line, because it requires a special effort lo pul! it across court. Spin that holds the ball low tends to make the opponent’s return high. Conversely, your floater will probably return fast and low. Tilden is emphatically opposed to exaggerated spin or freak shots. Thev are soon mastered by Ihe opponent and are tiring to execute, so that they useful onlv° as an occasional surprise. Ease of stroke and a lack of contortions are essential. Therefore, says Tilden, use just enough spin to ensure your own control and to imtiair your opponent's and put the rest of your effort into speed and pace.