How to Play Lawn Tennis—No. 6.

Southland Times, Issue 20939, 23 November 1929, Page 18

How to Play Lawn Tennis—No. 6.

Some Views About The All Court Game.

Player Who Should Beat Any Specialist.

Finding Opponent’s Strength and Weakness.

By

ELSIE GOLDSACK.

(Hard Court Doubles Champion of Great Britain).

(Times Copyright.)

What do we really understand by the all-court player ? Surely a player who is more or less equal in all departments of the game; namely, the service, ground strokes from the base line and further up the court, volleying in all positions, footwork, temperament, and, last but not least, one must use the brain and have the adaptability to change one’s tactics when in danger of being beaten. Test the opponent’s powers at the beginning of every game—unless, of course, you already know them. Find out his weakness and strength, then, because a few games lost at the begining of a match mean nothing if thereby you gain such knowledge as will help you all the way through. The all-rounder here gains a substantial advantage over his opponent, as he has no weakness to reveal; footwork and position are of the utmost importance to the all-rounder, and he must always aim, after each stroke, to regain the centre of the court. Placing the Service. Now, let us consider the service. This should be placed, generally speaking, down the centre line, thus narrowing the angle of return; but it is essential to change occasionally, otherwise your opponent will know what is coming each time. The point to be aimed at with a service, no matter of what standard the player, is to make both services of like speed. I do not mean that each should be hit with

all strength, for this, in most instances, would result in numerous double faults; — things to be avoided at all costs. What I do mean is this: The first service should be slowed down to the extent that makes a reasonable certainty of going into court, and, at the same time, the server has enough control over the ball to be able to place it. If the first service results in a fault, the second can be of almost the same speed and trajectory, thereby eliminating that lolly-pop second service so much in evidenc with second-class, players of to-day, and which is a gift to the opponent. An all-rounder should endeavour to learn a service which is fast and accurate, using, at the same time, the least possible amount of energy. That also applies to his rushes to the net. He uses —and loses—a lot of strength and may find it fail him in a long singles match. Ground Strokes. Ground strokes, more especially those from the base line and service returns, should be taken early in their bound. By doing this, your opponent is given less time to get into position and to think where to place his return. Always aim to return as near the centre of the court as possible, for from there the ground can be covered with the least possible amount of energy. The weight of the body must be thrown forward to get the greatest speed with the minimum of exertion. When executing a forehand stroke, the left foot should be forward and the left shoulder turned towards the net. The right foot and right shoulder should point to the net for a back-hand. Much speed is often lost by many players by not throwing the body forward. Now, ground strokes to the all-rounder are merely a means to an end, to make a sufficiently good opening for an' attack at the net Many eminent players make wonderful openings of which they never take full advantage owing to their inability to volley completely. Important Harmony. Everything in an all court game must blend together for a definite purpose. On a good drive, if the player can advance to the net his opponent is thereby faced with a double difficulty. He has not only to return the ball over the net, he has to pass his

opponent and decide whether to lob or angle his drive. Through over-anxiety, indecision and haste his margin of error Is doubled; he may over-lob or over-angle. If an all-rounder is playing a base-liner, he must endeavour to draw him to the net with a drop shot. He can now either lob or drive past him; he is not hurried, as it was his own idea to get his opponent to the net, where he is not in his element. A hard drive or a high lob will often win the point, and the fact that his opponent is made nervous and diffident through a knowledge of his own weakness will help the tactician to make the point. If, on the other hand, the opponent is a net player, he must be kept at the back 01 the court, while the all-court player advances to the net. There he will have his opponent’s weaker ground strokes to deal with. If, however, his adversary goes to the net first, lob deeply but not too high, as a lob that is too high will give him time to run back. If it is not “just right,” it will prove a gift to the opponent Quick Change Artist. Again, if it is found that the opponent,though a good low volleyer, is weak in his smashes, continue to draw him to the net with drop shots and then send down well placed lobs to the base line. These will usually prove winners: if not outright, the return will be so weak that it can be dealt with easily. Now we come to the “quick-change artist” branch of the all-court player’s repertoire. If he is being beaten, he must

change his tactics—endeavour to break up his opponent's game by delivering shots he has found to be most unpopular on the other side. High loopy drives with a good length often disconcert a hard driver, he will probably dislike their high bound. If you have found out that he cannot deal with short shots, try those, even if you lose a few points doing it; they will make him uncertain as to what is coming next. This may not have any effect, but it is worth trying, and often does break up his game, and that has a demoralising effect at once. The all-rounder, thep must be equipped with a good and safe service, fore and background drives, volleying and smashing powers, a drop shot, a lob, good and quick footwork and a match-winning temperament. He must always aim to keep his opponent guessing. A competent allrounder should always beat a base liner or purely a volleyer of his own class. Pros and Cons. We will now endeavour to sum up shortly why the all-court player should, and does nine times out of ten, win. The all-rounder should beat: (a) The base liner, because he, having the volley in his “bag” can advance to the net, thereby adopting an attitude of attack and increasing the margin of error of his opponent. (b) The volleyer, because having a good ground shot and lob, he can keep his opponent in such a position as to make it difficult for him to attain his natural position at the net, and, further, the all-rounder having got to the net, himself has his opponent’s weaker ground shots to deal with.

From the above my ideal all-rounder would be a player with Tilden’s height and service, Lacoste’s ground strokes and Borotra’s volleying, agility and anticipation, added to a cool, deliberate and match-win-ning temperament.

In my opinion, the finest example of an all-court player to-day is Henri Cochet. He is ranked No. 1 by all the leading tennis writers and Lawn Tennis Associations in the world, excluding Great Britain, who, up to the present, do not issue an official ranking list, but intend to do so at the end of this season.

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