THE TENNIS SEASON

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3808, 14 September 1936, Page 5

THE TENNIS SEASON

“BEST OF SUMMER SPORTS.” SUITABLE EQUIPMENT. “ Forehand,” one of the best-known writers on tennis topics in New Zealand, writes as follows: This month will see the virtual beginning of the tennis season, as the majority of the clubs will be holding their official club openings. Thus, the time has arrived for all players to look well to securing the best equipment to enable them to reach their highest standard and thereby to obtain the greatest amount of enjoyment. Without good racquets, high-qual-ity balls, close-fitting shoes, and “ whites,” which are the recognised colour to be worn on a tennis court, a player’s game will inevitably suffer. Nothing is so much out of place as to see a player go on to a court in a nondescript clothing and with equipment that has gone well beyond its best days. The right clothing should present no difficulties to the individual player. That is a matter for individual choice within the limits of what etiquette says is the proper uniform to wear when playing. Each player will obtain those things which fit best and will look smartest. A problem that cclnfronts most players is the choice of a racquet. First it is well to remember that a cheap racquet may be dearest in the long run. In tennis, as in any other game, if you want quality you must be prepared to pay the price. Having satisfied yourself of the price you are prepared to pay for a racquet, your next thought should be to get a racquet that is suitable to you and to you alone. Remember that a racquet that may be suitable to somebody else may be quite unsuitable to you. You will do well to enlist the advice of an expert in making your selection, and he, if he knows his business properly, will not try to foist on to you a particular racquet in the belief that because it suits him it must necessarily suit you also. He will point out to you the advantages of one particular make of racquet ever another of the ‘ same make. The ultimate choice, however, should rest with you. He should be to you no more than a guide. The first thing to remember in the selection of a racquet is that you, and nobody are to be the user of it. Thus it must be a racquet suitable to you in weight and balance. You must not have a racquet too big or too small in the handle for your hand; you must determine for yourself whether you want a racquet with the weight in the head, in the handle, or evenly distributed; whether you want a heavy racquet or a light racquet. These are matters that you must decide for yourself. Generally, an evenly weighted racquet is most suitable for the average player. Between 134 and 141 ounces is heavy enough for almost any man, no matter how strong; between 124 and 134 ounces is quite heavy,enough for a woman.

It is impossible to play good tennis without good balls. Too often one sees people on the courts playing with balls that have long outlived their usefulness. The ball is essential in lawn tennis, and one may just as well do the thing properly. It is a wrong policy to have an expensive racquet and expect to get the best out of it with a cheap, worn-out ball.