TENNIS TOPICS

Chronicle (Levin), 24 March 1949, Page 7

TENNIS TOPICS

"Volley") • 1

Knotty Problem Cropped Up In Tournament

(By

An unusual point cropped up during play in the final of the' combined tennis championships at the weekend. The fhst ball was served but- was- knocked back by: the- receiver and while still moving, was struck by the second service,1 which, of course, was unplayableq The umpire, rightly, in my opin-j ion, ruled that the second service j was good and awarded the point toi the server. , | The rule says: "Any stationary object lying on the surface of the court shall be deemed to be part of . such 'Surface, but if the ball in I play strikes an object moving alohg or above the surface of the court, a iet must be allowed." An "object" refers to something such. as a dog or a bird which is not part of the game./ The first ball is part of the game and it is the receiver's duty to see that the first ball is not on the court. He cannot claim a point which is lost through his own default. That, I think, would be the ruling of the Umpires' Association, whose duty it is to interpret the rules and to decide on any knotty point. It was an unfortunate occurrence, which will be met only once in a lifetime. One of the most noticeable features of play in the recent tournament was the weakness of even the best players in their overhead shots. Time and , again shots which shourd have been killed were missed. As this is theoretically one of the easiest shots in the game, very similar to a service but with the whole court to play into, there must' be some reason for the repeated failures. Art Of Serving When you serve, you know exactly where you wish to place the ball when you take your stance, so you concentrate on the ball. A missed service is generaily due to lack of concentration. You must see the ball at the time " of impact, and then you can hit it hard. This applies to every shat, but is espe-j cially important in serving. I Watch a good server and you will see what I mean. His eyes fix the ball as he hits it. With an overhead shot there is always the idea of where it is to be hit dominating the.mind, and it seems that mostj local players have not sufficient concentration to make sure of their , overhead shots. A • momentary' glance at the opposite corner is sufficient to spoil the 'shot. If players will bear in mind and keep on repeating to themselves, "look at the ball," I think they will find it profitable. See the ball clearly when you hit it, whether you are slamming or trying a drop, shot, which is the logical shot to,make when your opponents are well back expecting a slam^