LAWN TENNIS
CONTROVERSY ARISES OVER SECOND SERVICE. IS IT NECESSARY? London, Saturday. Should the second service in tennis be aholished? A controversy has arisen on the subject following publication of a letter in "Tke Times over the pseudonym "Sexagenarian." In this letter, "Sexagenarian" declared that the second service was a meaningless privi- | lege when, as compared with the '80's, I improvements in balls, rackets, and I courts had quickened the game out of | recognition. i He added that the prospect of the service playing a continually growing ( part in the game was uninviting. j There was no reason to allow con- j tinual "trial balls," encouraging play- ! ers to serve beyond their powers. i ■Other correspondents deny that the | attack dominates tennis, and empha- I sise that untakeahle services are rare. | If good players ohject to Vine's "cannon-balls," which would he surprising, they must learn to deal with' j them as Larwood did Ausiralia's j "scoring machine," or as Jardine did with Larwood's methods. f One writer ux-ges the aholition of j the second service, but suggests that j net-cord services should he permiss- | ible. Lord Wimborne, reealling that his ( father was among the players who ; drafted the rules of tennis in 1873-, I says th'at the rule-makers inadvertently and unfortunately adopted the •existing rules of royal tennis. 1 He suggests that the server might be allowed one to two faults in each game, perhaps as a bisque or pre- _ scribed to a certain stroke. H. W. Austin also objects to trial •balls. He says that one service is . a rather good idea. The service is dominating the game too much, especially in doubles matches. Roper-Barrett, non-playing captain j of the British Davis Cup team, opposes the alteration eith'er of the size j of the court or the service. 0. P. Dixon, a leading authority, j' says that he would likc to see the ! server giving a good "biff" instead of j "dollying" the ball over as he would if the second service were aholished.
Larcombe counsels: "Don't tinker with the rules; otherwise the fast service, th'e most spectacular shot of the game, will probably disappear."
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Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 636, 14 September 1933, Page 7
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356LAWN TENNIS Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 636, 14 September 1933, Page 7
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