Lawn Tennis and How to Play It

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 222, 8 December 1927, Page 7

Lawn Tennis and How to Play It

By

RENE LACOSTE

(Exclusive to THE SUX> IX. THE WINNING SERVICE When you are serving, you naturally have a horror of double faults. But you must not forget that to avoid that danger by playing a weak second service is just as bad. Most beginners strike their first delivery so hard that it can only be by good luck if it succeeds, and as a matter of fact it probably bangs into the net. Then, being very anxious to retrieve their chance, they send over for the second delivery a weak shot which is easily killed. It is much better to do as most of the experts usually do and send a first service which has one chance in three of being good; and then if that fails to send a second ball which has

enough speed to avoid a kill and enough spin to make it reliable. Remember that, if your second service is going to be a weak one, it is upon your first that you must mainly depend, and therefore you must play that with extra care and caution. Most of the great, players, including Patterson, Tilden, Richards, Anderson and Brugnon. generally play a straight ball for their first service, trying so to place it that they can follow it with a strong attack; Patterson and Richards make this attack from the net and Tilden and Anderson from the back of the court. Tilden generally serves across the court to the side line, so as to make his opponent run off the court to get the ball, but now and again he serves straight to the centre in the hope of surprising the receiver and so winning the point outright. USE OF SPIN Very few players win on a second service without the use of spin. Williams, Cochet, Decugis, Anderson and Gobert play second deliveries with hardly any spin, but Williams serves innumerable double faults. Cochet and Decugis are weak on their second delivery, and Anderson and Gobert, who are successful, are aided by their great height. For the other strokes of the game, spin is generally useful only as a variation from speed. In the service it is necessary to increase the margin of safety and accuracy. Most great players strike the second ball with the same force as the first, but they make this force result in spin as well as in speed. Richards, Johnston, Harada and Kinsey slice their second service; Paterson, Brugnon and Kerhling use the American twist; while the majority, led by Tilden, mix both kinds of spin. In the slice service the ball is struck on the top of its right side as the racquet moves from left to right. The revolving ball curves toward the left of the server and, as it has been struck on its top, it tends to drop. It bounces to the right of the receiver, far, long and rather low, and slightly slower than a straight delivery. In a good American twist service the ball curves even more than in the slice service. In its flight the depression of the ball is almost exactly the same, but on bouncing the axis of the ball’s rotation is changed and it goes to the receiver’s left. This American twist service is tiring and when it is played weakly it often offers a chance for a kill, but when played hard by a strong player it is very effective. Brugnon’s recent victories over Cochet require no explanation except the way the former served, using this service and finding Cochet’s backhand with a very high bounce which rendered him helpless in every other game. THE SECOND BALL The service must always be an attack. The second also must attack if possible, but in any case it must not leave an opening for a dangerous counter-attack. A good first service relies on great speed. A good second service relies rather on good length and accuracy. The spin used on the second ball makes the receiver’ stand farther away to get time to meet it and this prevents him from being dangerous in attack. When your second service is good, there is no need to play for safety with it. Do not try to “ace” or win the point outright with it, but make an opening for a further attack. When your second service is not very good and gives your opponent a chance for a strong, decisive return, play to the centre of the court, because the return from there will be easier to reach than one from the side. On the other hand, you must remember that if your opponent follows his return to the net, he will be more difficult to pass after a service to the centre as he will automatically come into a good position for volleying. FOLLOWING UP Many players follow most of their services to the net and either attack hard to the side line, so as to force their opponent into a defensive returfi, or else play to the centre to prevent the always dangerous aeross-court returns. It is to this kind of play that those idols of the French and American crowds, Borotra and MacLoughlin, owe most of their victories. Tn my opinion, it requires too great strength of physique and too much fleetness of foot to be a wise plan for every player. It will always pay you to come to the net after a good service or against slow undercut returns, but it will not pay the average player to make coming to the net an invariable rule. If you have a perfect service and always play it in the same way. in the course of time it will become useless, because everyone will know how to meet it. You must therefore vary your service. Try every kind of spin. When slice does not succeed use the American twist. In the same way, when speed does not succeed, try serving slow and soft. Do everything that your opponent will not expect you to do. (Next Week: The Forehand Stroke.)