From: jpt@telecaster.think.com (James P. Taylor)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.tennis
Subject: Re: Ramblings
Date: 9 Nov 92 13:29:32
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
NNTP-Posting-Host: telecaster.think.com
In-reply-to: clin@eng.umd.edu's message of Mon, 09 Nov 92 15:45:38 GMT

In article <1992Nov09.154538.8751@eng.umd.edu> clin@eng.umd.edu (Charles Lin) writes:

   Lines: 58


       Nice to have the "Taylor Stamp of Approval".  
                         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I wouldn't go that far :-).

    My personal feelings
   are that the amount of posts to this group are rather low, and I can
   skip the ones I don't want to read.  But, rather than rehash that
   argument, onto other stuff.

I don't want to follow up my previous post.  My concern is that we need
more posts focused on the techniques and artistry of the game.

       I was watching a point in the Becker-Forget match which went something
   like this.  I'll put it as two righties playing each other, because I
   don't remember the point exactly.

       Suppose you are returning a serve in the ad court.  The server serves
   wide to your backhand, and you return it down the line.  The server comes
   in and volleys it crosscourt.   As you are moving to your right to cover
   the shot, there are some options.  (1) Go down the line.  This is the
   "percentage" choice since you opponent has just left a gap down the
   line.   However, if your opponent is smart, he/she will be trying to
   cover this shot.  (2) Go back crosscourt on a wide angle return.
   Since you know your opponent will be attempting to cover the down
   the line, you go back crosscourt and attempt to wrongfoot or dip
   the ball so low that it will be difficult to deal with.

       It seems (2) is most commonly seen among the men's.  I don't know how
   hard this shot is to hit compared to a down the line shot, but it seems
   to be in most good passers' repetoire. 

If I am really on the run, for some reason that I don't fully understand, I
find the x-court pass easier than the down-the-line.  What Bud Collins
calls the "buggy whip" may be easier because either way you have to hit the
ball opposite from the direction that you are running.  [Like a US football
quarterback running left and throwing right - particularly a right handed
qb.] Hitting the extreme, dipping, x-court is a quick explosive act.
Hitting down the line seems like it requires more touch.  [I don't have a
real good reason for why it feels this way.] 


   I have thought of a third option
   which I don't see very often.  Namely playing a down-the-line lob.   It
   doesn't have to be particularly deep nor particularly down the line.  It
   just has to be moderately high.   The advantages I see in this shot are
   the following.  First, hitting down-the-line is the obvious opening,
   Second, hitting a lob will insure a little safety over the net.  Third,
   your opponent will have to stretch to the ball, in any case, making
   it tougher to volley.   The only problem I see is that the usual
   tendency is to hit the lob directly over an opponent.  Maybe it's due
   to the quickness of the volleyer, but I rarely see lobs that go anywhere
   besides over someone's head.

It has the advantages you state, but it is "harder."  Again, as above, I
have trouble justifying my feeling that it is "harder."  I know I would
rather hit a topsin lob running wide that try a defensive lob.  The other
issue is that if I am running real hard, I will leave the court open -
entirely open.  If I don't hit a winner off the ball, I lose the point.
So, I try for the more aggressive shot (and I find it easier.)


This reminds me [oh no, you say, the old man is going to reminisce] of a
match I saw way back.  Pancho Gonzales was playing Rod Laver on grass in
the US pro-championship at Longwood Cricket Club in Boston [actually
Brookline, but who cares.]  It had started to rain and Gonzales served and
volleyed. His volley drove Laver wide to his backand.  Laver slipped and
fell.  While laying on the ground, he hit his attempt at a passing shot.  I
would have been proud to just hit the ball back.  Laver knowing if he just
got it back, the point would be over because Gonzales would poke the volley
to the open court [all of it.] So Laver belted the ball, from his knees on
his backhand [try it some day.]  I don't remember who won the match.  [I
think Laver did.]  But I will never forget the intensity that both players
displayed.  Oh, Laver passed Gonzales down the line [I was sitting right on
that line.  It was one of those balls that was never in the court until it
hit the ground.  Gonzales was furious that he lost the point.]


jim taylor  Thinking Machines Corp  Cambridge MA



Newsgroups: rec.sport.tennis