The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-22
HAS NEW TENNIS IDEA.
Champion Ward Brings Out Service
Stroke to Puzzle FOreigners.

Champion ward Brings Out CSAFASC
Stroke to Puzzle Foreigners.
New York, March 22.-Several sur
prises will be sprung upon the for
eign lawn tennis players when the IN
ternational matches are contested
Holcombe Ward the national chafn-
pion in both singles and doubles has
been developing a new service stroke
and one for use in the rallies that viii
puzzle the Austrians. French, Bel
CLANS, Australians, and English more
than the famous reverse twist DID sew
eral seasons ago when 1t was nrsr IN
troduced at the international competi-
tons held at Longwood for the DAVIS
challenge cup.
while the exact details of Wards
new service have naturally been kept
secret, enough of the method has be-
come known to outline the playing OF
the stroke in a general way. In serv-
ing the player hits the ball so that 1t
takes a tremendous lateral spin The
aim of the server is to have the pan
strike the outside edge and further
corner of the receiving court Because
of the balls motion it IS caused 10
bound sidewise and toWarQ the out
side boundaries of the court 1t is
claimed that the only sure return pos
sibIe on the part of the receiving
player, who, by the nature OF the
service, is driven TAR TO one sac anu
beyond the court lines, IS a long
diagonal shot across the court. In the
event of this return being made the
service man has the full sweep of
more than half of his opponents
court through which he may drive the
ball for a pass. $50.
for use in the direct play at the net
is the application of an English idea
combined with a forcefully delivered
chop stroke of the racquet The stroke
SO deadens the ball that there is prac-
tically no bound obtainable. 1t de-
pends upon the ball being played very
low at the feet of the opposing player
for its ultimate success as a point
gamer. This directing of the ball at
the feet of the man on the opposite
side of the net has been taVorlte With
the Britons for several seasons. They
have learned to play the stroke with
out lifting the racquet nigh, as most
of the Americans do ana with lar
greater accuracy.
American lawn tennis players have
developed the sport more than any
other nation. They have even ex-
ceeded England on the point of purely
scientif7, stroling of the ball. On
strategic lines of defense and attack
the Americans even excel the Britons,
but they have never been aple TO equaI
the plodding surety and steadlnesS OF
the latter on the courts
The reverse twist service, which
Black, Gore and Barrett of the Eng
fish team were unable to handle IN
1900, and which Hugh Lawrence Do
herty ana Reglnald +. DOliSA ~ touii9
hard problem in 1902. was invented
| by Ward and later improved BY Mai
colin d. Whitman at the time the Har-
yard expert held the national cham
pionship and was at the top OF his
game. In this service the blow of the
/ racquet f1attened the ball and caused
| If IN take a rand reverse spin in its
flight over the net. Upon striking the
turf the ball broke, or bounded. in the
opposite direction to the usual bound
The ball also kept very low and unless
it was met by a forceful swing of the
"a couet in the hands of the receiving
player a fair return was almost i'm
nossihIe- American players of the
ranking class soon discovered meth
| 49, ~ a1eo acrouaplished the trick
on 1ot their iTS winning inn tour of the American
tournaments two years ago, although
they were not always unlIormly sue
cessfuI in bringing off the stroke