Evening star., 1915-06-20
BY MAURICE E. McLoUGHLIN.
Americas Greatest Tennis Player.

Americas Greatest Tennis Player.
Don't get just "a racket" See that
1t Is neither too heavy nor too light.
I have in mind no especial racket to
advise for a beginner. l should say,
Buy the best racket you can afford
After all, the balance and weight of
your racket are of first Importance.
The latter should range between 1872
and 14A ounces. the weight felt to be
either evenly distributed or light in
the head as the racket is swung in the
hand.
A great many players are prone to
Judge the balance of a racket by plac-
ing their fingers beneath the screw
through the throat piece. In reality
this is A false basis to form an opinion
from as the position of the screw even
in the same make of racket is ever
varying. One should always form his
Impression of a rackets handle by the
way it feels when he makes a few trial
swings.
One of the chief points In the care of
my own rackets is to keep them away
from all dampness. If the racket is
laid aside for any length of time L
generally put it in press. first being
sure that the gut is not liable to break
while it is on the shelf. If this should
happen there is danger OF the frame
being pulled out of shape, owing to
the uneven tension on the wood. So.
mind about the strings, 1 generally
cut them out.
Heavy Racket or Light
handle a little more weight, ap-
proximately 14h ounces. than the aver
age PLAYER, and my racket's balance is
also A little more in IT'S head than is
the case with the weapon of the aver
age player. l am inclined to favor a
large, rather than a small. racket ham
die, whenever the size of the players
hand permltS of a choice. But o1ten-
times a player simply cannot do as
well with large handle, and 1t would
only result in serious handicap if he
persisted In its use. By large nan
die / do not refer to a circumference
much exceeding 5h inches.
AS to the stringing, L DO not believe
that you can specify just exactly how
tightly racket should be strung, for
you cannot escape the fact that no Two
PLAYERS tastes exactly tally. For ex-
ample, Brookes prefers a medium tight
string. whereas Williams prefers very
tight stringing, and thus II goes
through a list of the experts. IL mas
been said that the cross strings shouid
not rob the long strings, but you Will
find that the expert stringer pulls up
his long strings to conform with the
tension of the cross strings.
Does a heavy racket make FOR SLOW
ness? Certainly. In certain strokes; mi
those at the net that require
quick wrist action and an instant shirt
Of racket position. But ones ground
strokes. If anything, are speeded up byl
a heavy racket because of the fact that.
naturally. in a full arm swing you are
n1,ttipa more weight behind the ball.
That is the reason IN my own case
for using considerable weight in the!
racket head 1t gives the greatest pace
and length on drives. with the least
.ttainiup what proficiency l can claim
I had to gradually train my wrist to-
stand the added strain and leverage
when / had to handle the racket
o,,ickly. for there the weight told
against me- So you can see why I ad
evenly balanced or light-in-the- ead
racket.
The Balls and the Net.
Under ordinary conditions 1t is un-
necessary to insist on new balls after,
a,cb act. but new balls are seldom
good for more than from two TO four
acts depending, of course, on the courts
and conditions under which they are
rsed Always use the best and newest
ha lis YOU can afford. To keep on usinp
old balls until they have grown verv|
ereen-is distinctly injurious to ones
game. especially II one ever expects tol
Indulge In tournament play: for your
game has been unconsciously bull. upl