Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-04
RECEIVING OR STRIKER-OUT
STRONG POINT IN TENNIS PLAY
Stars of Game Only Ones to Tackle Rising
Ball-Service Should Be Taken
at Top of Bound.
BY MAURICE E. McLoUGHLIN,
Americas Creates, Tennis Player.

BY MAURICE E. McLoUGHLIN,
Americas Greatest Tenais Player.
In receiving in general 1 endearor te
take the service at the top OF It's
boDnd. or just before. The higher the
bali is the more command you have
OF the opposite court.
Brookes and Williams are the two
great players who by preference play
a rising ball: that is. a ball that has
not reached the height of its bound
method ] emphatically do not adEo-
cate for the average player. To at
tain such accuracy as that of Brockes
or Williams in this respect requires
not only n marvelously true eye. but
bespeaks long years of faithful prac-
tice. The player who strokes the Dali
OH its rise has no time for dsliberation.
Accuracy must become a matter OF
second nature, but when once achieved
1t gives him a tremendous advantage
over his opponent. Ee is enabled to
return a service before his rival can
get to the net: consequently, he
catches the server midway of the
court and at n disadvantage.
Melville II. Long, my teanmate. and
] in on. early matches with Brookes
were kept constantly rolleying "ofI
our ankles" No ether player against
whom I have competed could keep me
so rersistently out OF set as the great
Australian did then.
Naturally. 1 have to take a great
many balls on the backhand. but in a
~. - 80 $500, ,.,';ch
generally is on his forehand. except in
the case OF 4 !ell. who practices just
nn,e,;a ~; for.han, ~ nas. ,.e,rs
hec,usn 81 his srcater haclihand nro-
Aciency In nractice however il is P
.aot n,;st,,. 70 .r,,n ero,,n6'. the
scr~ic. as i. coddles vonr nrobs Bile
~eat,nees
The Matter of ..ToD"
One should always be up on ones
toes TO facilitate a ouick and well bal
.nooa .hi+.;,a =, ,,o.;+;o, m. o,-a.
a"''u Vi
Is seherai9 craoieo III the le'e mana
for like reason. l set my racket
we'll enough back to put some pace on
the retrrn and also ;nn.rt j., cert.in
,rnount OF "ton., TO i This makes fine
hall harder 20 yolley because of its
SWEDEN din and also -iyes one more
margin at the base line But 7 must
repeat that it is we'll for the average
piyipr son. and To s.riyc nrim no GP
10 meet the oall squarely with the mid
If the nractice is IN tste tho hall q.
the ton Of it's bound-and this is by all
means the better choice-the upper
cage OF the RACQUET should be sligntiS
~ auos y. '"s ~ ~ we nouno IS
Slightly turned over For az course n
the bound is OF any height. the re-
sulting stroke is, in general direction.
Inv al al ioA fN,a hall
must be counteracted
The placing of return should never
be sacrificed to pace and top. Your
Placing VIII wholly depend upon your
opponents style of play. the oppor-
tunities open to you at the moment. and
other varying factors. Above all. let
there be no hesitation about what
you do.
Your best play might be to drive the
Dali deep TO your opponents backhand,
pitch IL ABOUT at MS rect as ne runs III,
or toss over his head II he is in fast.
but II all depends upon what oHers
Your opponent may have a particularly
deadly backhand: he may be very SWIFT
to follow his service in to the net; his
service may break very wide to your
right. or vice versa. First of all. make
sure OF meeting the ball souarely with
determination. and some purpose, what
ever 1t may be.
rh .,... -.,>,ox =; ,.,,;
"
however 10 not anticipating the hiho
Of serve or the bound of the ball that
your opponent intends to use. II is
,;,,.r,,,. en-. d;-.o,;or ~. IT.; ..r,,;c
~ 80
VIII take II you nave an MIXING Oh
this beforehand, it is an invaluable
asset IN getting yourself .set" for the
re,,,r, And he-a hove ,o,c,., ,n,n
- - ~ -. to =
.arni- 49, IL - -. ~
~ ayarsso 80. 80, uo.s. tHat
~ ..anti;oa. IT, 80
.,;,. ~ 80. :. p,
.It ~ nc. ~ os quti gu
I e"' ao. VI ,.eahieai
piee.leS. no ina.tef 10" uiieeht. II
- puieS neh'ai, hHdiudpIe mutton
tade comes 70 d pa yer HeheIaiiy as the
art OF long anu actiFS s'uGy.
ASSi"' ~ Is onueliu iig ILLUSTRATED
IN lne game OF the great Australian
brooNes. 10 those VINO GO not make a
STUDY OF tennis an impression VII! be
gwen when watching Brookes play
mat ne Only seems TO be halt trying,
mat ne always gets there. he eXer-
cises facuit! that almost amounts TO
telepathy In this department.
On the other hand. during our SIN
giles match in 1909. after discovering in
the first few moments of play that
Brookes service was dangerous not in
Its width OF break. but in speed and
placement. ] bent my whole mental en-