The Washington times., 1922-07-16


been written entirely on the one
On second thought, however, II
seems to me that a great deal has
been left unsaid, and 1t is with
such subjects that / propose to
deal in this article.
!, For instance, what is the influ'
snce Of temperament on lawn ten
mis-? What is the difference in
temperament between the various
nations holding the. foremost place
In this most international of
games?
Temperament Important.
In nay opinion temperament plays
q more important part in becoming
proficient at the game than Is gen.
orally admitted. Consequently 1 will
proceed to study the game as 1t is
played in relation to temperament.
! will also endeavor to show how
the standard Of play may be best
improved.
The English undoubtedly have
ar excellent temperament for lawn
tennis, yet they are far from being
the best nation in the tennis world.
The reason for this is that, al
though the Anglo-Saxon is the pos
., SCISSOR of a notoriously cool tenn.
l. perament, he is apt to carry this
= coolness too far.
His tennis, compared with the
modern game lacks audacity and
enterprise. He prefers to be on
the defensive rather than the of.
fensive, and is at his best during
ian uphill fight, which is excellent
In it's way, but does not make for
brilliancy.
To win back her place in the
lawn tennis world, England must
make up for this deficiency In
temperament by learning the game
younger. and learning it on hard
courts. In the case of a woman,
the first of these two factors Is
especially essential, because the &C.
tion of the arm in smashing and
serving, as in throwing, s not
natural to her.
In short, IL a woman does not
start young she will never acquire
q good volleying game. And by
young" l do not mean seventeen
or eighteen years, but at the most
fourteen.
J" In my own case I started tennis
at eleven and was hard court cham.
pion at fourteen, an age when most
girls have not yet held a racket.
AS to the type of court on which
one should learn to play, l would
say that il the center court at VIM
bledon were a fair sample of grass
courts generally in England, and IL
the climate were otherwise than 1t is
there would be no need to look for
any other kind of surface on which
10 play.
The center court at Wimbledon is
the most perfect in the word, and
will be even better in the new sur
roundings that have been chosen tor
1t. But 1t is an honor to play on this
historic ground, and an honor re-
served to the very few.
Others are compelled by circum'
1Lances to play-and, what Is worse,
learn to play-on grass courts which
are almost universally bad. l do not
think the average English player re-
alizes how bad. 1t is impossible 10
know on such courts what the oall
is going to do, and consequently the
beginner gets into the habit Of hit
ting the ball at the last moment,
which breeds a cramped style.
Lacks Power.
In fact. he cannot acquire the free
swing and Perfect timing which give
the tremendous speed of the srounJ
strokes in modern lawn tennis.
I maintain that the beginner shculd
at all costs learn on a hard court,
or. still better, on covered court,
which gives an even more perfect
surface.
To bear out this contention
would instance the play Of Kingscote,
whose wonderful fight against TIL,
den two years ago will live in Win.
bledon annals. Kingscote Is practi'
caIly the only English player capable
of the modern attacking game, which
he learned on hard courts in Swift.
Eerland.
He hits the ball at the top Of
its bound with a free swing, which
no player used to the average Eng
fish grass court Is capable Of doing
Perhaps the best illustration of
the necessity for hard-court training
IN the game of Max Woosnam, the
splendid all.round athlete. Had he
learned his game on a true surface
he would have undoubtedly acquired
the freedom of swing which Ia all
that at the present time stands be.
tween him and championship honors.
The final advantage Of the hard
court, and, better still, the covered
court, as training ground, is that
the game is infinitely faster, and
consequently obliges the player to
be faster also.
The whole tendency In modern
slawn tennis Is toward speed. The
waiting game does not pay on hard
courts. The player is obliged to take
risks, and that Is precisely where
the English player Of today fails.
II seems that the qualities Jack
ing in English lawn tennis are best
supplied by her overseas dominions.
Hard-court training in South Africa
produced Raymond, the Olympic
champion, and last year. B. l. c.
Norton, who came within one point
of winning championship honors at
the age of twenty-one.
As for Australia. am Of the
opinion that she produces the best
type of game at the present time.
Her players have the advantage Of
the English temperament with
none Of its deficiencies. They have
q wonderful net attack, and com.
ha a.