Lawn Tennis for Ladies - Mrs. Lambert Chambers
_The lob_ is a most important and useful stroke and should be constantly
practised. It is by no means an easy stroke to play really well and
accurately. It is generally a defensive shot, and makes your opponent
move from the net, unless she intends to be beaten by it. I am speaking,
of course, of the singles game. It is a useful stroke for giving you
breathing time if you are made to run about much, or for enabling you to
get back into position if you have been forced out of it. It is nearly
always best to lob to your opponent's back-hand, since the majority of
players are weaker there.
There are three kinds of lobs: (1) _The high lob_, sent well out of
reach of your opponent's racket, but with the disadvantage of taking
some time to reach the ground. Although it moves your opponent out
of her dangerous position right up at the net, there is time for her to
run back and return it. (2) _The low lob_, which only just passes over
your opponent's racket--a much more risky shot than the high lob, but
with the advantage of falling much quicker. If you succeed in getting
the ball out of her reach, it is almost certain to be a winning shot,
because she will not have time to turn and go after what is a very
fast-dropping ball. (3) _The lob-volley_ is one of the prettiest strokes
and a most effective one. It is very difficult to accomplish with
success; there is always great risk of not getting it out of your
opponent's reach and having it killed outright. It is generally played
with an under-hand stroke by hitting the ball before it has reached the
ground, and lifting it well over your opponent's head. It should be a
high lob. The racket must be grasped firmly and held nearly, horizontal
for this stroke. In playing lobs the racket must come well underneath
the ball, which should be struck very truly in the centre of the
racket.
_The Half Volley_.--This stroke has great possibilities, and is
efficacious both in attack and defence, although chiefly used for
defence. The ball must be hit immediately after it has bounced; in fact,
within a few inches after its impact with the ground. For attacking it
can easily be seen how useful this stroke can become; the time gained,
as compared to waiting for the ground stroke, is invaluable. But it
wants a perfect eye to play it with any facility; the majority of
players do not watch the ball long enough. Lack of confidence is another
reason why this stroke is not used more on the offensive.
_A short drop shot_ from the back of the court, or, in fact, from any
position in the court (but I think more effectively used from the back
of the court), is a very paying stroke to have at your command. It is
difficult to be accurate with this shot, and it needs much patient
practice. Yet it is one on which trouble may very profitably be
expended, for it often turns the tide at a critical moment.
I remember playing one match where I used this stroke a great deal.
Owing to its success--my opponent never even attempted to reach it--I
won ace after ace. At the end of the match my opponent indignantly
upbraided me. "I cannot admire your length," she protested. Neither did
she think it was "fair to play sneaks," adding, "Anybody could win if
they cared to play like that." In her opinion it wasn't tennis! I'm
afraid I did not take this censure very seriously. As the object of the
game is to put the ball as far out of reach of your opponent as
possible, I could not see what difference there was between making her
run from side to side of the base-line or to the net and back again.
Both methods as regards placing are just as good tennis, and should be
used judiciously in turn. But this sort of argument did not appeal to my
opponent; she still thought any one could win who cared to play that
"unsporting game." Perhaps the incident caused her to think a little,
and it may be she tried the stroke in her next match. If so, I am quite
sure she did not find it so easy to play accurately as she had imagined.
The danger of this stroke is that unless it is just in the right spot,
instead of giving you an advantage it will be a very easy ball for your
opponent to score off. If it is short, it will find the net; if hit too
far, it becomes a bad-length ball and will get the punishment it
deserves. It is difficult to explain how this stroke should be played. I
think it is best to stand very close to the ball and get rather in front
of it, drawing the racket across it from right to left--stroking the
ball, as it were, rather than hitting it. It requires a delicate touch,
and can be very deceptively played. Your opponent is kept in the dark
until the last moment, when the ace has probably been won.
_The Service_.--I should, as a rule, advise an overhead service. At the
same time, an underhand cut service is very useful as a change. Variety
of stroke and tactics should always be encouraged.
For an _overhead service_ stand sideways to the net, with your left foot
just behind the base-line, the left shoulder facing the net, and the
right foot a little to the right of and behind the left. Throw the ball
high up over your right ear, bend your body well back and your right
shoulder down. Raise the racket at the same time as you throw up the
ball, hit it with the centre of your racket, bringing your body forward
with all its weight on to the ball, and transferring your weight from
the right foot to the left at the moment of impact. Bring your racket
right through, and finish a little to the left of your left knee. At
the time you throw the ball into the air the left shoulder must be
facing the net, and as your racket hits the ball and follows through to
your left knee your body should be brought round to face the net.
[Illustration: BEGINNING OF SERVICE MIDDLE OF SERVICE]
Do not at first attempt a fast service; keep your ardour down until you
have gained a mastery of the ball and can vary its direction. Place is
always better than pace; this applies, generally speaking, to other
strokes besides the service. Try to cultivate a second service which
bears a likeness to the first. That is to say, if you have served a
fault (and the best players in the world cannot be absolutely sure that
their first delivery will not pitch just over the side-line or
service-line or hit the top of the net), do not be contented with a soft
and guileless second which has no length and which gives your opponent
an excellent chance of making a winning drive. Most players are weaker
on their backhand. Remember that fact and place your ball accordingly.
It is a good plan, when serving from the right-hand court, to aim for
the spot where the centre line bisects the service-line. Length and
direction will both be good, and in nine cases out of ten your opponent
will be required to move to make the return--always a point in your
favour.
Remember that variety in service, as in tactics and general play, is
essential. However fast your service may be, if its pace and placing are
stereotyped, a good deal of its efficacy is lost, since your adversary
knows what to expect, where to stand, and the kind of stroke suitable
for return. It is better to possess a variety of slow services, if they
have good length, than to own one fast service which has no particular
merit except speed. And, of course, the faster the ball comes off the
racket the more liable is it to go astray. Another reason why you should
temper zeal with discretion is that a vigorous service will tire you out
like nothing else, and in a long match stamina should be judiciously
preserved. You never know when an extra spurt may not be required to
turn the scale in your favour. I have often noticed the difference in
length and sting between the service of some players at the beginning of
the match and in the third set, and I am sure that one of the reasons
why so many matches are ultimately lost after a promising start is the
decline in the service, in its sustained vigour and in its length.
By the way, why do many lady players, even those who compete at open
tournaments, stand several feet behind the base-line when serving? Are
they aware that the length of their service is probably just so many
feet short of what it ought to be and that they voluntarily give
themselves an extra journey to recover short returns, even if they reach
them at all? You will never find expert players, who appreciate what I
may call the geometry of the court, penalise themselves in this manner.
Yet the habit, for some reason or other, would appear to be on the
increase.
_Low Volleys_.--For these strokes the head of your racket should be
above your wrist, your elbow low down, and your knees slightly bent. You
should, in fact, stoop so that your eye is level with the flight of the
ball. The late Mr. H.S. Mahony used to say that if girls would only bend
down more to the ball they would be able to volley much better. You
should not swing back as far for a volley as for a ground stroke, nor
relax a firm grip of your racket, remembering to follow through to the
place you wish the ball to go. In overhead work it is most important to
remember the oft-repeated maxim: "Keep your eye on the ball." Watch it
up to the moment of striking. Do not always "smash" every overhead ball
when a well-placed volley will win the ace just as well. It is a waste
of much-needed strength, and there is a greater risk of making a
mistake. For a _smash_ the right shoulder should be down and well under
the ball, the head and weight well back, the weight transferred at the
moment of striking from the right to the left leg, the body balanced
with extended left arm, and the body-weight brought right on to the ball
as it is hit. Finish to the left of your left knee as in the service.
CHAPTER III
MATCH AND TOURNAMENT PLAY
When you have acquired a certain knowledge of the game and can play the
various strokes in the correct way, then, as I have said, tournament and
match play is the very best method of improvement. I would emphasize the
need for a certain standard of efficiency, because I am convinced that
at the present time there are too many weak players competing at open
meetings. The style of these players has only to be watched to be
condemned, and their knowledge of the game is hopelessly limited.
Invariably making strokes in a wrong way, tournament play only serves to
consolidate weaknesses and check advance.
But assuming you have practised on sound lines and are fit to take part
in what, after all, should be a test of trained skill, tournaments will
then be a great help to you. You will more often than not play against
better players than yourself--an advantage denied you in practice--and
against all varieties of attack and defence. You have the chance of
watching first-class matches and learning at first hand how the
different strokes should be played. You should be careful, however, to
limit the number of your tournaments, especially when the excitement and
strain are new to you; otherwise you will do much more harm than good. I
am convinced that, generally speaking, players attend too many meetings.
Instead of their play improving, it may deteriorate. They run the
fearful risk of staleness--one of the greatest dangers to a lawn tennis
player--and they become physically worn out. As soon as you find you are
losing interest in the game, when it becomes an effort to go into court,
give the game a rest. It is clear you have overdone it and need a
period of recuperation. One or two tournaments at a time, and then a
rest to practise the new strokes and tactical moves you have learnt and
seen, would, I feel sure, be much more helpful to your game than
tournament touring, week-in and week-out.
Some people advise you to dismiss the coming match entirely from your
mind before going into court. Personally I find this physically
impossible, and I do not commend the suggestion. I think it is much
better to study your opponent's game before pitting your own against it.
Many matches may be lost while you are finding out the right line of
attack. Therefore I advise you to think about the match you are going to
play. Mentally rehearse your mode of campaign. But do not worry over the
possible result. At all costs it must not be allowed to disturb your
sleep the night before--there is nothing puts me off my game so much as
a sleepless night.
As soon as you know who your opponent is, seize every opportunity to
watch her play, get to know her strong and her weak points, and map out
your plan of campaign. Then come the first preliminaries, the toss for
choice of sides or service. In choosing your side you must take into
consideration the position of the sun, the wind, the slope of the court
(if any), and the background. If you have won the toss and do not mind
on which side you start playing, and also have a good service, elect to
begin the service. If you have won the toss and for some good reason do
not wish to serve first, you can make your opponent serve; but remember
that you also give her choice of courts.
One of the great things to remember in match play is this--do not strive
to win outright with every stroke. Especially does this maxim apply to
the return of the service. So many players are inaccurate with this
important stroke simply because their sole ambition is to make it end
the rest. Much better to work for your opening. Try to imagine where
your opponent will be after taking a certain stroke, and then according
to this position determine which is the best stroke to play next. It is
similar to playing chess. You should think a move or sometimes two moves
in advance. Length, variety of stroke, and direction are the chief
factors in success when playing a single. Very often when the place to
send the ball is obvious, even to the spectators, it is just as obvious
to your opponent, and she will probably be making for that place before
you have even hit the ball. Then is the time to return the ball, not
where every one, your opponent included, anticipates, but straight back
to the original place--that is, the spot your opponent is just hurriedly
leaving. She will most probably be beaten by this simple device. Trite
though the hint may appear, always try to send the ball where it will
be least expected.
[Illustration: TWO WELL-KNOWN PAIRS WHO COMPETED IN A PRIVATE MIXED
DOUBLES TOURNAMENT AT THORPE SATCHVILLE MRS. C.W. HILLYARD AND MR.
NORMAN BROOKES MISS PINCKNEY AND MR. G.W.HILLYARD]
Again I would urge the importance of keeping your whole attention
absorbed on the game. Complete concentration is absolutely essential.
You _must_ lose yourself in the game--eye, mind, and hand all working
together. If you find that events transpiring outside the court are
attracting your attention, you cannot be watching the ball. Many
players, even when concentrating, take their eye off the ball too soon,
with the result that it is not properly timed and not hit cleanly in the
centre of the racket.
In match play remember that a game is never lost until it is won. Never
give up trying. Matches have been won (you have only to read the
experiences related in the final chapter of this book) after a player
has had a set and five games to love called against her. Therefore,
unless the game is over, it is never too far gone to be pulled out of
the fire. Even if your opponent requires only one more stroke to win
the match, remember how difficult it often is to make that one.
[ILLUSTRATION: MISS D.K. DOUGLASS AND MR. A.F. WILDING MISS EASTLAKE
SMITH AND MR. R.F. DOUGHERTY TWO WELL-KNOWN PAIRS WHO COMPETED IN A
PRIVATE MIXED DOUBLES TOURNAMENT AT THORPE'S SATCHVILLE]
The same applies if you have a good lead. Play hard the whole time;
never for one moment slack off. For if you do it is very hard to get
going again, and you may find yourself caught up and passed at the post
before you have a chance of getting back into your stride. I well
remember being a set up and five games to one against Miss C.M. Wilson
(now Mrs. Luard) one year at Newcastle, when victory for me meant
permanent possession of the challenge cup. This cup was very valuable,
for it had a splendid list of names inscribed upon it; it had been going
for very many years. Miss Wilson seemed so off her game, and I was
winning so comfortably, that I could almost see that cup on my
sideboard! But it was not to be. (At any rate not that year. I was lucky
enough to win the Cup outright in 1908, when it was even more
valuable, as Miss Sutton's name had been added.) Whether I
unconsciously slacked off, thinking the match was mine (which is a fatal
thing to do at any time), or whether Miss Wilson suddenly found her
game, is impossible for me to say, but she eventually won that match and
the cup and championship for the year. She never gave in, but played
most pluckily right up to the end. I remember another match where the
result hung in the balance for some time. I was playing Miss A.N.G.
Greene at Eastbourne in 1907; again the Cup would be my own property if
I won it. I met Miss Greene in the second round. She won the first set,
and was five games to four in the second set, and seven times she only
wanted one point to win that match. I was able to make it five games
all. It was very bad luck for Miss Greene, as the moral effect, after
having had seven chances of winning the match, was so great that it
completely put her off her game, and I won that set and the third quite
easily.
Be careful also, when you are behind, and are slowly but surely catching
up your opponent, that when you do draw level _you do not relax your
efforts_. This danger is most insidious, and must be fought against. The
strain and anxiety involved in catching up, and the great relief when
you are games all, provoke a reaction unless you are on your guard. A
rest is taken, often involuntarily. It is fatal, because before you
realize it and can get going again your opponent has run out a winner.
This happened to me at Wimbledon in 1908 against Mrs. Sterry. I was
behind the whole time, and it was a great relief in the second set to
hear the score at last called five games all. But I had hardly taken a
breather when Mrs. Sterry secured the set by seven games to five. The
eleventh game I played almost unconsciously, so relieved was I at
getting on even terms, when I ought to have spared no effort to win
that critical game, even if I had failed. These three matches--and I
could mention many others--show how important it is to play hard right
up to the last stroke of the match, letting nothing put you off, never
losing your temper, taking umpire's bad decisions and all the little
annoyances that may disturb you in a sportsmanlike manner--keeping your
whole attention, in fact, absolutely concentrated on the game.
[Illustration: MISS MAY SUTTON, WHO WON THE LADIES' CHAMPIONSHIP AT
WIMBLEDON, 1905, 1907]
In a single it is best when serving to stand as near the centre of the
base-line as possible. In this position you have greater command of your
court, and there is not so much scope for your opponent to put the ball
out of your reach. Miss May Sutton, the American lady champion and
ex-champion of England, in her desire to stand as near the centre of the
court as she possibly can, gets so close that umpires find it very
difficult to tell whether she is serving from the right court or the
wrong. In fact, I think I am right in saying she has actually been
pulled up for stepping over the centre line of the base-line. If you
stand as close as she does you are liable to step over the line
unconsciously. Stand as near the centre line as possible, but without
any risk of stepping over it. On the other hand, there are players who
prefer to serve from the other extreme end. Mr. A.W. Gore, the present
champion of England, is one of these, but personally I cannot see any
advantage in this position. It seems to leave so much open court, of
which your adversary will not be slow to make use.
Use the overhead service for choice, but have an underhand service ready
at your command--it may come in very useful for a change. Remember that
a good-length, well-placed service is better than a very fast one, and
much less tiring in a long match. Keep your opponent wondering where the
service will come next; vary it as much as you possibly can, both as to
pace and direction. Be sure to make your opponent move to take it.
I have tried the American service, but I think the strain is too severe
for the average girl, and the advantage gained would be very slight, for
the rest of your game would deteriorate, owing to fatigue. It places so
much tension on all the muscles of the body, and I do not think it would
do a girl's health any good to cultivate it. Of course if she were
abnormally strong and did not feel the effects of the physical effort,
she would be a tower of strength in the land, and her service would be
an invaluable one.
I am not an advocate of persistent volleying in a lady's single. I think
it is too great a tax on the physique. Nor do I think it pays in the
long-run. A volleyer, to my mind, is much easier to play against than a
base-liner, and most of the first-class base-line players agree with me.
The great physical exertion entailed in running continually to the net
will after a time make the ground strokes weaker and weaker; and you
_must_ have good length to be able to come up and volley with any
success. Miss E.W. Thomson (now Mrs. Larcombe), one of our best lady
volleyers, put up a magnificent game in the first set against Miss
Sutton at Wimbledon in the championship singles of 1905. She had
carefully watched Miss Sutton's game and thought out the best way to
play her. Volleying most judiciously, she would force Miss Sutton up to
the net with a short drop stroke, and then, lobbing over her head nearly
on to the base-line, take up a position at the net, winning the ace with
a neat cross volley. These tactics she repeated again and again, and
actually led by five games to two. If she could have lasted she must
have won that match. But she could not keep it up. She became obviously
exhausted, did not get up to the net quickly enough, and her length got
shorter and shorter. Miss Sutton eventually won that set and the next
easily. I do not know what would have happened if Miss Thomson, when
she found she was tiring, had stayed back for a little while and then
resumed her tactics at the net. Perhaps she would have come much nearer
to victory.
A very large majority of non-volleyers in singles have won the ladies'
championship, and I think that fact helps to prove my argument. Miss
Maud Watson, Miss Rice, Mrs. Hillyard, the late Miss Robb, Miss Sutton,
Miss Boothby and myself are base-liners. Miss Dod and Mrs. Sterry are
the only two volleyers. Every girl, however, should learn how to volley.
You may be inveigled up to the net, and you should then know how to play
and place a volley. And you should go up now and then on a good-length
ball.
In _Doubles_ of course it is different. I think then a girl should
volley. It will greatly improve her play all round, and will also make
the game so much more attractive. I think it would be an excellent plan
if ladies' doubles were always played like men's doubles, both players
moving together and keeping parallel with one another, going up to the
net together and retiring to the back of the court together. Competitors
would improve their volleying, and the double, instead of being the
dreary, monotonous affair it is now, especially for the base-liner,
would be varied and instructive. I am sure referees would welcome the
change with avidity. The much-dreaded, interminable ladies' double event
would be a thing of the past. If we played the double with the new
formation, perhaps we should succeed in re-establishing the event at
Wimbledon! But it is very difficult to get ladies to volley at a
tournament. They think they have more chance of winning from the back of
the court. Perhaps they have. But they have much less chance of
improving their game and learning a variety of strokes.
Miss V. Pinckney started a great work in 1908, organizing a ladies'
volleying league, in which all ladies who entered a ladies' doubles
event at any tournament were obliged to volley. A most successful
experiment took place at the Beckenham tournament. Miss Pinckney and I
played together at the Reading tournament, and although we were both
base-liners, we determined to go to the net. We found at the end of the
event (which we won, owing fifteen) that we had both much improved our
volleying. Of course we made endless mistakes and were frequently in the
wrong place, but it was experience so badly required. Unfortunately Miss
Pinckney, the pioneer, did not play much last season, and I think the
ladies have rather gone back to their old ways. It seems a thousand
pities.
In _Mixed Doubles_ a girl has a very important part to play.
Practically speaking, she has to work for all the openings for her
partner, who comes in and kills. And very often if in watching a mixed
double you are inclined to think the man is doing little work, or that
he is playing badly, it is because his partner is getting him no
"plums." She is playing a poor length, or not keeping the ball out of
the reach of the opposing man. It is a good plan to keep your head well
down, and of course your eye glued on the ball, until the very last
moment, so that it makes it difficult for the opposing man at the net to
tell in which direction you are going to hit the ball. The late Miss
Robb, who was a magnificent mixed doubles player, used to play in this
way. Men have told me it was impossible to anticipate her returns.
Keeping your head down will also help you from getting flurried or put
off, however "jumpy" the opposing man is, or however much he is running
across. You can always have a mental vision of him to tell you where he
is without looking at him.