THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS(网球的艺术)

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THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS

THE ART OF LAWN

TENNIS

by WILLIAM T. TILDEN, 2D

THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS

To R. D. K. AND M. W. J. MY "BUDDIES" W. T. T. 2D

THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS

INTRODUCTION

Tennis is at once an art and a science. The game as played by such

men as Norman E. Brookes, the late Anthony Wilding, William M.

Johnston, and R. N. Williams is art. Yet like all true art, it has its basis in

scientific methods that must be learned and learned thoroughly for a

foundation before the artistic structure of a great tennis game can be

constructed.

Every player who helps to attain a high degree of efficiency should

have a clearly defined method of development and adhere to it. He should

be certain that it is based on sound principles and, once assured of that,

follow it, even though his progress seems slow and discouraging.

I began tennis wrong. My strokes were wrong and my viewpoint

clouded. I had no early training such as many of our American boys have

at the present time. No one told me the importance of the fundamentals of

the game, such as keeping the eye on the ball or correct body position and

footwork. I was given a racquet and allowed to hit the ball. Naturally, like

all beginners, I acquired many very serious faults. I worried along with

moderate success until I had been graduated from school, beating some

fairly good players, but losing some matches to men below my class. The

year following my graduation the new Captain of my Alma Mater's team

asked me if I would aid him in developing the squad for next year. Well,

"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread," so I said Yes.

At that point my tennis education began.

The youngsters comprising our tennis squad all knew me well and felt

at perfect liberty to ask me as many questions as they could think up. I was

besieged with requests to explain why Jones missed a forehand drive

down the side-line, or Smith couldn't serve well, or Brown failed to hit the

ball at all. Frankly, I did not know, but I answered them something at the

moment and said to myself it was time I learned some fundamentals of

tennis. So I began to study the reasons why certain shots are missed and

others made. Why certain balls are hit so much faster though with less

effort than others, and why some players are great while most are only

THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS

good. I am still studying, but my results to date have resulted in a definite

system to be learned, and it is this which I hope to explain to you in my

book.

Tennis has a language all its own. The idioms of the game should be

learned, as all books on the game are written in tennis parlance. The

technical terms and their counterpart in slang need to be understood to

thoroughly grasp the idea in any written tennis account.

I do not believe in using a great deal of space carefully defining each

blade of grass on a court, or each rule of the game. It gets nowhere. I do

advocate teaching the terms of the game.

1. THE COURT.

The Baseline=The back line.

The Service-line=The back line of the service court, extending from

side-line to side-line at a point 21 feet from the net.

The Alleys=The space on each side of the court between the side

service-line and the outside sideline of a doubles court. They are used only

when playing doubles and are not marked on a single court.

The Net=The barrier that stretches across the court in the exact centre.

It is 3 feet high at the centre and 3 feet 6 inches high at the posts which

stand 3 feet outside the sidelines.

2. STROKES (Two General Classes).

A. Ground strokes=All shots hit from the baselines off the bounce of

the ball.

B. Volleys=Shots hit while the ball is in flight through the air, previous

to its bound.

The Service=The method of putting the ball in play.

The Drive=A ground stroke hit with a flat racquet face and carrying

top spin.

The Chop=An undercut ground stroke is the general definition of a

chop. The slice and chop are so closely related that, except in stroke

analysis, they may be called chop.

Stop Volley=Blocking a hall short in its flight.

Half Volley or Trap Shot=A pick up.

The Smash=Hitting on the full any overhead ball.

THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS

The Lob=Hitting the ball in a high parabola.

3. TWIST ON THE BALL.

Top Spin=The ball spins towards the ground and in the direction of its

flight.

Chop, Cut, or Drag=The ball spins upwards from the ground and

against the line of flight. This is slightly deviated in the slice, but all these

terms are used to designate the under-struck, back-spinning ball.

Reverse Twist=A ball that carries a rotary spin that curves one way and

bounces the opposite.

Break=A spin which causes the ball to bounce at an angle to its line of

flight.

4. LET=A service that touches the net in its flight yet falls in court, or

any illegal or irregular point that does not count.

5. FAULT=An illegal service.

6. OUT=Any shot hit outside legal boundaries of the court.

7. GOOD=Any shot that strikes in a legal manner prescribed by rules

of the game.

8. FOOTFAULT=An illegal service delivery due to incorrect position

of the server's feet.

9. SERVER=Player delivering service.

10. RECEIVER or STRIKER=Player returning service. W. T.

T. WIMBLEDON, July 1920

THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS

PREFACE TO NEW EDITION

The season of 1921 was so epoch-making in the game of tennis,

combining as it did the greatest number of Davis Cup matches that have

ever been held in one year, the invasion of France and England by an

American team, the first appearance in America of Mlle. Suzanne Lenglen

and her unfortunate collapse, and finally the rise to prominence of Japan

as a leading factor in the tennis world that I have incorporated a record of

the season's outstanding features and some sidelights and personality

sketches on the new stars in the new addition of this book.

The importance of women's tennis has grown so tremendously in the

past few years that I have also added a review of the game and its progress

in America. Not only has Mlle. Lenglen placed her mark indelibly on the

pages of tennis history but 1921 served to raise Mrs. Molla Bjurstedt

Mallory to the position in the world that she rightly deserves, that of the

greatest match winner of all women. The past season brought the return to

American courts of Mrs. May Sutton Bundy and Miss Mary Browne, in

itself an event of sufficient importance to set the year apart as one of

highest value.

The outstanding performances of the two juniors, Vincent Richards

and Arnold Jones, must be regarded as worthy of permanent recognition

and among the outstanding features of a noteworthy year. Thus it is with a

sense of recording history- making facts that I turn to the events of 1921.

WILLIAM T. TILDEN 2D GERMANTOWN, PHILADELPHIA

THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS

PART I: TENNIS TECHNIQUE--

STROKES AND FUNDAMENTALS

OF THE GAME

THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS

CHAPTER I. FOR NOVICES ONLY

I trust this initial effort of mine in the world of letters will find a place

among both novices and experts in the tennis world. I am striving to

interest the student of the game by a somewhat prolonged discussion of

match play, which I trust will shed a new light on the game.

May I turn to the novice at my opening and speak of certain matters

which are second nature to the skilled player?

The best tennis equipment is not too good for the beginner who seeks

really to succeed. It is a saving in the end, as good quality material so far

outlasts poor.

Always dress in tennis clothes when engaging in tennis. White is the

established colour. Soft shirt, white flannel trousers, heavy white socks,

and rubber-soled shoes form the accepted dress for tennis. Do not appear

on the courts in dark clothes, as they are apt to be heavy and hinder your

speed of movement, and also they are a violation of the unwritten ethics of

the game.

The question of choosing a racquet is a much more serious matter. I do

not advocate forcing a certain racquet upon any player. All the standard

makes are excellent. It is in weight, balance, and size of handle that the

real value of a racquet frame depends, while good stringing is, essential to

obtain the best results.

The average player should use a racquet that weighs between 13 1/2

and 14 1/2 ounces inclusive. I think that the best results may be obtained

by a balance that is almost even or slightly heavy on the head. Decide your

handle from the individual choice. Pick the one that fits comfortably in the

hand. Do not use too small a handle or too light a racquet, as it is apt to

turn in the hand. I recommend a handle of 5 1/4 to 5 3/8 inches at the grip.

Do not use a racquet you do not like merely because your best friend

advises it. It may suit him perfectly, but would not do for you at all. Do

not start children playing tennis with an under-sized racquet. It weakens

the wrist and does not aid the child in learning strokes. Start a child, boy

or girl, with a full-sized racquet of at least 13 ounces.

After you have acquired your racquet, make a firm resolve to use good

THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS

tennis balls, as a regular bounce is a great aid to advancement, while a

"dead" ball is no practice at all.

If you really desire to succeed at the game and advance rapidly, I

strongly urge you to see all the good tennis you can. Study the play of the

leading players and strive to copy their strokes. Read all the tennis

instruction books you can find. They are a great assistance. I shall be

accused of "press- agitating" my own book by this statement, but such was

my belief long before I ever thought of writing a book of my own.

More tennis can be learned off the court, in the study of theory, and in

watching the best players in action, than can ever be learned in actual play.

I do not mean miss opportunities to play. Far from it. Play whenever

possible, but strive when playing to put in practice the theories you have

read or the strokes you have watched.

Never be discouraged at slow progress. The trick over some stroke you

have worked over for weeks unsuccessfully will suddenly come to you

when least expected. Tennis players are the product of hard work. Very

few are born geniuses at the game.

Tennis is a game that pays you dividends all your life. A tennis racquet

is a letter of introduction in any town. The brotherhood of the game is

universal, for none but a good sportsman can succeed in the game for any

lengthy period. Tennis provides relaxation, excitement, exercise, and pure

enjoyment to the man who is tied hard and fast to his business until late

afternoon. Age is not a drawback. Vincent Richards held the National

Doubles Championship of America at fifteen, while William A. Larned

won the singles at past forty. Men of sixty are seen daily on the clubs'

courts of England and America enjoying their game as keenly as any boy.

It is to this game, in great measure, that they owe the physical fitness

which enables them to play at their advanced age.

The tennis players of the world wrote a magnificent page in the history

of the World War. No branch of sport sent more men to the colours from

every country in the world than tennis, and these men returned with glory

or paid the supreme sacrifice on the field of honour.

I transgressed from my opening to show you that tennis is a game

worth playing and playing well. It deserves your best, and only by learning

THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS

it correctly can you give that best.

If in my book I help you on your way to fame, I feel amply repaid for

all the time spent in analysing the strokes and tactics I set before you in

these pages.

I am going to commence my explanation by talking to the players

whose games are not yet formed. At least once every season I go back to

first principles to pull myself out of some rut into which carelessness

dropped me.

From a long and, many times, sad experience over a period of some

ten years of tournament tennis, I believe the following order of

development produces the quickest and most lasting results:

1. Concentration on the game.

2. Keep the eye on the ball.

3. Foot-work and weight-control.

4. Strokes.

5. Court position.

6. Court generalship or match play.

7. Tennis psychology.

Tennis is a game of intimate personal relation. You constantly find

yourself meeting some definite idea of your opponent. The personal

equation is the basis of tennis success. A great player not only knows

himself, in both strength and weakness, but he must study is opponent at

all times. In order to be able to do this a player must not be hampered by a

glaring weakness in the fundamentals of his own game, or he will be so

occupied trying to hide it that he will have no time to worry his opponent.

The fundamental weakness of Gerald Patterson's backhand stroke is so

apparent that any player within his class dwarfs Patterson's style by

continually pounding at it. The Patterson overhead and service are first

class, yet both are rendered impotent, once a man has solved the method

of returning low to the backhand, for Patterson seldom succeeds in taking

the offensive again in that point.

I am trying to make clear the importance of such first principles as I

will now explain.

CONCENTRATION

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THEARTOFLAWNTENNIS1THEARTOFLAWNTENNISbyWILLIAMT.TILDEN,2DTHEARTOFLAWNTENNIS2ToR.D.K.ANDM.W.J.MY"BUDDIES"W.T.T.2DTHEARTOFLAWNTENNIS3INTRODUCTIONTennisisatonceanartandascience.ThegameasplayedbysuchmenasNormanE.Brookes,thelateAnthonyWilding,WilliamM.Johnston,andR.N.Williamsisart.Yetlikealltrueart,ithas...

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