,,dedication4 ,to ,,william ,,renshaw1 ,esq41 ,champion of ,england1 this book is dedicated by his friend and pupil the ,author4 ,,lawn-,,tennis4 ,,by ,,james ,,dwight4 ,illustration ,,published ,,by ,,wright ,,ditson1 ,,boston1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a41 ,,and 8,,pastime0 ,,office1 #bh ,,paternoster ,,row1 ,,london1 ,e4 ,c4 ,,copyright #ahhf1 ,by ,,james ,,dwight4 ,,preface4 ,there is at present no work on ,lawn-,tennis written by any of the well-known players or judges of the game1 and it is with great diffidence that ,i offer this book to fill the gap until something better comes4 ,it is intended for beginners1 and for those who have not had the opportunity of seeing the best players and of playing against them4 ,to the better players it would be presumption for me to offer advice4 ,i should not1 indeed1 have ventured to write at all had ,i not had unusual opportunities of studying the game against the best players1 and especially against the ,champion1 ,mr4 ,w4 ,renshaw1 and his brother4 ,,contents4 ,,part ,i4 ,,chap4 ,,page ,,preface vii ,i4 ,,how ,,to ,,learn ,,to ,,play #a ,,ii4 ,,the ,,court ,,and ,,implements ,,of ,,the ,,game #f ,,iii4 ,,the ,,service #ab ,,iv4 ,,the ,,first ,,stroke #ah ,v4 ,,the ,,stroke #ba ,,vi4 ,,the ,,volley #bc ,,vii4 ,,the ,,half-,,volley #bh ,,viii4 ,,the ,,lob #cj ,,part ,,ii4 ,i4 ,,the ,,game #cb ,,ii4 ,,match ,,play #df ,,iii4 ,,the ,,double ,,game #ef ,,iv4 ,,ladies' ,,and ,,gentlemen',s ,,doubles #fd ,v4 ,,umpires ,,and ,,umpiring #fh ,,vi4 ,,odds #ga ,,vii4 ,,bisque #gc ,,viii4 ,,cases ,,and ,,decisions #hj ,,ix4 ,,list ,,of ,,winners #hh ,,lawn-,,tennis4 ,,part ,i4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,how ,,to ,,learn ,,to ,,play4 ,one is often asked the best method of learning to play4 ,i fancy that the best way1 could one often adopt it1 would be to let a marker1 as in a tennis-court1 hit the balls gently to the beginner1 pointing out to him his mistakes1 so that he might not acquire a bad style4 ,if he begins by going on to the lawn and playing a game1 his only object will be to get the balls over the net1 and he will be almost sure to fall into bad habits of play4 ,this is1 however1 the most amusing way to learn1 and will probably always be the one in general use4 ,if the novice does adopt it1 let him at least watch good players whenever he can1 not with any idea of trying their severe volleys1 c41 but in order to see the position of the feet and of the racket in play4 ,when he has learned to play fairly well1 he should still watch good players at every opportunity2 but what he then needs to study is the position in the court where they stand2 when they go forward and when back1 and what balls they volley instead of playing off the ground4 ,he will1 in this way1 get some idea of the form which he should try to acquire4 ,mr4 ,e4 ,l4 ,williams1 in a recent article in the ,lawn-,tennis ,magazine1 advises playing against a wall1 and ,i believe in the benefit obtained from this sort of practice4 ,in fact1 ,i have often advised players to try it4 ,any sort of a wall will do2 the wall of a room1 if there is nothing better4 ,hit the ball quietly up against the wall1 wait till it has bounded and is just beginning to fall1 then hit it as nearly as possible in the same place4 ,always make a short step forward as you hit1 with the left foot in a forehanded stroke1 and with the right in a backhanded one4 ,try to hold the racket properly 7see page #aj71 and do not hit with a stiff arm4 ,the shoulder1 elbow1 and wrist ought all to be left free1 and not held rigid4 ,as soon as you can hit the ball up a few times forehanded1 try the same thing backhanded1 and when you are reasonably sure of your stroke1 take every ball alternately fore and backhanded4 ,this will give you equal practice in both strokes1 and will also force you to place the ball each time4 ,add now a line over which the ball must go2 in a room a table or bureau will do very well1 and1 if possible1 mark out a small square in which the ball shall strike4 ,this may sound very childish to a beginner1 but ,i am sure that very valuable practice can be got in this way1 and ,i have spent a great many hours in a room at this occupation4 ,after a time you should volley every ball1 first on one side and then on the other4 ,then half-volley1 and after that try all the different combinations3 volley forehanded1 and half-volley backhanded1 c4 ,always stick to some definite plan1 as in that way you get practice in placing4 ,there is another stroke that can well be learned in this way4 ,hit the ball up against the wall so that it will strike the ground on your left and go completely by you1 then step across and backward with your right foot1 swing on the left foot till your back is towards the wall1 and try to return the ball by a snap of your wrist4 ,with practice1 you will manage to return a ball that has bounded five or six feet beyond you4 ,try also the same stroke on the forehand side4 ,you can get in this way alone more practice in handling a racket1 and in making the eye and hand work together1 than you are likely to get in ten times the length of time out of doors4 ,ask some friend1 who really knows1 to tell you if you hold your racket in the right way1 and to point out to you any faults of style that you may have4 ,it is of the greatest importance not to handicap yourself at the start by acquiring bad form4 ,good form is simply the making of the stroke in the best way1 so as to get the greatest effect with the least exertion4 ,while nothing can be more graceful than good form1 no one should make it his chief object to play gracefully2 the result will only be to make him look absurd4 ,when you begin to play games1 do not try all the strokes that you see made4 ,begin by playing quietly in the back of the court4 ,try simply to get the ball over the net1 and to place to one side or the other1 and to do this in good form1 i4e41 to hold the racket properly1 and to carry yourself in the right way4 ,as you improve you can increase the speed of your strokes1 and can play closer to the side-lines4 ,remember that a volleying game is harder to play1 and you should learn to play well off the ground before trying anything else4 ,above all things1 never half-volley4 ,if you can return the ball in no other way1 let it go and lose the stroke4 ,this may sound absurd1 but ,i feel sure that most young players lose more by habitually trying to take half-volleys when there is no need of it1 than they gain by any that they may make4 ,it is a stroke that should never be used if it is possible to avoid it4 ,if you make up your mind to let the ball go unless you can play it in some other way1 you will thus learn to avoid wanting to half-volley4 ,when you become a really good player1 you can add this stroke to your others1 and you will not have got into the habit of using it too often4 ,it is a mistake to play long at a time4 ,for real practice three sets a day are quite enough4 ,when practising for matches1 you can play the best of five sets three times a week4 ,almost all players play too much1 and by the middle of the season many of them are stale4 ,always try to play with some one better than yourself1 and take enough odds to make him work to win4 ,in the same way give all the odds that you can4 ,remember1 while playing1 certain general principles4 ,don't 8fix0 yourself4 ,keep the knees a little bent1 and your weight thrown forward and on both feet1 so that you can start in any direction4 ,if the feet are parallel it is impossible to start quickly4 ,always keep moving1 even if you do not intend to go anywhere4 ,play quietly and steadily without any flourish1 and try to win every stroke4 ,a great many players seem unable to keep steadily at work1 and play a careless or slashing stroke every now and then4 ,this is a great mistake1 and one often loses a great deal by it4 ,try to acquire a habit of playing hard all the time4 ,the racket should be carried in both hands1 for1 if you let it hang down1 more time will be needed to get it across your body4 ,never cut nor twist a ball except in service2 it tends to make the ball travel more slowly1 and will deceive nobody4 ,the underhand stroke puts a little twist on the ball1 but it is an over twist and not a side one4 ,try to meet the ball fairly1 i4e41 to bring the racket against it in the line of its flight2 or1 in other words1 don't hit across the ball4 ,watch carefully your own weak points4 ,any good player ought to be able to show them to you1 and you should then try to improve your game where it is weak4 ,if you practise carefully and your only object is to learn1 there is no reason why you should not get into the second class4 ,to be among the very best players requires physical advantages1 as well as a stout heart and great interest in the game4 ,one is often advised to pretend to put a ball in one place and then to put it in another4 ,i can assure you that it does not pay4 ,too many strokes are lost by it4 ,exactly the same thing is true about pretending to go to one side and then coming back again4 ,one is apt to get off one's balance in making such a feint1 and it is quite hard enough to get into position for a ball without having to start the wrong way first4 ,it is well to observe the rules carefully in practice1 or else they may distract one's attention in a match4 ,this is especially true of the service4 ,frequently foot-faulting in a match spoils your service altogether4 ,in practice you should always see that the net is at the right height1 and should always use good balls4 ,it is bad practice1 and is also very unsatisfactory1 to play with bad balls4 ,when the weather is too bad to use good balls it is too bad to play at all4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,court ,,and ,,implements ,,of ,,the ,,game4 ,the court is #gh ft4 long4 ,it is #bg ft4 wide for the single game1 and #cf ft4 for the double game4 ,at most club-grounds a measuring-chain is used to mark out the court1 but for a private court a chain is seldom at hand4 ,the easiest way to mark out a court without a chain is to use two long measures4 ,select the place for the net2 then measure #cf ft4 across2 at each end put in a peg1 and over each peg slip the ring of a measure4 ,on one measure take #ci ft41 and on the other #ec ft4 in42 pull both taut1 and the place where the two ends meet will be one corner of the court4 ,put in a peg at #ba ft4 from the net for the end of the service-line4 ,next transpose the measures and repeat the same process4 ,this will give the other corner of the court1 and at #ba ft4 will be the other end of the service-line1 and one half of your court is ready4 ,take exactly the same measures on the other side of the net1 and the measurement of your court is complete4 ,the side-lines of the single court are made by marking off #d ft4 #f in4 from each end of the base-lines1 and running lines parallel to the side-lines of the double court from one base-line to the other4 ,everything necessary is thus found except the central-line1 which runs from the middle of one service-line to the middle of the other4 ,the posts of the net stand #c ft4 outside of the side-lines4 ,if the court is intended for double play only1 the inner side-lines need not be carried farther from the net than the service-lines4 ,if a single court only is to be marked out1 the diagonal is about #dg ft4 #e in41 instead of #ec ft4 in4 ,net4--,the net should be bound along the top with heavy white cotton or duck1 to the depth of two or three inches4 ,without this binding it is very difficult to see the top of the net in a bad light4 ,the most important points in a net are that the meshes should be too small to allow a ball to pass through them1 and that the twine should not be so large as to obstruct the view of the opposite court4 ,shoes4--,there is little to say about shoes1 although one's comfort depends a great deal on them4 ,they should be a little too large1 with the toes square or round1 but never pointed4 ,those made of buckskin1 with leather straps over the toes1 are the most comfortable4 ,for the soles no rubber compares with steel points--i4e41 small nails about five-eighths of an inch long1 driven into the sole of the shoe1 and protruding from it about one-quarter to three-eighths of an inch4 ,points injure the ground less than rubber1 as to a great degree they prevent slipping4 ,for gravel or asphalt the best soles are made of very soft red rubber1 which lasts a long time and is very easy to the feet4 ,balls4--,ayres's balls are used at every tournament of importance in ,england1 and1 while this is the case1 it is necessary for tournament players to practise with them1 though those of some other manufacturers are quite as good for ordinary play4 ,rackets4--,the choice of a racket is an important matter1 and it is also a difficult one4 ,young players seem to take pleasure in selecting the most extraordinary rackets in a shop4 ,let me strongly advise them to avoid all unusual handles1 heads1 or methods of stringing4 ,all these eccentricities are useless at the best4 ,nothing is so good as the simplest form of racket1 possessing an octagonal handle1 and strung in the usual way4 ,such a racket is used by all the better match-players in ,england4 ,opinions differ as to what the exact size of the head should be1 but it is certain that there is nothing to be gained by having it square or triangular4 ,again1 the edges of the rim should not be bevelled4 ,it only weakens the frame1 while it does not increase the size of the playing face of a racket in the smallest degree4 ,a ball must be hit almost exactly in the centre of the racket to make a stroke at all1 for1 if hit so near the edge that the bevelled rim can affect it1 it cannot possibly go any distance4 ,as regards the proper weight of a racket1 #ad oz4 is heavy enough for any one4 ,i know of only two of the well-known players who use heavier rackets than this4 ,i should advise any one learning to play to get a racket of #ad oz41 and he can afterwards get one of #ad oz4 should he feel that his first one is too light4 ,there can be no question that a light racket can be more easily brought round than a heavy one1 and is more easily controlled in every way4 ,on the other hand1 a racket must have wood enough in the frame to make it perfectly unyielding when striking a ball1 and must be heavy enough to give an effective stroke4 ,these conditions are fulfilled in a racket of #ad to #ad oz42 a lighter one loses something in power1 and a heavier one is unmanageable for most men4 ,one meets from time to time a player with a racket of #ae or #ae oz41 who shows it with pride1 and explains that his wrist is so strong that he requires an unusual racket4 ,as a matter of fact1 such a player seldom uses his wrist at all1 but rather he should be thankful for the advantage that a good wrist gives him1 instead of handicapping himself by using an absurdly heavy racket4 ,almost more important than the weight of the racket is its balance4 ,by balance is meant the way in which a racket hangs in the hand4 ,many rackets of #ad oz4 feel as heavy as others of #ad oz4 ,there is only one way of judging the balance1 and that is by holding the racket by the end of the handle1 as if in actual play1 and trying how it comes up1 and if it feels light or heavy4 ,if it comes up heavily1 discard it at once and try another4 ,should it feel light and easily managed1 weigh it yourself1 no matter whether the weight is stamped on it or not4 ,it may be that it felt well balanced only because it was too light for use2 but should it be found to weigh #ad--ad oz41 the balance of it must be good4 ,you should look carefully at the workmanship and see that the wood is free from knots and cracks4 ,the grain should run evenly round the whole frame4 ,look especially at the parts of the hoop1 just above the centre-piece1 for there it is that a racket usually breaks4 ,see also that the wedge is quite firm4 ,choose a racket in which the wood is left in the natural state1 as varnish1 c41 is often used to conceal a flaw4 ,a racket should be very nearly1 if not quite1 straight ,for myself1 ,i prefer one with a very slight bend to one side1 but ,i can give no reason for doing so4 ,no player should have a racket that he cannot hold absolutely stiff from the very end of the handle4 ,it is essential that a racket should be light enough for him to volley with it at the very end of his reach without any yielding in his wrist4 ,if his wrist is not strong enough to stand this strain with a racket of the usual weight1 it is better for him to use a lighter one4 ,though losing something in the severity of his strokes1 he will gain enough in sureness to more than make up for it4 ,how to hold the ,racket--,one finds many different ways of holding the racket among good players1 and no exact rule has ever been received as correct4 ,still1 nearly all good players observe certain principles in holding a racket4 ,it is of the first importance that you should be able to play a ball either fore- or back-handed without changing your hold on the racket4 ,if the hold is changed1 there is always danger of not getting the racket into the right position quickly enough4 ,such a change must require a certain amount of time and attention1 which cannot well be spared in sharp play4 ,the method that ,i should recommend is as follows3--,lay the racket on a table with the smooth side up4 ,open the hand with the thumb nearly at right angles to the fingers1 and then clasp the handle in such a way as to make its upper right edge 7or what would be its right edge if it were cut square7 fit into the hollow of the joint between the thumb and forefinger4 ,in closing the fingers on the handle1 do not put them directly round it1 but with the first joint of each finger slanting up the handle1 which will cause the top joints to slant down the other way4 ,the first two fingers should be a little separated from the other fingers1 and from each other4 ,the end of the handle should be well within the hand1 with the little finger round the leather rim4 ,the thumb should not go round on to the ends of the fingers1 but should slope upwards across the upper side of the handle4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,service4 ,there are many ways in which the service can be delivered1 but there is only one in general use4 ,this is the common overhand service delivered from above the right shoulder1 with or without twist on the ball4 ,to serve it1 throw the ball up above the head as nearly as possible to the height at which it is to be struck1 and strike it as it pauses before falling4 ,be careful to throw the ball well back and about on a line with the ear4 ,if it is thrown forward the service will probably go into the net4 ,in serving1 the arm should be extended to almost its full length1 so as to get the greatest possible reach1 and the shoulder should be left free and not held stiff4 ,when serving for speed only1 the face of the racket should be brought fairly against the ball with no twist whatever1 and the head of the racket should be made to come over on the top of the ball by a sharp bend of the wrist4 ,when trying to put twist on the service1 the racket should not meet the ball fairly1 but should pass round on the outside of it2 this will give a twist from right to left4 ,a very uncommon and difficult service can be given by throwing up the ball a little to the left of one's head1 and carrying the racket round on the left hand side of the ball1 which will give a twist from left to right4 ,it is possible to put a heavy spin on the ball in this way1 and the service is effective1 because it is very uncommon4 ,the next most important service is the underhand twist service delivered either fore- or back-handed4 ,to begin with the former1 the player should stand with the feet near together and his weight on the right foot4 ,the racket should be held nearly vertical and just to the side of the right leg4 ,the ball is dropped outside1 and a little in front of1 the racket1 which is brought forward against the ball1 and thus1 by a quick inside turn of the wrist imparts a strong twist to it4 ,in striking1 the weight is thrown forward on to the left foot1 and a short step forward with that foot is made to give pace to the service4 ,the service should not be delivered with a jerk1 but by a quiet easy swing2 the only really quick motion being the turn of the racket round the ball which gives the twist4 ,the backhanded underhand service is precisely similar1 but is made on the left side with the right foot forward4 ,the ball is struck with the rough side of the racket1 and of course breaks from left to right4 ,there is only one other service that need be mentioned4 ,the arm is at right angles to the body1 with the elbow slightly bent1 and with the head of the racket a little higher than the wrist4 ,the ball should be struck at the height of the shoulder1 and the racket1 after striking the ball behind and a little on top1 should open and pass forward beneath it so as to impart pure cut to the ball4 ,the ball does not rise as much as with most services1 and is often returned into the net when the service is first tried4 ,it is1 however1 useful only as a change service1 or to increase the chance of the ball's shooting1 on a wet ground4 ,it should be distinctly understood that1 in giving any service1 the weight of the body must be thrown forward at the time of striking2 otherwise no great speed can be obtained4 ,as the rule now requires the front foot to be on the base-line when the ball is served1 it is better to put the toe on the line before serving4 ,the weight of the body is held a little back1 and is then thrown forward as the ball is struck4 ,it is not so easy to serve fast in this way as it is by taking a step forward1 but1 on the other hand1 one seldom or never serves a foot fault4 ,players too often forget the importance of placing the service4 ,it is very hard to make a good first stroke off a well-placed service1 even if it be a slow one4 ,it is also important to conceal the direction of the service as long as possible1 so that one's opponent may not know in which corner of the court to expect it4 ,having described the different kinds of service1 we have next to consider which of them should be used4 ,the best working service is probably the simple overhand service delivered without twist4 ,it should be placed down the central-line or across to the outer corner of the court1 and should be served as fast as possible4 ,should the first service be a fault1 it is the custom to serve again in the same way1 but at such a pace that there will be no danger of a second fault4 ,we are often told that a good player should cultivate a second service which should be difficult to return1 and at the same time should never be a fault4 ,i can only say that this is easier said than done1 as no one has yet succeeded in carrying it out4 ,again we are told that if a player cannot serve a good second service1 he would do better not to try a very hard service the first time1 but to serve a medium-paced service which would be at once reasonably sure of going into court1 and yet be difficult to place on returning4 ,i must dissent entirely from this advice4 ,i believe that in the single game and with good players the service is a distinct disadvantage4 ,the first service is oftener a fault than not1 and the second service can be placed almost as the striker-out pleases4 ,why not then serve a medium service the first time8 ,because no service1 not even the very slow second service1 can be placed so sharply and accurately as a moderately fast one4 ,it is not fast enough to place the striker-out at a disadvantage1 and yet it comes back more quickly in the return than a slower one would do1 and therefore leaves the server less time to get into position for the first return4 ,another difference1 often overlooked1 is1 that a player must 8fix0 himself to a certain extent to deliver a service of even medium speed4 ,he cannot1 therefore1 get into position as quickly after a fairly fast service as after a slow one1 and yet he will be given less time to do so4 ,of course1 he 8fixes0 himself for the first very fast service1 but1 in this case1 he expects to gain a distinct advantage should his service be good4 ,off such a service it is very difficult to make a good first stroke1 and the server will probably have a chance to come forward and finish the rest with a volley4 ,my own feeling is that the server must start at a disadvantage unless he can deliver a severe first service4 ,in any other case he must be content to stay back1 even outside his court1 while his opponent is forward1 and his object for the time must be rather to save the rest#a than to win it4 #a ,or 8rally0 as it is sometimes improperly termed4 ,for a second service the forehanded underhand twist is useful1 especially when served into the left court4 ,it is not in itself difficult to return1 but it keeps low1 and will often twist a little more or a little less than the striker-out expects1 thus preventing him from making a severe first stroke4 ,it sometimes pays to place such a service as near as possible to the outer corner of the court1 and to follow it up almost to the net4 ,one would think that there would be no difficulty in passing the server as he comes forward1 but it requires a very accurate first stroke to do so4 ,if the stroke is not well-placed1 there will be a chance for a sharp volley which should win the rest4 ,it needs great quickness to make such a volley1 and no one should take such a risk unless he can volley really well4 ,in trying such a coup as this1 he must take into account what his chance of winning the rest will be if he gives an easy second service and stays back4 ,if he finds that he has been losing twice out of three times on his second service1 it is well worth while to try going up1 especially as it is very annoying to his adversary if it comes off4 ,many players have an idea that at #dj-j or at #dj-ae it pays to serve the second service at full speed1 on the ground that at such a score the risk is justifiable4 ,this surely is a mistake4 ,if the server keeps to the game by which he has gained such an advantage he will probably win one stroke in the next two or three4 ,but if he sees fit to take such liberties as to serve twice at full speed he will probably find the score level before he knows it1 and his opponent playing with increasing confidence4 ,i should strongly advise a player to learn thoroughly the reverse overhand service1 not only that it is unusual and effective1 but because one looks to the left to serve it4 ,you can in this way serve overhand1 no matter where the sun may be4 ,with the sun on the right the common overhand service is nearly useless1 because the danger of looking at the sun is so great4 ,you may get the service over all right and then be quite unable to see the return4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,first ,,stroke4 ,by first stroke is meant the return of the service4 ,i may safely say that more depends on this stroke than on any other4 ,if the first stroke is good1 the striker-out should have a decided advantage2 if bad1 he is almost at the server's mercy4 ,what the first stroke should be depends on the service and on the skill of the opponent4 ,off a very fast service it is difficult to make a good first stroke1 because the slightest mistake will be enough to send the ball into the net or out of court4 ,if1 however1 the first stroke is made exactly right1 it is more crushing in proportion to the speed of the service4 ,the server has had to fix himself to give a very fast service1 and no time is left him to recover for the return4 ,the difficulty of a very severe return of a very fast service is so great that it must be looked on as fortunate1 even among good players4 ,it is always very hard to foresee in just what place the service will pitch1 and1 therefore1 the striker-out cannot prepare himself for any particular stroke4 ,he must be ready to return the ball2 that is the first point4 ,for the rest1 he must return it as severely as he safely can1 and into that part of the court where it will most readily go4 ,by this ,i do not mean that the service should be returned purposely into the middle of the court1 but every fast ball is more naturally returned in one direction than in another1 and all ,i advise is that a very fast service should be returned into whatever part of the court it is easiest to put it4 ,if the first service comes off and is very fast1 it will almost always give the advantage1 and the striker-out must be content to yield the position and to play for safety4 ,very different is the case with the second service4 ,the server is no longer trying for an advantage1 and the striker-out can choose the way in which he will begin the attack4 ,the server will now probably be far back in the court--about the middle of the base-line or a little behind it--and the chances are that he will succeed in returning the first stroke1 no matter where it may be placed4 ,it would1 therefore1 require an unusually severe stroke to finish the rest at once1 and it is running too great a risk to attempt such a stroke4 ,the ball should be played sharply down the side-line or across the court to the farther side-line1 so as to put the server on the defensive at the start4 ,of this ,i shall speak more fully in treating of the 8game02 at present ,i shall only try to explain what strokes there are to use4 #a4--,the most common and1 perhaps1 the safest stroke is to play the ball down the side-line into the corner1 especially when the service has been into the right court1 as this brings the return into the backhand corner1 and few players are as good back- as fore-handed4 #b4--,one can also return diagonally across the court to the far corner4 ,this stroke should be played very hard1 for if made slowly there is a chance for an easy return4 ,moreover1 if time is given him1 the server may come forward and meet the ball in the middle of the court and kill it by a sharp volley4 ,for this reason it is better not to play this stroke if the server is coming up1 but to play either ,nos4 #a or #c4 #c4--,there is another stroke1 and the most difficult of all4 ,it is to play the ball slowly across the court to the farther side-line4 ,the ball should strike the ground as near to the net as possible1 so that a player who is coming forward cannot reach it before it has bounded and passed on across the side-line4 ,if made correctly1 there is no answer to the stroke1 except a half-volley4 ,it is an essential part of the stroke that it should be played very slowly1 or else the ball must go out of court4 #d4--,sometimes1 but very seldom1 one has to lob the first stroke2 for instance1 when the first service has been very severe1 and the server has followed it up close1 one may be unable to make a good stroke to one side of the court1 and1 if so1 it is best to lob4 ,again1 the server will at times follow up his second service1 and1 if he gets very close1 the safest stroke will be a lob over his head into the back of the court4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,the ,,stroke4 ,by stroke1 ,i mean the motion with which a ball is returned off the ground4 ,of course1 all balls cannot be played in the same way2 that must depend on how they come1 and on the hardness of the ground4 ,as a rule1 however1 a player can choose in which of two ways he will play the ball4 ,he can take the ball at the top of its bound1 in which case the head of the racket is held a little higher than the hand1 and the racket itself is nearly horizontal4 ,the stroke is made with the forearm and wrist1 and the arm is straightened as the ball is struck4 ,the other method is to let the ball fall till within a foot or so of the ground1 and then1 so to speak1 to lift it over the net4 ,the racket is held upright1 with the head a little back and the hand forward4 ,the ball is taken beside1 and a little in front of1 the right foot1 and a short step forward is made with the left4 ,in striking1 the racket is raised1 not from the shoulder1 but from the elbow1 and the wrist is bent backward4 ,the direction of the ball is given by turning the wrist at the moment of striking1 and for this reason it is very difficult for one's opponent to foresee where the ball will be put4 ,i should explain that the stroke is not meant to be a 8slam10 but a quiet1 regular stroke1 whose strength lies less in its speed than in its accuracy1 and in the difficulty of foreseeing its direction4 ,of the two strokes ,i much prefer the second one4 ,it gives one's opponent more time to place himself1 but1 on the other hand1 one gains both in accuracy and severity of stroke1 and can also change the direction of the ball at the last moment4 ,on a very hard ground the horizontal stroke is the more common1 because the ball rises so high that one would have to go very far back in the court to play it with a vertical racket1 and in doing so would lose his position4 ,on a slow ground1 the chance for the second stroke occurs all the time4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,the ,,volley4 ,to become an adept at the game1 the player must be able to volley well2 he must know how the stroke is made1 and he must be able to make it1 no matter where the ball may come--high or low1 right or left1 straight or dropping4 ,one common principle applies to all volleys1 namely1 that the ball must not be allowed to hit the racket1 but the racket must hit the ball1 and a distinct stroke should be made4 ,a step should always be taken with the opposite foot1 i4e41 with the left foot in a forehanded stroke1 and with the right in a backhanded one4 ,as an example1 take the ordinary forehand volley at about the height of the shoulder 7a very common stroke74 ,the elbow should be away from the body and not down by the side1 the wrist a little bent upwards1 and the head of the racket above the hand4 ,in striking1 the weight is thrown forward on to the left foot1 which is brought out with a good step in front of the right foot and a little across it4 ,there is no preliminary swing of the racket backward4 ,the head of the racket should be brought forward on to the ball with a sharp bend of the wrist1 and the arm should be straightened to nearly its full length4 ,the racket should not be checked suddenly after striking the ball1 but should swing well forward1 and then by an easy motion the head will come up into the left hand1 where the centre-piece should always be carried between the strokes4 ,the elbow1 shoulder1 and wrist should all be left free1 and not held stiff while the stroke is made4 ,the backhand volley is made in much the same way4 ,the elbow should be raised and away from the body2 the head of the racket should be just over the left shoulder1 and the stroke should be made by stepping forward with the right foot1 straightening the forearm1 and bringing the head of the racket sharply forward by bending the wrist4 ,it is this turn of the wrist at the last moment of the stroke that gives sharpness and character to all volleys4 ,it is much easier to volley a ball at the height of the shoulder back than forehanded1 and it is worth while to remember this fact when trying to pass a volleyer from the back of the court4 ,these two volleys are used with the ball from four to six feet from the ground1 both in coming forward from the back of the court1 and1 more often1 when already in position1 and your opponent tries to pass you4 ,both strokes are easy in themselves if the ball comes within reach and if you can foresee on which side it is coming4 ,the real difficulty lies in getting into position for the stroke1 and not in the stroke itself4 ,a more difficult ball to volley is one that is only a foot or so off the ground4 ,such a ball is best volleyed forehanded1 with a vertical racket4 ,the hand comes out directly in front of the body1 and the stroke is made almost entirely by the wrist4 ,there should be little or no swing of the racket beforehand4 ,a ball a little higher1 that is1 between waist and knee1 cannot well be volleyed in the same way4 ,one must step to one side or the other to get room to return it1 and it is easier to play it backhanded4 ,one should step forward and bend well down to meet the ball and volley it with the head of the racket a little above the hand4 ,a great deal of time is saved by these low volleys1 and one is sometimes caught while coming forward or going back in a position when nothing else can be done4 ,it is a stroke that a player should learn to make as well as possible1 but it is not one that he should use except to gain an advantage by saving time1 or when he can do nothing else4 ,we now come to a wholly different class of volleys1 namely1 those of a dropping ball1 as when a weak return is made off a fast service1 or more often when one player is lobbing to drive his opponent back4 ,in this class comes the 8,smash10 which is simply a volley made very hard1 with all the joints of the arm free1 so that as soon as the stroke is started all control of the racket is lost4 ,in a simple volley the joints are not held stiff1 but one retains control of the racket throughout the stroke2 in a smash one lets the racket go apparently at random4 ,it is not a stroke to play except when very close to the net1 and even then a more careful volley will usually be sufficient1 and far safer4 ,it is of this volley that ,i wish to speak1 as the occasion for it comes constantly4 ,it must be made hard1 it must be placed1 and its direction must not be shown till the last moment4 ,take the most common case3 you are just in front of the service-line1 your opponent lobs from the back of the court and the ball does not go very far beyond the service-line4 ,how are you to make the stroke8 ,of course the ball may come in front or on either side1 but it travels so slowly that you can usually take it as you please1 and it is best to do so forehanded4 ,you should stand with your feet slightly apart1 and in striking should take a short step forward1 and a little across with your left foot4 ,the racket is held close to the body with the left hand round the centre-piece till the ball comes within reach4 ,then lift the racket quietly and strike without any swing backward2 but the racket should follow the ball after the stroke1 and not be checked suddenly4 ,the whole stroke1 from the time when the racket is lifted1 should be made without any pause4 ,one often sees a player waiting for the ball with his racket lifted2 the effect is ridiculous1 and1 what is of more importance1 it is usually easy to tell where he means to put the ball4 ,the ball should be taken at about the same height as in service1 but decidedly more in front1 because it is nearer the net4 ,the wrist should be bent forward at the end of the stroke to bring the head of the racket down on top of the ball4 ,any lob that comes near the middle of the court should be played forehanded1 but when a ball is much to the left of the central-line it is better to play it backhanded1 as it puts one too much out of position to get on the other side of the ball4 ,the stroke is played in the same way as the forehanded one1 except that the step is made with the right foot and should be in front of the left1 but not across it4 ,the easiest place to put the ball is into the backhand corner or across to the farther side-line4 ,without taking his eyes off the ball1 the player can usually tell about where his opponent is1 and can place the stroke accordingly4 ,in all such volleys he should make up his mind just where he means to put the ball before he takes the step forward1 and he should not change it even if he sees that his intention is discovered4 ,no rule can be given for placing the volley1 but in any case the stroke should be severe enough to prevent the next lob from being as good as the last4 ,if you do not gain a distinct advantage by the volley you are pretty sure to be worse off next time4 ,it is worth while to take a good deal of risk in such a stroke1 for the moment that you begin to play a lob faintheartedly1 you will be passed or driven back in a stroke or two4 ,one's object should be to kill the ball1 if that be possible2 if not1 to place it so as to get an easier stroke next time4 ,if you can do neither one nor the other1 you had better not volley the ball at all1 but go back and play a defensive game from the base-line4 ,if you cannot attack you must be ready to defend yourself1 and the place to do that is not in the middle of the court4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,half-,,volley4 ,the half-volley is the prettiest stroke in lawn tennis2 it often saves valuable time1 and it helps one out of many difficulties4 ,there is only one remark more to be made about it1 and that is1 never play it if you can possibly avoid it4 ,unless played exactly right1 it will give an easy return1 and will allow your opponent to gain the advantage in position if he did not have it before4 ,if he did1 it will probably give him a chance to 8kill40 ,the worst part of the stroke is that it is a very fascinating one1 and it is1 therefore1 played a great deal too often1 especially by young players4 ,the stroke consists in taking the ball just as it begins to rise after striking the ground4 ,it is simply a question of timing the ball4 ,the player cannot watch the ball as he strikes it1 and he must trust to his knowledge of the place where the ball will come4 ,it is best made with the racket as nearly vertical as possible1 with a short step forward and with a 8lift10 or upward motion of the hand and forearm1 at the end of the stroke4 ,to return balls that have already passed1 one should step across with the opposite foot1 and1 stooping very low1 should half-volley with a snap of the wrist4 ,in such a case the racket is nearly horizontal4 ,the great point is to time the ball so as to get it exactly in the middle of the racket4 ,my advice would be never to use a half-volley if the ball could be returned in any other way1 and1 if compelled to use it1 to put pace on the ball and play it as a fast stroke1 and not as a slow one4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,lob4 ,a lob is a ball tossed in the air so that it shall fall far back in the court1 and shall be out of reach of a player standing as far forward as the service-line4 ,the object is1 of course1 to make a stroke that cannot be volleyed1 except from the back of the court1 where the volley is seldom severe4 ,there are two kinds of lob--one with a low curve1 tossed just high enough to be out of reach1 and the other tossed very high in the air and meant to fall almost vertically4 ,the first kind is used only when one's opponent is very far forward2 in fact1 almost up to the net4 ,the ball1 being hit low1 travels with some speed1 and therefore gives little time for a player to get back for it4 ,the other and more common kind of lob is used when one is at a disadvantage1 and is near the base-line or quite out of court4 ,the stroke is meant to gain time for one thing1 and1 if possible1 to drive a volleyer back4 ,the higher the ball goes the more perpendicularly it will fall1 and the harder it will be to volley4 ,it is much easier to lob forehanded1 and the ball should be taken well in front of one1 and to the right if possible4 ,always lob toward the windward corner of the court1 but if there is little or no wind one should choose the backhand corner4 ,remember that a lob must go back nearly to the base-line or it will give an easy stroke4 ,,part ,,ii4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,game4 ,section ,i4 ,in the preceding pages ,i have tried to give some idea of the different strokes and of the manner in which they are made4 ,my object now is to take the game as a whole1 and to show in what cases the different strokes should be used4 ,before this can be done1 we must speak of the different styles of game that one meets4 ,i do not refer to garden-party lawn-tennis1 but to the styles of the best match-players only4 ,seven or eight years ago no one thought of volleying a ball that could be easily played off the ground4 ,the game consisted of carefully placed strokes of medium pace1 and the result was long1 tedious rests of twenty1 forty1 and even eighty returns4 ,the first change in this game was caused by the present champion1 ,mr4 ,w4 ,renshaw1 who conceived the idea of going forward almost to the net and volleying everything that he could reach4 ,this game1 though brilliant1 was not wholly successful4 ,the volleyer came too close to the net and gave too easy a chance for the ball to go over his head1 and probably1 too1 the volley was not then of sufficient strength4 ,the net was at that time four feet high at the posts1 and the angle at which a ball could be volleyed was more restricted than now4 ,a year later ,mr4 ,renshaw had changed his game in an important point2 he no longer came close up1 but volleyed from the service-line1 or a little in front of it4 ,complete success attended him1 and his style of game soon came to be received as the right one1 and to be generally played4 ,at that time the hitting from the back of the court was slow according to modern ideas1 and it was possible to follow up and volley almost every ball without much danger of being passed4 ,the introduction of volleying brought about a change in the back-play4 ,there was clearly no use in careful placing if the volleyer was given time to get in front of the ball4 ,it thus became necessary to hit hard from the back of the court as well as to place the return1 and for the cases where this could not be done1 lobbing was brought into fashion4 ,the improvement in the back-play in its turn affected the volleying game4 ,with good placing and hard hitting it was no longer possible to volley as many balls as before1 and1 as a rule1 the volleyer tried to make a severe stroke1 which should put his opponent at a disadvantage before coming forward to volley4 ,it is in this state that we find the game now4 ,it seems a waste of time to discuss the old question of 8,volleying v4 ,back-play40 ,with the two games pure and simple1 and with no mixture of the two1 ,i feel sure that bad back-play will beat bad volleying1 and that good volleying will win against good back-play4 ,one does not1 however1 see good players confine themselves wholly to either game4 ,as ,i said just now1 one cannot volley every ball1 and one needs to be able to make a severe stroke off the ground to get into position to volley4 ,this one can do only by skill in back-play4 ,every well-known player of the present day believes that both back-play and volleying are necessary for a successful game1 and the question now is not which to use1 but how to mix the two4 ,i believe that the superiority of the champion lies mainly in the completeness of his game1 in his ability to play any kind of game that may be required4 ,mr4 ,lawford no longer plays wholly from the back of the court1 but volleys a great deal1 and very effectively too4 ,the only player who sticks completely to a back-game is ,mr4 ,chipp1 and he has told me that he wishes that he could volley4 ,on the other hand1 perhaps the most bigoted volleyer in the world is myself1 and ,i wish most sincerely that ,i knew how to take a ball off the ground4 ,it is not possible to lay down fixed rules for volleying certain balls and letting others bound2 were it so1 all players would play the same kind of game1 and the difference between them would be only in speed and accuracy4 ,every player must judge for himself if he can volley any particular ball more effectively than he can play it off the ground4 ,position is nearly everything in the present game1 and a player's first object should be to get into his place2 once there1 the chances are all in his favour4 ,i do not mean that the player nearest to the net has necessarily the best of it1 that must depend on the last stroke and on the place where his opponent is4 ,if he comes up after making a good stroke that has driven his opponent back to the base-line1 he has a great advantage1 but if his last stroke has been slow and has struck inside the service-line1 he is almost certain to be passed1 if his opponent does not make a mistake4 ,i cannot dwell enough on the fact that there is no use in volleying unless a distinct advantage can be gained by it1 or1 at the worst1 that the back player must not have an easier return than he had the time before4 ,the moment that a volleyer fails to make a severe or at least a well-placed stroke1 he is at a disadvantage1 and would be better off in the back of the court than where he is4 ,it is seldom that the two positions can balance1 so to speak1 and if a volleyer is not distinctly up1 he is pretty sure to go down4 ,of course ,i do not mean that every ball that is to be volleyed should be smashed2 far from it1 but ,i do say that a volley should always be played hard on to the base-line or across the court to the side-line4 ,if neither can be done1 it is wrong to volley the ball at all4 ,smashing ,i hold in great disrespect4 ,as a rule1 it is a most unsafe stroke1 and1 when it can be played without risk1 a hard volley will generally be just as good4 ,it is a great satisfaction1 both to the gallery and to the player himself1 to see a ball smashed through an umbrella or a parasol1 but it is an amusement that should be strictly confined to exhibition matches4 ,do not volley a very low ball if you can possibly help it4 ,for instance1 one is coming forward1 and meets a slow return that has passed just over the net and is dropping fast4 ,such a ball must be volleyed upwards to cross the net1 and it will therefore be impossible to make a severe return1 and the stroke itself is a difficult one4 ,let such a ball bound1 unless time is of unusual value4 ,off the ground you will probably be able to make a stroke that will give you a greater advantage than if you had volleyed the ball instead of waiting4 ,a difficult but useful stroke is the volleying a ball near the ground in the back part of the court4 ,the player is going back1 or1 more often1 coming forward1 and meets the ball about half-way between the base-line and service-line4 ,if he can volley it fairly well he can follow up his stroke1 and gain the advantage in position which he must have yielded in going back to take the ball off the ground4 ,one saves a great deal of time and of exertion by such a volley1 but it is a stroke that cannot be recommended to any except a good volleyer4 ,one of the hardest balls to volley well is a lob4 ,it is easy enough to return it over the net1 but1 as ,i have been trying to explain1 there is little use in returning a ball slowly into the middle of the court4 ,i do not believe that it is right to smash a fairly good lob1 but ,i think that it should be volleyed carefully1 but still hard1 far back in the court1 and1 if possible1 into a corner4 ,there is a long time to think as a lob drops1 and many players lose heart and decide to play for safety instead of trying to kill the ball4 ,as a matter of fact1 it is safer to hit fairly hard1 and the moment that a player begins to hit gently1 for fear of putting the ball out of court1 he descends to a lower level as a player and diminishes his own chance of success4 ,speaking of returning lobs brings me to the question of lobbing1 as distinguished from low play4 ,there is undoubtedly a prejudice against lobbing1 and a feeling that the low hitting makes the finer game4 ,with this ,i have nothing to do4 ,i am simply looking for the best game that one can play to win4 ,i believe firmly in low hard hitting down the lines or across the court when one's opponent is not quite in position1 as1 for instance1 when he is just coming up1 or has had a hard ball to play and has not yet recovered himself4 ,if there is a good chance to pass him1 try to do so by all means4 ,if you cannot pass him but can make a stroke that cannot be volleyed hard1 in fact1 can only be stopped1 try it1 and the next stroke you can probably pass him4 ,when1 however1 one is in the extreme back part of the court1 especially in the middle1 the chance of passing a good volleyer seems to me to be small4 ,if one is in a corner of the court1 one has two strokes to choose from1 one down the side-line and the other across the court4 ,if the volleyer does not foresee which stroke will be played1 it is unlikely that he can do more than save the ball4 ,but1 as just said1 if he is in the middle of the base-line1 the angle at which the forward player can be passed is very small1 and the chances are that the ball will be killed4 ,in such a case ,i believe that it is good play to lob4 ,it is worth remembering this fact1 that it is harder for your opponent to pass you from the middle of the base-line than from the corners of the court4 ,with a strong back-player against you1 if you do not get a chance to make a severe stroke into the corner1 and have got to return the ball slowly1 you will be safer if you return it to the middle of the base-line4 ,a great objection to lobbing is1 that much depends on the weather1 and1 if there is a strong wind1 it will be at a great disadvantage4 ,of course the wind will affect low hitting as well1 but not to the same degree4 ,when lobbing in a wind1 always lob to the windward corner1 as1 after all1 the main point with a lob is to put it anywhere in the back part of the court4 ,if you see that your opponent hesitates to hit a lob hard1 be ready to go in the moment the chance comes4 ,it usually is easy to tell if a player intends to stop a lob instead of hitting it1 and it is well worth while to take some risk in running up to volley his return4 ,he will probably be too far forward in the court to return your volley well1 even if he gets it at all4 ,if your opponent clearly does not play lobs well1 lob whenever there is the slightest doubt of passing him1 especially if the sun is in his eyes4 ,if on the other hand he hits your lobs back hard into the corners1 it is better not to resort to them unless you can do nothing else4 ,after saying so much in favour of lobbing1 ,i must add that1 though ,i use the stroke a great deal myself1 ,i believe that a player should play low1 if any chance is given him to do so4 ,if you do play low1 don't play directly down the middle of the court if your opponent is standing there4 ,it is much better to take a greater risk and play for the side-lines4 ,remember that it is usually easier to pass a volleyer on his forehand side4 ,remember1 also1 that the easiest ball to volley is one hit low and hard1 because it comes in nearly a straight line4 ,for this reason1 especially when a volleyer is coming forward1 the most difficult stroke that you can give him to volley is one hit slowly enough to drop low before he can reach it4 ,if you can make him half-volley there will probably be a chance to come in yourself4 ,it seems to me a mistake to hit as hard as one can in trying to pass a volleyer4 ,one succeeds more often by accurate placing1 and by concealing the direction of the stroke till the last moment1 than by its actual speed4 ,of course1 a fast stroke will give one's opponent less time to reach it1 but the risk of the ball going into the net or out of court is increased out of proportion to the gain4 ,it is surprising to see how easily a slow stroke will pass a volleyer if he does not know on which side it is coming4 ,combined speed and placing are perfection1 but the placing should be cultivated first1 and the speed increased as one improves4 ,section ,,ii4 ,let us now start as if beginning a game1 and we will take the routine points as they arise4 ,to serve3 ,stand nearly near the middle of the base-line1 a yard1 or at the most two yards1 from the centre4 ,in this position there is a larger angle1 inside of which the service can be placed1 than if you stood at one end of the base-line1 and1 moreover1 you are in better position to meet the first stroke4 ,if your first service is a fast one and is good1 follow it up if you can1 and volley the return4 ,but remember that your volley must be severe enough to put your opponent at a decided disadvantage1 or he will probably pass you with the next stroke4 ,if your first service is a fault1 serve again more slowly4 ,you cannot put much speed into your second service1 but you can place it4 ,try to serve well back to the service-line1 and place it so that your opponent will have to play it backhanded1 or step to one side before returning it4 ,i do not mean that this placing will produce any great results1 but it will tend to diminish the severity of the first stroke4 ,as soon as you have served1 get back just outside of the court1 or1 if the ground is low1 stand on the base-line and a very little to the left of the middle4 ,the first stroke is more often put into your backhand corner than anywhere else2 few players are quite as strong backhanded1 and can1 therefore1 afford less time in reaching the ball4 ,one word as to position4 ,it is impossible to start quickly if your feet are parallel4 ,stand with the heels about a foot apart1 the toes a little turned out1 and every joint slightly bent4 ,the racket should be close to the body1 with the left hand round the centre-piece4 ,you are now on the defensive1 and your opponent will1 no doubt1 have come forward in front of the service-line4 ,in this position1 unless the first stroke has been a weak one1 you can hardly hope to win the rest off your first return2 it is rather a time to play for safety4 ,if you can do so with a fair chance of success1 try a fast stroke down the side-line4 ,if your opponent fails to volley it well1 you may hope to pass him next time4 ,i cannot advise trying to cross him on the first return2 he has had time to place himself1 and if he is not deceived about your stroke1 he ought to kill it4 ,if you see no good chance to play down the lines1 the best thing to do is to lob4 ,lob as high as you safely can1 so that the ball shall drop almost vertically4 ,stay back outside of the base-line and wait for your opponent to volley your lob4 ,if he hits it hard1 probably you can do little else than lob again4 ,if he simply stops it1 you may be able to go in and pass him2 if not1 lob again and go up and volley his return4 ,this is a winning stroke if your opponent is afraid to let out at a lob4 ,where you cannot do this there is nothing to do except to lob until you can get a chance to make a low stroke1 off which you can get forward4 ,don't be too anxious to go forward1 but if there is any chance to do so1 take it at once4 ,remember that in lobbing you are on the defensive1 and that you want to reverse the positions the moment you can4 ,to return the service1 stand completely out of court if the ground is fast2 if slow1 stand on the base-line4 ,it is much better to be too far back than not far enough4 ,it is easy to come forward1 and in coming forward you naturally throw your weight into the stroke4 ,when going back it is very difficult to strike properly1 because you have to stop suddenly and throw your weight forward4 ,you are seldom steady on your feet when going back1 and in any case your weight is not on the ball4 ,do not go too far to one side to receive the service1 for you may have to step in either direction4 ,one can actually reach farther backhanded than forehanded1 but few players can make the backhand stroke as well4 ,if the first service into the right-hand court is good1 the best working return is probably the one down the side-line into the backhand corner4 ,follow the stroke up at once1 and take your place a yard or two in front of the service-line4 ,your opponent may try to cross you2 he may play down the side-line or he may lob4 ,the hardest stroke for you to return will be the one down your right side-line1 but most players find it a difficult return to make1 and prefer to play across the court4 ,if you see that the ball is coming across1 step forward two or three paces and volley it hard backhanded down into the forehand corner4 ,if it comes down your side-line1 do not come farther up for it1 but volley it back down the same side-line1 unless you are sure that you can play it across-court before your opponent can reach it4 ,all cross-court strokes1 unless very well made1 are dangerous1 as they allow one's opponent to come forward1 and if he reaches them he will have the best of the position4 ,should your adversary lob1 walk slowly back with the ball and volley it quietly1 but hard1 into the back of the court4 ,other things being equal1 the backhand corner is the best place into which to return a lob4 ,if your opponent lingers at all in the left-hand side of his court1 volley directly across to the forehand end of the service-line4 ,don't be afraid to hit a lob4 ,there is really no half-way2 if you don't make a good stroke off it1 your opponent will probably pass you4 ,in making these suggestions as to the strokes to play in special cases1 ,i am going as far as ,i see my way to do in pure theory4 ,for the rest1 ,i can only call attention to a few general principles4 ,don't stand still anywhere in the court4 ,keep in motion all the time1 for it is far easier to start quickly if you do not 8fix0 yourself4 ,the best example is a marker in a tennis or racket court2 he seldom is running1 and yet he is almost always where the ball comes4 ,a part of this is no doubt due to his judgment1 but a great deal comes from never standing quite still4 ,don't slam at a ball4 ,it is very common to see players 8slog0 at a fault or at a ball that has struck out of court4 ,it is a great mistake and puts you off your stroke4 ,a very common fault1 if one is running for a hard ball that can only just be reached1 is to hit at it as hard as one can4 ,the chances are immensely against such a stroke going over the net1 while if the racket were simply held in the way the ball would go back4 ,don't give up a rest till it is lost4 ,try to get the ball back even if it seems to be useless4 ,there is always a chance that it may be missed4 ,don't be deceived by a ball coming over the net1 or striking inside the court when you do not expect it4 ,take it for granted that every ball must be returned4 ,never drop a ball short4 ,it is a very tempting stroke1 and at times very effective1 but one loses a great many strokes in trying it4 ,in almost every case the ball could be killed as well by a hard stroke1 and the danger of putting it into the net would be much less4 ,it is very difficult to hit a ball so slowly that it will just go over the net1 and if it goes a little too far one's opponent comes forward to meet it1 and can1 as a rule1 place it wherever he pleases4 ,i play the stroke at times1 myself1 and each time vow that ,i will never try it again4 ,a necessary part of a good player is decision1 and the power of making up his mind quickly4 ,nowhere is this so necessary as in following up the service4 ,if you mean to go up1 don't hesitate for an instant1 take the chances and go1 and don't stop half-way4 ,don't go up a little way and then wait to see what will happen2 you will not be far enough forward to volley1 nor far enough back to play off the ground4 ,it puts you in a part of the court where you should never be1 namely1 somewhere between the base-line and the service-line4 ,the exact position of this forbidden place depends on the speed of the ground4 ,it is at such a distance from the net that the ball comes to you just above the ground1 so that you are forced to make a difficult volley or a half-volley4 ,you are not in position for volleying and would be better off farther back4 ,it is very hard to say exactly where one should stand to volley4 ,the typical place seems to me to be a yard or so in front of the service-line1 and1 if anything1 nearer still4 ,the closer the player is to the net1 the less ground he has to cover4 ,imagine a player standing on the base-line1 and imagine a line drawn from him to each end of the opposite service-line4 ,these two lines represent the two most widely-divergent strokes that he can make4 ,if now you stand on the service-line you have to cover #bg ft42 on the base-line #ce ft42 half-way from the service-line to the net1 #bb ft42 and at the net only #ag ft4 ,in reality1 the amount of space you will have to cover is less1 as you cannot make a fast stroke without its going beyond the service-line4 ,thus the nearer a player is to the net the less space he leaves his opponent to place the ball in1 but1 on the other hand1 the quicker he himself must be to judge and reach the ball4 ,it is a great gain if you can volley the ball while it is still above the level of the net1 as it can then be volleyed downward4 ,if you allow the ball to drop much1 you have got to volley upwards to get it over the net1 and there can be little severity in your stroke1 which moreover itself is a more difficult one to make4 ,again1 the sooner you meet the ball1 the less time you give your opponent to recover from his last stroke and to prepare himself for the return4 ,for myself1 ,i am always ready to take a good deal of risk in order to stand near enough to make a severe volley4 ,if one's opponent lobs much it is unsafe to go in close1 as one may have to run back for the ball4 ,in a word1 it seems to me that each player must judge for himself in what place he can return his adversary's strokes to the greatest advantage1 and this place will not be the same against different players4 ,you can usually tell if your opponent means to lob1 and ,i believe that it is right to go in closer whenever one is sure that he will not lob1 and then fall back again to be ready for any stroke next time4 ,there is one more point to which ,i want to call attention4 ,suppose that you have made a weak volley into the middle of the court and are at the time well forward4 ,your opponent can probably put the ball about where he pleases4 ,what should you do8 ,get back by all means if you can1 for that is better than staying up with the chances against you4 ,if you can't do that1 stay and fight it out1 but remember that there is no use in standing still in the middle4 ,your opponent can put it either side of you4 ,wait till he has made up his mind1 and then go to one side or the other4 ,even if you have no idea to which side you ought to go1 it is still an even chance that you will choose the right one4 ,in such a case it is the only chance that you have1 and if your opponent sees you going the right way he may miss his stroke in trying to change its direction4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,match ,,play4 ,match play is always a very different matter from simple practice4 ,the excitement and anxiety affect nearly all players2 some more1 some less4 ,the majority1 ,i fancy1 play worse in a match1 while a few players need the interest of a match to make them play their best4 ,then the question of endurance comes in1 which in practice is of very little importance1 as you can stop playing when you feel tired4 ,a match1 moreover1 is in itself more exhausting1 as you can seldom afford to drop your game to rest yourself1 and the anxiety tells greatly on your wind4 ,a player who often plays six or seven hard sets in practice may feel utterly out of breath in the first set of a match1 mainly from excitement4 ,the more he plays the less he will notice the difference between practice and matches4 ,a great difference1 too1 lies in the fact that a player1 being anxious1 is afraid to play his game1 and tries only to get the ball back4 ,this is a very great mistake1 but it is much easier to tell him to play as he usually does than for him to do it4 ,almost the first advice that ,i should give to any one who was going into his first match1 8,try to play just as you would in practice40 ,if he cannot win by playing his usual game1 he will1 as a rule1 play worse instead of better by changing it4 ,it may prove1 of course1 that you cannot win with your usual style of play4 ,in such a case1 try something else by all means1 but don't do so until your own game has been fairly tried4 ,if you are winning1 be still more careful to hold to the same game4 ,one often sees a player at forty-love serve fast twice or try a slashing stroke or two4 ,it was not by such play that he reached forty-love4 ,if he keeps to his game he ought to win one stroke in the next three1 but who knows what may happen if he tries experiments8 ,the same thing is done at four games-love1 at five games to one or two1 or at any such score1 and the player who is ahead is often justly rewarded by losing the set4 ,another player will be tempted in the opposite way4 ,he gets a good lead1 and1 to make sure of the set1 begins to play a very cautious game4 ,the moment he does so he is playing a weaker game4 ,his real game gave him his lead1 but that does not show that he can hold his advantage unless he plays as well as he has been playing4 ,i saw one of the great matches last year lost in just this way--by a desire to make too sure4 ,in conclusion ,i can only say that each one should play the game that he can play best1 and let him have the courage to stick to it1 whether he is ahead or behind4 ,my object in speaking of match play is less to suggest any special game than to point out certain advantages that are constantly thrown away4 ,first1 as to the toss4 ,a coin is better than a racket4 ,more rackets1 ,i feel sure1 come up rough than smooth4 ,if you win the toss1 go into both sides of the court1 and observe carefully how the light comes1 the wind1 the background1 the ground itself1 and the amount of room round it4 ,do not forget that the sun will move a good way during five sets1 and it may be possible to get the best side twice in succession4 ,when playing the best of five sets1 take the best court1 unless there is some special reason against it4 ,if the worst court will be much worse than it is in half-an-hour1 it pays to take it first4 ,one may win the first set in it before it gets too bad1 and should then have a certainty of the second and fourth sets4 ,if the first set should be lost1 the second and fourth sets should bring the score level1 and no harm would have been done4 ,if a player takes the best court first he is sure of having it twice in a match1 and he stands more chance of winning three sets to love4 ,if the court decides the set1 he will have the lead all through till the fifth set1 and even then will have it for the first game4 ,in matches that are the best of three sets you have to take each court once1 and1 if there is a difference in the light1 ,i believe that it pays to take the worse court first4 ,you do not feel the light nearly as much then as you do after changing from the better side1 and your opponent does not appreciate the advantage that he has4 ,if the light is so bad that you lose the first set1 you ought to be as sure as ever of winning the second4 ,the only exception is in playing against a young or fainthearted player1 who will be so much encouraged by winning the first set that he will be harder to beat the second4 ,it is a safe choice against any old match-player1 as he will understand the case perfectly4 ,with a wind blowing up and down the court1 it pays best to play the first set with the wind4 ,one gets into one's stroke better in this way1 and1 on changing sides1 it is easier to hit harder than to keep a constant check on one's self to avoid hitting out of court4 ,in knocking up before a match1 always take the court with the sun in your eyes1 so that1 if you lose the toss1 you will be accustomed to the sun1 and will not have to change from good light to bad4 ,if you win the toss1 you will feel the advantage of the light all the more4 ,it is now very common to change sides every game of the whole match4 ,should you wish to do so1 do not forget to appeal before tossing1 or else it can be done in the odd set only4 ,if you fancy yourself to be a stronger player than your opponent1 it is better to change sides every game of the match1 or else he may win two sets with the help of the better side1 and then everything will depend on the odd set4 ,if you change sides every game1 and are really better than he1 you should be able to win every set1 or1 at least1 three sets out of four4 ,if your opponent is better than yourself1 on no account change sides if you can help it4 ,try to win two sets in the good court1 and trust to luck for the odd one4 ,there is always far more chance that the worse player will win any particular set than that he will win two in three or three in five if the conditions are equal4 ,in one word1 if you are the better player1 do all that you can to exclude luck from the game1 because1 if there is no luck for either side1 you will probably win4 ,if luck is to come in1 no one can say who will get the best of it4 ,the next point to consider is the service4 ,with duffers the service is an advantage1 because the striker-out misses so many balls1 or1 at least1 returns them weakly4 ,with good players1 ,i believe the service to be a decided disadvantage4 ,on a good ground almost every service can be returned4 ,the first service1 if fast1 seldom comes off2 if of moderate speed1 it can be returned with ease4 ,a second service should leave the striker-out free to do what he chooses with it4 ,i should1 therefore1 always give my opponent the service if ,i could1 unless sides were to be changed every game4 ,in this case the service will always come from one end1 and if you lose the toss you can choose from which end4 ,against the sun and wind most services will be weak2 therefore1 if you serve better than your opponent1 put the service with the sun and wind4 ,if he serves better than you1 you can diminish his advantage by putting the server in the worst court4 ,if you can serve the reverse overhand service1 always put the server against the wind and sun4 ,this service will twist more against the wind or going up hill1 and the ordinary service will suffer4 ,moreover1 in serving it1 one looks to the left1 and can often keep the sun out of one's eyes when one's opponent will have to face it4 ,should there be a slope in the court1 a fast service down hill will be unusually severe4 ,if you are playing a weaker man1 put the service up hill2 if a stronger serve down hill4 ,the present rule of changing sides at the end of every game works rather absurdly in one way1 as it is a disadvantage to win the toss4 ,it is seldom that a player has not a decided preference for serving from one end rather than from the other1 and his opponent will probably prefer the opposite4 ,it is a small advantage to have the better court for the first game1 compared with the arrangement of the service4 ,if the winner of the toss chooses the court1 his opponent can make him serve or serve himself1 as he prefers to have the service come from one end or the other4 ,if the winner chooses to serve he can be put in either court that his opponent sees fit4 ,if you are unlucky enough to win the toss1 take the service1 if you want the service to come from the worst court1 and your opponent may prefer to let it be so rather than to give you the best court4 ,if you want the service to come from the best court1 make him serve so that he shall have to choose the worst side to prevent it4 ,a good instance of the value of the toss happened to me last season4 ,in a double match ,i lost the toss2 my opponents1 after consulting1 came to me1 and offered me the choice on the ground that it made no difference to them4 ,i naturally answered that they had won the toss1 and could choose what they liked1 but that they must choose something4 ,the whole matter is complicated by the question of endurance4 ,a five-set match will last two hours1 and if the players are evenly matched1 condition will make a great difference4 ,what1 then1 is the best thing for the player who is physically the weaker to do to diminish his opponent's advantage8 ,if there is some difference between the sides1 but it is still quite possible to win on either1 ,i should advise the weaker player to change sides every game1 else he may exhaust himself in trying to win on the worse side4 ,besides1 he is more likely to win three sets-love4 ,instead of this1 when the difference is distinct1 but not very great1 he may take the worst court and try to win the first set in it while he is still fresh1 and then play for the second and fourth sets on the good side4 ,if he is rather a better player than his opponent1 he will stand a good chance to win the first set1 and he should then have a great advantage1 if he only takes care of himself4 ,if he is rather the worse player as well as the weaker1 he had better play for two sets on the better side and for the fifth1 for he probably cannot win on the worst side1 and will injure his chance for the last set if he tries to4 ,if the difference between the sides is very great and the players about equal1 ,i think that the weaker man should not change sides every game if he can help it4 ,here1 too1 his best chance is to win two sets easily and hope for the fifth4 ,if he changes sides1 the games may be won alternately by the help of the court1 and the sets may be very long4 ,of course1 the interest of the more enduring player is exactly the opposite4 ,he should prolong the match as much as possible1 and when on the worse side should play up all that he can1 so as to tire his adversary1 even if he cannot win4 ,a great deal of judgment is requisite to decide when to let a set go4 ,one's adversary is seldom as easy to beat after he has won a set as he was before1 and ,i think that 8chucking0 a set is a luxury that should be indulged in very seldom1 and only when playing up would spoil one's chance in the other sets4 ,a player should never play slackly because he fancies the set won4 ,every game that he loses encourages his opponent1 and also makes it harder for himself to get back to his old game4 ,there is no score at which a set is safe till it is won4 ,on the other hand1 never give up a match till it is lost4 ,i have seen the score two sets to love and five games to two1 and the player who was ahead lost the match4 ,it is always worth while to try for one more game4 ,try to learn to play up the whole time1 unless it is absolutely necessary to ease off to save your wind4 ,i wish to call particular attention to the fact that it is a great mistake to attempt to return the service till you are sure that you are ready4 ,your opponent will often serve as soon as your face is turned towards him1 and there is a strong temptation to return the ball4 ,in such a case you are not really ready4 ,you should take time enough to get to your place1 and get your feet under you and your eyes fixed on your opponent4 ,if he serves too soon1 let the ball go by untouched1 and do the same thing on the second service1 and on every other service for which you are not perfectly ready4 ,when you go in to volley1 and you see the ball coming to you1 make up your mind in time where you mean to put it4 ,i have often lost a stroke by being too slow in deciding1 and having to think where the ball should go at the time that ,i ought to have been playing it4 ,often when a player is about to volley a ball to kill it1 he sees his opponent going to the spot where he intends to put the ball4 ,ought he to change his mind and put it elsewhere8 ,i think certainly not4 ,it is better to trust to the original stroke2 if he changes he will probably make a weak stroke or miss altogether4 ,this does not apply to cases where he sees his opponent going to one side or the other before he has made up his mind4 ,he should then1 of course1 play to the unprotected side4 ,watch your opponent playing beforehand if you can4 ,few players have no weak points1 and it may be of great service to you to know his4 ,be careful to get thoroughly warm before you go into court4 ,without this precaution1 one is very apt to lose the first game or two1 which perhaps one can ill spare4 ,every man must judge for himself how much warming-up he needs1 for he must not carry it to the extent of tiring himself at all before a long match4 ,do not neglect to find out who is to umpire for you1 and if you think him incompetent1 object to him before the match4 ,it is sufficient if his manner is annoying to you1 as you need all your attention for the game4 ,you will be constantly umpired out of games1 and even matches1 and the annoyance is much less if you feel that you have done all that was in your power by having good men to umpire4 ,learn in a match to say nothing about the decisions1 and to think of them as little as possible1 else one bad decision may lose you many strokes4 ,be careful about the minor details of the game4 ,see that your racket does not want a new string and that there is no nail at the end of the handle that may hurt your hand4 ,have a second racket ready in case of accidents1 and have it as like the first as possible4 ,look to your shoes1 and see that there are enough points in them1 and that they are not clogged up with dirt4 ,if you want something to drink in a match1 brandy with a little water in it is the best thing2 soda is too bulky4 ,a slice of lemon is very pleasant in hot weather4 ,if the handle of your racket slips a little1 lemon-juice rubbed on it makes it easier to hold4 ,with an octagonal handle1 ,i believe that any slipping of the racket arises from some fault in the way in which it is held4 ,as to eating and drinking1 ,i believe in living just as one is in the habit of doing1 using stimulants and luxuries in moderation4 ,perhaps the most important matter is sleep4 ,going to bed at two and sleeping till ten is by no means the same thing as getting eight hours sleep earlier in the night4 ,it has come to be a well-recognised fact that one cannot go to a ball and play matches the next day4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,double ,,game4 ,i do not intend to discuss different ways of playing the double game1 such as one man at the net and the other back1 c41 because at the present time there is only one style of game among good players4 ,both men should stand a yard or two yards in front of the service-line1 and each near enough to his own side-line to prevent his being passed on that side4 ,i do not mean that each player should have a spot in the court where he should stand1 for then it would be easy to put the ball between the two players or outside of either of them4 ,when waiting for the return of the service1 the player on that side should keep well out to defend his own side-line1 and his partner 7the server7 should come up near enough to the middle-line to prevent the ball from passing between them4 ,this principle applies more or less to all cases where the return is to come from a spot near a side-line4 ,when the ball is in the middle of the court1 each player of the other side should stand about the middle of his own court1 and1 as in the single game1 should fall back a little if he expects a lob1 and come forward a little to meet a low ball4 ,one great difference between the single and double games is that in the double the court is more fully covered1 as there are only eighteen feet for each player to defend1 instead of twenty-seven4 ,the result is that it is much more difficult to place a ball where it cannot be reached1 and one has to hit harder to kill than in the single game4 ,it is hard to say just where the server should stand to serve1 but it should not be so near the middle as in the single game1 because he has more space to cover on one side and none on the other4 ,perhaps the best place is about the middle of his own half of the base-line1 but it is rather a matter of taste4 ,his partner should stand on the other side of the court just in front of the service-line1 and near enough to the side-line to make it impossible for the ball to pass him on that side4 ,there is hardly anything that discourages a player so much as to see his partner leave his side-line unprotected4 ,the server should follow up his service at once1 so as to volley the return4 ,if he serves a fault1 let him serve again very slowly and up in the air1 so as to give himself time to get to the service-line and into position before the return can reach him4 ,if he serves a ball of medium pace he will probably have to volley while on the run1 and the return may strike the ground in front of him so that he will have to half-volley4 ,the striker-out takes the service in about the same position as in the single game4 ,his partner should stand a little behind the service-line1 and near the middle of his court1 so as to have a chance of saving the ball should the striker-out make a weak return of the service4 ,if the service is well returned1 he should run forward into his place1 which is about a yard in front of the service-line1 and near enough to his own side-line to protect it4 ,if the first service is a fault1 he should go forward at once1 as his partner should have no trouble in dealing with the second service1 and he himself needs to be in his own place for the opponent's first return4 ,where should the return of the service be placed8 ,a fast service should always be placed across court1 because the server's partner is standing in front of the striker-out1 and has a much better chance to make a severe volley than the server who is running up4 ,a second service can be played in several ways4 ,the server has no doubt followed up his service1 and if he has served slowly enough he will be up to the service-line1 and both sides of the court will be covered4 ,still1 one can often put the ball between the two players so that neither can get it easily1 and ,i fancy this stroke most for a return of the second service4 ,you sometimes1 of course1 get a chance to play down the side-line1 because your opponent on that side has come in too far toward the middle of the court4 ,if there seems to be no opening1 one may be able to make a slow stroke that will drop enough to force a half-volley4 ,if such a stroke is too difficult1 the best thing to do is to hit directly at one of the opponents1 for a ball that comes directly at one's body is seldom as easy to volley as a ball a little to one side4 ,you can also try playing to the side of the court so as to force one of your opponents out to the side-line1 and thus make a gap between him and his partner4 ,a very pretty stroke off the second service is to play the ball very slowly directly across the court almost parallel with the net4 ,the ball should strike just inside the side-line4 ,this can be done only when the service bounds high and not far back in the court4 ,it is an essential part of the stroke that it should be made slowly1 or the ball must go out of court4 ,the server has not time to get forward before the ball touches the ground1 and if he returns it at all it will usually be by a half-volley4 ,when all four players are in position for volleying1 one is often puzzled where to put the ball1 as there seems to be no place left vacant for it4 ,the same principles apply here as in the return of the second service1 except that the server has had time to place himself4 ,you must work for an opening by driving one of your opponents out of place1 or you must try to make one of them half-volley1 which may give a chance for a smash1 or must simply keep on returning the balls and trust that a mistake will give you the opportunity to kill which he cannot make for yourself4 ,against weaker players one can well afford to take no risks and wait for a chance1 but against better players this will not prove a winning game1 and it will pay to try to make an opening better than to wait for one4 ,a player should try to keep far enough forward to volley before the ball can drop1 for if he is forced to half-volley he is almost sure to give his opponent a chance to kill4 ,one can smash more safely in the double game1 because the court is larger4 ,it is also necessary to volley harder to kill than in the single game1 as the court is more fully covered4 ,should you make a weak stroke from the back of the court1 as1 for instance1 a short lob1 both you and your partner should fall back to or behind the base-line and try to save the ball4 ,the great difficulty of the double game is to divide the play properly between the two partners4 ,the question is not of letting each one play the same number of balls1 but simply of allowing each to take those which he can play to the greatest advantage4 ,with both men in position for volleying1 each player of course takes the balls on his own side2 the trouble is simply about those between them4 ,the simplest rule and the best is to let the partner who played the last ball play the next4 ,he knows best where the return will probably come1 and his eye is in for it4 ,i fully believe in the teaching of the ,champion1 that a player should be allowed to finish a rest if he can4 ,that does not mean that he is to rush all over the court1 but that he is to take all the doubtful balls4 ,a player feels the wisdom of this rule when he has been watching his partner play several strokes in succession1 and is suddenly called on to take a fast volley himself4 ,he does not know where nor when it is coming nearly as well as if he had played the ball before it4 ,this shows us another principle of double play4 ,keep hammering at one man1 if he is at a disadvantage1 as thus you can probably gain something with each stroke4 ,if1 however1 he is on equal terms with you1 after he has played several strokes hit hard at his partner1 who is often unprepared4 ,it is well to have some understanding between the two partners as to which shall take doubtful balls1 where the principle before explained does not apply4 ,if one player is better than his partner it is right to allow him to play all such balls4 ,if the sun is across the court1 one player can see such balls much more clearly than the other1 and this should be recognised and arranged for beforehand4 ,the two players are seldom at the same distance from the net1 and if there is a chance to smash a ball the more forward player should take it1 if the ball comes near him4 ,with high balls1 the player to whom they come forehanded is usually the one who should take them1 and that1 of course1 is the one on the left side4 ,on the other hand1 with low diagonal strokes1 it is best to let the player towards whom the ball is crossing the court1 play it4 ,it is usually within the other player's reach1 but he will probably find it a difficult stroke1 and will gain nothing by taking it himself4 ,for instance1 if the service is returned from the right court into the right court on the other side1 the left-hand player can usually reach and return it1 but he will do better to leave it for his partner who is coming forward to meet it4 ,cases of this kind occur constantly and lead to a great deal of trouble4 ,this brings me to the practice called 8,poaching10 i4e41 taking balls that should be played by one's partner4 ,you may often see a ball which you feel sure that you can play better than your partner1 although it is not on your own side of the court4 ,my advice would always be--8,don't touch such a ball60 ,to reach it you must go across the court1 and your own side is left unprotected1 so that if you fail to kill the ball you probably lose the rest4 ,moreover1 if your partner is as good a player as yourself1 he ought to be left to play the ball2 if he is not good1 it is a mistake to let him see that you do not trust him4 ,it will cost you more strokes than you will gain by taking his balls4 ,the only time that it seems right to me to cross is when there has been a very weak return made1 and you feel sure that you can kill the ball1 and at the same time feel sure that your partner is too far back to reach it in time to do the same thing4 ,with this exception1 never go in front of your partner2 it destroys his confidence1 and he never knows when he will be called upon to play4 ,there are a great many balls between the two players which one of them can certainly play better than the other1 and yet the wrong one will often take them4 ,in such cases it is simply a mistake2 it is not poaching in the real sense of the word4 ,one often takes such balls instinctively1 and often1 too1 one is a bit farther forward than one's partner1 and cannot tell if it is safe to leave the balls to him4 ,there is certainly a lot of poaching done1 and a sufficient reason for avoiding it is that it really does not pay4 ,on the other hand there is a lot of nonsense talked about poaching1 where it is simply jealousy between the two players4 ,when a player cannot forgive his partner for taking a ball that he should have left to him1 especially where it is simply a mistake of judgment1 he is not himself a fit partner to play with4 ,another great mistake is to find fault with your partner's play4 ,it never does any good1 and it either makes him lose his temper or discourages him4 ,if he misses an easy stroke1 remember that you might have done the same1 and if he makes a good one give him the credit of it4 ,if your partner is going to play a stroke1 keep away a little and give him room4 ,if he hears you coming up behind he may think that you mean to take the ball1 and1 in any case1 hearing you so near may take off his attention4 ,be careful to play up as well as you can all through a double match4 ,you may be able to pull yourself together after some slack play1 but you may have got your partner so discouraged that he cannot play at all1 so that you will lose the match and it will be nobody's fault but your own4 ,this applies also in cases where your partner lacks endurance4 ,remember that he may be of little assistance to you at the end of a long match1 and you should never by any carelessness of your own1 give your opponents a chance to prolong the game4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,ladies' ,,and ,,gentlemen',s ,,doubles4 ,it seems fitting to say something of these matches since most tournaments give prizes for them1 but it is very hard to give any definite advice as to the best method of playing them4 ,it depends so much on one's partner1 and on the strength of one's adversaries4 ,it may be taken for granted that the lady is not as strong a player as her partner1 and the game therefore consists in protecting your own partner and attacking your adversary's4 ,as to the choice of court and service1 the same principles apply as in doubles1 except that the service is worth taking1 as one expects to gain an advantage when serving to the lady4 ,it is perhaps best to put your partner in the left court1 as the service will not come so hard to her there as in the other court4 ,besides1 you have more chance of winning the first stroke if you play it yourself1 and it is encouraging to have the lead4 ,the way in which the game is usually played is for the lady to stand on the base-line and nearly at one end of it1 so that she can easily reach any balls on that side of the court4 ,the man looks after the rest of the court1 and does any volleying that is to be done4 ,the lady's part of the work is simple enough in theory2 she takes all the strokes in her part of the court1 and also saves1 as far as she can1 any balls which her partner fails to reach4 ,what the man should do is harder to say4 ,my own idea is about as follows3 ,if the service comes to the man1 he should return it hard to the lady opposite1 and then follow up to volley her return4 ,in coming forward he should not take the middle of the court1 but should keep towards his own side1 so that there shall be little danger of her passing him down his own side-line1 and also so that his partner may know which side of the court she is to cover4 ,supposing that the ball is returned to his partner1 the man should not stay forward1 or he will leave her to play the whole game against both the adversaries1 but he should go back to her assistance till he gets a chance to come forward again4 ,she1 in her turn1 has to get the ball away from the man on the opposite side1 who has no doubt come forward2 and1 if she fails1 she and her partner must try to save the stroke as best they can4 ,if she succeeds in passing the man opposite1 there probably will be a chance for her partner to go forward and volley4 ,if the man is serving1 he should follow up a severe service if he possibly can4 ,for the return of a second service it is better for him to stay back at or about the middle of the base-line1 for he can play most strokes better than his partner1 and if he goes forward on a weak service the ball will probably come to her4 ,with both players back in the court1 the lady at the corner and the man at the middle of the base-line1 he should leave her to play all the balls that come to her4 ,if he takes his partner's balls1 as many do1 he must leave his side of the court wholly unprotected1 and he is unlikely to gain enough to justify the risk4 ,if the ball comes to the man1 his natural return is to the corner where the lady is standing4 ,if her partner has come forward to volley there should be little difficulty in passing him in a double court1 and if he gets out into the middle it may pay to try to pass him on the side away from his partner4 ,it is so easy to pass a volleyer in a #cf ft4 court1 that there is not much use in coming forward unless the last stroke has been to the lady1 or has been unusually severe4 ,a man should take more risk in volleying than in the double game1 because his partner is unable to do her share of the play1 and he can at times go across the court for an easy ball4 ,he should not1 however1 do this often4 ,he leaves the space behind him unprotected1 and is apt to lessen his partner's confidence4 ,in cases where he does go across1 there should be a distinct understanding as to the place in which his partner should stay4 ,she can either stay where she is1 while he goes back to his own side after the stroke1 or she can cross and he stay on her side4 ,the latter would1 ,i believe1 be the better plan for partners who played often together4 ,the lady has more time to get across the court because she can start as soon as she sees that her partner means to cross himself4 ,in spite of this advantage1 ,i should prefer with most partners to have the lady always keep her own side and the man go back to his1 after crossing for a stroke4 ,if there is no arrangement1 the man may be afraid to leave any ball after he has once gone across1 because he cannot spare time to see where his partner is4 ,the amount of risk that should be taken to reach a ball to volley varies with the strength of the adversaries and with the chance of winning the match4 ,if your partner is not as good as the lady opposite1 the match must be lost unless you can make up for her weakness4 ,again1 if the man against you is one of the great volleyers1 the ball must be kept away from him at any risk4 ,if you let the ball go back to your partner he will get more chances than you can afford to give him4 ,in such a case ,i feel sure that it is right to go across to volley on the least opportunity4 ,on the other hand1 if your partner is really good1 don't be afraid to trust her2 give her plenty of room and don't worry her4 ,if she is better than the lady opposite1 you should play a safe game4 ,cover your own side and she will win1 unless the man against you is an unusually good player4 ,a very good example took place in some scratch pairs last summer4 ,a very good player drew a lady who could not hit a ball over the net4 ,against him was a good middle-class player who had one of the best partners that he could have4 ,if the man would have stayed quiet1 this pair would certainly have won4 ,instead of that1 he kept getting into the middle of the court1 only to be passed down his own side-line4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,umpires ,,and ,,umpiring4 ,in the chapter on match play1 ,i have already spoken of umpires4 ,it is a subject that is always leading to trouble1 and a great deal of the trouble is unnecessary4 ,we all know how hard it is to umpire1 and that an umpire gets little thanks if he makes no mistakes1 and a great deal of blame if he is wrong4 ,you will often be asked to umpire1 especially if you umpire well1 and ,i think that you owe it to your friends to umpire if you can4 ,the great secret is attention4 ,watch the ball the whole time4 ,do not watch a line1 for if the ball crosses it suddenly you will not know on which side of the line it struck the ground4 ,if you follow the ball only1 you will see where it strikes1 and can then tell on which side of the line4 ,do not call 8play10 nor 8good10 nor anything else1 unless the ball is out1 and then call sharply and loud enough to make it impossible for the players not to hear4 ,if you are appealed to in the middle of a rest and are unable to decide1 call 8play it out10 and at the end of the rest you can give your decision if one is necessary4 ,do not call until the ball has touched the ground1 and then call as quickly as possible4 ,remember that an umpire is an unfortunate necessity1 and his first object should be to make himself as little conspicuous as possible1 and to annoy the players as little as he can4 ,what the players want is an umpire who will attend to the game and will give an honest decision as quickly and distinctly as possible4 ,they do not want any fancy umpiring done at their expense4 ,about the worst umpire that there can be is one who is trying to show off his umpiring4 ,i believe myself that players are as a class the best umpires4 ,they are more used to watching the ball1 and will1 therefore1 see it more correctly4 ,besides1 they understand better what the players look for in an umpire4 ,it is your duty to keep the net at the right height1 and you should arrange it before play begins1 and from time to time afterwards1 but don't get down to look at it in the middle of a game1 unless it is absolutely necessary4 ,look to see that the inside posts are in place1 if any are needed1 and that they are not there for a double game4 ,enforce the rules strictly4 ,it is not for you to discuss them during a match1 but simply to take them as they stand4 ,the moment that you relax them you have no guide left4 ,be careful to find out beforehand how many sets are to be played1 and if they are vantage sets or not4 ,in case of any question arising about the rules1 send at once for the referee4 ,no matter at what height you stand1 it is impossible to see the farther side-line properly2 and the same is true in a smaller degree of the base-lines4 ,it is nearly impossible to call foot faults and to watch the service-line too4 ,you1 therefore1 need at least three line umpires4 ,if you cannot get men whom you can trust1 it is better to umpire the base-lines yourself4 ,it is a mistake to let a man take the side-line and one of the base-lines too4 ,he will have to stand away from both lines1 and in such a place he cannot see the base-line as well as you can yourself1 and he cannot umpire the side-line really well4 ,if a line umpire cannot decide a stroke on his own line--as when a player comes between him and the ball1 or for any other reason--give your own decision1 if you are sure that you could see the stroke2 if not1 direct it to be played again4 ,if the same thing happens on one of the lines that you are taking yourself1 you can appeal to one of the line umpires1 if he is in a place where he could see the ball4 ,on no account appeal to the gallery1 for you are certain to get both decisions4 ,if one of the players in a case of doubt tells you that he lost the stroke1 you should take his word for it1 as he is almost certainly right4 ,you have no right to ask him1 and he is under no obligation to say anything1 but if1 of his own accord1 he gives the stroke1 ,i can see no reason why it should be played again4 ,if the players agree1 their decision should certainly be taken4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,odds4 ,odds are of two kinds--8given0 and 8owed40 ,when odds are given1 one player starts at love and his opponent at fifteen1 thirty1 c4 ,if odds are owed1 one player is love and the other behind scratch1 so that he must make one or more strokes before his score reaches love4 ,there is one other difference between the two kinds of odds4 ,with given odds1 the larger odds are taken in the even-numbered games1 and1 with owed odds1 in the odd-numbered games4 ,the object is to distribute the odds as evenly as possible through the different games in cases where odds are both owed and given4 ,for instance1 suppose ,a4 owes ,b4 half-fifteen and gives him half-fifteen also4 ,in the first game ,a4 starts at owe fifteen and ,b4 at love2 in the second game ,a4 is love and ,b4 fifteen4 ,were it not for this provision the first games would start at love-all and the next at owe fifteen-fifteen4 ,handicaps are now so general that something may well be said of the game to play when giving or taking large odds4 ,if a player is receiving large odds1 he must remember that his opponent is probably a much better player than himself4 ,if1 then1 he plays a cautious game and tries mainly not to make mistakes1 his opponent will win nearly every stroke4 ,the receiver of odds ought to play as bold a game as possible4 ,he should hit hard and take every chance of making a stroke that cannot be returned4 ,let him give the same odds to some weaker player1 and he will soon find how difficult it is to give them if his opponent plays a fast game4 ,against a player who hits hard and takes the chances one is apt to make more mistakes than one can afford4 ,the reverse is true if a player is giving large odds4 ,he cannot afford to play as free a game as he would if playing level4 ,if he can make any particular stroke that will win the rest twice in three times1 he will win easily against an equal1 but if he is giving very large odds he cannot afford to lose even one stroke in three4 ,in such cases the better player can afford to take no risks whatever1 and must play wholly for safety4 ,if the odds are very small1 he should play the same game that he would when playing level1 and between these two extremes his own judgment must guide him in deciding what style of game to play4 ,there is little to say about odds in themselves1 as it is settled by law how they shall be taken2 thus fifteen is one stroke given at the beginning of every game of a set1 and no judgment can make it anything else4 ,there is1 however1 one important exception1 the bisque4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,bisque4 ,a bisque is one stroke given in each set of a match1 either by itself or to increase or diminish other odds4 ,in other words1 a player to whom a bisque is given can at any time in the set add one stroke to his score simply by claiming it4 ,the only restrictions are that a bisque cannot be taken after serving a fault or during a rest4 ,a bisque can be taken after one's opponent has served a fault4 ,the explanation is very simple4 ,it is not intended that a player should attempt to give a very difficult service1 which would give him an advantage if it should come off1 and then1 when it has failed1 take his bisque4 ,on the other hand1 it has not been thought necessary to forbid him to take his bisque after his opponent has served a fault1 because in this case nothing can be gained by waiting till the first service has failed4 ,the value of a bisque must always vary as the chance to take it to the best advantage comes or does not come4 ,in a very large number of matches1 winning a particular stroke would make all the difference in the world4 ,in other matches1 by no means one-sided1 there is no one turning-point where a bisque is of much value4 ,but if the value of a bisque varies according to chance1 it varies a great deal more according to the knowledge and skill of the player who takes it4 ,when1 then1 should a bisque be taken8 #a4 ,to make three1 four1 or five games love4 #b4 ,to make three1 four1 or five games to one4 #c4 ,to make four or five games to two4 #d4 ,to make five games to three4 #e4 ,sometimes to make four games to three or five games to four4 #f4 ,sometimes to make five games all4 #g4 ,sometimes to make three or four games to five4 #h4 ,sometimes to make deuce at four games to five4 #i4 ,always to make game and set4 ,i will now try to give the reasons for taking a bisque in each of the above cases4 #a4 ,three games love is a winning score4 ,two games to one is a level one4 ,four games to one is about three games more 7practically7 than three to two4 ,so in a still greater degree is there a difference between five games to one and four games to two4 ,in each of these cases1 winning the game will give a commanding lead1 and therefore it is right to take the bisque to make sure of it4 ,the same reasoning applies to ,cases #b1 #c1 and #d4 #e4 ,in changing sides with a distinct difference between the sides1 and with the score of games level1 it is always right to take a bisque to make game on the worse side4 ,on the other hand1 it is a mistake to take it on the better side1 unless winning the game will make a very great difference in the score4 ,for instance1 ,i should always take a bisque to make four games to three on the worse side1 but never on the better1 for ,i should feel that there was little chance for the set if ,i could not win on the better side without my bisque4 ,the same principle applies1 though in a smaller degree1 to the service4 ,if the server has been losing nearly every game1 it would be quite right to take a bisque to make five games to four or four games to three on one's service1 or on one's opponent's service if the server has been winning4 #f4 ,to make five games all4 ,this is a very hard case to decide1 especially in an advantage set4 ,it is simply a matter of judgment4 ,if the chances are against one's winning at five all1 with the bisque gone1 it is certainly better not to take it1 and to run the risk of losing the set at six to four4 #g4 ,in these cases the question is not of getting an advantage in the set1 but of taking the best chance of saving a losing set4 ,the question again is1 whether one thinks that one can win at three or four to five2 if not1 one had better keep the bisque1 and trust to luck to save one more game without it4 #h4 ,in this case1 one stroke will lose the set1 and unless there is good reason to expect to win that stroke the bisque should be taken4 ,as a rule1 it is wrong to take a bisque to make deuce1 but in this case something must be done and done at once4 #i4 ,this rule simply means--don't forget the bisque4 ,there have been a great many matches lost because a player has forgotten to take the set when it was won4 ,as said above1 it is seldom right to take a bisque to make deuce1 because at deuce the giver of odds will probably win1 and the bisque will have been wasted4 ,the probability1 of course1 varies with the difference between the two players4 ,thus1 if receiving thirty and a bisque1 it would be folly for the worse player to take his bisque to make deuce2 if giving thirty for a bisque1 the bisque should not be taken to make game4 ,in both these cases deuce should mean a certainty for the better player4 ,where a bisque is given with small odds1 as at half-fifteen and a bisque1 the difference between the two players is not so marked1 and the bisque may be taken to make deuce or game as occasion demands4 ,all that has been said is meant to apply to cases where a bisque is given alone or to increase other odds1 as it is not now the custom in lawn-tennis to give a bisque to diminish other odds4 ,should this be done1 the bisque should be taken to make deuce1 and not game4 ,it is well to remember that there is a moral effect in a bisque4 ,few men play up with as much confidence with a bisque hanging over them as they do when it is gone1 and for this reason a bisque should not be taken early in a set except to secure a commanding lead4 ,it should never be taken in the first two games4 ,there ought to be no need to explain that there can be no use in taking a bisque at forty-love or at forty-fifteen4 ,the bisque will make game just as well at forty-thirty1 and if the game can be won without it so much the better4 ,moreover1 no good can come of taking a bisque at deuce2 there is quite time enough at advantage for either player4 ,there is another point too often overlooked4 ,there is no object in taking a bisque unless there is a reasonable prospect of winning the set after the bisque is gone4 ,with the score at five games-love1 a bisque should not be taken to make one game to five1 because at that score there is no real chance for the set4 ,the only hope is to win two or three games with the bisque still in4 ,this may not be possible to do1 but it is the right thing to try for4 ,it is very common to see a player who is losing take a bisque or two bisques almost at random1 from a morbid fear of never taking them at all4 ,in this way he adds a game or two to his score1 but he forgets that it is sets1 and not games1 that win matches4 ,it is far better to risk losing the set at six-love than to give up a chance of winning it by taking a bisque for the sake of saving one game4 ,in such cases the best chance is to keep the bisque in1 and if the set does go wrong1 and the bisque is never taken1 the player can console himself with the thought that he has taken all the chances in his favour1 and could do no more4 ,with two bisques given1 one of them can be taken a little more freely than if it were the only one2 but even then it is almost always wrong to take it in the first two games4 ,one may often be taken to make deuce at a critical time1 and ,i should myself always take the first one to make three games to five4 ,to take a bisque well a player must make up his mind how much he can expect to do after the bisque is gone4 ,if he does not see his way to winning1 it is always justifiable to reserve the bisque for a better chance later4 ,thus1 if a player thinks that the odds given him are too small1 he is quite right to run a good deal of risk rather than take a bisque early in the set4 ,before concluding1 it seems in place to speak of the value of a bisque as compared with other odds1 that is1 how many equal fifteen4 ,i believe that about six bisques have been calculated to be the equivalent of fifteen1 but ,i cannot help thinking that four would be nearer right than six in actual play4 ,it seems to me impossible that the number can be determined exactly1 because the practical value of a bisque must vary1 and because the moral effect cannot be gauged4 ,the average number of games to a set is about nine where advantage sets are not played2 therefore fifteen equals nine strokes on the average1 one given in each game4 ,in how many games of the nine is that stroke actually of value8 ,i do not know2 but there are always a number of games which are hollow for one side or the other4 ,in one case the stroke given is useless1 and in the other it would probably not have been needed4 ,let us suppose that fifteen represents the difference between two players1 and that they play level4 ,will the weaker player win any games8 ,i fancy that he will win two or even three games1 and he wants a sufficient number of bisques to win three or four other games4 ,let us suppose that he wins two games level4 ,i think that there will be at least two other games that can be won by a bisque each4 ,should this be the case1 the score could not be worse than five games to four against him1 and two bisques still in--by no means an uneven set4 ,for myself1 ,i should never hesitate between five bisques and fifteen1 and ,i think that ,i should take four if ,i could not get five4 ,my own feeling is that the right number is just over four4 ,i should say1 in conclusion1 that ,i am very ignorant of the mathematical calculations which bear on the matter1 and ,i offer these opinions as the result of experience in actual play1 and from watching matches where bisques were given4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,cases ,,and ,,decisions4 ,the following ,cases and ,decisions are intended to meet questions often asked at tournaments2 and also to cover points apparently not provided for in the laws4 ,they have been prepared with the advice and assistance of ,messrs4 ,w4 and ,e4 ,renshaw1 ,b4 ,c4 ,evelegh1 ,n4 ,l4 ,jackson1 and ,r4 ,d4 ,sears1 to whom the author returns his thanks3-- ,i4 ,a player standing outside the court volleys the ball or catches it in his hand1 and claims the stroke because the ball was certainly going out of court4 ,decision4--,he loses the stroke4 ,it makes no difference where he was standing4 ,the return is presumed good until it strikes the ground outside of the court4 ,,ii4 ,a player is struck by the ball served before it has touched the ground1 he being outside of the service court4 ,how does it count8 ,decision4--,the player struck loses the stroke4 ,the service is presumably good until it strikes in the wrong court4 ,a player cannot take the decision upon himself by stopping the ball4 ,if it is going to be a fault he has only to get out of the way4 ,,iii4 ,the service is delivered before the striker-out is ready4 ,he tries to return it and fails4 ,is he entitled to have it played over again8 ,decision4--,no4 ,if he attempts to return the service he is deemed ready4 ,,iv4 ,the striker-out calls 8,not ready0 for a second service4 ,the ball strikes beyond the service-line1 and the striker-out claims that the fact that he was not ready makes no difference since a fault cannot be returned1 and therefore that two faults have been served4 ,decision4--,the second service goes for nothing4 ,a player cannot call 8,not ready10 and then have the service count1 or not1 as suits his interests4 ,v4 ,a ball having been played over the net1 bounds back into the court from which it came4 ,the player reaches over the net and plays it before it falls4 ,has he a right to do so8 ,decision4--,yes1 provided he does not touch the net4 ,he has a right to play the ball at any time from the moment it crosses the net into his court until it touches the ground a second time4 ,,vi4 ,a ball is played into the net2 the player on the other side1 thinking that the ball is coming over1 strikes at it and hits the net4 ,who loses the stroke8 ,decision4--,it is simply a question of fact for the umpire to decide4 ,if the player touched the net while the ball was still in play he loses the stroke4 ,,vii4 ,can a player follow a ball over the net with his racket1 provided that he hits the ball on his own side of the net8 ,decision4--,yes4 ,the only restrictions are1 that he shall not volley the ball until it has crossed the net1 and that he shall not touch the net or any of its supports4 ,,viii4 ,a player's racket slips out of his hand and flies into the net4 ,does he lose the stroke for hitting the net8 ,decision4--,yes1 if the ball be still in play4 ,it does not matter if the racket be in a player's hand or not4 ,,ix4 ,a player's racket leaves his hand1 but meets the ball and returns it over the net4 ,is it a good return8 ,decision4--,yes4 ,there is no law requiring a racket to be in a player's hand when the ball is returned4 ,it would unquestionably be a good return if the racket were held against the ground by a player's feet1 and the ball bounded back off of it4 ,x4 ,a single match is played with a double net and inside posts4 ,a player touches the net beyond the inside posts1 and claims that he does not lose the stroke1 because there should be no net more than #c ft4 outside of the court4 ,decision4--,he loses the stroke4 ,the net where he touched it is part of the supports of the net4 ,he might1 perhaps1 have objected to the arrangement of the net before the match4 ,,xi4 ,a player returns the ball1 and finding that he cannot stop himself before reaching the net1 jumps over it4 ,is it a good return8 ,decision4--,law #e requires that 8the players shall stand on opposite sides of the net10 and therefore the player invading his opponent's court loses the stroke4 ,,xii4 ,a ball passes outside the post of the net and strikes in court4 ,is it a good return8 ,decision4--,yes4 ,the laws have been changed to make it a good return4 ,,xiii4 ,a ball going out of court hits the top of the post of the net1 and bounds into the opposite court4 ,decision4--,it is a good return4 7,n4,b4--,it has occurred with the regular championship posts47 ,,xiv4 ,the service or the ball in play strikes a ball lying in the court4 ,can it be returned8 ,decision4--,yes2 if it be clear to the umpire that the right ball is returned2 otherwise the stroke should be called a let4 ,,xv4 ,the server claims that the striker-out must stand in the court4 ,is this necessary8 ,decision4--,no4 ,the striker-out can stand wherever he pleases on his own side of the net4 ,,xvi4 ,a bystander gets in the way of a player who fails to return the ball4 ,may he then claim a let8 ,decision4--,yes1 if in the umpire's opinion he was prevented by an accident beyond his control4 ,for instance1 if the ropes or the seats are allowed to be so near to the court that a player is interfered with by them1 the stroke should not be played again1 because the ropes and seats form part of the arrangements of the ground4 ,if1 however1 a spectator passes in front of those seats1 or places a chair nearer than the original line1 and so interferes with a player1 the stroke should be played again4 ,,xvii4 ,a player is interfered with as above1 and the umpire directs the stroke to be played again4 ,the server had previously served a fault4 ,he claims the right to two services4 ,decision4--,the fault stands4 ,a let does not annul a previous fault4 ,,xviii4 ,a return hits the umpire or his chair or stand2 the player claims that the ball was going into court4 ,decision4--,unless the umpire can say that the ball was in his opinion not going into court1 he should call a let4 ,,xix4 ,a player receiving fifteen serves from the left court1 his opponent claims a fault4 ,decision4--,it is a fault4 ,the service starts from the right court under all circumstances4 ,,xx4--,at fifteen all1 the server by mistake serves from the left court2 he wins the stroke and serves again 7a fault74 ,the mistake is then discovered4 ,is he entitled to the previous stroke8 ,from which court should he serve next8 ,decision4--,the previous stroke stands4 ,a fault cannot be claimed after the next service1 good or not1 is delivered4 ,the next service should be from the left court1 the score being thirty-fifteen1 and the server has served one fault4 ,,xxi4--,a player serves from the wrong court1 he loses the stroke1 and then claims that it was a fault4 ,decision4--,if the stroke was played in his first service it is simply a fault1 but if he serves twice into the wrong court he has served two faults1 and lost the stroke4 ,,xxii4--,the partner of the player whose turn it is to serve1 serves and wins the game4 ,the error is not discovered until the first service of the next game has been delivered4 ,decision4--,a new game having been begun1 the previous game stands4 ,,xxiii4--,the same case as above1 except that the error is discovered after two or three strokes have been played4 ,decision4--,any score made before the last service is delivered stands--i4e41 the last stroke does not stand unless another service 7fault or not7 has been delivered4 ,the proper server will then serve4 ,,xxiv4--,with the score at thirty-forty1 the server takes a bisque1 and then serves from the right court4 ,his opponent claims a fault4 ,decision4--,it is a fault4 ,the service must come alternately from the right and left courts4 ,,xxv4--,a player takes a bisque after the server has served a fault4 ,which court does the server next serve from8 ,decision4--,from the same court4 ,,xxvi4--,the score is five games all1 and the umpire directs the players to play an advantage set4 ,the advantage game has been won when it is discovered that no advantage sets are to be played4 ,what is to be done8 ,decision4--,the set is won at the eleventh game4 ,it is no part of the umpire's duty to decide on the conditions of the matches4 ,,xxvii4--,a player serves4 ,he hears the umpire call1 but cannot hear what he says4 ,he knows that the only two things that the umpire should call are 8fault0 and 8let10 and that in neither case can the ball be in play4 ,he therefore does not return it1 only to find that the umpire has called play4 ,has he any redress8 ,decision4--,no4 ,,xxviii4--,the umpire calls 8fault0 and then instantly changes and says 8play40 ,the striker-out fails to return the ball1 and he claims that he was prevented by the umpire1 and also that the umpire cannot change his decision4 ,decision4--,the umpire should call a let and the service be taken again4 ,,xxix4--,a ball drops near a line1 the player appeals1 and the umpire calls 8play40 ,the player misunderstands the call1 and lets the ball fall4 ,he then claims to have the stroke played again4 ,decision4--,the stroke stands4 ,,xxx4--,a ball strikes the ground close to a line1 the scorer scores the stroke against the striker4 ,on appeal to the linesman1 the latter decides that the ball was not out4 ,which decision stands8 ,decision4--,the scorer has no right to consider a ball out until the linesman has called to that effect2 therefore the decision of the latter must be accepted4 ,the decision of a linesman affecting his own line is final4 ,,xxxi4--,a return strikes the cord running along the bottom of the net and bounds over4 ,is it a good return8 ,decision4--,yes4 ,,xxxii4--,during play a ball is thrown into the court and the ball in play strikes it1 or a player steps on it4 ,may a let be claimed8 ,decision4--,yes4 ,,xxxiii4--,the server's first service strikes his partner4 ,does he lose the stroke or is it a fault8 ,decision4--,he loses the stroke4 ,,xxxiv4--,a player serves a fault1 and it is then discovered that it is his partner's service4 ,does the fault stand8 ,decision4--,no4 ,no other service having been delivered1 the fault does not stand4 ,,xxxv4--,if the umpire is appealed to1 and directs the wrong partner to serve and the mistake is discovered in the middle of the game1 what should be done8 ,decision4--,see decisions ,,xx to ,,xxiii4 ,the player who should have served continues the service4 ,,xxxvi4--,in a four-handed competition one player does not to appear in time to play1 and his partner claims to be allowed to play single-handed against the opposing pair4 ,may he do so8 ,decision4--,no4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,results ,,of ,,championship ,,matches ,,and ,,principal ,,open ,,competitions4 ,,united ,,kingdom4 ,,the ,,championships4 ,,gentlemen',s ,,singles4 ,winner ,championship4 #ahgg ,s4 ,w4 ,gore #ahgh ,p4 ,f4 ,hadow #ahgi ,j4 ,t4 ,hartley #ahhj ,j4 ,t4 ,hartley #ahha ,w4 ,renshaw #ahhb ,w4 ,renshaw #ahhc ,w4 ,renshaw #ahhd ,w4 ,renshaw #ahhe ,w4 ,renshaw ,winner all ,comers4 ,runners ,up4 #ahgg ,s4 ,w4 ,gore ,w4 ,marshall #ahgh ,p4 ,f4 ,hadow ,l4 ,erskine #ahgi ,j4 ,t4 ,hartley ,v4 ,st4 ,ledger #ahhj ,h4 ,f4 ,lawford ,o4 ,e4 ,woodhouse #ahha ,w4 ,renshaw ,r4 ,t4 ,richardson #ahhb ,e4 ,renshaw ,r4 ,t4 ,richardson #ahhc ,e4 ,renshaw ,d4 ,stewart #ahhd ,h4 ,f4 ,lawford ,c4 ,w4 ,grinstead #ahhe ,h4 ,f4 ,lawford ,e4 ,renshaw ,,double ,,championship4 ,winners4 ,runners ,up4 #ahgi ,l4 ,r4 ,erskine and ,h4 ,f4 ,lawford ,f4 ,durant and ,g4 ,e4 ,tabor #ahhj ,w4 ,renshaw and ,e4 ,renshaw ,o4 ,e4 ,woodhouse and ,c4 ,j ,cole #ahha ,w4 ,renshaw and ,e4 ,renshaw ,w4 ,j4 ,down and ,h4 ,vaughan #ahhb ,j4 ,t4 ,hartley and ,r4 ,t4 ,richardson ,j4 ,g4 ,horn and ,c4 ,b4 ,russell #ahhc ,c4 ,w4 ,grinstead and ,c4 ,e4 ,welldon ,c4 ,b4 ,russell and ,r4 ,t4 ,milford #ahhd ,w4 ,renshaw and ,e4 ,renshaw ,e4 ,l4 ,williams and ,e4 ,w4 ,lewis #ahhe ,w4 ,renshaw and ,e4 ,renshaw ,a4 ,j4 ,stanley and ,c4 ,e4 ,farrer ,,ladies' ,,championship4 ,winners4 ,runners ,up4 #ahhd ,miss ,m4 ,watson ,miss ,watson #ahhe ,miss ,m4 ,watson ,miss ,bingley4 ,,irish ,,championships4 ,,gentlemen',s ,,singles4 #ahgi ,v4 ,st ,ledger #ahhj ,w4 ,renshaw #ahha ,w4 ,renshaw #ahhb ,w4 ,renshaw #ahhc ,e4 ,renshaw #ahhd ,h4 ,f4 ,lawford #ahhe ,h4 ,f4 ,lawford ,,ladies' ,,singles4 #ahhc ,miss ,m4 ,langrishe #ahhd ,miss ,m4 ,watson #ahhe ,miss ,m4 ,watson ,,doubles4 #ahgi ,e4 ,elliott and ,r4 ,kellie #ahhj ,h4 ,f4 ,lawford and ,a4 ,j4 ,mulholland #ahha ,w4 ,renshaw and ,e4 ,renshaw #ahhb ,e4 de ,s4 ,browne and ,p4 ,aungier #ahhc ,w4 ,renshaw and ,e4 ,renshaw #ahhd ,w4 ,renshaw and ,e4 ,renshaw #ahhe ,w4 ,renshaw and ,e4 ,renshaw ,,scottish ,,championships4 ,,singles4 #ahgh ,j4 ,patten #ahgi ,l4 ,m4 ,balfour #ahhj ,j4 ,patten #ahha ,j4 ,g4 ,horn #ahhb ,j4 ,g4 ,horn #ahhc ,j4 ,g4 ,horn #ahhd ,r4 ,gamble #ahhe ,hon4 ,p4 ,b4 ,lyon ,,doubles4 #ahgh ,a4 ,graham ,murray and ,c4 ,c4 ,maconochie #ahgi ,a4 ,graham ,murray and ,c4 ,c4 ,maconochie #ahhj ,a4 ,graham ,murray and ,c4 ,c4 ,maconochie #ahha ,w4 ,horn and ,j4 ,galbraith ,horn #ahhb ,c4 ,b4 ,russell and ,m4 ,c4 ,lascelles #ahhc ,f4 ,a4 ,fairlie and ,a4 ,l4 ,davidson #ahhd ,the ,hon4 ,p4 ,b4 ,lyon and ,h4 ,b4 ,lyon #ahhe ,e4 ,w4 ,lewis and ,r4 ,m4 ,watson ,,northern ,,championships4 ,,gentlemen',s ,,singles4 #ahhj ,r4 ,t4 ,richardson #ahha ,r4 ,t4 ,richardson #ahhb ,r4 ,t4 ,richardson #ahhc ,h4 ,w4 ,wilberforce #ahhd ,d4 ,stewart #ahhe ,j4 ,dwight ,,gentlemen',s ,,doubles4 #ahhj ,r4 ,w4 ,braddell and ,j4 ,coomber #ahha ,r4 ,w4 ,braddell and ,j4 ,coomber #ahhb ,w4 ,renshaw and ,e4 ,renshaw #ahhc ,w4 ,renshaw and ,e4 ,renshaw #ahhd ,w4 ,renshaw and ,e4 ,renshaw #ahhe ,w4 ,renshaw and ,e4 ,renshaw ,,ladies' ,,singles4 #ahhc ,miss ,coleridge #ahhd ,miss ,e4 ,davies #ahhe ,miss ,m4 ,watson ,,ladies' ,,doubles4 #ahhb ,miss ,langrishe and ,miss ,m4 ,langrishe #ahhc ,miss ,coleridge and ,miss ,r4 ,collier #ahhd ,miss ,e4 ,davies and ,miss ,eckersley #ahhe ,miss ,dodd and ,miss ,l4 ,dodd ,,bath ,,championships ,,of ,,the ,,west ,,of ,,england4 ,,gentlemen',s ,,singles4 #ahha ,p4 ,g4 ,von ,donop #ahhb ,g4 ,m4 ,butterworth #ahhc ,e4 de ,s4 ,browne #ahhd ,e4 de ,s4 ,browne #ahhe ,e4 de ,s4 ,browne ,,ladies' ,,singles4 #ahha ,miss ,g4 ,b4 ,gibbs #ahhb ,miss ,f4 ,morris #ahhc ,miss ,m4 ,watson #ahhd ,miss ,e4 ,davies #ahhe ,miss ,g4 ,b4 ,gibbs ,,cheltenham4 ,,gentlemen',s ,,singles4 #ahhc ,d4 ,stewart #ahhd ,d4 ,stewart #ahhe ,e4 de ,s4 ,browne ,,ladies' ,,singles4 #ahhc ,miss ,m4 ,watson #ahhd ,miss ,e4 ,davies #ahhe ,miss ,m4 ,watson ,,exmouth4 ,,gentlemen',s ,,singles4 #ahha ,e4 ,d4 ,maconchy #ahhb ,c4 ,l4 ,sweet #ahhc ,c4 ,w4 ,grinstead #ahhd ,c4 ,w4 ,grinstead #ahhe 7,no meeting held7 ,,ladies' ,,singles4 #ahha ,miss ,cole #ahhb ,miss ,cole #ahhc ,miss ,m4 ,watson #ahhd ,miss ,m4 ,watson #ahhe 7,no meeting held7 ,,london ,,championships4 ,,gentlemen',s ,,singles4 #ahhe ,c4 ,h4 ,ross4 ,,ladies' ,,singles4 #ahhe ,miss ,m4 ,watson ,,prince',s ,,championships4 #ahhj ,h4 ,f4 ,lawford #ahha ,w4 ,renshaw #ahhb ,e4 ,renshaw #ahhc ,h4 ,f4 ,lawford ,,buxton4 ,,gentlemen',s ,,singles4 #ahhd ,c4 ,w4 ,grinstead #ahhe ,e4 ,chatterton ,,ladies' ,,singles4 #ahhd ,mrs4 ,watts #ahhe ,miss ,bingley ,,gentlemen',s ,,doubles4 #ahhd ,c4 ,w4 ,grinstead and ,j4 ,r4 ,deykin #ahhe ,w4 ,renshaw and ,j4 ,dwight ,,ladies' ,,doubles4 #ahhd ,mrs4 ,watts and ,miss ,noon #ahhe ,mrs4 ,watts and ,miss ,bracewell ,,eastbourne4 ,,gentlemen',s ,,singles4 #ahha ,e4 ,lubbock #ahhb ,w4 ,c4 ,taylor #ahhc ,e4 ,l4 ,williams #ahhd ,e4 ,l4 ,williams #ahhe ,e4 ,w4 ,lewis ,,gentlemen',s ,,doubles4 #ahhd ,e4 ,renshaw and ,c4 ,l4 ,sweet #ahhe ,e4 ,renshaw and ,h4 ,grove ,,edinburgh ,,university ,,open ,,tournament4 ,,winners ,,of ,,challenge ,,cup4 #ahhc ,j4 ,galbraith ,horn #ahhd ,w4 ,w4 ,chamberlain #ahhe ,hon4 ,h4 ,b4 ,lyon ,,chiswick4 ,,gentlemen',s ,,singles4 #ahhd ,c4 ,w4 ,grinstead #ahhe ,h4 ,chipp ,,covered ,,court ,,championship4 #ahhe ,h4 ,f4 ,lawford #ahhf ,e4 ,l4 ,williams ,,america4 ,,championships4 ,,singles4 #ahha ,r4 ,d4 ,sears #ahhb ,r4 ,d4 ,sears #ahhc ,r4 ,d4 ,sears #ahhd ,r4 ,d4 ,sears #ahhe ,r4 ,d4 ,sears ,,doubles4 #ahha ,c4 ,m4 and ,j4 ,s4 ,clark #ahhb ,j4 ,dwight and ,r4 ,d4 ,sears #ahhc ,j4 ,dwight and ,r4 ,d4 ,sears #ahhd ,j4 ,dwight and ,r4 ,d4 ,sears #ahhe ,r4 ,d4 ,sears and ,j4 ,s4 ,clark ,,principal ,,open ,,events--,,season1 #ahhe4 ,,young ,,america ,,tournament ,,at ,,philadelphia4 ,,singles--,j4 ,s4 ,clark4 ,,championship ,,of ,,middle ,,states ,,at ,,new ,,york4 ,r4 ,d4 ,sears4 ,,hastings4 ,,singles--,r4 ,l4 ,beekman4 ,,orange1 ,,new ,,jersey4 ,,singles--,slocum4 ,,championship ,,of ,,canada ,j4 ,s4 ,clark4 ,,wentworth1 ,n4,h4 ,,singles--,w4 ,v4 ,r4 ,berry4 ,,narragansett ,,pier4 ,,singles--,w4 ,v4 ,r4 ,berry4 ,,inter-,,collegiate ,,championship4 ,,singles1 ,,yale--,percy ,knapp4 ,,doubles1 ,,yale--,knapp and ,shipman4 ,,wright ,,ditson1 ,manufacturers and ,dealers in ,,fine ,lawn ,tennis4 ,illustration ,we make ,lawn ,tennis ,outfits a specialty1 and make it our business to keep posted on the latest and best implements used in the game4 ,we are the largest manufacturers of this line of goods in the country4 ,illustration ,rackets1 444 ,balls1 444 ,nets1 444 and 444 ,poles4 ,send name and address for our ,tennis ,price-,list1 which will give full particulars4 ,,wright ,,ditson1 #ehj ,washington ,street ,boston1 ,mass4 ,illustration3 ,,specimen ,,illustration ,,from 8,,sport ,,with ,,gun ,,and ,,rod40 8,a ,,representative ,,book ,,for ,a ,,sportsman',s ,,library40 ,in the ,edition de ,luxe this work became widely known1 and was enthusiastically welcomed by book lovers and ,nature lovers as the most complete and worthy book on ,american ,hunting and ,fishing and ,out-,door ,life4 ,this limited edition is nearly exhausted2 and to meet the continued demand a new1 popular edition has been issued at the low price of #e4jj4 ,it is printed by ,de ,vinne on heavy paper1 and it contains all the illustrations1 though none are on ,japanese paper4 ,the ,edition de ,luxe will be sold for the present at its original price1--from #aj4jj to #ah4jj1 according to binding4 ,send for further information to ,,the ,,century ,,co41 ,new ,york4 ,,the ,,best ,,lawn-,,tennis ,,score ,,book ,,is 8,,the ,,pastime40 ,used at all the principal ,tournaments last ,season and gave universal ,satisfaction4 8,,the ,,pastime0 ,,lawn-,,tennis ,,score ,,book ,,contains-- ,score ,sheets for #fj ,sets2 ,hints to ,umpires2 ,instructions for drawing ,byes2 and ,tabular ,arrangements showing the ,values of ,odds given and owed in handicaps1 which can be understood at a glance without the calculations necessary if the ordinary scale be used4 8,,the ,,pastime0 ,,lawn-,,tennis ,,score ,,book is the ,,cheapest4 ,price #i;d1 each1 or #hs4 #f;d4 per dozen4 ,to be obtained at 8,pastime0 ,offices1 #bh1 #bi1 #cj1 ,paternoster ,row1 ,london1 ,,or ,,of ,partridge ,cooper1 #aia #aib1 ,fleet ,street1 ,london4 ,laws of ,football 7,rugby ,union and ,association74 ,price #b;d4 each2 post free1 #b;d4 ,laws of ,lawn-,tennis4 ,price #f;d4 ,the 8,pastime0 ,entry ,form of ,athletic ,sports and ,cycling ,meetings4 ,price #bs4 per #ajj4 8,,pastime0 ,,offices1 #bh1 #bi1 #cj1 ,,paternoster ,,row1 ,,london1 ,e4,c4 8,,pastime10 ,,the ,,lawn-,,tennis ,,journal ,,and ,,weekly ,,record ,,of ,,football1 ,,aquatics1 ,,cycling1 ,,and ,,athletic ,,sports4 ,,every ,,wednesday4 8,,pastime0 is the recognised organ of ,lawn-,tennis and ,football4 ,all other ,amateur ,sports are reported by competent men4 ,price #b;d2 post free #b;d4 ,subscriptions 7payable in advance71 #c months1 #bs4 #i;d42 #f months1 #es4 #f;d42 yearly1 #ajs4 #f;d4 ,offices3 #bh1 ,paternoster ,row1 ,london1 ,e4,c4 ,,agents-- ,for ,america3 ,wright 4 ,ditson1 ,boston1 ,u4,s4,a4 ,for ,australia3 ,melbourne ,sports ,dept1 ,melbourne1 ,australia4 ,,the ,,athlete',s ,,guide4 ,a ,complete ,guide to ,training for ,running1 ,walking1 ,cycling1 ,swimming1 and ,rowing1 ,,together ,,with ,,lists ,,of ,,the ,,best ,,amateur ,,records ,,to ,,date ,,of ,,publication1 ,,and ,,remarkable ,,performances4 ,,edited ,,by ,n4 ,l4 ,,jackson ,,and ,e4 ,h4 ,,godbold4 ,training for ,running4 ,by ,w4 ,g4 ,george1 ,n4 ,l4 ,jackson1 and ,h4 ,m4 ,oliver4 ,training for ,walking4 ,by ,g4 ,p4 ,beckley4 ,swimming and ,rowing4 ,by ,late ,champions4 ,best ,amateur ,records1 at all ,distances4 ,training for ,cycling4 ,by ,g4 ,lacy ,hillier4 ,cross-country ,running4 ,by ,e4 ,h4 ,godbold4 ,hints on the ,management of ,athletic ,meetings4 ,winners of ,championships and all other important events4 ,,price ,,one ,,shilling4 ,,published ,,at 8,,pastime0 ,,offices1 #bh1 #bi1 and #cj1 ,,paternoster ,,row1 ,,london1 ,e4,c4 ,,coventry ,,machinists' ,,co41 ,,limited4 ,,the ,,oldest ,,firm ,,in ,,the ,,trade4 ,,catalogues ,,free4 ,illustration ,,catalogues ,,free4 ,,the 8,,marlboro' ,,club0 ,,tricycle1 ,,with ,,patent ,,coil ,,springs4 ,,vibration ,,effectually ,,prevented4 8,the most successful ,tricycle ever invented40--,vide ,,opinions ,,of ,,the ,,press4 ,,works3 ,,coventry4 ,,london3 #ae #af1 ,,holborn ,,viaduct4 ,,manchester3 #i1 ,,victoria ,,buildings4 ,,boston1 ,u4,s4,a43 #bci1 ,,columbus ,,avenue4 ,,melbourne3 #fb #fd1 ,,elizabeth ,,st4 ,,slazenger ,,sons1 ,manufacturers of every ,requisite for ,lawn-,tennis4 ,illustration3 ,,the 8,,ich ,,dien0 ,price #ae_/- ,illustration3 8,handy0 ,press1 ,price #c_/i ,to meet the requirements of those players who desire a bat similar to the ,no4 #a1 we have introduced a ,racket which we shall designate the 8,ich ,dien40 ,it is made of rent frames1 thoroughly seasoned1 but unselected4 ,the gut is transparent white1 ,english manufacture1 and of excellent quality4 ,the 8,ich ,dien0 is a useful and sightly bat1 and made on the most approved lines from the recent decisions of experts4 ,octagon handle and oval head4 ,the 8,handy0 ,press will be found an improvement1 being much lighter in weight and more portable4 ,being in parts1 it can be packed into a very small compass4 ,one screw only need be taken out to remove the ,racket4 ,,the 8,,waterfall0 ,,lawn-,,tennis ,,court ,,marker4 ,,secured ,,by ,,royal ,,letters ,,patent4 ,this is an entirely new ,machine4 ,since its introduction it has been thoroughly tested and has proved in every way satisfactory4 ,we can confidently recommend it as being the ,,simplest and ,,best in the market4 ,as will be seen from the illustration1 the centre wheel working in the box1 and which we term the water wheel1 is made with hollow teeth or buckets2 these carry the composition 7with which the box is to be supplied71 and deposit it upon a platform1 fixed between the front1 or marking wheel1 and the water wheel2 thence it is transferred to the front wheel1 which transmits it to the lawn4 ,illustration ,,marks ,a ,,clear ,,and ,,distinct ,,line #a ,,inches ,,wide4 ,price #be_/- ,,cannot ,,get ,,out ,,of ,,order4 ,price ,list and ,address of ,local ,agent on ,application4 #ef1 ,,cannon ,,street1 ,,london1 ,e4,c4 ,,the ,,champion ,,lawn-,,tennis ,,shoe1 ,,silver ,,medal1 ,,london1 #ahhe4 ,the ,,champion ,,lawn-,,tennis ,,shoe is made of ,specially ,prepared ,waterproof ,felt instead of ,india-,rubber1 and gives ,firm ,foothold1 with ,lightness1 ,durability1 and greater ,flexibility than any other ,tennis ,shoe made2 does not ,blister the ,feet1 and is the only ,shoe that gives ,perfect ,foothold on ,wet ,grass4 ,,opinions ,,of ,,the ,,press4 8,they undoubtedly fulfil all the conditions required in a lawn-tennis shoe40--,boot and ,shoe ,trades ,journal4 8,their extreme lightness should strongly recommend them to players40--,pastime 7the ,lawn-,tennis ,journal74 8,we have not tried any soles so good in all respects as the ,champion-,felt ,soles known as ,stoddart's ,patent40--,field4 8,the ,champion ,shoes take firm hold of the ground1 without damaging the grass40--,the ,queen4 ,sold by ,bootmakers1 ,cricketing ,outfitters1 c4 ,wholesale only of ,,derham ,,brothers1 ,,bristol and ,,northampton4 ,every ,pair stamped with ,registered ,trade ,mark4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,champion ,,lawn ,,tennis ,,shoe ,,stoddart',s ,,patent ,n4,b4--if any difficulty is found in obtaining the ,champion ,lawn-,tennis ,shoe 7,stoddart's ,patent71 please apply direct to the ,manufacturers4 ,,deverell ,,bros'4 ,,new ,,patent ,,tennis ,,racket1 8,,the ,,electric40 ,illustration ,four ,points we claim for it3-- #a4 ,,stringing ,,never ,,gives4 #b4 ,,capital ,,driving ,,power4 #c4 ,,stands ,,hottest ,,climates4 #d4 ,,defies ,,moisture ,,or ,,rain4 ,price #bes4 ,cash ,discount #bj #es4 ,nett #bjs4 ,our ,new ,unsewn ,,tennis ,,ball1 8,,the ,,durable40 ,no ,stitches to ,cut4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,durable4 ,deverell ,bros4 ,see every ,ball is stamped as above4 ,price per doz41 #aes4 #f;d4 ,cash ,discount #bj #cs4 #a;d4 ,nett #abs4 #e;d4 ,,our 8,,europa0 ,,undersewn ,,tennis ,,ball ,is ,,the ,,best at the price4 ,price per doz41 #abs4 #f;d4 ,cash ,discount #bj #bs1 #f;d4 ,nett #ajs4 ,,lawn ,,tennis ,,bats ,at every price from #es4 #f;d4 ,all ,goods made on the premises1 and quality guaranteed4 ,,deverell ,,bros41 ,,makers ,,of ,,every ,,requisite ,,for ,,lawn ,,tennis1 ,,cricket1 c41 #gc1 ,,cheapside1 ,,london1 ,e4,c4 ,f4 ,h4 ,,ayres1 ,manufacturer of ,indoor and ,outdoor ,,games ,,and ,,sports4 ,illustration3 ,,the 8,,championship40 ,,registered4 ,,lawn-,,tennis ,,posts4 ,,patent4 ,illustration3 ,,the 8,,champion0 ,,racket4 ,illustration3 8,,julian ,,marshall0 ,,racket4 ,illustration3 ,,the 8,,championship40 ,,lawn ,,tennis ,,ball4 ,each ,ball has a fac-simile of my ,signature stamped thus on the cloth4 ,each ,ball has also the year of manufacture stamped upon it4 ,illustration3 ,,the 8,,caxton0 ,,patent ,,lawn-,,tennis ,,marker4 ,illustration3 ,,the 8,,hercules0 ,,patent ,,racket4 ,illustration3 ,,the 8,,central0 ,,strung ,,lawn-,,tennis ,,racket4 ,,illustrated ,,catalogues ,,on ,,application4 #aaa1 ,,aldersgate ,,street1 ,e4,c4 ,,slazenger ,,sons1 ,manufacturers of every ,requisite for ,lawn-,tennis4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,no #a ,price #ba_/- ,the 8,no4 #a0 is the distinctive mark of a ,racket which we with great confidence introduce to the general public for the first time this season4 ,it is made on the precise lines of ,rackets made by us for many of the most prominent and successful experts of the game of ,lawn-,tennis1 and has been so highly spoken of by them that a very large demand has already been created for it1 and we have every reason to feel certain that it will be one of our most popular productions4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,lawford ,price #ba_/- ,the 8,lawford0 is a new shape this season1 and is specially adapted for a rapid game4 ,the head is a modification and combination of the round and square head1 and being smaller in size1 the handle is necessarily longer4 ,in this ,racket a somewhat lesser playing surface is produced2 at the same time a very rigid tension is obtained in the stringing giving a quicker return of the ball1 at the same it is not so well adapted for screwing purposes4 ,it is made with the octagon handle4 ,,self-,,adjusting ,,lever ,,tennis ,,poles4 ,,highest ,,award ,,international ,,inventions ,,exhibition4 ,illustration3 ,,patent ,,self ,,adjusting ,,simple1 ,,effective1 ,,and ,,ornamental4 ,,price #bes4 ,,the ,,set4 ,these ,poles are ornamental and effective2 they are made of cast iron1 and finished in black japan paint1 picked out with gold4 ,for utility they have no equal4 ,by means of a lever and weight the ,net is maintained at a uniform height1 and with the exact tension necessary2 the action of the weather has no effect on the uprights1 which never become loose4 ,the ,poles can be readily removed without disturbing the ground fixings4 ,the ground fixing does not loosen1 and is less injurious to the lawn than any other ,poles4 ,wherever supplied they have been highly approved4--,vide ,press4 ,price ,list and ,address of ,local ,agent on ,application4 #ef1 ,,cannon ,,street1 ,,london4 ,e4,c4 ,,slazenger ,,sons' ,lawn-,tennis ,rackets4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,demon ,price #ae_/- ,special ,quality #ba_/- ,the 8,,field0 says3 8,in the combination of power with lightness we have seen none equal to the #8,demon' ,racket40 8,,land ,,water0 says3 8,for genuine good service we have not heard any ,racket better spoken of than this1 as it is a fine driver1 and stands wear well1 the materials and workmanship being clearly of the best40 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,renshaw ,price #ab_/f ,our speciality is undoubtedly the ,manufacture of ,tennis ,rackets1 and to them we have devoted every possible care and attention2 the result is that experts and the ,press admit that in the ,manufacture of ,tennis ,rackets we cannot be excelled1 if equalled4 ,timber is carefully selected and thoroughly seasoned4 ,rent ,ash only is used1 giving a continuous grain round the frame1 ensuring the greatest possible strength and uniform spring4 ,english-made ,gut is used throughout2 and in our ,special ,bats1 ,gut of #ah ,strands is used4--,vide ,press ,reports4 ,red ,rubber ,lawn-,tennis ,ball 7,cloth ,surface ,rubber74 uniform in weight and size1 carefully adjusted in bound1 specially made for durability1 and adapted for ,asphalt or ,hard ,courts #g_/f per doz4 ,this ,ball is manufactured so as to give the ,regulation weight1 size1 and bounce1 and the cloth-like surface makes it for all purposes of the game the same as the best makes of cloth-covered balls1 with the great advantage that ,,it ,,does ,,not ,,vary ,,in ,,weight ,,in ,,any ,,weather and is readily cleansed2 the red colour is better to see1 being a greater contrast to the usual surroundings than ordinary ,balls4 ,the durability is much greater1 and the price is #g_/f per dozen4 ,the 8,,field0 says3--8,,slazenger ,,sons' ,red ,rubber ,uncovered ,ball promises remarkably well--it is made to suit ,winter or ,grass ,courts1 and is highly approved40 8,,pastime0 7,lawn-,tennis ,journal7 says3--8,the new make of ,ball produced by ,,slazenger ,,sons has all the advantages of a ,covered and ,uncovered ,ball40 ,all the other sporting papers1 experts1 and authorities have spoken in the highest possible praise of this ,ball1 and are confident in anticipating that it will supersede all other makes4 #ef1 ,,cannon ,,street1 ,,london1 ,e4,c4 ,transcriber's notes3 ,in the text version1 italics are represented by underscores1 and bold and black letter text by equals symbols4 ,superscripts are represented by and subscripts by ,missing or incorrect punctuation has been repaired4 ,inconsistent spelling and hyphenation have been left as printed4 ,the following changes have been made p4 #hh4 ,gentemen's changed to ,gentlemen's p4 #hi4 date #bhhe changed to #ahhe ,advertisements4 tenison changed to tension