BY 
 
 J AMI'S DWSGHT. 
 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 WRJQHT & DITSON, BOSTON," U, ; S, A., 
 
 '' 
 
 AND 
 
 PASTIME" OFFICE, 28 
 
 BOW, 
 
 LONDON, E/C. 
 
 
LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Received. $^k^^y_--., i 
 
 Accessions Nos^*^-3-/-y Shelf No.-. 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 To WILLIAM RENSHAW, Esq., Champion of England, 
 this book is dedicated by his friend and pupil 
 the Author. 
 

 
 V o 
 
 
 / 
 
 
 
 , Q 
 
BY 
 
 JAMES DWIGHT. 
 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 WRIGHT & DITSON, BOSTON, U. S. A., 
 
 AND 
 
 "PASTIME" OFFICE, 28 PATERNOSTER ROW, 
 LONDON, E.G. 
 
COPYRI/G,HT 
 
 1886, 
 BY JAMES DWIGHT. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 THERE is at present no work on Lawn - Tennis 
 written by any of the well-known players or judges 
 of the game, and it is with great diffidence that I 
 offer this book to fill the gap until something better 
 comes. 
 
 It is intended for beginners, and for those who 
 have not had the opportunity of seeing the best 
 players and of playing against them. 
 
 To the better players it would be presumption for 
 me to offer advice. I should not, indeed, have ven* 
 tured to write at all had I not had unusual oppor- 
 tunities of studying the game against the best players, 
 and especially against the Champion, Mr. W. Renshaw, 
 and his brother. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 PREFACE vii 
 
 i. How TO LEARN TO PLAY i 
 
 ii. THE COURT AND IMPLEMENTS OF THE GAME ... 6 
 
 in. THE SERVICE 12 
 
 iv. THE FIRST STROKE 18 
 
 v. THE STROKE 21 
 
 vi. THE VOLLEY 23 
 
 vn. THE HALF- VOLLEY 28 
 
 vni. THE LOB 30 
 
 PART II. 
 
 i. THE GAME 32 
 
 ii. MATCH PLAY 46 
 
 in. THE DOUBLE GAME 56 
 
 iv. LADIES' AND GENTLEMEN'S DOUBLES 64 
 
 v. UMPIRES AND UMPIRING 68 
 
 vi. ODDS 71 
 
 vii. BISQUE 73 
 
 viii. CASES AND DECISIONS 80 
 
 ix. LIST OF WINNERS .. 88 
 
KIVBRSITYj 
 J^JJIgj^ 
 
 LAWN-TENNIS. 
 
 PART I. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 HOW TO LEARN TO PLAY. 
 
 ONE is often asked the best method of learning to play. 
 I fancy that the best way, could one often adopt it, would 
 be to let a marker, as in a tennis-court, hit the balls 
 gently to the beginner, pointing out to him his mistakes, 
 so that he might not acquire a bad style. If he begins 
 by going on to the lawn and playing a game, his only 
 object will be to get the balls over the net, and he will 
 be almost sure to fall into bad habits of play. This is, 
 however, the most amusing way to learn, and will pro- 
 bably always be the one in general use. If the novice 
 does adopt it, let him at least watch good players when- 
 ever he can, not with any idea of trying their severe 
 volleys, &c., but in order to see the position of the 
 feet and of the racket in play. When he has learned 
 to play fairly well, he should still watch good players 
 at every opportunity ; but what he then needs to study 
 is the position in the court where they stand ; when 
 
 B 
 
Lawn-Tennis. 
 
 they go forward and when back, and what balls they 
 volley instead of playing off the ground. He will, in 
 this way, get some idea of the form which he should try 
 to acquire. Mr. E. L. Williams, in a recent article in 
 the Lawn -Tennis Magazine, advises playing against a 
 wall, and I believe in the benefit obtained from this 
 sort of practice. In fact, I have often advised players 
 to try it. Any sort of a wall will do ; the wall of a 
 room, if there is nothing better. Hit the ball quietly 
 up against the wall, wait till it has bounded and is 
 just beginning to fall, then hit it as nearly as pos- 
 sible in the same place. Always make a short step 
 forward as you hit, with the left foot in a forehanded 
 stroke, and with the right in a backhanded one. Try 
 to hold the racket properly (see page 10), and do not 
 hit with a stiff arm. The shoulder, elbow, and wrist 
 ought all to be left free, and not held rigid. As soon as 
 you can hit the ball up a few times forehanded, try the 
 same thing backhanded, and when you are reasonably 
 sure of your stroke, take every ball alternately fore and 
 backhanded. This will give you equal practice in both 
 strokes, and will also force you to place the ball each 
 time. Add now a line over which the ball must go ; in 
 a room a table or bureau will do very well, and, if pos- 
 sible, mark out a small square in which the ball shall 
 strike. This may sound very childish to a beginner, but 
 I am sure that very valuable practice can be got in this 
 way, and I have spent a great many hours in a room at 
 this occupation. After a time you should volley every 
 ball, first on one side and then on the other. Then half- 
 volley, and after that try all the different combinations: 
 volley forehanded, and half-volley backhanded, &c. 
 
How to Learn to Play. 
 
 Always stick to some definite plan, as in that way you 
 get practice in placing. There is another stroke that 
 can well be learned in this way. Hit the ball up against 
 the wall so that it will strike the ground on your left 
 and go completely by you, then step across and back- 
 ward with your right foot, swing on the left foot till 
 ycur back is towards the wall, and try to return the ball 
 by a snap of your wrist. With practice, you will manage 
 to return a ball that has bounded five or six feet beyond 
 you. Try also the same stroke on the forehand side. 
 You can get in this way alone more practice in hand- 
 ling a racket, and in making the eye and hand work 
 together, than you are likely to get in ten times the 
 length of time out of doors. Ask some friend, who really 
 knows, to tell you if you hold your racket in the right way, 
 and to point out to you any faults of style that you may 
 have. It is of the greatest importance not to handicap 
 yourself at the start by acquiring bad form. Good form 
 is simply the making of the stroke in the best way, so 
 as to get the greatest effect with the least exertion. 
 While nothing can be more graceful than good form, no 
 one should make it his chief object to play gracefully ; 
 the result will only be to make him look absurd. 
 
 When you begin to play games, do not try all the 
 strokes that you see made. Begin by playing quietly 
 in the back of the court. Try simply to get the ball 
 over the net, and to place to one side or the other, and 
 to do this in good form, i.e., to hold the racket properly, 
 and to carry yourself in the right way. As you improve 
 you can increase the speed of your strokes, and can 
 play closer to the side-lines. Remember that a volleying 
 game is harder to play, and you should learn to play well 
 
4 Lawn-Tennis. 
 
 off the ground before trying anything else. Above all 
 things, never half- volley. If you can return the ball in 
 no other way, let it go and lose the stroke. This may 
 sound absurd, but I feel sure that most young players 
 lose more by habitually trying to take half-volleys when 
 there is no need of it, than they gain by any that they 
 may make. It is a stroke that should never be used if 
 it is possible to avoid it. If you make up your mind to 
 let the ball go unless you can play it in some other way, 
 you will thus learn to avoid wanting to half-volley. 
 When yon become a really good player, you can add this 
 stroke to your others, and you will not have got into the 
 habit of using it too often. It is a mistake to play long 
 at a time. For real practice three sets a day are quite 
 enough. When practising for matches, you can play the 
 best of five sets three times a week. Almost all players 
 play too much, and by the middle of the season 
 many of them are stale. Always try to play with 
 some one better than yourself, and take enough odds to 
 make him work to win. In the same way give all the 
 odds that you can. 
 
 Remember, while playing, certain general principles. 
 Don't " fix " yourself. Keep the knees a little bent, and 
 your weight thrown forward and on both feet, so that 
 you can start in any direction. If the feet are parallel 
 it is impossible to start quickly. Always keep moving, 
 even if you do not intend to go anywhere. Play quietly 
 and steadily without any flourish, and try to win every 
 stroke. A great many players seem unable to keep 
 steadily at work, and play a careless or slashing stroke 
 every now and then. This is a great mistake, and one 
 often loses a great deal by it Try to acquire a habit of 
 
How to Learn to Play. 
 
 playing hard all the time. The racket should be carried 
 in both hands, for, if you let it hang down, more time 
 will be needed to get it across your body. Never cut 
 nor twist a ball except in service; it tends to make the 
 ball travel more slowly, and will deceive nobody. The 
 underhand stroke puts a little twist on the ball, but it is 
 an over twist and not a side one. Try to meet the ball 
 fairly, i.e., to bring the racket against it in the line of its 
 flight ; or, in other words, don't hit across the ball. 
 
 Watch carefully your own weak points. Any good 
 player ought to be able to show them to you, and you 
 should then try to improve your game where it is weak. 
 If you practise carefully and your only object is to learn, 
 there is no reason why you should not get into the second 
 class. To be among the very best players requires 
 physical advantages, as well as a stout heart and great 
 interest in the game. One is often advised to pretend to 
 put a ball in one place and then to put it in another. 
 I can assure you that it does not pay. Too many 
 strokes are lost by it. Exactly the same thing is true 
 about pretending to go to one side and then coming back 
 again. One is apt to get off one's balance in making such 
 a feint, and it is quite hard enough to get into position for 
 a ball without having to start the wrong way first. 
 
 It is well to observe the rules carefully in practice, or 
 else they may distract one's attention in a match. This 
 is especially true of the service. Frequently foot-fault- 
 ing in a match spoils your service altogether. In prac- 
 tice you should always see that the net is at the 
 'right height, and should always use good balls. It is 
 bad practice, and is also very unsatisfactory, to play with 
 bad balls. When the weather is too bad to use good 
 balls it is too bad to play at all. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE COURT AND IMPLEMENTS OF THE GAME. 
 
 THE court is 78 ft. long. It is 27 ft. wide for the single 
 game, and 36 ft. for the double game. At most club- 
 grounds a measuring-chain is used to mark out the 
 court, but for a private court a chain is seldom at hand. 
 The easiest way to mark out a court without a chain is 
 to use two long measures. Select the place for the net ; 
 then measure 36 ft. across ; at each end put in 2. peg, 
 and over each peg slip the ring of a measure. On one 
 measure take 39 ft., and on the other 53 ft. f in. ; pull 
 both taut, and the place where the two ends meet will be 
 one corner of the court. Put in a peg at 2 1 ft. from the 
 net for the end of the service-line. Next transpose 
 the measures and repeat the same process. This will 
 give the other corner of the court, and at 2 1 ft. will be 
 the other end of the service-line, and one half of your 
 court is ready. Take exactly the same measures on the 
 other side of the net, and the measurement of your court 
 is complete. The side-lines of the single court are made 
 by marking off 4 ft. 6 in. from each end of the base-lines, 
 and running lines parallel to the side-lines of the double 
 court from one base-line to the other. Everything neces- 
 sary is thus found except the central-line, which runs from 
 the middle of one service-line to the middle of the other. 
 
The Court and Implements of the Game. 7 
 
 The posts of the net stand 3 ft. outside of the side-lines. 
 If the court is intended for double play only, the 
 inner side-lines need not be carried farther from the net 
 than the service-lines. If a single court only is to be 
 marked out, the diagonal is about 47 ft. 5 in., instead 
 of 53 ft. f in. 
 
 Net. The net should be bound along the top with 
 heavy white cotton or duck, to the depth of two or 
 three inches. Without this binding it is very difficult 
 to see the top of the net in a bad light. The most 
 important points in a net are that the meshes should be 
 too small to allow a ball to pass through them, and that 
 the twine should not be so large as to obstruct the view 
 of the opposite court. 
 
 Shoes. There is little to say about shoes, although 
 one's comfort depends a great deal on them. They 
 should be a little too large, with the toes square or 
 round, but never pointed. Those made of buckskin, with 
 leather straps over the toes, are the most comfortable. 
 For the soles no rubber compares with steel points 
 i.e., small nails about five-eighths of an inch long, driven 
 into the sole of the shoe, and protruding from it about 
 one-quarter to three-eighths of an inch. Points injure 
 the ground less than rubber, as to a great degree they 
 prevent slipping. For gravel or asphalt the best soles 
 are made of very soft red rubber, which lasts a long 
 time and is very easy to the feet. 
 
 Balls. Ayres's balls are used at every tournament of 
 
 importance in England, and, while this is the case, it is 
 
 'necessary for tournament players to practise with them, 
 
 though those of some other manufacturers are quite as 
 
 good for ordinary play. 
 
Lawn- Tennis. 
 
 Rackets. The choice of a racket is an important 
 matter, and it is also a difficult one. Young players 
 seem to take pleasure in selecting the most ex- 
 traordinary rackets in a shop. Let me strongly 
 advise them to avoid all unusual handles, heads, or 
 methods of stringing. All these eccentricities are useless 
 at the best. Nothing is so good as the simplest form of 
 racket, possessing an octagonal handle, and strung in the 
 usual way. Such a racket is used by all the better match- 
 players in England. Opinions differ as to what the exact 
 size of the head should be, but it is certain that there is 
 nothing to be gained by having it square or triangular. 
 Again, the edges of the rim should not be bevelled. It 
 only weakens the frame, while it does not increase the 
 size of the playing face of a racket in the smallest 
 degree. A ball must be hit almost exactly in the centre 
 of the racket to make a stroke at all, for, if hit so 
 near the edge that the bevelled rim can affect it, it can- 
 not possibly go any distance. 
 
 As regards the proper weight of a racket, 14^ oz. is 
 heavy enough for any one. I know of only two of the 
 well-known players who use heavier rackets than this. 
 I should advise any one learning to play to get a 
 racket of 14^ oz., and he can afterwards get one of 14! 
 oz. should he feel that his first one is too light. There 
 can be no question that a light racket can be more 
 easily brought round than a heavy one, and is more 
 easily controlled in every way. On the other hand, a 
 racket must have wood enough in the frame to make it 
 perfectly unyielding when striking a ball, and must be 
 heavy enough to give an effective stroke. These con- 
 ditions are fulfilled in a racket of 14^ to 14^ oz. ; a 
 
The Court and Implements of the Game. 9 
 
 lighter one loses something in power, and a heavier one 
 is unmanageable for most men. One meets from time 
 to time a player with a racket of 15 or 15 oz., who 
 shows it with pride, and explains that his wrist is so 
 strong that he requires an unusual racket. As a matter 
 of fact, such a player seldom uses his wrist at all, but 
 rather he should be thankful f;r the advantage that 
 a good wrist gives him, instead of handicapping himself 
 by using an absurdly heavy racket. Almost more 
 important than the weight of the racket is its balance. 
 By balance is meant the way in which a racket hangs 
 in the hand. Many rackets of 14 oz. feel as heavy as 
 others of 14! oz. There is only one way of judging the 
 balance, and that is by holding the racket by the end of 
 the handle, as if in actual play, and trying how it comes 
 up, and if it feels light or heavy. If it comes up heavily, 
 discard it at once and try another. Should it feel light 
 and easily managed, weigh it yourself, no matter whether 
 the weight is stamped on it or not. It may be that it 
 felt well balanced only because it was too light for use ; 
 but should it be found to weigh 14^ 14^ oz., the balance 
 of it must be good. You should look carefully at the 
 workmanship and see that the wood is free from knots 
 and cracks. The grain should run evenly round the 
 whole frame. Look especially at the parts of the hoop, 
 just above the centre-piece, for there it is that a racket 
 usually breaks. See also that the wedge is quite 
 firm. Choose a racket in which the wood is left in the 
 natural state, as varnish, &c., is often used to conceal 
 a flaw. 
 
 A racket should be very nearly, if not quite, straight 
 
1C L awn- Tennis. 
 
 For myself, I prefer one with a very slight bend to one 
 side, but I can give no reason for doing so. 
 
 No player should have a racket that he cannot hold 
 absolutely stiff from the very end of the handle. 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 wrist. If his wrist is not strong enough 
 to stand this strain with a racket of the usual weight, it 
 is better for him to use a lighter one. Though losing 
 something in the severity of his strokes, he will gain 
 enough in sureness to more than make up for it. 
 
 How to hold the Racket One finds many different 
 ways of holding the racket among good players, and no 
 exact rule has ever been received as correct. Still, 
 nearly all good players observe certain principles in 
 holding a racket. 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 racket. If the hold is 
 changed, there is always danger of not getting the 
 racket into the right position quickly enough. Such a 
 change must require a certain amount of time and 
 attention, which cannot well be spared in sharp play. 
 The method that I should recommend is as follows : 
 Lay the racket on a table with the smooth side up. 
 Open the hand with the thumb nearly at right angles 
 to the fingers, and then clasp the handle in such a way 
 as to make its upper right edge (or what would be its 
 right edge if it were cut square) fit into the hollow of the 
 joint between the thumb and forefinger. In closing the 
 fingers on the handle, do not put them directly round it, 
 but with the first joint of each finger slanting up the 
 handle, which will cause the top joints to slant down the 
 
The Court and Implements of the Game. 1 1 
 
 other way. The first two fingers should be a little 
 separated from the other fingers, and from each other. 
 The end of the handle should be well within the hand, 
 with the little finger round the leather rim. The thumb 
 should not go round on to the ends of the fingers, but 
 should slope upwards across the upper side of the 
 handle. 
 
CHAPTER III, 
 
 SERVICE. 
 
 THERE afre many ways in which the service can be 
 delivered, but there is only one in general use. This is 
 the common overhand service delivered from above the 
 right shoulder, with or without twist on the ball. 
 
 To serve it, throw the ball up above the head as 
 nearly as possible to the height at which it is to be 
 struck, and strike it as it pauses before falling. Be 
 careful to throw the ball well back and about on a line 
 with the ear. If it is thrown forward the service will 
 probably go into the net. In serving, the arm should be 
 extended to almost its full length, so as to get the 
 greatest possible reach, and the shoulder should be left 
 free and not held stiff. When serving for speed only, 
 the face of the racket should be brought fairly against 
 the ball with no twist whatever, and the head of the 
 racket should be made to come over on the top of the 
 ball by a sharp bend of the wrist. When trying to 
 put twist on the service, the racket should not meet the 
 ball fairly, but should pass round on the outside of it ; 
 this will give a twist from right to left. 
 
 A very uncommon and difficult service can be given 
 by throwing up the ball a little to the left of one's head, 
 
Service. 13 
 
 and carrying the racket round on the left hand side of 
 the ball, which will give a twist from left to right. It is 
 possible to put a heavy spin on the ball in this way, and 
 the service is effective, because it is very uncommon. 
 
 The next most important service is the underhand 
 tvvist service delivered either fore- or back-handed. To 
 begin with the former, the player should stand with the 
 feet near together and his weight on the right foot. 
 The racket should be held nearly vertical and just to 
 the side of the right leg. The ball is dropped outside, 
 and a little in front of, the racket, which is brought 
 forward against the ball, and thus, by a quick inside 
 turn of the wrist imparts a strong twist to it. In 
 striking, the weight is thrown forward on to the left foot, 
 and a short step forward with that foot is made to give 
 pace to the service. The service should not be delivered 
 with a jerk, but by a quiet easy swing ; the only really 
 quick motion being the turn of the racket round the ball 
 which gives the twist. 
 
 The backhanded underhand service is precisely similar, 
 but is made on the left side with the right foot forward. 
 The ball is struck with the rough side of the racket, and 
 of course breaks from left to right. 
 
 There is only one other service that need be men- 
 tioned. The arm is at right angles to the body, with 
 the elbow slightly bent, and with the head of the racket 
 a little higher than the wrist. The ball should be struck 
 at the height of the shoulder, and the racket, after 
 striking the ball behind and a little on top, should open 
 and pass forward beneath it so as to impart pure cut 
 to the ball. The ball does not rise as much as with 
 most services, and is often returned into the net when 
 
14 Lawn- Tennis. 
 
 the service is first tried. It is, however, useful only as 
 a change service, or to increase the chance of the ball's 
 shooting, on a wet ground. 
 
 It should be distinctly understood that, in giving i 
 any service, the weight of the body must be thrown 
 forward at the time of striking ; otherwise no great speed 
 can be obtained. 
 
 As the rule now requires the front foot to be on the 
 base-line when the ball is served, it is better to put the 
 toe on the line before serving. The weight of the body 
 is held a little back, and is then thrown forward as the 
 ball is struck. It is not so easy to serve fast in this way 
 as it is by taking a step forward, but, on the other hand, 
 one seldom or never serves a foot fault. 
 
 Players too often forget the importance of placing the 
 service. It is very hard to make a good first stroke off 
 a well-placed service, even if it be a slow one. It is 
 also important to conceal the direction of the service as 
 long as possible, so that one's opponent may not know 
 in which corner of the court to expect it. 
 
 Having described the different kinds of service, we 
 have next to consider which of them should be used. 
 The best working service is probably the simple over- 
 hand service delivered without twist. It should be 
 placed down the central-line or across to the outer 
 corner of the court, and should be served as fast as pos- 
 sible. Should the first service be a fault, it is the custom 
 to serve again in the same way, but at such a pace that 
 there will be no danger of a second fault. We are often 
 told that a good player should cultivate a second ser- 
 vice which should be difficult to return, and at the same 
 time should never be a fault. I can only say that this 
 
Service. 1 5 
 
 is easier said than done, as no one has yet succeeded in 
 carrying it out. Again we are told that if a player cannot 
 serve a good second service, he would do better not to try 
 a very hard service the first time, but to serve a medium- 
 paced service which would be at once reasonably sure of 
 going into court, and yet be difficult to place on returning. 
 I must dissent entirely from this advice. I believe that 
 in the single game and with good players the service is 
 a distinct disadvantage. The first service is oftener a 
 fault than not, and the second service can be placed 
 almost as the striker-out pleases. Why not then serve 
 a medium service the first time ? Because no service, 
 not even the very slow second service, can be placed so 
 sharply and accurately as a moderately fast one. It is not 
 fast enough to place the striker-out at a disadvantage, 
 and yet it comes back more quickly in the return than 
 a slower one would do, and therefore leaves the server 
 less time to get into position for the first return. 
 Another difference, often overlooked, is, that a player 
 must "fix" himself to a certain extent to deliver a service 
 of even medium speed. He cannot, therefore, get into 
 position as quickly after a fairly fast service as after a 
 slow one, and yet he will be given less time to do so. 
 Of course, he "fixes" himself for the first very fast service, 
 but, in this case, he expects to gain a distinct advantage 
 should his service be good. Off such a service it is 
 very difficult to make a good first stroke, and the server 
 will probably have a chance to come forward and finish 
 the rest with a volley. 
 
 My own feeling is that the server must start at a dis- 
 advantage unless he can deliver a severe first service. 
 In any other case he must be content to stay back, 
 
1 6 Lawn-Tennis. 
 
 even outside his court, while his opponent is forward, 
 and his object for the time must be rather to save the 
 rest* than to win it. 
 
 For a second service the forehanded underhand twist 
 is useful, especially when served into the left court % It is 
 not in itself difficult to return, but it keeps low, and 
 will often twist a little more or a little less than the 
 striker-out expects, thus preventing him from making a 
 severe first stroke. 
 
 It sometimes pays to place such a service as near 
 as possible to the outer corner of the court, and to follow 
 it up almost to the net. One would think that there 
 would be no difficulty in passing the server as he comes 
 forward, but it requires a very accurate first stroke to 
 do so. If the stroke is not well-placed, there will be a 
 chance for a sharp volley which should win the rest. It 
 needs great quickness to make such a volley, and no one 
 should take such a risk unless he can volley really well. 
 In trying such a coup as this, he must take into account 
 what his chance of winning the rest will be if he gives 
 an easy second service and stays back. If he finds that 
 he has been losing twice out of three times on his second 
 service, it is well worth while to try going up, especially 
 as it is very annoying to his adversary if it comes off. 
 
 Many players have an idea that at 40-0 or at 40-15 
 it pays to serve the second service at full speed, on the 
 ground that at such a score the risk is justifiable. This 
 surely is a mistake. 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 three. But if he sees 
 fit to take such liberties as to serve twice at full speed 
 
 * Or " rally " as it is sometimes improperly termed. 
 
Service. 1 7 
 
 he will probably find the score level before he knows it, 
 and his opponent playing with increasing confidence. 
 
 I should strongly advise a player to learn thoroughly 
 the reverse overhand service, not only that it is unusual 
 and effective, but because one looks to the left to serve 
 it. You can in this way serve overhand, no matter where 
 the sun may be. With the sun on the right the common 
 overhand service is nearly useless, because the danger of 
 looking at the sun i: so rnt. You may get the service 
 over all right and then be quite unable to see the 
 return. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 FIRST STROKE. 
 
 BY first stroke is meant the return of the service. I may 
 safely say that more depends on this stroke than on 
 any other. If the first stroke is good, the striker-out 
 should have a decided advantage ; if bad, he is almost 
 at the server's mercy. What the first stroke should be 
 depends on the service and on the skill of the opponent. 
 Off a very fast service it is difficult to make a good first 
 stroke, because the slightest mistake will be enough to 
 send the ball into the net or out of court. If, however, 
 the first stroke is made exactly right, it is more crushing 
 in proportion to the speed of the service. The server 
 has had to fix himself to give a very fast service, and no 
 time is left him to recover for the return. The difficulty 
 of a very severe return of a very fast service is so great 
 that it must be looked on as fortunate, even among good 
 players. It is always very hard to foresee in just what 
 place the service will pitch, and, therefore, the striker-out 
 cannot prepare himself for any particular stroke. He 
 must be ready to return the ball ; that is the first point. 
 For the rest, he must return it as severely as he safely can, 
 and into that part of the court where it will most readily 
 
First Stroke. 19 
 
 go. By this I do not mean that the service should be 
 returned purposely into the middle of the court, but 
 every fast ball is more naturally returned in one direc- 
 tion than in another, and all I advise is that a very fast 
 service should be returned into whatever part of the 
 court it is easiest to put it. If the first service comes 
 off and is very fast, it will almost always give the 
 advantage, and the striker-out must be content to yield 
 the position and to play for safety. 
 
 Very different is the case with the second service. 
 The server is no longer trying for an advantage, and 
 the striker-out can choose the way in which he will 
 begin the attack. 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 stroke, no matter where it 
 may be placed. It would, therefore, require an un- 
 usually severe stroke to finish the rest at once, and it is 
 running too great a risk to attempt such a stroke. The 
 ball should be played sharply down the side-line or 
 across the court to the farther side-line, so as to put the 
 server on the defensive at the start. Of this I shall 
 speak more fully in treating of the " game " ; at present 
 I shall only try to explain what strokes there are to 
 use. 
 
 I. The most common and, perhaps, the safest stroke 
 is to play the ball down the side-line into the corner, 
 especially when the service has been into the right court, 
 as this brings the return into the backhand corner, and 
 few players are as good back- as fore-handed. 
 
 2. One can also return diagonally across the court 
 to the far corner. This stroke should be played very 
 
2O Lawn-Tennis. 
 
 hard, for if made slowly there is a chance for an easy 
 return. Moreover, if time is given him, the server may 
 come forward and meet the ball in the middle of the 
 court and kill it by a sharp volley. For this reason it is 
 better not to play this stroke if the server is coming up, 
 but to play either Nos. I or 3. 
 
 3. There is another stroke, and the most difficult of 
 all. It is to play the ball slowly across the court to the 
 farther side-line. The ball should strike the ground as 
 near to the net as possible, so that a player who is 
 coming forward cannot reach it before it has bounded 
 and passed on across the side-line. If made correctly, 
 there is no answer to the stroke, except a half-volley. 
 It is an essential part of the stroke that it should be 
 played very slowly, or else the ball must go out of 
 court. 
 
 4. Sometimes, but very seldom, one has to lob the 
 first stroke ; for instance, when the first service has been 
 very severe, and the server has followed it up close, one 
 may be unable to make a good stroke to one side of the 
 court, and, if so, it is best to lob. 
 
 Again, the server will at times follow up his second 
 service, and, if he gets very close, the safest stroke will 
 be a lob over his head into the back of the court. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE STROKE. 
 
 BY stroke, I mean the motion with which a ball is 
 returned off the ground. Of course, all balls cannot be 
 played in the same way ; that must depend on how they 
 come, and on the hardness of the ground. As a rule, 
 however, a player can choose in which of two ways he 
 will play the ball. He can take the ball at the top of 
 its bound, in which case the head of the racket is held a 
 little higher than the hand, and the racket itself is 
 nearly horizontal. The stroke is made with the forearm 
 and wrist, and the arm is straightened as the ball is 
 struck. 
 
 The other method is to let the ball fall till within a 
 foot or so of the ground, and then, so to speak, to lift it 
 over the net. The racket is held upright, with the head 
 a little back and the hand forward. The ball is taken 
 beside, and a little in front of, the right foot, and a short 
 step forward is made with the left. In striking, the 
 .racket is raised, not from the shoulder, but from the 
 elbow, and the wrist is bent backward. The direction 
 of the ball is given by turning the wrist at the moment 
 of striking, and for this reason it is very difficult for 
 
22 Lawn- Tennis. 
 
 one's opponent to foresee where the ball will be put. I 
 should explain that the stroke is not meant to be a 
 " slam," but a quiet, regular stroke, whose strength lies 
 less in its speed than in its accuracy, and in the diffi- 
 culty of foreseeing its direction. 
 
 Of the two strokes I much prefer the second one. It 
 gives one's opponent more time to place himself, but, on 
 the other hand, one gains both in accuracy and severity 
 of stroke, and can also change the direction of the 
 ball at the last moment. 
 
 On a very hard ground the horizontal stroke is the 
 more common, because the ball rises so high that one 
 would have to go very far back in the court to play it 
 with a vertical racket, and in doing so would lose his 
 position. On a slow ground, the chance for the second 
 stroke occurs all the time. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE VOLLEY. 
 
 To become an adept at the game, the player must be able 
 to volley well ; he must know how the stroke is made, 
 and he must be able to make it, no matter where the ball 
 may come high or low, right or left, straight or dropping. 
 One common principle applies to all volleys, namely, 
 that the ball must not be allowed to hit the racket, but 
 the racket must hit the ball, and a distinct stroke should 
 be made. A step should always be taken with the 
 opposite foot, i.e., with the left foot in a forehanded 
 stroke, and with the right in a backhanded one. 
 
 As an example, take the ordinary forehand volley at 
 about the height of the shoulder (a very common stroke). 
 The elbow should be away from the body and not down 
 by the side, the wrist a little bent upwards, and the head 
 of the racket above the hand. In striking, the weight 
 is thrown forward on to the left foot, which is brought out 
 with a good step in front of the right foot and a little 
 across it. There is no preliminary swing of the racket 
 backward. The head of the racket should be brought 
 forward on to the ball with a sharp bend of the wrist, and 
 the arm should be straightened to nearly its full length. 
 
24 Lawn-Tennis. 
 
 The racket should not be checked suddenly after strik- 
 ing the ball, but should swing well forward, and then by 
 an easy motion the head will come up into the left 
 hand, where the centre-piece should always be carried 
 between the strokes. The elbow, shoulder, and wrist 
 should all be left free, and not held stiff while the stroke 
 is made. 
 
 The backhand volley is made in much the same way. 
 The elbow should be raised and away from the body ; 
 the head of the racket should be just over the left 
 shoulder, and the stroke should be made by stepping 
 forward with the right foot, straightening the forearm, 
 and bringing the head of the racket sharply forward by 
 bending the wrist. It is this turn of the wrist at the 
 last moment of the stroke that gives sharpness and 
 character to all volleys. 
 
 It is much easier to volley a ball at the height of the 
 shoulder back than forehanded, and it is worth while to 
 remember this fact when trying to pass a volleyer from 
 the back of the court. 
 
 These two volleys are used with the ball from four to 
 six feet from the ground, both in coming forward from 
 the back of the court, and, more often, when already 
 in position, and your opponent tries to pass you. Both 
 strokes are easy in themselves if the ball comes within 
 reach and if you can foresee on which side it is coming. 
 The real difficulty lies in getting into position for the 
 stroke, and not in the stroke itself. 
 
 A more difficult ball to volley is one that is only a 
 foot or so off the ground. Such a ball is best volleyed 
 forehanded, with a vertical racket. The hand comes out 
 directly in front of the body, and the stroke is made 
 
The Volley. 25 
 
 almost entirely by the wrist. There should be little or 
 no swing of the racket beforehand. 
 
 A ball a little higher, that is, between waist and knee, 
 cannot well be volleyed in the same way. One must 
 step to one side or the other to get room to return it, 
 and it is easier to play it backhanded. 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 hand. 
 
 A great deal of time is saved by these low volleys, 
 and one is sometimes caught while coming forward or 
 going back in a position when nothing else can be done. 
 It is a stroke that a player should learn to make as 
 well as possible, but it is not one that he should use 
 except to gain an advantage by saving time, or when he 
 can do nothing else. 
 
 We now come to a wholly different class of volleys, 
 namely, those of a dropping ball, as when a weak return 
 is made off a fast service, or more often when one player 
 is lobbing to drive his opponent back. In this class 
 comes the " Smash," which is simply a volley made very 
 hard, with all the joints of the arm free, so that as soon 
 as the stroke is started all control of the racket is lost. 
 In a simple volley the joints are not held stiff, but one 
 retains control of the racket throughout the stroke ; in 
 a smash one lets the racket go apparently at random. 
 It is not a stroke to play except when very close to the 
 net, and even then a more careful volley will usually be 
 sufficient, and far safer. 
 
 It is of this volley that I wish to speak, as the occasion 
 for it comes constantly. It must be made hard, it must 
 be placed, and its direction must not be shown till the 
 last moment. Take the most common case : you are 
 
26 Lawn-Tennis. 
 
 just in front of the service-line, your opponent lobs from 
 the back of the court and the ball does not go very far 
 beyond the service-line. How are you to make the 
 stroke ? Of course the ball may come in front or on 
 either side, but it travels so slowly that you can usually 
 take it as you please, and it is best to do so forehanded. 
 You should stand with your feet slightly apart, and in 
 striking should take a short step forward, and a little 
 across with your left foot. The racket is held close to the 
 body with the left hand round the centre-piece till 
 the ball comes within reach. Then lift the racket 
 quietly and strike without any swing backward ; but the 
 racket should follow the ball after the stroke, and not be 
 checked suddenly. The whole stroke, from the time 
 when the racket is lifted, should be made without any 
 pause. One often sees a player waiting for the ball with 
 his racket lifted ; the effect is ridiculous, and, what is of 
 more importance, it is usually easy to tell where he 
 means to put the ball. The ball should be taken at 
 about the same height as in service, but decidedly more 
 in front, because it is nearer the net. The wrist 
 should be bent forward at the end of the stroke to bring 
 the head of the racket down on top of the ball. 
 
 Any lob that comes near the middle of the court 
 should be played forehanded, but when a ball is much 
 to the left of the central-line it is better to play it back- 
 handed, as it puts one too much out of position to get 
 on the other side of the ball. The stroke is played in the 
 same way as the forehanded one, except that the step 
 is made with the right foot and should be in front of the 
 left, but not across it. 
 
 The easiest place to put the ball is into the back- 
 
The Volley. 27 
 
 hand corner or across to the farther side-line. Without 
 taking his eyes off the ball, the player can usually tell 
 about where his opponent is, and can place the stroke 
 accordingly. In all such volleys he should make up 
 his mind just where he means to put the ball before he 
 takes the step forward, and he should not change it even 
 if he sees that his intention is discovered. 
 
 No rule can be given for placing the volley, but in any 
 case the stroke should be severe enough to prevent the 
 next lob from being as good as the last. If you do not 
 gain a distinct advantage by the volley you are pretty 
 sure to be worse off next time. It is worth while to 
 take a good deal of risk in such a stroke, for the moment 
 that you begin to play a lob faintheartedly, you will be 
 passed or driven back in a stroke or two. One's object 
 should be to kill the ball, if that be possible ; if not, to 
 place it so as to get an easier stroke next time. If you 
 can do neither one nor the other, you had better not 
 volley the ball at all, but go back and play a defensive 
 game from the base-line. If you cannot attack you must 
 be ready to defend yourself, and the place to do that is 
 not in the middle of the court 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE HALF- VOLLEY. 
 
 THE half-volley is the prettiest stroke in lawn tennis ; it 
 often saves valuable time, and it helps one out of many 
 difficulties. There is only one remark more to be made 
 about it, and that is, never play it if you can possibly 
 avoid it. Unless played exactly right, it will give an 
 easy return, and will allow your opponent to gain the 
 advantage in position if he did not have it before. If 
 he did, it will probably give him a chance to "kill." 
 
 The worst part of the stroke is that it is a very 
 fascinating one, and it is, therefore, played a great deal 
 too often, especially by young players. 
 
 The stroke consists in taking the ball just as it begins 
 to rise after striking the ground. It is simply a question 
 of timing the ball. The player cannot watch the ball 
 as he strikes it, and he must trust to his knowledge of 
 the place where the ball will come. It is best made with 
 the racket as nearly vertical as possible, with a short 
 step forward and with a " lift," or upward motion of the 
 hand and forearm, at the end of the stroke. 
 
 To return balls that have already passed, one should 
 step across with the opposite foot, and, stooping very 
 
The Half- Volley. 29 
 
 low, should half-volley with a snap of the wrist. In 
 such a case the racket is nearly horizontal. The great 
 point is to time the ball so as to get it exactly in the 
 middle of the racket. 
 
 My advice would be never to use a half-volley if the 
 ball could be returned in any other way, and, if com- 
 pelled to use it, to put pace on the ball and play it as 
 a fast stroke, and not as a slow one. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE LOB. 
 
 A LOB is a ball tossed in the air so that it shall fall far 
 back in the court, and shall be out of reach of a player 
 standing as far forward as the service-line. 
 
 The object is, of course, to make a stroke that cannot 
 be volleyed, except from the back of the court, where 
 the volley is seldom severe. 
 
 There are two kinds of lob one with a low curve, 
 tossed just high enough to be out of reach, and the 
 other tossed very high in the air and meant to fall 
 almost vertically. 
 
 The first kind is used only when one's opponent is 
 very far forward ; in fact, almost up to the net. The 
 ball, being hit low, travels with some speed, and there- 
 fore gives little time for a player to get back for it. 
 
 The other and more common kind of lob is used when 
 one is at a disadvantage, and is near the base-line or 
 quite out of court. The stroke is meant to gain time 
 for one thing, and, if possible, to drive a volleyer back. 
 The higher the ball goes the more perpendicularly it 
 will fall, and the harder it will be to volley. 
 
 It is much easier to lob forehanded, and the ball 
 
The Lob. 31 
 
 should be taken well in front of one, and to the right if 
 possible. Always lob toward the windward corner of 
 the court, but if there is little or no wind one should 
 choose the backhand corner. 
 
 Remember that a lob must gc back nearly to the 
 base-line or it will give an easy stroke. 
 
PART II. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE GAME. 
 Section L 
 
 IN the preceding pages I have tried to give some idea 
 of the different strokes and of the manner in which they 
 are made. My object now is to take the game as a 
 whole, and to show in what cases the different strokes 
 should be used. 
 
 Before this can be done, we must speak of the different 
 styles of game that one meets. I do not refer to garden- 
 party lawn-tennis, but to the styles of the best match- 
 players only. 
 
 Seven or eight years ago no one thought of volleying 
 a ball that could be easily played off the ground. The 
 game consisted of carefully placed strokes of medium 
 pace, and the result was long, tedious rests of twenty, 
 forty, and even eighty returns. The first change in this 
 game was caused by the present champion, Mr. W. 
 Renshaw, who conceived the idea of going forward 
 almost to the net and volleying everything that he 
 could reach. This game, though brilliant, was not 
 wholly successful. The volieyer came too close to the net 
 and gave too easy a chance for the ball to go over his 
 
The Game. 33 
 
 head, and probably, too, the volley was not then of 
 sufficient strength. The net was at that time four feet 
 high at the posts, and the angle at which a ball could 
 be volleyed was more restricted than now. 
 
 A year later Mr. Renshaw had changed his game in 
 an important point ; he no longer came close up, but 
 volleyed from the service-line, or a little in front of it. 
 Complete success attended him, and his style of game 
 soon came to be received as the right one, and to be 
 generally played. 
 
 At that time the hitting from the back of the court 
 was slow according to modern ideas, and it was possible 
 to follow up and volley almost every ball without much 
 danger of being passed. The introduction of volleying 
 brought about a change in the back-play. There was 
 clearly no use in careful placing if the volleyer was given 
 time to get in front of the ball. It thus became neces- 
 sary to hit hard from the back of the court as well as to 
 place the return, and for the cases where this could not 
 be done, lobbing was brought into fashion. 
 
 The improvement in the back-play in its turn affected 
 the volleying game. With good placing and hard 
 hitting it was no longer possible to volley as many balls 
 as before, and, as a rule, the volleyer tried to make a 
 severe stroke, which should put his opponent at a dis- 
 advantage before coming forward to volley. 
 
 It is in this state that we find the game now. It 
 seems a waste of time to discuss the old question of 
 " Volleying v. Back-play." With the two games pure 
 and simple, and with no mixture of the two, I feel sure 
 that bad back-play will beat bad volleying, and that 
 good volleying will win against good 1 ack-play. 
 
 D 
 
34 Lawn- Ten n is. 
 
 One does not, however, see good players confine 
 themselves wholly to either game. As I said just now, 
 one cannot volley every ball, and one needs to be able to 
 make a severe stroke off the ground to get into position 
 to volley. This one can do only by skill in back- play. 
 Every well-known player of the present day believes 
 that both back-play and volleying are necessary for a 
 successful game, and the question now is not which to 
 use, but how to mix the two. 
 
 I believe that the superiority of the champion lies 
 mainly in the completeness of his game, in his ability 
 to play any kind of game that may be required. Mr. 
 Lawford no longer plays wholly from the back of the 
 court, but volleys a great deal, and very effectively too. 
 The only player who sticks completely to a back-game 
 is Mr. Chipp, and he has told me that he wishes that 
 he could volley. On the other hand, perhaps the most 
 bigoted volleyer in the world is myself, and I wish 
 most sincerely that I knew how to take a ball off the 
 ground. 
 
 It is not possible to lay down fixed rules for volleying 
 certain balls and letting others bound ; were it so, all 
 players would play the same kind of game, and the dif- 
 ference between them would be only in speed and accu- 
 racy. Every player must judge for himself if he can 
 volley any particular ball more effectively than he can 
 play it off the ground. 
 
 Position is nearly everything in the present game, and 
 a player's first object should be to get into his place ; 
 once there, the chances are all in his favour. I do not 
 mean that the player nearest to the net has necessarily 
 the best of it, that must depend on the last stroke and 
 
The Game. 35 
 
 on the place where his opponent is. If he comes up 
 after making a good stroke that has driven his opponent 
 back to the base-line, he has a great advantage, but if 
 his last stroke has been slow and has struck inside the 
 service-line, he is almost certain to be passed, if his 
 opponent does not make a mistake. I cannot dwell 
 enough on the fact that there is no use in volleying 
 unless a distinct advantage can be gained by it, or, at 
 the worst, that the back player must not have an easier 
 return than he had the time before. The moment that 
 a volleyer fails to make a severe or at least a well-placed 
 stroke, he is at a disadvantage, and would be better ofl 
 in the back of the court than where he is. It is seldom 
 that the two positions can balance, so to speak, and if a 
 volleyer is not distinctly up, he is pretty sure to go 
 down. Of course I do not mean that every ball that is 
 to be volleyed should be smashed ; far from it, but I do 
 say that a volley should always be played hard on to 
 the base-line or across the court to the side-line. If 
 neither can be done, it is wrong to volley the ball at all. 
 
 Smashing I hold in great disrespect. As a rule, it is 
 a most unsafe stroke, and, when it can be played without 
 risk, a hard volley will generally be just as good. It is 
 a great satisfaction, both to the gallery and to the player 
 himself, to see a ball smashed through an umbrella or 
 a parasol, but it is an amusement that should be strictly 
 confined to exhibition matches. 
 
 Do not volley a very low ball if you can possibly help 
 It. For instance, one is coming forward, and meets a 
 slow return that has passed just over the net and is 
 dropping fast. Such a ball must be volleyed upwards 
 to cross the net, and it will therefore be impossible tc* 
 
3 6 Lawn- Tenn is. 
 
 make a severe return, and the stroke itself is a difficult 
 one. Let such a ball bound, unless time is of unusual 
 value. 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 waiting. 
 
 A difficult but useful stroke is the volleying a ball near 
 the ground in the back part of the court. The player is 
 going back, or, more often, coming forward, and meets 
 the ball about half-way between the base-line and service- 
 line. If he can volley it fairly well he can follow up his 
 stroke, and gain the advantage in position which he 
 must have yielded in going back to take the ball off the 
 ground. One saves a great deal of time and of exertion 
 by such a volley, but it is a stroke that cannot be recom- 
 mended to any except a good volleyer. 
 
 One of the hardest balls to volley well is a lob. It i> 
 easy enough to return it over the net, but, as I have been 
 trying to explain, there is little use in returning a ball 
 slowly into ths middle of the court. I do not believe 
 that it is right to smash a fairly good lob, but I think 
 that it should be volleyed carefully, but still hard, far 
 back in the court, and, if possible, into a corner. There 
 is a long time to think as a lob drops, and many players 
 lose heart and decide to play for safety instead of trying 
 to kill the ball. As a matter of fact, it is safer to hit 
 fairly hard, and the moment that a player begins to hit 
 gently, for fear of putting the ball out of court, he 
 descends to a lower level as a player and diminishes his 
 own chance of success. 
 
 Speaking of returning lobs brings me to the question 
 of lobbing, as distinguished from low play. There is 
 undoubtedly a prejudice against lobbing, and a feeling 
 
The Game. 37 
 
 that the low hitting makes the finer game. With this I 
 have nothing to do. I am simply looking for the best 
 game that one can play to win. 
 
 I believe firmly in low hard hitting down the lines or 
 across the court when one's opponent is not quite in 
 position, as, for instance, when he is just coming up, or 
 has had a hard ball to play and has not yet recovered 
 himself. If there is a good chance to pass him, try to do 
 so by all means. If you cannot pass him but can make 
 a stroke that cannot be volleyed hard, in fact, can only 
 be stopped, try it, and the next stroke you can probably 
 pass him. 
 
 When, however, one is in the extreme back part of 
 the court, especially in the middle, the chance of passing 
 a good volleyer seems to me to be small. If one is in 
 a corner of the court, one has two strokes to choose from, 
 one down the side-line and the other across the court. 
 If the volleyer does not foresee which stroke will be 
 played, it is unlikely that he can do more than save the 
 ball. But, as just said, if he is in the middle of the 
 base-line, the angle at which the forward player can be 
 passed is very small, and the chances are that the ball 
 will be killed. In such a case I believe that it is good 
 play to lob. It is worth remembering this fact, that it. 
 is harder for your opponent to pass you from the middle 
 of the base-line than from the corners of the court. 
 With a strong back-player against you, if you do not 
 get a chance to make a severe stroke into the corner, 
 and have got to return the ball slowly, you will be safer 
 if you return it to the middle of the base-line. 
 
 A great objection to lobbing is, that much depends 
 on the weather, and, if there is a strong wind, it will 
 
38 Lawn-Tennis. 
 
 be at a great disadvantage. Of course the wind will 
 affect low hitting as well, but not to the same degree. 
 When lobbing in a wind, always lob to the windward 
 corner, as, after all, the main point with a lob is to put 
 it anywhere in the back part of the court. 
 
 If you see that your opponent hesitates to hit a lob 
 hard, be ready to go in the moment the chance comes. 
 It usually is easy to tell if a player intends to stop a lob 
 instead of hitting it, and it is well worth while to take 
 some risk in running up to volley his return. He will 
 probably be too far forward in the court to return your 
 volley well, even if he gets it at all. 
 
 If your opponent clearly does not play lobs well, 
 lob whenever there is the slightest doubt of passing him, 
 especially if the sun is in his eyes. If on the other 
 hand he hits your lobs back hard into the corners, it is 
 better not to resort to them unless you can do nothing 
 else. 
 
 After saying so much in favour of lobbing, I must 
 add that, though I use the stroke a great deal myself, I 
 believe that a player should play low, if any chance is 
 given him to do so. 
 
 If you do play low, don't play directly down the 
 middle of the court if your opponent is standing there. 
 It is much better to take a greater risk and play for the 
 side-lines. Remember that it is usually easier to pass 
 a volleyer on his forehand side. Remember, also, that 
 the easiest ball to volley is one hit low and hard, because 
 it comes in nearly a straight line. For this reason, 
 especially when a volleyer is coming forward, the most 
 difficult stroke that you can give him to volley is one 
 hit slowly enough to drop low before he can reach it. 
 
The Game. 39 
 
 If you can make him half-volley there will probably be 
 a chance to come in yourself. 
 
 It seems to me a mistake to hit as hard as one can 
 in trying to pass a volleyer. One succeeds more often 
 by accurate placing, and by concealing the direction of 
 the stroke till the last moment, than by its actual speed. 
 Of course, a fast stroke will give one's opponent less 
 time to reach it, but the risk of the ball going into the 
 net or out of court is increased out of proportion to 
 the gain. It is surprising to see how easily a slow stroke 
 will pass a volleyer if he does not know on which side 
 it is coming. Combined speed and placing are perfection, 
 but the placing should be cultivated first, and the speed 
 increased as one improves. 
 
 Section IL 
 
 Let us now start as if beginning a game, and we will 
 take the routine points as they arise. 
 
 To serve : Stand nearly near the middle of the base- 
 line, a yard, or at the most two yards, from the centre. 
 In this position there is a larger angle, inside of which 
 the service can be placed, than if you stood at one end 
 of the base-line, and, moreover, you are in better position 
 to meet the first stroke. 
 
 If your first service is a fast one and is good, follow it 
 up if you can, and volley the return. But remember 
 that your volley must be severe enough to put your 
 opponent at a decided disadvantage, or he will probably 
 pass you with the next stroke. 
 
 If your first service is a fault, serve again more slowly. 
 You cannot put much speed into your second service, 
 but you can place it. Try to serve well back tc the 
 
4<D La^vn- Tennis. 
 
 service-line, and place it so that your opponent will 
 have to play it backhanded, or step to one side 
 before returning it. I do not mean that this placing 
 will produce any great results, but it will tend to 
 diminish the severity of the first stroke. As soon as 
 you have served, get back just outside of the court, or, 
 if the ground is low, stand on the base-line and a very 
 little to the left of the middle. The first stroke is more 
 often put into your backhand corner than anywhere 
 else ; few players are quite as strong backhanded, and 
 can, therefore, afford less time in reaching the ball. 
 
 One word as to position. It is impossible to start 
 quickly if your feet are parallel. Stand with the heels 
 about a foot apart, the toes a little turned out, and every 
 joint slightly bent. The racket should be close to the 
 body, with the left hand round the centre-piece. 
 
 You are now on the defensive, and your opponent 
 will, no doubt, have come forward in front of the service- 
 line. In this position, unless the first stroke has been a 
 weak one, you can hardly hope to win the rest off your 
 first return ; it is rather a time to play for safety. If 
 you can do so with a fair chance of success, try a fast 
 stroke down the side-line. If your opponent fails to 
 volley it well, you may hope to pass him next time. I 
 cannot advise trying to cross him on the first return ; he 
 has had time to place himself, and if he is not deceived 
 about your stroke, he ought to kill it. If you see no 
 good chance to play down the lines, the best thing to 
 do is to lob. Lob as high as you safely can, so that 
 the ball shall drop almost vertically. Stay back outside 
 of the base-line and wait for your opponent to volley 
 your lob. If he hits it hard, probably you can do little 
 
The Game. 41 
 
 else than lob again. If he simply stops it, you may be 
 able to go in and pass him ; if not, lob again and go 
 up and volley his return. This is a winning stroke if 
 your opponent is afraid to let out at a lob. 
 
 Where you cannot do this there is nothing to do 
 except to lob until you can get a chance to make a low 
 stroke, off which you can get forward. 
 
 Don't be too anxious to go forward, but if there is 
 any chance to do so, take it at once. Remember that 
 in lobbing you are on the defensive, and that you want 
 to reverse the positions the moment you can. 
 
 To return the service, stand completely out of court if 
 the ground is fast ; if slow, stand on the base-line. It 
 is much better to be too far back than not far enough. 
 It is easy to come forward, and in coming forward you 
 naturally throw your weight into the stroke. When 
 going back it is very difficult to strike properly, because 
 you have to stop suddenly and throw your weight for- 
 ward. You are seldom steady on your feet when going 
 back, and in any case your weight is not on the ball. 
 
 Do not go too far to one side to receive the service, 
 for you may have to step in either direction. One can 
 actually reach farther backhanded than forehanded, but 
 few players can make the backhand stroke as well. 
 
 If the first service into the right-hand court is good, 
 the best working return is probably the one down the 
 side-line into the backhand corner. Follow the stroke 
 up at once, and take your place a yard or two in front 
 of the service-line. 
 
 Your opponent may try to cross you ; he may play 
 down the side-line or he may lob. The hardest stroke 
 for you to return will be the one down your right side- 
 
42 Lawn-Tennis. 
 
 line, but most players find it a difficult return to make, 
 and prefer to play across the court If you sec that the 
 ball is coming across, step forward two or three paces 
 and volley it hard backhanded down into the forehand 
 corner. If it cornes down your side-line, do not come 
 farther up for it, but volley it back down the same side- 
 line, unless you are sure that you can play it across- 
 co'urt before your opponent can reach it. All cross-court 
 strokes, unless very well made, are dangerous, as they 
 allow one's opponent to come forward, and if he reaches 
 them he will have the best of the position. 
 
 Should your adversary lob, walk slowly back with 
 the ball and volley it quietly, but hard, into the back of 
 the court. Other things being equal, the backhand 
 corner is the best place into which to return a lob. If 
 your opponent lingers at all in the left-hand side of his 
 court, volley directly across to the forehand end of the 
 service-line. 
 
 Don't be afraid to hit a lob. There is really no half- 
 way ; if you don't make a good stroke off it, your 
 opponent will probably pass you. 
 
 In making these suggestions as to the strokes to play 
 in special cases, I am going as far as I see my way to 
 do in pure theory. For the rest, I can only call atten- 
 tion to a few general principles. 
 
 Don't stand still anywhere in the court. Keep in 
 motion all the time, for it is far easier to start quickly 
 if you do not " fix " yourself. The best example is a 
 marker in a tennis or racket court ; he seldom is running, 
 and yet he is almost always where the ball comes. A 
 part of this is no doubt due to his judgment, but a great 
 deal comes from never standing quite still. 
 
The Game. 43 
 
 Don't slam at a ball. It is very common to see 
 players "slog" at a fault or at a ball that has struck out 
 of court. It is a great mistake and puts you off your 
 stroke. A very common fault, if one is running for a 
 hard ball that can only just be reached, is to hit at it as 
 hard as one can. The chances are immensely against 
 such a stroke going over the net, while if the racket 
 were simply held in the way the ball would go back. 
 
 Don't give up a rest till it is lost. Try to get the ball 
 back even if it seems to be useless. There is always a 
 chance that it may be missed. 
 
 Don't be deceived by a ball, coming over the net, or 
 striking inside the court when you do not expect it. 
 Take it for granted that every ball must be returned. 
 
 Never drop a ball short. It is a very tempting stroke, 
 and at times very effective, but one loses a great many 
 strokes in trying it. In almost every case the ball could 
 be killed as well by a hard stroke, and the danger of 
 putting it into the net would be much less. It is very 
 difficult to hit a ball so slowly that it will just go over 
 the net, and if it goes a little too far one's opponent 
 comes forward to meet it, and can, as a rule, place it 
 wherever he pleases. I play the stroke at times, myself, 
 and each time vow that I will never try it again. 
 
 A necessary part of a good player is decision, and the 
 power of making up his mind quickly. Nowhere is this 
 so necessary as in following up the service. If you 
 mean to go up, don't hesitate for an instant, take the 
 chances and go, and don't stop half-way. Don't go up a 
 little way and then wait to see what will happen ; you 
 will not be far enough forward to volley, nor far enough 
 back to play off the ground. It puts you in a part of 
 
44 Lazvn-Tennis. 
 
 the court where you should never be, namely, somewhere 
 between the base-line and the service-line. The exact 
 position of this forbidden place depends on the speed 
 of the ground. It is at such a distance from the net 
 that the ball comes to you just above the ground, so 
 that you are forced to make a difficult volley or a half- 
 volley. You are not in position for volleying and would 
 be better off farther back. 
 
 It is very hard to say exactly where one should stand to 
 volley. The typical place seems to me to be a yard or 
 so in front of the service-line, and, if anything, nearer 
 still. The closer the player is to the net, the less ground 
 he has to cover. Imagine a player standing on the base- 
 line, and imagine a line drawn from him to each end of 
 the opposite service-line. These two lines represent the 
 two most widely-divergent strokes that he can make. 
 If now you stand on the service-line you have to cover 
 27 ft. ; on the base-line 35 ft. ; half-way from the ser- 
 vice-line to the net, 22 ft. ; and at the net only 17 ft. 
 In reality, the amount of space you will have to cover 
 is less, as you cannot make a fast stroke without its going 
 beyond the service-line. Thus the nearer a player is 
 to the net the less space he leaves his opponent to place 
 the ball in, but, on the other hand, the quicker he himself 
 must be to judge and reach the ball. It is a great gain 
 if you can volley the ball while it is still above the level 
 of the net, as it can then be volleyed downward. If you 
 allow the ball to drop much, you have got to volley up- 
 wards to get it over the net, and there can be little 
 severity in your stroke, which moreover itself is a 
 more difficult one to make. Again, the sooner you 
 meet the ball, the less time you give your opponent to 
 
The Game. 45 
 
 recover from his last stroke and to prepare himself for 
 the return. For myself, I am always ready to take a 
 good deal of risk in order to stand near enough to make 
 a severe volley. If one's opponent lobs much it is 
 unsafe to go in close, as one may have to run back for 
 the ball. 
 
 In a word, it seems to me that each player must judge 
 for himself in what place he can return his adversary's 
 strokes to the greatest advantage, and this place will not 
 be the same against different players. You can usually 
 tell if your opponent means to lob, and I believe that it is 
 right to go in closer whenever one is sure that he will 
 not lob, and then fall back again to be ready for any 
 stroke next time. 
 
 There is one more point to which I want to call 
 attention. Suppose that you have made a weak volley 
 into the middle of the court and are at the time well 
 forward. Your opponent can probably put the ball 
 about where he pleases. What should you do? Get 
 back by all means if you can, for that is better than 
 staying up with the chances against you. If you can't 
 do that, stay and fight it out, but remember that there 
 is no use in standing still in the middle. Your opponent 
 can put it either side of you. Wait till he has made up 
 his mind, and then go to one side or the other. Even if 
 you have no idea to which side you ought to go, it is 
 still an even chance that you will choose the right one. 
 In such a case it is the only chance that you have, and 
 jf your opponent sees you going the right way he may 
 miss his stroke in trying to change its direction. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 MATCH PLAY. 
 
 MATCH play is always a very different matter from 
 simple practice. The excitement and anxiety affect 
 nearly all players ; some more, some less. The majority, 
 I fancy, play worse in a match, while a few players 
 need the interest of a match to make them play their 
 best. 
 
 Then the question of endurance comes in, which in 
 practice is of very little importance, as you can stop 
 playing when you feel tired. A match, moreover, is in 
 itself more exhausting, as you can seldom afford to 
 drop your game to rest yourself, and the anxiety tells 
 greatly on your wind. A player who often plays six 
 or seven hard sets in practice may feel utterly out of 
 breath in the first set of a match, mainly from excite- 
 ment. The more he plays the less he will notice 
 the difference between practice and matches. 
 
 A great difference, too, lies in the fact that a player, 
 being anxious, is afraid to play his game, and tries only 
 to get the ball back. This is a very great mistake, but 
 it is much easier to tell him to play as he usually does 
 than for him to do it. Almost the first advice that 
 
Match Play. 47 
 
 I should give to any one who was going into his first 
 match, " Try to play just as you would in practice." 
 If he cannot win by playing his usual game, he will, as 
 a rule, play worse instead of better by changing it. It 
 may prove, of course, that you cannot win with your 
 usual style of play. In such a case, try something else 
 by all means, but don't do so until your own game has 
 been fairly tried. 
 
 If you are winning, be still more careful to hold to 
 the same game. One often sees a player at forty-love 
 serve fast twice or try a slashing stroke or two. It was 
 not by such play that he reached forty- love. If he 
 keeps to his game he ought to win one stroke in the 
 next three, but who knows what may happen if he tries 
 experiments ? 
 
 The same thing is done at four games-love, at five 
 games to one or two, or at any such score, and the 
 player who is ahead is often justly rewarded by losing 
 the set. 
 
 Another player will be tempted in the opposite way. 
 He gets a good lead, and, to make sure of the set, begins 
 to play a very cautious game. The moment he does so 
 he is playing a weaker game. His real game gave him 
 his lead, but that does not show that he can hold his 
 advantage unless he plays as well as he has been 
 playing. 
 
 I saw one of ..he great matches last year lost in just 
 this way by a desire to make too sure. In conclusion 
 I can only say that each one should play the game that he 
 can play best, and let him have the courage to stick to 
 it, whether he is ahead or behind. 
 
 My object in speaking of match play is less to sug- 
 
48 Lawn- Tennis. 
 
 gest any special game than to point out certain advan- 
 tages that are constantly thrown away. 
 
 First, as to the toss. A coin is better than a racket. 
 More rackets, I feel sure, come up rough than smooth. 
 If you win the toss, go into both sides of the court, and 
 observe carefully how the light comes, the wind, the 
 background, the ground itself, and the amount of room 
 round it. Do not forget that the sun will move a good 
 way during five sets, and it may be possible to get the 
 best side twice in succession. 
 
 When playing the best of five sets, take the best 
 court, unless there is some special reason against it. If 
 the worst court will be much worse than it is in half-an- 
 hour, it pays to take it first. One may win the first set 
 in it before it gets too bad, and should then have a 
 certainty of the second and fourth sets. If the first set 
 should -be lost, the second and fourth sets should bring 
 the score level, and no harm would have been done. 
 
 If a player takes the best court first he is sure of 
 having it twice in a match, and he stands more chance 
 of winning three sets to love. If the court decides the 
 set, he will have the lead all through till the fifth set, 
 and even then will have it for the first game. 
 
 In matches that are the best of three sets you have 
 to take each court once, and, if there is a difference in 
 the light, I believe that it pays to take the worse court 
 first. You do not feel the light nearly as much then 
 as you do after changing from the better side, and your 
 opponent does not appreciate the advantage that he 
 has. If the light is so bad that you lose the first set, 
 you ought to be as sure as ever of winning the second. 
 The only exception is in playing against a young or 
 
Match Play. 49 
 
 iainthearted player, who will be so much encouraged by 
 winning the first set that he will be harder to beat the 
 second. It is a safe choice against any old match- 
 player, as he will understand the case perfectly. 
 
 With a wind blowing up and down the court, it pays 
 best to play the first set with the wind. One gets into 
 one's stroke better in this way, and, on changing sides, it 
 is easier to hit harder than to keep a constant check on 
 one's self to avoid hitting out of court. 
 
 In knocking up before a match, always take the court 
 with the sun in your eyes, so that, if you lose the toss, 
 you will be accustomed to the sun, and will not have to 
 change from good light to bad. If you win the toss, 
 you will feel the advantage of the light all the more. 
 
 It is now very common to change sides every game 
 of the whole match. Should you wish to do so, do not 
 forget to appeal before tossing, or else it can be done 
 in the odd set only. 
 
 If you fancy yourself to be a stronger player than 
 your opponent, it is better to change sides every game 
 of the match, or else he may win two sets with the help 
 of the better side, and then everything will depend on 
 the odd set. 
 
 If you change sides every game, and are really better 
 than he, you should be able to win every set, or, at least, 
 three sets out of four. 
 
 If your opponent is better than yourself, on no 
 account change sides if you can help it. Try to win 
 two sets in the good court, and trust to luck for the odd 
 one. 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 equal. 
 
 E 
 
Lawn- Tennis. 
 
 In one word, if you are the better player, do all that 
 you can to exclude luck from the game, because, if there 
 is no luck for either side, you will probably win. If 
 luck is to come in, no one can say who will get the best 
 of it. 
 
 The next point to consider is the service. With 
 duffers the service is an advantage, because the striker- 
 out misses so many balls, or, at least, returns them 
 weakly. With good players, I believe the service to be 
 a decided disadvantage. On a good ground almcst 
 every service can be returned. The first service, if fast, 
 seldom comes off ; if of moderate speed, it can be re- 
 turned with ease. A second service should leave the 
 striker-out free to do what he chooses with it. 
 
 I should, therefore, always give my opponent the 
 service if I could, unless sides were to be changed every 
 game. In this case the service will always come from 
 one end, and if you lose the toss you can choose from 
 which end. 
 
 Against the sun and wind most services will be weak ; 
 therefore, if you serve better than your opponent, put 
 the service with the sun and wind. If he serves 
 better than you, you can diminish his advantage by 
 putting the server in the worst court. 
 
 If you can serve the reverse overhand service, always 
 put the server against the wind and sun. This service 
 will twist more against the wind or going up hill, and 
 the ordinary service will suffer. Moreover, in serving it, 
 one looks to the left, and can often keep the sun out of 
 one's eyes when one's opponent will have to face it. 
 
 Should there be a slope in the court, a fast service 
 down hill will be unusually severe. If you are playing 
 
Match Play. 51 
 
 a weaker man, put the service up hill ; if a stronger 
 serve down hill. 
 
 The present rule of changing sides at the end of every 
 game works rather absurdly in one way, as it is a dis- 
 advantage to win the toss. It is seldom that a player 
 has not a decided preference for serving from one end 
 rather than from the other, and his opponent will pro- 
 bably prefer the opposite. It is a small advantage to 
 have the better court for the first game, compared with 
 the arrangement of the service. If the winner of the toss 
 chooses the court, his opponent can make him serve or 
 serve himself, as he prefers to have the service come 
 from one end or the other. If the winner chooses to 
 serve he can be put in either court that his opponent 
 sees fit. If you are unlucky enough to win the toss, take 
 the service, if you want the service to come from the 
 worst court, and your opponent may prefer to let it be 
 so rather than to give you the best court. If you want 
 the service to come from the best court, make him serve 
 so that he shall have to choose the worst side to prevent 
 it. 
 
 A good instance of the value of the toss happened to 
 me last season. In a double match I lost the toss ; my 
 opponents, after consulting, came to me, and offered me 
 the choice on the ground that it made no difference to 
 them. I naturally answered that they had won the toss, 
 and could choose what they liked, but that they must 
 choose something. 
 
 , The whole matter is complicated by the question of 
 endurance. A five-set match will last two hours, and if 
 the players are evenly matched, condition will make a 
 great difference. What, then, is the best thing for the 
 
5 2 Lawn - Ten n is. 
 
 player who is physically the weaker to do to diminish 
 his opponent's advantage ? 
 
 If there is some difference between the sides, but it is 
 still quite possible to win on either, I should advise the 
 weaker player to change sides every game, else he may 
 exhaust himself in trying to win on the worse side. 
 Besides, he is more likely to win three sets-love. Instead 
 of this, when the difference is distinct, but not very 
 great, he may take the worst court and try to win the 
 first set in it while he is still fresh, and then play for the 
 second and fourth sets on the good side. If he is rather 
 a better player than his opponent, he will stand a good 
 chance to win the first set, and he should then have a 
 great advantage, if he only takes care of himself. If he 
 is rather the worse player as well as the weaker, he had 
 better play for two sets on the better side and for the 
 fifth, for he probably cannot win on the worst side, and 
 will injure his chance for the last set if he tries to. 
 
 If the difference between the sides is very great and 
 the players about equal, I thinK that the weaker man 
 should not change sides every game if he can help it. 
 Here, too, his best chance is to win two sets easily and 
 hope for the fifth. If he changes sides, the games may 
 be won alternately by the help of the court, and the sets 
 may be very long. 
 
 Of course, the interest of the more enduring player is 
 exactly the opposite. He should prolong the match as 
 much as possible, and when on the worse side should 
 play up all that he can, so as to tire his adversary, even 
 if he cannot win. 
 
 A great deal of judgment is requisite to decide when 
 to let a set go. One's adversary is seldom as easy 
 
Match Play. 53 
 
 to beat after he has won a set as he was before, and I 
 think that " chucking" a set is a luxury that should be 
 indulged in very seldom, and only when playing up 
 would spoil one's chance in the other sets. 
 
 A player should never play slackly because he fancies 
 the set won. Every game that he loses encourages his 
 opponent, and also makes it harder for himself to get 
 back to his old game. There is no score at which a set 
 is safe till it is won. 
 
 On the other hand, never give up a match till it is lost. 
 I have seen the score two sets to love and five games 
 to two, and the player who was ahead lost the match. 
 It is always worth while to try for one more game. Try 
 to learn to play up the whole time, unless it is absolutely 
 necessary to ease off to save your wind. 
 
 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 ready. Your opponent will 
 often serve as soon as your face is turned towards him, 
 and there is a strong temptation to return the ball. In 
 such a case you are not really ready. You should take 
 time enough to get to your place, and get your feet 
 under you and your eyes fixed on your opponent. If 
 he serves too soon, let the ball go by untouched, and do 
 the same thing on the second service, and on every other 
 service for which you are not perfectly ready. 
 
 When you go in to volley, and you see the ball 
 coming to you, make up your mind in time where you 
 mean to put it. I have often lost a stroke by being too 
 slow in deciding, and having to think where the ball 
 should go at the time that I ought to have been 
 playing it. 
 
54 Lawn-Tennis. 
 
 Often when a player is about to volley a ball to kill it, 
 he sees his opponent going to the spot where he intends 
 to put the ball. Ought he to change his mind and put 
 it elsewhere ? I think certainly not. It is better to trust 
 to the original stroke ; if he changes he will probably 
 make a weak stroke or miss altogether. This does not 
 apply to cases where he sees his opponent going to one 
 side or the other before he has made up his mind. He 
 should then, of course, play to the unprotected side. 
 
 Watch your opponent playing beforehand if you can. 
 Few players have no weak points, and it may be of great 
 service to you to know his. 
 
 Be careful to get thoroughly warm before you go into 
 court. Without this precaution, one is very apt to lose the 
 first game or two, which perhaps one can ill spare. Every 
 man must judge for himself how much warming-up he 
 needs, for he must not carry it to the extent of tiring 
 himself at all before a long match. 
 
 Do not neglect to find out who is to umpire for you, 
 and if you think him incompetent, object to him before the 
 match. It is sufficient if his manner is annoying to you, 
 as you need all your attention for the game. 
 
 You will be constantly umpired out of games, and 
 even matches, and the annoyance is much less if you 
 feel that you have done all that was in your power by 
 having good men to umpire. 
 
 Learn in a match to say nothing about the decisions, 
 and to think of them as little as possible, else one bad 
 decision may lose you many strokes. 
 
 Be careful about the minor details of the game. 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 
 
Match Play. 55 
 
 your hand. Have a second racket ready in case of 
 accidents, and have it as like the first as possible. 
 
 Look to your shoes, and see that there are enough 
 points in them, and that they are not clogged up with 
 dirt. 
 
 If you want something to drink in a match, brandy 
 with a little water i:i it is the best thing ; soda is too 
 bulky. A slice of lemon is very pleasant in hot weather. 
 
 If the handle of your racket slips a little, lemon-juice 
 rubbed on it makes it easier to hold. With an octagonal 
 handle, I believe that any slipping of the racket arises 
 from some fault in the way in which it is held. 
 
 As to eating and drinking, I believe in living just as 
 one is in the habit of doing, using stimulants and 
 luxuries in moderation. 
 
 Perhaps the most important matter is sleep. Going 
 to bed at two and sleeping till ten is by no means the 
 same thing as getting eight hours sleep earlier in the 
 night. It has come to be a well-recognised fact that 
 one cannot go to a ball and play matches the next day. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE DOUBLE GAME. 
 
 I DO not intend to discuss different ways of playing the 
 double game, such as one man at the net and the other 
 back, &c., because at the present time there is only one 
 style of game among good players. 
 
 Roth men should stand a yard or two yards in front 
 of the service-line, and each near enough to his own side- 
 line to prevent his being passed on that side. I do 
 not mean that each player should have a spot in the 
 court where he should stand, for then it would be easy 
 to put the ball between the two players or outside of 
 either of them. 
 
 When waiting for the return of the service, the player 
 on that side should keep well out to defend his own 
 side-line, and his partner (the server) should come up 
 near enough to the middle-line to prevent the ball from 
 passing between them. This principle applies more or 
 less to all cases where the return is to come from a spot 
 near a side-line. When the ball is in the middle of the 
 court, each player of the other side should stand about 
 the middle of his own court, and, as in the single game, 
 should fall back a little if he expects a lob, and corny 
 forward a little to meet a low ball. 
 
The Double Game. 57 
 
 One great difference between the single and double 
 games is that in the double the court is more fully 
 covered, as there are only eighteen feet for each player 
 to defend, instead of twenty-seven. The result is that 
 it is much more difficult to place a ball where it cannot 
 be reached, and one has to hit harder to kill than 
 in the single game. 
 
 It is hard to say just where the server should stand to 
 serve, but it should not be so near the middle as in the 
 single game, because he has more space to cover on one 
 side and none on the other. Perhaps the best place is 
 about the middle of his own half of the base-line, but it 
 is n her a matter of taste. 
 
 His partner should stand on the other side of the 
 court just in front of the service-line, and near enough 
 to the side-line to make it impossible for the ball to pass 
 him on that side. There is hardly anything that dis- 
 courages a player so much as to see his partner leave 
 his side-line unprotected. 
 
 The server should follow up his service at once, so as 
 to volley the return. If he serves a fault, let him 
 serve again very slowly and up in the air, so as to 
 give himself time to get to the service-line and into 
 position before the return can reach him. If he serves 
 a ball of medium pace he will probably have to volley 
 while on the run, and the return may strike the ground 
 in front of him so that he will have to half-volley. 
 
 The striker-out takes the service in about the same 
 
 .position as in the single game. His partner should 
 
 stand a little behind the service-line, and near the 
 
 middle of his court, so as to have a chance of saving 
 
 the ball should the striker-out make a weak return of 
 
5 8 Laivn- Tenn is. 
 
 the service. If the service is well returned, he should 
 run forward into his place, which is about a yard in front 
 of the service-line, and near enough to his own side-line 
 to protect it. If the first service is a fault, he should go 
 forward at once, as his partner should have no trouble 
 in dealing with the second service, and he himself needs 
 to be in his own place for the opponent's first return. 
 
 Where should the return of the service be placed ? A 
 fast service should always be placed across court, because 
 the server's partner is standing in front of the striker-out, 
 and has a much better chance to make a severe volley 
 than the server who is running up. A second service 
 can be played in several ways. The server has no doubt 
 followed up his service, and if he has served slowly 
 enough he will be up to the service-line, and both sides 
 of the court will be covered. Still, one can often put 
 the ball between the two players so that neither can get 
 it easily, and I fancy this stroke most for a return of the 
 second service. You sometimes, of course, get a chance 
 to play down the side-line, because your opponent on that 
 side has come in too far toward the middle of the court. 
 
 If there seems to be no opening, one may be able to 
 make a slow stroke that will drop enough to force a half- 
 volley. If such a stroke is too difficult, the best thing 
 to do is to hit directly at one of the opponents, for a 
 ball that comes directly at one's body is seldom as easy 
 to volley as a ball a little to one side. 
 
 You can also try playing to the side of the court so as 
 to force one of your opponents out to the side-line, and 
 thus make a gap between him and his partner. 
 
 A very pretty stroke off the second service is to pla;* 
 the ball very slowly directly across the court aim' ^ 
 
The Double Game. 59 
 
 parallel with the net. The ball should strike just inside 
 the side-line. This can be done only when the service 
 bounds high and not far back in the court. It is an 
 essential part of the stroke that it should be made 
 slowly, or the ball must go out of court. The server 
 has not time to get forward before the ball touches 
 the ground, and if he returns it at all it will usually 
 be by a half-volley. 
 
 When all four players are in position for volleying, 
 one is often puzzled where to put the ball, as there seems 
 to be no place left vacant for it. The same principles 
 apply here as in the return of the second service, except 
 that the server has had time to place himself. You must 
 work for an opening by driving one of your opponents 
 out of place, or you must try to make one of them half- 
 volley, which may give a chance for a smash, 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 yourself. 
 
 Against weaker players one can well afford to take no 
 risks and wait for a chance, but against better players 
 this will not prove a winning game, and it will pay to 
 try to make an opening better than to wait for one. 
 
 A player should try to keep far enough forward to 
 volley before the ball can drop, for if he is forced to 
 half-volley he is almost sure to give his opponent a 
 chance to kill. 
 
 One can smash more safely in the double game, be- 
 cause the court is larger. It is also necessary to volley 
 harder to kill than in the single game, as the court is 
 more fully covered. 
 
 Should you make a weak stroke from the back of the 
 
60 Lawn- Tennis. 
 
 court, as, for instance, a short lob, both you and your 
 partner should fall back to or behind the base-line and 
 try to save the ball. 
 
 The great difficulty of the double game is to divide 
 the play properly between the two partners. The ques- 
 tion is not of letting each one play the same number of 
 balls, but simply of allowing each to take those which 
 he can play to the greatest advantage. 
 
 With both men in position for volleying, each player 
 of course takes the balls on his own side ; the trouble is 
 simply about those between them. The simplest rule 
 and the best is to let the. partner who played the last 
 ball play the next. He knows best where the return 
 will probably come, and his eye is in for it. I fully 
 believe in the teaching of the Champion, that a player 
 should be allowed to finish a rest if he can. That does 
 not mean that he is to rush all over the court, but that 
 he is to take all the doubtful balls. A player feels the 
 wisdom of this rule when he has been watching his 
 partner play several strokes in succession, and is sud- 
 denly called on to take a fast volley himself. He does 
 not know where nor when it is coming nearly as well as 
 if he had played the ball before it. 
 
 This shows us another principle of double play. 
 Keep hammering at one man, if he is at a disadvantage, 
 as thus you can probably gain something with each 
 stroke. If, however, he is on equal terms with you, 
 after he has played several strokes hit hard at his 
 partner, who is often unprepared. 
 
 It is well to have some understanding between the 
 two partners as to which shall take doubtful balls, 
 where the principle before explained does not apply. 
 
The Double Game. 6 1 
 
 If one player is better than his partner it is right to 
 allow him to play all such balls. 
 
 If the sun is across the court, one player can see such 
 balls much more clearly than the other, and this should 
 be recognised and arranged for beforehand. 
 
 The two players are seldom at the same distance 
 from the net, and if there is a chance to smash a ball 
 the more forward player should take it, if the ball comes 
 near him. With high balls, the player to whom they 
 come forehanded is usually the one who should take 
 them, and that, of course, is the one on the left side. 
 
 On the other hand, with low diagonal strokes, it is 
 best to let the player towards whom the ball is crossing 
 the court, play it. It is usually within the other player's 
 reach, but he will probably find it a difficult stroke, and 
 will gain nothing by taking it himself. For instance, if 
 the service is returned from the right court into the 
 right court on the other side, the left-hand player can 
 usually reach and return it, but he will do better to leave 
 it for his partner who is coming forward to meet it. 
 Cases of this kind occur constantly and lead to a great 
 deal of trouble. 
 
 This brings me to the practice called " Poaching,' 
 i.e., taking balls that should be played by one's partner. 
 
 You may often see a ball which you feel sure that you 
 can play better than your partner, although it is not on 
 your own side of the court. My advice would always be 
 " Don't touch such a ball ! " To reach it you must go 
 across the court, and your own side is left unprotected, 
 so that if you fail to kill the ball you probably lose the 
 rest. Moreover, if your partner is as good a player as 
 yourself, he ought to be left to play the ball ; if he is 
 
62 Lawn- Tennis. 
 
 not good, it is a mistake to let him see that you do not 
 trust him. It will cost you more strokes than you will 
 gain by taking his balls. 
 
 The only time that it seems right to me to cross is 
 when there has been a very weak return made, and you 
 feel sure that you can kill the ball, and at the same time 
 feel sure that your partner is too far back to reach it in 
 time to do the same thing. 
 
 With this exception, never go in front of your partner ; 
 it destroys his confidence, and he never knows when he 
 will be called upon to play. 
 
 There are a great many balls between the two players 
 which one of them can certainly play better than the 
 other, and yet the wrong one will often take them. In 
 such cases it is simply a mistake ; it is not poaching in 
 the real sense of the word. One often takes such balls 
 instinctively, and often, too, one is a bit farther forward 
 than one's partner, and cannot tell if it is safe to leave the 
 balls to him. 
 
 There is certainly a lot of poaching done, and a 
 sufficient reason for avoiding it is that it really does not 
 pay. 
 
 On the other hand there is a lot of nonsense talked 
 about poaching, where it is simply jealousy between the 
 two players. 
 
 When a player cannot forgive his partner for taking a 
 ball that he should have left to him, especially where it 
 is simply a mistake of judgment, he is not himself a 
 fit partner to play with. 
 
 Another great mistake is to find fault with your 
 partner's play. It never does any good, and it either 
 makes him lose his temper or discourages him. If he 
 
TIic Double Game. 63 
 
 misses an easy stroke, remember that you might have 
 done the same, and if he makes a good one give him 
 the credit of it. 
 
 If your partner is going to play a stroke, keep away 
 a little and give him room. If he hears you coming up 
 behind he may think that you mean to take the ball, 
 and, in any case, hearing you so near may take off his 
 attention. 
 
 Be careful to play up as well as you can all through a 
 double match. You may be able to pull yourself to- 
 gether after some slack play, but you may have got 
 your partner so discouraged that he cannot play at all, 
 so that you will lose the match and it will be nobody's 
 fault but your own. 
 
 This applies also in cases where your partner lacks 
 endurance. Remember that he may be of little assis- 
 tance to you at the end of a long match, and you should 
 never by any carelessness of your own, give your oppo- 
 nents a chance to prolong the 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 LADIES' AND GENTLEMEN'S DOUBLES. 
 
 IT seems fitting to say something of these matches since 
 most tournaments give prizes for them, but it is very 
 hard to give any definite advice as to the best method 
 of playing them. It depends so much on one's partner, 
 and on the strength of one's adversaries. 
 
 It may be taken for granted that the lady is not as 
 strong a player as her partner, and the game therefore 
 consists in protecting your own partner and attacking 
 your adversary's. 
 
 As to the choice of court and service, the same prin- 
 ciples apply as in doubles, except that the sendee is 
 worth taking, as one expects to gain an advantage when 
 serving to the lady. 
 
 It is perhaps best to put your partner in the left 
 court, as the service will not come so hard to her there 
 as in the other court. Besides, you have more chance 
 of winning the first stroke if you play it yourself, and it 
 is encouraging to have the lead. 
 
 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 it, 
 so that she can easily reach any balls on that side of the 
 
Ladies and Gentlemen's Doubles. 65 
 
 court. The man looks after the rest of the court, and 
 does any volleying that is to be done. The lady's part 
 of the work is simple enough in theory ; she takes all 
 the strokes in her part of the court, and also saves, as 
 far as she can, any balls which her partner fails to 
 reach. 
 
 What the man should do is harder to say. My own 
 idea is about as follows : 
 
 If the service comes to the man, he should return it 
 hard to the lady opposite, and then follow up to volley 
 her return. In coming forward he should not take the 
 middle of the court, but should keep towards his own 
 side, so that there shall be little danger of her passing 
 him down his own side-line, and also so that his partner 
 may know which side of the court she is to cover. 
 
 Supposing that the ball is returned to his partner, the 
 man should not stay forward, or he will leave her to play 
 the whole game against both the adversaries, but he 
 should go back to her assistance till he gets a chance 
 to come forward again. 
 
 She, in her turn, has to get the ball away from 
 the man on the opposite side, who has no doubt come 
 forward ; and, if she fails, she and her partner must try 
 to save the stroke as best they can. If she succeeds in 
 passing the man opposite, there probably will be a chance 
 for her partner to go forward and volley. 
 
 If the man is serving, he should follow up a severe 
 service if he possibly can. For the return of a secon 1 
 service it is better for him to stay back at or about the 
 middle of the base-line, for he can play most strokes 
 better than his partner, and if he goes forward on a weak 
 service the ball will probably come to her. 
 
 F 
 
66 Lawn- Tennis. 
 
 With both players back in the court, the lady at the 
 corner and the man at the middle of the base-line, he 
 should leave her to play all the balls that come to her. 
 If he takes his partner's balls, as many do, he must 
 leave his side of the court wholly unprotected, and he is 
 unlikely to gain enough to justify the risk. 
 
 If the ball comes to the man, his natural return is to 
 the corner where the lady is standing. If her partner 
 has come forward to volley there should be little diffi- 
 culty in passing him in a double court, and if he gets 
 out into the middle it may pay to try to pass him on 
 the side away from his partner. 
 
 It is so easy to pass a volleyer in a 36 ft. court, that 
 there is not much use in coming forward unless the last 
 stroke has been to the lady, or has been unusually 
 severe 
 
 A man should .take more risk in volleying than in 
 the double game, because his partner is unable to do 
 her share of the play, and he can at times go across 
 the court for an easy ball. He should not, however, do 
 this often. He leaves the space behind him unprotected, 
 and is apt to lessen his partner's confidence. 
 
 In cases where he does go across, there should be a 
 distinct understanding as to the place in which his 
 partner should stay. She can either stay where she is, 
 while he goes back to his own side after the stroke, or 
 she can cross and he stay on her side. The latter would, 
 I believe, be the better plan for partners who played 
 often together. 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 himself. In spite of this 
 advantage, I should prefer with most partners to have 
 
Ladies' and Gentlemen's Doubles. 67 
 
 the lady always keep her own side and the man go back 
 to his, after crossing for a stroke. 
 
 If there is no arrangement, the man may be afraid to 
 leave any ball after he has once gone across, because he 
 cannot spare time to see where his partner is. 
 
 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 match. If your 
 partner is not as good as the lady opposite, the match 
 must be lost unless you can make up for her weakness. 
 Again, if the man against you is one of the great 
 volleyers, the ball must be kept away from him at any 
 risk. If you let the ball go back to your partner he 
 will get more chances than you can afford to give him. 
 In such a case I feel sure that it is right to go across to 
 volley on the least opportunity. 
 
 On the other hand, if your partner is really good, 
 don't be afraid to trust her ; give her plenty of room 
 and don't worry her. If she is better than the lady 
 opposite, you should play a safe game. Cover your 
 own side and she will win, unless the man against you is 
 an unusually good player. 
 
 A very good example took place in some scratch 
 pairs last summer. A very good player drew a lady 
 who could not hit a ball over the net. Against him was 
 a good middle- class player who had one of the best 
 partners that he could have. If the man would have 
 stayed quiet, this pair would certainly have won. Instead 
 of that, he kept getting into the middle of the court, 
 only to be passed down his own side-line. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 UMPIRES AND UMPIRING. 
 
 IN the chapter on match play, I have already spoken 
 of umpires. It is a subject that is always leading to 
 trouble, and a great deal of the tremble is unnecessary. 
 
 We all know how hard it is to umpire, and that an 
 umpire gets little thanks if he makes no mistakes, and 
 a great deal of blame if he is wrong. You will often be 
 asked to umpire, especially if you umpire well, and I 
 think that you owe it to your friends to umpire if you 
 can. 
 
 The great secret is attention. Watch the ball the 
 whole time. Do not watch a line, for if the ball crosses it 
 suddenly you will not know on which side of the line 
 it struck the ground. If you follow the ball only, you 
 will see where it strikes, and can then tell on which 
 side of the line. 
 
 Do not call "play," nor "good," nor anything else,unless 
 the ball is out, and then call sharply and loud enough 
 to make it impossible for the players not to hear. If 
 you are appealed to in the middle of a rest and are 
 unable to decide, call " play it out," and at the end of 
 the rest you can give your decision if one is necessary. 
 
 Do not call until the ball has touched the ground, and 
 then call as quickly as possible. 
 
Umpires and Umpiring. 69 
 
 Remember that an umpire is an unfortunate necessity, 
 and his first object should be to make himself as little 
 conspicuous as possible, and to annoy the players as 
 little as he can. What the players want is an umpire 
 who will attend to the game and will give an honest 
 decision as quickly and distinctly as possible. They 
 do not want any fancy umpiring done at their expense. 
 
 About the worst umpire that there can be is one who 
 is trying to show off his umpiring. I believe myself 
 that players are as a class the best umpires. They are 
 more used to watching the ball, and will, therefore, see 
 it more correctly. Besides, they understand better 
 what the players look for in an umpire. 
 
 It is your duty to keep the net at the right height, 
 and you should arrange it before play begins, and from 
 time to time afterwards, but don't get down to look at 
 it in the middle of a game, unless it is absolutely neces- 
 sary. Look to see that the inside posts are in place, if 
 any are needed, and that they are not there for a double 
 game. 
 
 Enforce the rules strictly. It is not for you to dis- 
 cuss them during a match, but simply to take them as 
 they stand. The moment that you relax them you 
 have no guide left. Be careful to find out beforehand 
 how many sets are to be played, and if they are vantage 
 sets or not. In case of any question arising about the 
 rules, send at once for the referee. 
 
 No matter at what height you stand, it is impossible to 
 see the farther side-line properly ; and the same is true 
 in a smaller degree of the base-Vnes. It is nearly 
 impossible to call foot faults and to watch the service- 
 line too. You, therefore, need at least three line um- 
 
70 Lawn- Tennis. 
 
 pires. If you cannot get men whom you can trust, it is 
 better to umpire the base-lines yourself. It is a mistake 
 to let a man take the side-line and one of the base-lines 
 too. He will have to stand away from both lines, and 
 in such a place he cannot see the base-line as well as 
 you can yourself, and he cannot umpire the side-line 
 really well. 
 
 If a line umpire cannot decide a stroke on his own 
 line as when a player comes between him and the ball, 
 or for any other reason give your own decision, if you 
 are sure that you could see the stroke ; if not, direct it 
 to be played again. 
 
 If the same thing happens on one of the lines that 
 you are taking yourself, you can appeal to one of the 
 line umpires, if he is in a place where he could see the 
 ball. On no account appeal to the gallery, for you are 
 certain to get both decisions. 
 
 If one of the players in a case of doubt tells you that 
 he lost the stroke, you should take his word for it, as he 
 is almost certainly right. You have no right to ask him, 
 and he is under no obligation to say anything, but if, of 
 his own accord, he gives the stroke, I can see no reason 
 why it should be played again. 
 
 If the players agree, their decision should certainly 
 be taken. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ODDS. 
 
 ODDS are of two kinds " given " and " owed." When 
 odds are given, one player starts at love and his opponent 
 at fifteen, thirty, &c. If odds are owed, one player is 
 love and the other behind scratch, so that he must make 
 one or more strokes before his score reaches love. 
 There is one other difference between the two kinds of 
 odds. With given odds, the larger odds are taken in 
 the even-numbered games, and, with owed odds, in the 
 odd-numbered games. The object is to distribute the 
 odds as evenly as possible through the different games 
 in cases where odds are both owed and given. 
 
 For instance, suppose A. owes B. half-fifteen and 
 gives him half-fifteen also. In the first game A. starts 
 at owe fifteen and B. at love ; in the second game A. is 
 love and B. fifteen. Were it not for this provision the 
 first games would start at love-all and the next at owe 
 fifteen-fifteen. 
 
 Handicaps are now so general that something may 
 well be said of the game to play when giving or takin'- 
 large odds. If a player is receiving large odds, he musv 
 remember that his opponent is probably a much better 
 
72 Lawn- Tennis. 
 
 player than himself. If, then, he plays a cautious game 
 and tries mainly not to make mistakes, his opponent 
 will win nearly every stroke. The receiver of odds 
 ought to play as bold a game as possible. He should 
 hit hard and take every chance of making a stroke that 
 cannot be returned. Let him give the same odds to 
 some weaker player, and he will soon find how difficult 
 it is to give them if his opponent plays a fast game. 
 Against a player who hits hard and takes the chances 
 one is apt to make more mistakes than one can afford. 
 
 The reverse is true if a player is giving large odds. 
 He cannot afford to play as free a game as he would if 
 playing level. If he can make any particular stroke 
 that will win the rest twice in three times, he will win 
 easily against an equal, but if he is giving very large 
 odds he cannot afford to lose even one stroke in three. 
 In such cases the better player can afford to take no 
 risks whatever, and must play wholly for safety. If the 
 odds are very small, he should play the same game 
 that he would when playing level, and between these 
 two extremes his own judgment must guide him in 
 deciding what style of game to play. 
 
 There is little to say about odds in themselves, as it 
 is settled by law how they shall be taken ; thus fifteen 
 is one stroke given at the beginning of every game of a 
 set, and no judgment can make it anything else. There 
 is, however, one important exception, the bisque. 
 
CHAPTER VIL 
 
 BISQUE. 
 
 A BISQUE is one stroke given in each set of a match, 
 either by itself or to increase or diminish other odds. 
 In other words, a player to whom a bisque is given can 
 at any time in the set add one stroke to his score simply 
 by claiming it The only restrictions are that a bisque 
 cannot be taken after serving a fault or during a rest. 
 A bisque can be taken after one's opponent has served 
 a fault. The explanation is very simple. It is not in- 
 tended that a player should attempt to give a very 
 difficult service, which would give him an advantage if it 
 should come off, and then, when it has failed, take his 
 bisque. On the other hand, it has not been thought 
 necessary to forbid him to take his bisque after his 
 opponent has served a fault, because in this case 
 nothing can be gained by waiting till the first service 
 has failed. 
 
 The value of a bisque must always vary as the chance 
 to take it to the best advantage comes or does not come. 
 In a very large number of matches, winning a particular 
 stroke would make all the difference in the world. In 
 other matches, by no means one-sided, there is no one 
 
74 Lawn- Tennis. 
 
 turning-point where a bisque is of much value. But if 
 the value of a bisque varies according to chance, it 
 varies a great deal more according to the knowledge and 
 skill of the player who takes it. When, then, should a 
 bisque be taken ? 
 
 1. To make three, four, or five games love. 
 
 2. To make three, four, or five games to one. 
 
 3. To make four or five games to two. 
 
 4. To make five games to three. 
 
 5. Sometimes to make four games to three or five games to four. 
 
 6. Sometimes to make five games all. 
 
 7. Sometimes to make three or four games to five. 
 
 8. Sometimes to make deuce at four games to five. 
 
 9. Always to make game and set. 
 
 I will now try to give the reasons for taking a bisque 
 in each of the above cases. 
 
 I. Three games love is a winning score. Two games 
 to one is a level one. Four games to one is about three 
 games more (practically) than three to two. So in a 
 still greater degree is there a difference between five 
 games to one and four games to two. In each of these 
 cases, winning the game will give a commanding lead, 
 and therefore it is right to take the bisque to make sure 
 of it. 
 
 The same reasoning applies to Cases 2, 3, and 4. 
 
 5. In changing sides with a distinct difference between 
 the sides, and with the score of games level, it is always 
 right to take a bisque to make game on the worse side. 
 On the other hand, it is a mistake to take it on the 
 better side, unless winning the game will make a very 
 great difference in the score. For instance, I should 
 always take a bisque to make four games to three on 
 
Bisque. 75 
 
 the worse side, but never on the better, for I should feel 
 that there was little chance for the set if I could not 
 win on the better side without my bisque. The same 
 principle applies, though in a smaller degree, to the 
 service. If the server has been losing nearly every 
 game, it would be quite right to take a bisque to make 
 five games to four or four games to three on one's ser- 
 vice, or on one's opponent's service if the server has been 
 winning. 
 
 6. To make five games all. This is a very hard case 
 to decide, especially in an advantage set. It is simply 
 a matter of judgment. If the chances are against one's 
 winning at five all, with the bisque gone, it is certainly 
 better not to take it, and to run the risk of losing the 
 set at six to four. 
 
 7. In these cases the question is not of getting an 
 advantage in the set, but of taking the best chance of 
 saving a losing set. The question again is, whether one 
 thinks that one can win at three or four to five ; if not, 
 one had better keep the bisque, and trust to luck to save 
 one more game without it. 
 
 8. In this case, one stroke will lose the set, and unless 
 there is good reason to expect to win that stroke the 
 bisque should be taken. As a rule, it is wrong to take 
 a bisque to make deuce, but in this case something 
 must be done and done at once. 
 
 9. This rule simply means don't forget the bisque. 
 There have been a great many matches lost because a 
 player has forgotten to take the set when it was won. 
 
 As said above, it is seldom right to take a bisque to 
 make deuce, because at deuce the giver of odds will 
 probably win, and the bisque will have been wasted. 
 
76 Lawn- Tennis. 
 
 The probability, of course, varies with the difference 
 between the two players. Thus, if receiving thirty and 
 a bisque, it would be folly for the worse player to take 
 his bisque to make deuce ; if giving thirty for a bisque, 
 the bisque should not be taken to make game. In both 
 these cases deuce should mean a certainty for the 
 better player. 
 
 Where a bisque is given with small odds, as at half- 
 fifteen and a bisque, the difference between the two 
 players is not so marked, and the bisque may be taken 
 to make deuce or game as occasion demands. 
 
 All that has been said is meant to apply to cases 
 where a bisque is given alone or to increase other odds, 
 as it is not now the custom in lawn-tennis to give a 
 bisque to diminish other odds. Should this be done, 
 the bisque should be taken to make deuce, and not 
 game. 
 
 It is well to remember that there is a moral effect in 
 a bisque. Few men play up with as much confidence 
 with a bisque hanging over them as they do when it is 
 gone, and for this reason a bisque should not be taken 
 early in a set except to secure a commanding lead. It 
 should never be taken in the first two games. 
 
 There ought to be no need to explain that there 
 can be no use in taking a bisque at forty-love or at 
 forty-fifteen. The bisque will make -game just as well 
 at forty-thirty, and if the game can be won without it 
 so much the better. Moreover, no good can come of 
 taking a bisque at deuce ; there is quite time enough 
 at advantage for either player. There is another point 
 too often overlooked. There is no object in taking a 
 bisque unless there is a reasonable prospect of winning 
 
Bisque. 77 
 
 the set after the bisque is gone. With the score at 
 five games-love, a bisque should not be taken to make 
 one game to five, because at that score there is no real 
 chance for the set. The only hope is to win two or 
 three games with the bisque still in. This may not be 
 possible to do, but it is the right thing to try for. 
 
 It is very common to see a player who is losing take 
 a bisque or two bisques almost at random, from a mor- 
 bid fear of never taking them at all. In this way he 
 adds a game or two to his score, but he forgets that it 
 is sets, and not games, that win matches. 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 game. In such cases the best chance is 
 to keep the bisque in, and if the set does go wrong, 
 and the bisque is never taken, the player can console 
 himself with the thought that he has taken all the 
 chances in his favour, and could do no more. 
 
 With two bisques given, one of them can be taken a 
 little more freely than if it were the only one ; but even 
 then it is almost always wrong to take it in the first two 
 games. One may often be taken to make deuce at a 
 critical time, and I should myself always take the first 
 one to make three games to five. 
 
 To take a bisque well a player must make up his 
 mind how much he can expect to do after the bisque is 
 gone. If he does not see his way to winning, it is 
 always justifiable to reserve the bisque for a better 
 chance later. Thus, if a player thinks that the odds given 
 him are too small, he is quite right to run a good deal of 
 risk rather than take a bisque early in the set. 
 
78 L a wn - Ten n is . 
 
 Before concluding, it seems in place to speak of the 
 value of a bisque as compared with other odds, that is, 
 how many equal fifteen. I believe that about six bisques 
 have been calculated to be the equivalent of fifteen, but 
 I cannot help thinking that four would be nearer right 
 than six in actual play. It seems to me impossible that 
 the number can be determined exactly, because the 
 practical value of a bisque must vary, and because the 
 moral effect cannot be gauged. The average number of 
 games to a set is about nine where advantage sets are 
 not played ; therefore fifteen equals nine strokes on the 
 average, one given in each game. In how many games 
 of the nine is that stroke actually of value ? I do not 
 know ; but there are always a number of games which 
 are hollow for one side or the other. In one case the 
 stroke given is useless, and in the other it would pro- 
 bably not have been needed. Let us suppose that 
 fifteen -represents the difference between two players, 
 and that they play level. Will the weaker player win 
 any games ? I fancy that he will win two or even three 
 games, and he wants a sufficient number of bisques to 
 win three or four other games. Let us suppose that he 
 wins two games level. I think that there will be at 
 least two other games that can be won by a bisque 
 each. Should this be the case, the score could not be 
 worse than five games to four against him, and two 
 bisques still in by no means an uneven set. 
 
 For myself, I should never hesitate between five 
 bisques and fifteen, and I think that I should take four 
 if I could not get five. My own feeling is that the right 
 number is just over four. 
 
Bisque. 79 
 
 I should say, in conclusion, that I am very ignorant 
 of the mathematical calculations which bear on the 
 matter, and I offer these opinions as the result of 
 experience in actual play, and from watching matches 
 where bisques were given. 
 
CHAPTER Vlfl. 
 
 CASES AND DECISIONS. 
 
 THE following Cases and Decisions are intended to 
 meet questions often asked at tournaments ; and also to 
 cover points apparently not provided for in the laws. 
 They have been prepared with the advice and assistance 
 of Messrs. W. and E. Renshaw, B. C. Evelegh, N. L. 
 Jackson, and R. D. Sears, to whom the author returns 
 his thanks : 
 
 I. A player standing outside the court volleys the 
 ball or catches it in his hand, and claims the stroke 
 because the ball was certainly going out of court. 
 
 Decision. He loses the stroke. It makes no differ- 
 ence where he was standing. The return is presumed 
 good until it strikes the ground outside of the court. 
 
 II. A player is struck by the ball served before it has 
 touched the ground, he being outside of the service 
 court. How does it count ? 
 
 Decision. The player struck loses the stroke. The 
 service is presumably good until it strikes in the wrong 
 court. A player cannot take the decision upon himself 
 by stopping the ball. If it is going to be a fault he has 
 only to get out of the way. 
 
 III. The service is delivered before the striker-out is 
 ready. He tries to return it and fails ; Is he entitled to 
 have it played over again ? 
 
Cases and Decisions. 8 1 
 
 Decision. No. If he attempts to return the service 
 he is deemed ready. 
 
 IV. The striker-out calls " Not ready " for a second 
 service. The ball strikes beyond the service-line, and 
 the striker-out claims that the fact that he was not 
 ready makes no difference since a fault cannot be 
 returned, and therefore that two faults have been served. 
 
 Decision. The second service goes for nothing. A 
 player cannot call " Not ready," and then have the 
 service count, or not, as suits his interests. 
 
 V. A ball having been played over the net, bounds 
 back into the court from which it came. The player 
 reaches over the net and plays it before it falls. Has he 
 a right to do so ? 
 
 Decision. Yes, provided he does not touch the net. 
 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 time. 
 
 VI. A ball is played into the net ; the player on the 
 other side, thinking that the ball is coming over, strikes 
 at it and hits the net. Who loses the stroke ? 
 
 Decision. It is simply a question of fact for the 
 umpire to decide. If the player touched the net while 
 the ball was still in play he loses the stroke. 
 
 VII. Can a player follow a ball over the net with his 
 racket, provided that he hits the ball on his own side of 
 the net ? 
 
 Decision. Yes. The only restrictions are, that he 
 shall not volley the ball until it has crossed the net, and 
 that he shall not touch the net or any of its supports. 
 
 VIII. A player's racket slips out of his hand and 
 flies into the net. Does he lose the stroke for hitting 
 the net ? G 
 
Lawn-Tennis. 
 
 Decision. Yes, if the ball be still in play. It does 
 not matter if the racket be in a player's hand or not. 
 
 IX. A player's racket leaves his hand, but meets the 
 ball and returns it over the net. Is it a good return ? 
 
 Decision. Yes. There is no law requiring a racket 
 to be in a player's hand when the ball is returned. It 
 would unquestionably be a good return if the racket 
 were held against the ground by a player's feet, and the 
 ball bounded back off of it. 
 
 X. A single match is played with a double net and 
 inside posts. A player touches the net beyond the 
 inside posts, and claims that he does not lose the stroke, 
 because there should be no net more than 3ft. outside of 
 the court. 
 
 Decision. He loses the stroke. The net where he 
 touched it is part of the supports of the net. He might, 
 perhaps, have objected to the arrangement of the net 
 before the match. 
 
 XL A player returns the ball, and finding that he 
 cannot stop himself before reaching the net, jumps over 
 it. Is it a good return ? 
 
 Decision. Law 5 requires that " the players shall 
 stand on opposite sides of the net," and therefore the 
 player invading his opponent's court loses the stroke. 
 
 XII. A ball passes outside the post of the net and 
 strikes in court. Is it a good return ? 
 
 Decision. Yes. The laws have been changed to 
 make it a good return. 
 
 XIII. A ball going out of court hits the top of the 
 post of the net, and bounds into the opposite court. 
 
 Decision. It is a good return. (N.B. It has occurred 
 with the regular championship posts.) 
 
Cases and Decisions. 83 
 
 XIV. The service or the ball in play strikes a ball 
 lying in the court Can it be returned ? 
 
 Dfdsion. Yes ; if it be clear to the umpire that the 
 right ball is returned ; otherwise the stroke should be 
 called a let. 
 
 XV. The server claims that the striker-out must 
 stand in the court. Is this necessary ? 
 
 Decision. No. The striker-out can stand wherever 
 he pleases on his own side of the net. 
 
 XVI. A bystander gets in the way of a player who 
 fails to return the ball. May he then claim a let ? 
 
 Decision. Yes, if in the umpire's opinion he was 
 prevented by an accident beyond his control. For 
 instance, if the ropes or the seats are allowed to be so 
 near to the court that a player is interfered with by 
 them, the stroke should not be played again, because 
 the ropes and seats form part of the arrangements of 
 the ground. If, however, a spectator passes in front of 
 those seats, or places a chair nearer than the original 
 line, and so interferes with a player, the stroke should 
 be played again. 
 
 XVII. A player is interfered with as above, and the 
 umpire directs the stroke to be played again. The 
 server had previously served a fault. He claims the 
 right to two services. 
 
 Decision. The fault stands. A let does not annul a 
 previous fault. 
 
 XVIII. A return hits the umpire or his chair or stand ; 
 the player claims that the ball was going into court. 
 
 Decision. Unless the umpire can say that the ball 
 was in his opinion not going into court, he should call 
 a let. 
 
84 Lawn-Tennis. 
 
 XIX. A player receiving fifteen serves from the left 
 court, his opponent claims a fault. 
 
 Decision. It is a fault. The service starts from the 
 right court under all circumstances. 
 
 XX. At fifteen all, the server by mistake serves 
 from the left court ; he wins the stroke and serves again 
 (a fault). The mistake is then discovered. Is he entitled 
 to the previous stroke ? From which court should he 
 serve next ? 
 
 Decision. The previous stroke stands. A fault can- 
 not be claimed after the next service, good or not, is 
 delivered. The next service should be from the left 
 court, the score being thirty- fifteen, and the server has 
 served one fault. 
 
 XXL A player serves from the wrong court, he 
 loses the stroke, and then claims that it was a fault. 
 
 Decision. If the stroke was played in his first service 
 it is simply a fault, but if he serves twice into the wrong 
 court he has served two faults, and lost the stroke. 
 
 XXII. The partner of the player whose turn it is to 
 serve, serves and wins the game. The error is not 
 discovered until the first service of the next game 
 has been delivered. 
 
 Decision. A new game having been begun, the pre- 
 vious game stands. 
 
 XXIII. The same case as above, except that the 
 error is discovered after two or three strokes have been 
 played. 
 
 Decision. Any score made before the last service is 
 delivered stands i.e., the last stroke does not stand 
 unless another service (fault or not) has been delivered. 
 The proper server will then serve. 
 
Cases and Decisions. 85 
 
 XXIV. With the score at thirty-forty, the server takes 
 a bisque, and then serves from the right court. His 
 opponent claims a fault. 
 
 Decision. It is a fault. The service must come alter- 
 nately from the right and left courts. 
 
 XXV. A player takes a bisque after the server has 
 served a fault. Which court does the server next serve 
 from? 
 
 Decision. From the same court. 
 
 XXVI. The score is five games all, and the umpire 
 directs the players to play an advantage set. The 
 advantage game has been won when it is discovered 
 that no advantage sets are to be played. What is to 
 be done ? 
 
 Decision. The set is won at the eleventh game. It 
 is no part of the umpire's duty to decide on the con- 
 ditions of the matches. 
 
 XXVII. A player serves. He hears the umpire call, 
 but cannot hear what he says. He knows that the only 
 two things that the umpire should call are "fault "and "let," 
 and that in neither case can the ball be in play. He 
 therefore does not return it, only to find that the umpire 
 has called play. Has he any redress ? 
 
 Decision. No. 
 
 XXVIII. The umpire calls ''fault" and then instantly 
 changes and says "play." The striker-out fails to return 
 the ball, and he claims that he was prevented by the 
 umpire, and also that the umpire cannot change his 
 decision. 
 
 Decision. The umpire should call a let and the service 
 be taken again. 
 
86 Lawn- Tennis. 
 
 XXIX -A ball drops near a line, the player appeals, 
 and the umpire calls " play." The player misunderstands 
 the call, and lets the ball fall. He then claims to have 
 the stroke played again. 
 
 Decision. The stroke stands. 
 
 XXX. A ball strikes the ground close to a line, the 
 scorer scores the stroke against the striker. On appeal 
 to the linesman, the latter decides that the ball was not 
 out. Which decision stands ? 
 
 Decision. The scorer has no right to consider a ball 
 out until the linesman has called to that effect ; there- 
 fore the decision of the latter must be accepted. The 
 decision of a linesman affecting his own line is final. 
 
 XXXI. A return strikes the cord running along the 
 bottom of the net and bounds over. Is it a good return? 
 
 Dt cision. Yes. 
 
 X5CXII. During play a ball is thrown into the court 
 and the ball in play strikes it, or a player steps on it. 
 May a let be claimed ? 
 
 Decision. Yes. 
 
 XXXIII. The server's first service strikes his partner. 
 Does he lose the stroke or is it a fault ? 
 
 Decision. He loses the stroke. 
 
 XXXIV. A player serves a fault, and it is then dis- 
 covered that it is his partner's service. Does the fault 
 stand ? 
 
 Decision. No. No other service having been delivered, 
 the fault does not stand. 
 
 XXXV. If the umpire is appealed to, and directs 
 the wrong partner to serve and the mistake is discovered 
 in the middle of the game, what should be done ? 
 
 Decision. See decisions XX to XXIII. The player 
 who should have served continues the service. 
 
Cases and Decisions. 87 
 
 XXXVI. In a four-handed competition one player 
 does not to appear in time to play, and his partner 
 claims to be allowed to play single-handed against the 
 opposing pair. May he do so I 
 
 Decision. No. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 RESULTS OF CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES 
 
 AND 
 
 PRINCIPAL OPEN COMPETITIONS. 
 
 UNITED KINGDOM. 
 
 THE CHAMPIONSHIPS. 
 GENTEMEN'S SINGLES. 
 Winner Championship. 
 
 1877 S. W. Gore 
 
 1878 P. F. Hadow 
 
 1879 J. T. Hartley 
 
 1880 J. T. Hartley 
 W. 
 
 1881 
 
 1882 
 
 Renshaw 
 W. Renshaw 
 
 Winner all Comers. 
 
 1877 S. W. Gore 
 
 1878 P. F. Hadow . 
 
 1879 J. T. Hartley . 
 
 1880 II . F. Lawford . 
 
 1 88 1 W. Renshaw 
 
 1882 E. Renshaw 
 
 1883 E. Renshaw 
 
 1884 H. F.. Lawford . 
 
 1885 H. F. Lawford . 
 
 1883 W. Renshaw 
 
 1884 W. Renshaw 
 
 1885 W. Renshaw 
 
 Runners Up. 
 
 W. Marshall 
 L. Erskine 
 V. St. Ledger 
 O. E. Woodhouse 
 R. T. Richardson 
 R. T. Richardson 
 
 D. Stewart 
 
 C. W. Grinstead 
 
 E. Renshaw 
 
List of Winners. 89 
 
 DOUBLE CHAMPIONSHIP. 
 Winners. Runners Up. 
 
 1879 L. R. Erskine and H. F. 
 
 Lawford F. Durant and G. E. Tabor 
 
 1880 W. Renshaw and E. Renshaw... O. E. Woodhouse and C. J Cole 
 
 1881 W. Renshaw and E. Renshaw... W. J. Down and H. Vaughan 
 
 1882 J. T. Hartley and R. T. 
 
 Richardson J. G. Horn and C. B. Russell 
 
 1883 C. W. Grinstead and C. E. 
 
 Welldon C. B. Russell and R. T. Milford 
 
 1884 W. Renshaw and E. Renshaw... E. L. Williams and E. W. Lewis 
 2885 W. Renshaw and E. Renshaw... A. J. Stanley and C. E. Farrer 
 
 LADIES' CHAMPIONSHIP. 
 Winners. Runners Up. 
 
 1884 Miss M. Watson Miss Watson 
 
 1885 Miss M. Watson Miss Bingley. 
 
 IRISH CHAMPIONSHIPS. 
 
 GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES. 
 
 1879 V. St Ledger 1882 W. Renshaw 1884 H. F. Lawford 
 
 1880 W. Renshaw 1883 E. Renshaw 1885 H. F. Lawford 
 
 1 88 1 W. Renshaw 
 
 LADIES' SINGLES. 
 
 1883 Miss M. Langrishe 1884 Miss M. Watson 
 
 1885 Miss M. Watson 
 
 DOUBLES. 
 
 1879 E. Elliott and R. Kellie 
 
 1880 H. F. Lawford and A. J. Mulholland 
 
 1881 W. Renshaw and E. Renshaw 
 
 1882 E. de S. Browne and P. Aungier 
 
 1883 W. Renshaw and E. Renshaw 
 
 1884 W. Renshaw and E. Renshaw 
 
 1885 W. Renshaw and E. Renshaw 
 
 SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIPS. 
 SINGLES. 
 
 1878 J. Patten 1881 J. G. Horn 1884 R. Gamble 
 
 1879 L. M. Balfour 1882 [. G. Horn 1885 Hon. P. B. Ly n 
 
 1880 J. Patten 1883 J. G. Horn 
 
go L awn- Tennis. 
 
 DOUBLES. 
 
 1878 A. Graham Murray and C. C. Maconochie 
 
 1879 A. Graham Murray and C. C. Maconochie 
 
 1880 A. Graham Murray and C. C. Maconochie 
 
 1881 W. Horn and J. Galbraith Horn 
 
 1882 C. B. Russell and M. G. Lascelles 
 
 1883 F. A. Fairlie and A. L. Davidson 
 
 1884 The Hon. P. B. Lyon and H. B. Lyon 
 
 1885 E. W. Lewis and R. M. Watson 
 
 NORTHERN CHAMPIONSHIPS, 
 
 GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES. 
 
 1880 R. T. Richardson 1883 H. W. Wilberforce 
 
 1881 K. T. Richardson 1884 D. Stewart 
 
 1882 R. T. Richardson 1885 J. DwigKt 
 
 GENTLEMEN'S DOUBLES. 
 
 1880 R. W. Braddell and J. Coomber 
 
 1881 R. W. Braddell and J. Coomber 
 
 1882 W. Renshaw and E. Renshaw 
 
 1883 W. Renshaw and E. Renshaw 
 1884 W. Renshaw and E. Renshaw 
 1885 W. Renshaw and E. Renshaw 
 
 LADIES' SINGLES. 
 1883 Miss Coleridge 1884 Miss E. Davies 1885 Miss M. Watson 
 
 LADIES' DOUBLES. 
 
 1882 Miss Langrishe and Miss M. Langrishe 
 
 1883 Miss Coleridge and Miss R. Collier 
 
 1884 Miss E. Davies and Miss Eckersley 
 
 1885 Miss Dodd and Miss L. Dodd 
 
 BATH CHAMPIONSHIPS OF THE WEST OF 
 ENGLAND. 
 
 GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES. 
 
 1881 P. G. Von Donop 1883 E. de S. Browne 
 
 1882 G. M. Butterworth 1884 E. de S. Browne 
 
 1885 E. de S. Browne 
 
 LADIES' SINGLES. 
 
 1881 Miss G. B. Gibbs 1883 Miss M. Watson 
 
 1882 Miss F. Morris 1884 Miss E. Davies 
 
 1885 Miss G. B. Gibbs 
 
List of Winners. 91 
 
 CHELTENHAM. 
 
 GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES 
 1883 D. Stewart 1884 D. Stewart 1885 E. de S. Browne 
 
 LADIES' SINGLES. 
 
 1883 Miss M. Watson 1884 Miss E. Davies 
 
 1885 Miss M. Watson 
 
 EXMOUTH. 
 
 GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES. 
 
 1881 E. D. Maconchy 1883 C. W. Grinstead 
 
 1882 C. L. Sweet 1884 C. W. Grinstead 
 
 1885 (No meeting held) 
 
 LADIES' SINGLES. 
 
 1881 Miss Cole 1883 Miss M Watson 1885 (No meeting held) 
 
 1882 Miss Cole 1884 Miss M. Watson 
 
 LONDON CHAMPIONSHIPS. 
 
 GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES. 
 1885 C H. Ross. 
 
 LADIES' SINGLES. 
 1885 Miss M. Watson 
 
 PRINCE'S CHAMPIONSHIPS. 
 
 1880 H. F. Lawford 1882 E. Renshaw 
 
 1 88 1 W. Renshaw 1883 H. F. Lawford 
 
 BUXTON. 
 
 GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES. 
 1884 C. W. Grinstead 1885 E. Chatterton 
 
 LADIES' SINGLES. 
 1884 Mrs. Watts 1885 Miss Bingley 
 
92 Lawn- Tennis. 
 
 GENTLEMEN'S DOUBLES. 
 
 1884 C W. Gi instead and J R. Deykin 
 
 1885 W. Renshaw and J, D wight 
 
 LADIES' DOUBLES. 
 
 1884 Mrs Watts and Miss Noon 
 
 1885 Mrs. Watts and Miss Bracewell 
 
 EASTBOURNE. 
 
 GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES. 
 
 1 88 1 E. Lubbock 1883 E. L. Williams 1885 E. W. Lewis 
 
 1882 W. C. Taylor 1884 E. L. Williams 
 
 GENTLEMEN'S DOUBLES. 
 
 1884 E. Renshaw and C. L. Sweet 
 
 1885 E. Renshaw and H. Grove 
 
 EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY OPEN TOURNAMENT. 
 
 WINNERS OF CHALLENGE CUP. 
 
 1883 J. Galbraith Horn 1884 W. W. Chamberlain 
 
 1885 Hon. H. B. Lyon 
 
 CHISWICK. 
 
 GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES. 
 
 1884 C. W. Grinstead 1885 H. Chipp 
 
 COVERED COURT CHAMPIONSHIP. 
 
 1885 H. F. Lawford 
 
 1886 E. L. Williams 
 
List of Winners. 93 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 CHAMPIONSHIPS. 
 
 SINGLES. 
 
 lS8i R. D. Sears 1883 R. D. Sears 1885 R. D. Sears 
 
 1882 U. D. Sears 1884 R. D. Sears 
 
 DOUBLES. 
 
 1 88 1 C. M. and J. S. Clark 1883 J. Dwight and R. D. Sears 
 
 1882 J. Dwight and R. D. Sears 1884 J. Dwight and R. D. Sears 
 
 1885 R. D. Sears and J. S. Clark 
 
 PRINCIPAL OPEN EVENTS SEASON, 1885. 
 YOUNG AMERICA TOURNAMENT AT PHILADELPHIA- 
 
 SINGLES J. S. Clark. 
 
 CHAMPIONSHIP OF MIDDLE STATES AT NEW YORK. 
 R. D. Sears. 
 
 HASTINGS. 
 SINGLES R. L. Beekman. 
 
 ORANGE, NEW JERSEY. 
 SINGLES Slocum. 
 
 CHAMPIONSHIP OF CANADA. 
 J. S. Clark. 
 
 WENTWORTH, N.H. 
 SINGLES W. V. R. Berry. 
 
94 
 
 L awn- Tenn is. 
 
 KARRAGANSETT PIER. 
 SINGLES W. V. R. Berry.' 
 
 INTER-COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIP. 
 
 SINGLES, YALE Percy Knapp. 
 DOUBLES, YALE Knapp and Shipman. 
 
WRIGHT & DITS0N, 
 
 Manufacturers and Dealers in 
 
 Fl NE 
 
 We make Lawn Tennis Outfits a specialty, and 
 make it our business to keep posted on the latest 
 and best implements used in the game. We are the largest 
 manufacturers of this line of goods in the country. 
 
 Rackets, . . . 
 
 Balls, . , 
 
 Nets, . . . 
 
 and 
 
 
 Poles. 
 
 Send name and address for our Tennis Price-List, which will 
 give full particulars. 
 
 WRIGHT & DITSON, 
 
 580 Washington Street Boston, Mass. 
 
SPECIMEN 
 ILLUSTRATION 
 
 "A REPRESENTATIVE BOOK FOR A SPORTSMAN'S LIBRARY." 
 
 In the Edition de Liixe this work became widely known, and was enthusi- 
 astically welcomed by book lovers and Nature lovers as the most complete and 
 worthy book on American Hunting and Fishing and Out-Door Life. This 
 limited edition is nearly exhausted ; and to meet the continued demand a new, 
 popular edition has been issued at the low price of $15.00. It is printed by 
 De Vinne on heavy paper, and it contains all the illustrations, though none are on 
 Japanese paper. The Edition de Luxe will be sold for the present at its original 
 price, from $10.00 to $18.00, according to binding. Send for further information. 
 to THE CENTURY CO., New York. 
 
THE BEST LAWN-TENNIS SCORE BOOK 
 
 "THE PASTIME." 
 
 Used at all the principal Tournaments last Season 
 and gaue un'wersal Satisfaction. 
 
 "THE PASTIME" LAWN-TENNIS SCORE BOOK 
 
 CONTAINS 
 
 Score Sheets for 60 Sets; Hints to Umpires; Instructions for 
 drawing Byes; and Tabular Arrangements showing the 
 Values of Odds given and owed in handicaps, which can 
 be understood at a glance without the calculations necessary 
 if the ordinary scale be used. 
 
 "THE PASTIME" LAWN-TENNIS SCORE BOOK is the CHEAPEST. 
 Price 9d. each, or 8s. 6d. per dozen. 
 
 To be obtained at 
 
 "Pastime" Offices, 28, 29, & 30, Paternoster Row, London, 
 
 OR OF 
 
 Partridge & Cooper, 191 & 192, Fleet Street, London. 
 
 Laws of Football (Rugby Union and Association). 
 
 Price 2d. each ; post free, 2|d. 
 
 Laws of Lawn-Tennis. Price 6d. 
 
 The "Pastime" Entry Form of Athletic Sports and 
 
 Cycling Meetings. Price 25. per 100, 
 
 " PASTIME " OFFICES, 
 28,29, & 30, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON, E.G. 
 
THE LAWN-TENNIS JOURNAL 
 
 AND 
 
 WEEKLY RECORD 
 
 OF 
 
 FOOTBALL, AQUATICS, CYCLING. 
 
 AND 
 
 ATHLETIC SPORTS. 
 EVERY WEDNESDAY. 
 
 "PASTIME" is the recognised < r jan of Lawn-Tennis 
 
 and Footbajl. All other Amateur Sports are 
 
 reported by competent men. 
 
 Price 2d ; post free 2\d. Subscriptions(payab/e in advance), 
 3 months, 2s. 9d. ; 6 months, 5s. 6d. ; yearly, 70s. 6d. 
 
 Offices : 28, Paternoster Row, London, E,C, 
 
 AGENTS 
 
 For America : Wright &. Ditson, Boston, U.S.A, 
 For Australia : Melbourne Sports Depot, Melbourne, Australia. 
 
THE ATHLETE'S GUIDE. 
 
 A Complete Guide to Training for Running, 
 Walking, Cycling, Swimming, and Rowing, 
 
 TOGETHER WITH LISTS OF THE BEST 
 
 AMATEUR RECORDS TO DATE OF PUBLICATION, 
 
 AND 
 
 REMARKABLE PERFORMANCES. 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 N. L JACKSON AND E. H. GODBOLD. 
 
 Training for Running-. By W. G. George, N. L. 
 
 Jackson, and H. M. Oliver. 
 Training 1 for Walking. By G. P. Beckley. 
 Swimming and Rowing. By Late Champions. 
 Best Amateur Records, at all Distances. 
 Training for Cycling. By G. Lacy Hillier. 
 Cross-country Running. By E. H. Godbold. 
 Hints on the Management of Athletic Meetings. 
 Winners of Championships and all other important 
 
 events. 
 
 PRICE ONE SHILLING. 
 
 PUBLISHED AT "PASTIME" OFFICES, 
 28, 29, and 30, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON, E.G. 
 
COVENTRY MACHINISTS' CO., 
 
 LIMITED. 
 
 THE OLDEST FIRM IN THE TRADE. 
 
 THE "MARLBORO' CLUB" 
 
 TRICYCLE, 
 
 WITH PATENT COIL SPRINGS. 
 
 VIBRATION EFFECTUALLY PREVENTED. 
 
 " The most successful Tricycle ever invented." Vide OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 WORKS: COVENTRY. 
 
 LONDON: 15 & 16, HOLBORN VIADUCT. 
 
 MANCHESTER: 9, VICTORIA BUILDINGS. 
 
 BOSTON, U.S.A.: 239, COLUMBUS AVENUE. 
 
 MELBOURNE: 62 & 64, ELIZABETH ST. 
 
SLAZENGER & SONS, 
 
 Manufacturers of every Requisite for Lawn-Tennis, 
 
 Price 15/~ 
 
 To meet the requirements 
 of those players who desire 
 a bat similar to the No. I, 
 we have introduced a Racket 
 which we shall de-ignate the 
 
 "Ich Dien." It is made of rent frames, thoroughly 
 
 lt Handy" Press seasoned, but unselected. The gut is transparent 
 
 Pried 3/9 white, English manufacture, and of excellent quality. The 
 " Ich Dien" is a useful and sightly bat, and made on the 
 most approved lines from the recent decisions of experts. 
 Octagon handle and oval head. 
 
 The ' ' Handy " Press will be found an improvement, 
 being much lighter in weight and more portable. Being 
 in parts, it can be packed into a very small compass. One 
 screw only need be taken out to remove the Racket. 
 
 THE "WATERFALL" LAWN-TENNIS COURT MARKER, 
 
 SECURED BY ROYAL LETTERS PATENT. 
 
 This is an entirely new Machine. Since its introduction it has been thoroughly tested 
 and has proved in every way satisfactory. We can confidently recommend it as being the 
 SlMP-LiEST and * 8 I' in the market. 
 
 As will be seen from the illustration, the centre wheel workins in the box, and which we 
 term the water wheel, is made with hollow teeth or buckets ; these carry the composition 
 (with which the box is to be supplied), and deposit it upon a platform, fixed between the 
 front, or marking wheel, and the water wheel; thence it is transferred to the front wheel, 
 which transmits it to the lawn. 
 
 MARKS A 
 
 CLEAR 
 
 AND 
 
 DISTINCT 
 
 LINE 
 
 14 INCHES 
 WIDE. 
 
 Price 25J- 
 
 CANNOT 
 GET 
 
 our 
 
 OF 
 ORDER. 
 
 Price List and Address of Local Age.it on Application. 
 56, CANNON STREET, LONDON, E.O. 
 
THE 
 
 CHAMPION LAWN-TENNIS SHOE, 
 
 SILVER MEDAL, LONDON, 1885. 
 
 The OHAMPION LAWN-TENNI8 SHOE is made of 
 Specially Prepared Waterproof Felt instead 
 of India- Rubber, and gives Firm Foothold, with 
 Lightness, Durability, and greater Flexibility 
 than any other Tennis Shoe rrnde ; does not 
 Blister the Feet, and is the only Shoe that gives 
 Perfect Foothold on Wet Grass. 
 
 OPINIONS OF THE PRSS. 
 
 "They undoubtedly fulfil all the conditions required in a lawn- 
 tennis shoe." Boot and Shoe Trades Journal. 
 
 " Their extreme lightness should strongly recommend them to 
 players." Pastime (the Lawn-Tennis Journal). 
 
 " We have not tried any soles so good in all respects as the 
 Champion- Felt Soles known as Stoddart's Patent" Field, 
 
 " The Champion Shoes take firm hold of the ground, without 
 damaging the grass." The Queen. 
 
 Sold by Bootmakers, Cricketing- Outfitters, &c. 
 
 Wholesale only of DERHAM BROTHERS, 
 
 BRISTOL and NORTHAMPTON. 
 
 Every Pair 
 stamped 
 
 with 
 
 Registered 
 Trade Mark. 
 
 STODDART'S PATENT 
 
 l\l B, if any difficulty is found in obtaining the Champion 
 Lawn-Tennis Shoe (Stoddart's Patent), please apply 
 direct to the Manufacturers. 
 
DEVERELL BROS'. 
 
 NEW PATENT TENNIS RACKET, 
 
 "THE ELECTRIC." 
 
 Four Points we claim for it : 
 
 1. STRINGING NEVER GIVES. 
 
 2. CAPITAL DRIVING POWER. 
 
 3, STANDS HOTTEST CLIMATES. 
 
 4. DEFIES MOISTURE OR RAIN. 
 
 Price 25s. Cash Discount 20% 5s. Nett 20s. 
 
 Our New Unsewn THE 
 
 TENNIS BALL, /DURABLE. 
 
 "THE 
 
 DURABLE." 
 
 NO StitCheS tO Cut. See every Ball* stamped,* above. 
 
 Price per doz., 15s. 6d. Cash Discount 20% 3s. Id. Nett 12s. 5d, 
 
 UNDERSEWN TENNIS BALL 
 
 Is THE BEST at the price. 
 
 Price per doz., 12s, 6d. Cash Discount 20% 2s, 6d. Nett 10s. 
 
 LAwrTT^ 
 
 At every price from Ss. 6d. 
 
 All Goods made on the premises, and quality guaranteed. 
 
 MAKERS OF EVERY REQUISITE FOR LAWN TENNIS, CRICKET, &c,, 
 73, CHEAPSIDE, LONDON, E.G. 
 
F. H, AYRES, 
 
 Manufacturer of Indoor and Outdoor 
 
 GAMES AND SPORTS. 
 
 THE "CHAMPIONSHIP. 1 
 REGISTERED. 
 
 Each Ball has 
 a fac-simile of 
 
 my Signature 
 
 stamped thus on 
 
 the cloth. 
 
 Each Ball has 
 
 also the 
 year of manu- 
 facture stamped 
 upon it 
 
 LAWN-TENNIS BALL. 
 
 THE "CAXTON 
 PATENT 
 
 LAWN.TENNIS MARKER. 
 
 " CO 
 
 CATALOGUES ON APPLICATION. 
 
 Ill, ALDERSGATE STREET, E.G. 
 
SLAZENGER & SONS, 
 
 Manufacturers of every Requisite for Lawn-Tennis. 
 
 Price 21 / The "No. i" is the distinctive mark of Price 21 / 
 
 a Racket which we with great confidence 
 introduce to the general public for the first 
 time this season. 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-Tennis, and has been so 
 highly spoken of by them that a very large 
 demand has already been created for it, and 
 
 we have every reason to feel certain that it will be 
 
 one of our most popular productions. 
 
 The "Lawford" is a new shape this season, and 
 b specially adapted for a rapid game. The head is 
 a modification and combination of the round and 
 square head, and being smaller in size, the handle 
 is necessarily longer. In this Racket a somewhat 
 lesser playing surface is produced ; at the same time 
 a very rigid tenison is obtained in the stringing giving 
 
 a quicker return of the ball, at the same it is not so well adapted for screwing 
 
 purposes. It is made with the octagon handle. 
 
 SELF-ADJUSTING LEVER TENNIS POLES. 
 
 HIGHEST 
 AWARD 
 INTER- 
 NATIONAL 
 INVENTIONS 
 EXHIBITION. 
 
 SIMPLE, 
 EFFECTIVE, 
 
 AND 
 
 ORNAMENTAL. 
 
 PRICE 25s. 
 
 THE SET. 
 
 These Poles are ornamental and effective ; they are made of cast iron, 
 and finished in black japan paint, picked out with gold. For utility they 
 have no equal. By means of a lever and weight the Net is maintained at a 
 uniform height, and with the exact tension necessary ; the action of the 
 weather has no effect on the uprights, which never become loose. The Poles 
 can be readily removed without disturbing the ground fixings. The ground 
 fixing does not loosen, and is less injurious to the lawn than any other Poles. 
 Wherever supplied they have been highly approved. Vide Press. 
 
 Price List and Address of Local Agent on Application. 
 56, CANNON STREET, LONDON. E.G. 
 
SLAZENGER & SONS' 
 
 Lawn-Tennis Rackets. 
 
 The "FIELD" says: 
 
 " In the combination of power with light- 
 ness we have seen none equal to the 
 'Demon' Racket." 
 
 "LAND & WATER" says: 
 
 "For genuine good service we have not 
 heard any Racket better spoken of than 
 this, as it is a fine driver, and stands wear 
 well, the materials and workmanship being 
 clearly of the best." 
 
 Our speciality is undoubtedly the Manufacture of Tennis Rackets, and 
 to them we have devoted every possible care and attention ; the result is that 
 experts and the Press admit that in the Manufacture of Tennis Rackets we 
 cannot be excelled, if equalled. 
 
 Timber is carefully selected and thoroughly seasoned. Rent Ash only is 
 used, giving a continuous grain round the frame, ensuring the greatest possible 
 strength and uniform spring. 
 
 English-made Gut is used throughout ; and in our Special Bats, Gut of 
 l8 Strands is used. Vide Press Reports. 
 
 Red Rubber Lawn-Tennis Ball (Cloth Surface 
 
 Rubber), uniform in weight and size, carefully adjusted in 
 bound) specially made for durability, and adapted for Asphalt 
 or Hard Courts T/Gperdoz. 
 
 This Ball is manufactured so as to give the Regulation weight, size, and bounce, and 
 the cloth-like surface makes it for all purposes of the game the same as the best makes of 
 cloth-covered balls, with the great advantage that IT DOBS NOT VARY IN WEIGHT IN ANY 
 WEATHER and is readily cleansed ; the red colour is better to see, being a greater contrast to 
 the usual surroundings than ordinary Balls. The durability is much greater, and the price 
 is 7/6 per dozen. 
 
 The "FIELD" says : " SLAZENGER & SONS' Red Rubber Uncovered Ball 
 promises remarkably well it is made to suit Winter or Grass Courts, and is highly 
 approved." 
 
 " PASTIME " (Lawn-Tennis Journal) says : " The new make of Ball pro. 
 
 duced by SLAZENGER & SONS has all the advantages of a Covered and Uncovered 
 Ball." 
 
 All the other sporting papers, experts, and authorities have spoken in the highest possible 
 praise of this Ball, and are confident in anticipating that it will supersede all other makes. 
 
 66, CANNON STREET, LONDON, E.O. 
 
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