第 34 节
作者:雨霖铃      更新:2021-05-03 16:33      字数:9322
  Hard Court Championship of the World in 1921 when the latter was holder
  of the title。
  Tegner   is   a   baseline   player   of   fine   style。   His   strokes   are   long   free
  drives of fine pace and depth。 His service is hardly adequate for first flight
  tennis;    yet  while    his  ground     game    cannot    make     up   for  the  lack   of
  aggression in his net attack。 Tegner is not of championship quality at the
  moment       but   his   youth    allows    him    plenty    of  time    to  acquire    that
  tournament experience needed to fill in the gaps in his game。 He is a cool;
  clever court general and should develop rapidly within the next few years。
  H。 L。 DE MORPURGO
  The   Italian   champion;   H。   L。   de   Morpurgo;   is   a   product   of   his   own
  country and England where he attended college。 He is a big; rangy man of
  great strength。 He uses a terrific service of great speed but little control on
  his   first   ball   and   an   exaggerated American   twist   on   the   second   of   such
  extreme contortion that even his great frame wears down under it。
  His ground game is of flat drives that lack sufficient pace and accuracy
  to allow him to reap the full benefit of his really excellent net attack。 His
  volleying   is   very   good   owing   to   his   great   reach。   His   overhead;   like   his
  service; is hard but erratic。 Unfortunately he is slow on his feet and thus
  loses    much     of  the   advantage     of  his   large   reach。   He   seems     to  lack
  confidence in his game but that should come with more experience。
  A。 ZERLENDI
  Tennis in Greece。 No! not in ancient times but in modern; for that little
  country   has   a   remarkable   little   baseline   star;   by   name A。   Zerlendi。   This
  man is a baseliner of the most pronounced type。 He gets everything he can
  put his racquet to。 He reminds me irresistibly of Mavrogordato; seemingly
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  reaching nothing yet they all come back。 I cannot adequately analyse his
  game because his first principle is to put back the ball no matter how; and
  this he carries into excellent effect。 Zerlendi is a match winner first and a
  stylist second。
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  CHAPTER XVI。 THE COLONIES
  Australasia
  The   death   of   that   sterling   sportsman;   Anthony   F。   Wilding;   and   the
  natural decline in the playing powers of Norman E。 Brookes; owing to the
  advance of years and his war experiences; leave Australasia (Australia and
  New     Zealand)    in  a  somewhat     uncertain   condition    regarding   its  tennis
  prospects。
  NORMAN E。 BROOKES
  Volumes have been written about N。 E。 Brookes and his tennis genius;
  but I would not feel right if I could not pay at least a slight tribute to the
  greatest tennis player and genius of all time。
  There    is  no    need   to   dwell   on   Brookes'     shots;  his   marvellous
  mechanical       perfection;    his   peculiar    volleying     style;   his   uncanny
  anticipation。 All these are too well known to need my feeble description。
  They     are  but   the  expression     of  that  wonderful     brain   and   dominant
  personality that lie behind that sphinx… like face we know as Brookes'。
  To see across the net those ever…restless; ever…moving eyes; picking the
  openings in my never too… well guarded court; and know that against me is
  pitted   the   greatest  tennis;   brain   of  the   century;  is   to  call  upon  me  to
  produce my best。 That is what my match with Brookes meant to me; and
  still does to…day。 Brookes should be an inspiration to every tennis player;
  for he has proved the power of mind over matter in tennis: 〃Age cannot
  wither nor custom stale his infinite variety。〃
  Brookes is the most eminently just man on a tennis court I have ever
  met;   for   no   excitement   or   emotion   clouds   his   eyesight   or   judgment   in
  decisions。 He cannot abide bad decisions; yet he hates them quite as much
  when they favour him as when they are against him。 I admit frankly I am a
  great admirer of Brookes; personally and from every tennis sense。 He is a
  master that I as a student of the game feel proud to study under。
  GERALD PATTERSON
  Australia's     leading   player;   Gerald    Patterson;   is  one   of   the  most
  remarkable   combinations   of   tennis   virtues   and   tennis   faults;   I  have   ever
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  seen。
  Patterson   has   a   wonderful   service。   He   has   speed;   direction;   control;
  and all kinds of twist。 He hits his service consistently hard and puts it in。
  His   overhead is the   most   remarkable in the   game。  He   can   kill   from  any
  place in the court。 His; shot is clean; with little effort; yet carries terrific
  speed。 His volleying above the net is almost faultless on his forehand。 He
  has an excellent forehand drive that is very severe and consistent; but his
  backhand 。 。 。 Where in all the rest of tennis history was there a first…class
  man with a backhand so fundamentally wrong? His grip is bad; he pulls up
  on the ball and 〃loops〃 it high in the air。 I do not mean Patterson always
  misses his backhand。 He does not。 He even makes remarkable shots off it
  at times; but; if Patterson is pressed; his backhand is the first portion of his
  game to crack; because it is hit inherently wrong。
  Patterson relies mainly on speed to win matches。 He is not a strategist;
  and   finesse   is   not   part   of   his   tennis   equipment。   He   has   a   magnificent
  physique; and relies largely on his; strength to carry him through a long
  match and win in the end。
  He is very  quiet; and   inclined to be   somewhat careless on the court;
  unless pressed; when his businesslike; determined play shows what a great
  match   player   Patterson   can   become。   He   produces   his   best   game   at   the
  crucial moment of the match。 Patterson is a superior match player to his
  real   tennis   ability。   His   is   not   truly   a   top…notch   game。   It   has   superlative
  features; but its whole texture is not of the finest。
  Patterson owes much of his success in 1919 to Brookes; under whose
  guidance he played。 The absence of the master mind directing his attack
  proved   a   decided   handicap   in   1920;   and   Patterson's   attack   was   not   so
  certain   nor   sustained   as   in   the   previous   season。   Patterson's   game   plus
  Brookes' strategy would be a great combination in one man。
  PAT O'HARA WOOD
  This   young   Australian   is   one   of   the   greatest   doubles   players   in   the
  world and bids fair to press the leading singles stars close。
  Pat O'Hara Wood is a player without a weakness; yet also one without
  a strength。 He is a typical all court player with no outstanding feature to
  his game   unless it be his volleying。  Pat Wood has   a natural   aptitude   for
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  doubles which at times seriously interferes with his singles game。
  His service is a well placed speedy slice that he mixes up well。 It is not
  a great delivery but very effective。 His ground strokes; taken on the rising
  bounces;   are   flat   drives;   accurate   and   varied   as   to   direction   but   lacking
  punch。 He does not hit hard enough。 He is a brilliant volleyer; cutting off
  at sharp angles the hardest drives。 His overhead is erratic。 At times he is
  deadly overhead but is prone to lapses into uncertainty。 He is remarkably
  quick   and   speedy   of   foot。   His   sense   of   anticipation   is   magnificent。   His
  generalship good; though not brilliant。 It is lack of punch; the inability to
  put   the   ball   away;   that   keeps   Pat   O'Hara   Wood   from   the   first   flight   in
  singles。
  Clever; blessed with a keen sense of humour; a sterling sportsman and
  delightful opponent; Pat O'Hara Wood is a big asset to tennis and a man
  who is needed in the game。 J。 C。 HAWKES
  The youngest of the Australasian players and a boy of great promise is
  Jack Hawkes。 He is only 22 and young in the game for his age。
  Let me state now I do not approve of Hawkes' style。 His footwork is
  wrong; hopelessly wrong and I fear that unless he corrects it; it may keep
  him  f