第 35 节
作者:雨霖铃      更新:2021-05-03 16:33      字数:9322
  wrong; hopelessly wrong and I fear that unless he corrects it; it may keep
  him  from  attaining   the place   his   natural   abilities   promise。   〃Austral;〃   the
  famous critic; describes him as 〃having the genius of the game。〃
  Jack Hawkes has an exaggerated American twist service that; since he
  is   a   left…hander;   places   an   unnecessary   strain   on   his   heart   muscles。   It
  carries terrific twist but little speed and does not Pay him for the amount
  of energy he expends。
  His   forehand   drive   is   excellent;   fast;   deep;   and   well   placed;   yet   in
  making      this  he   steps   away    from    the   ball;  again   wasting     energy。    His
  backhand       is  a  poke    and   very   unreliable。    To   save    it  he  runs   around
  everything possible; again causing unnecessary exertion。 His volleying is
  brilliant while his overhead is magnificent。
  Hawkes' waste of energy has cost him many a   match; yet for all the
  inherent   defects   in   his   game   he   is   so   clever   in   using   what   he   has;   his
  tactics are so good for so young a player that I believe he will be one of
  the leading players of the world in a few years。 Under the watchful eyes of
  Norman   Brookes   I   foresee   Hawkes   changing   his   footwork   to   at   least   a
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  reasonable copy of the old master。
  J。 O。 ANDERSON
  This young   player is   again   a promise   rather   than a   star。   He is   a big;
  rangy;     hard…hitting     type    like  Gerald     Patterson。     He   is   crude;   at   times
  careless   and   unfortunately   handicapped   in   1920   and   1921   by   a   severe
  illness   that   only   allowed   him   to   resume   play   in   the   middle   of   the   latter
  year。 His ground strokes are flat drives fore and backhand。 His forehand is
  a particularly fine shot。 He hits it with a short sharp snap of his arm that
  imparts great speed and yet hides the direction。 His backhand is defensive。
  His volleying clever; accurate but soft。 His overhand severe and reliable。
  His service flat; fast and dangerous。
  He   needs   finesse;   experience   and   season;   with   which   he   may   well
  become   one   of   the   greatest   players   as   the   fundamental   potentialities   are
  there。
  NORMAN PEACH
  The steady baseline game of England has its exponent in Australia in
  Norman   Peach。   He   has   a   beautiful   driving   game;   with   adequate   but   not
  severe   service;   that   one   finds   so   much   in   England。 At   times   Peach   will
  advance   to   the   net   but   his   volleying   and   overhead   are   secondary   to   his
  baseline game。 He is not a great tennis player but is certainly one of high
  standard of play。 He is just below the first flight in Australia。
  R。 V。 Thomas   is   one  of  the  finest doubles players in the  world   as   is
  amply   attested   by   his   win   of   the   world's   title   in   1919   with   Pat   O'Hara
  Wood   and   their   two   successive   wins   of   the Australian   Championship   in
  1919…20。   Thomas   with   his   hard…hitting   off   the   ground;   and   his   brilliant
  volleying is a fine foil for Pat Wood's steady accuracy。
  Just   a   word   about   one   veteran;   a   good   friend   of   mine;   who   is   again
  playing   fine   tennis;   Rodney   L。   Heath;   hero   of   the   famous   Davis   Cup
  match in 1911 when he defeated W。 A。 Larned; is again in the game。
  Heath   with   his   long   beautiful   groundstrokes;   forehand;   or   backhand;
  his incisive crisp volleys and fine; generalship based on young experience;
  is a notable figure in the tennis world。
  The   mantle   of   Wilding   and   Brookes   must   fall   on   the   shoulders   of   a
  really great player。 Who it will be is hard to say at present。 No outstanding
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  figure looms on the horizon at the time of writing。
  South Africa
  The     1920   South    African     Davis   Cup    team    players;   following     their
  disastrous defeat by Holland; journeyed to England for the Championship
  and   following   tournaments;   and   I   had   the   opportunity   of   studying   three
  players of great promise。 The remaining two were excellent; but hardly as
  exceptional as the former。
  Charles   Winslow;   the   leading   player   in   the   team;   has   a   remarkable
  versatile game。 He uses a high; bounding service of good speed; which at
  times he follows to the net。 His best ground stroke is a severe chop; not
  unlike     Wallace     F。  Johnson。    He    has   a  good    drive   both   forehand     and
  backhand; which he only uses when pressed or in attempting to pass a net
  man。   He   volleys   very   well;   and   covers   the   net   quickly。   His   overhead   is
  very severe; steady; and reliable。 He is a fine natural player just below the
  top flight。 He is an excellent strategist; and mixes his shots very well。 He
  has exceptionally fast footwork; and repeatedly runs around his backhand
  to chop diagonally across the court in a manner very similar to Johnson。
  B。 I。 C。 Norton; the South African champion; a youngster of twenty; is
  a   phenomenal   player   of   extreme   brilliancy。   He   has   everything   in   stroke
  equipment;       drives;    slices;  volleys;    and   a   fine   service   and    overhead。
  Unfortunately Norton regards his tennis largely as a joke。 His judgment is
  therefore   faulty;   and   he   is   apt   to   loaf   on   the   court。   He   tries   the   most
  impossible       shots   that   sometimes      go   in;  and    in  the   main;    his   court
  generalship is none too good。
  He is an irrepressible boy; and his merry smile and chatter make him a
  tremendous   favourite   with   the   gallery。   He   has   a   very   strong   personality
  that should carry him a long way。
  Louis   Raymond;   the   left…handed   star   of   the   South   Africans;   has   an
  excellent ground game coupled with a good service and fair volleying and
  overhead。   His   game   is   not   remarkable。   He   is   a   hard…working;   deserving
  player     who    attains  success    by   industry    rather   than   natural   talent。   His
  judgment is sound and methods of play orthodox; except for a tendency to
  run around his backhand。
  C。 R。 Blackbeard; the youngest member of the team; and G。 H。 Dodd;
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  its captain; are both very excellent players of the second flight。 Blackbeard
  is very young; not yet twenty; and may develop into a star。 At present he
  chops too much; and is very erratic。 。 。 。 。 。 。 。
  There are many other players whom I would analyse if I had the time
  or space; but in these days of paper shortage and ink scarcity; conservation
  is the keynote of the times。
  Let me turn for a few moments to the women whose fame in the tennis
  world is the equal of the men I have been analysing。
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  CHAPTER XVII。 FAMOUS WOMEN PLAYERS
  Women's Tennis
  The   great   boom   that    featured   the   whole   tennis   season   of   1921    in
  America found one of its most remarkable manifestations in the increased
  amount of play; higher standard of competition and remarkable growth of
  public interest in women's tennis。
  England   has   led;   and   still   leads;   the   world   in   women's   tennis。   The
  general standard of play is on a higher scale and there is more tournament
  play   in   England   than   elsewhere。   France;   with   Mlle。   Suzanne   Lenglen;
  Mme。      Billout   (Mlle。    Brocadies)     and   Mme。     Golding;     forces   England
  closely for European supremacy; but until recent years America; except for
  individuals; has been unable to reach the standard of women's tennis found
  abroad。
  Miss    May   Sutton;    now    Mrs。   Thomas      H。  Bundy;    placed    American
  colours in the field by her wonderful performances in winning the World's
  Championship         at  Wimbledon      more    than   a  decade    ago;   but   after  her
  retirement America was forced to content itself with local honors。
  Neither    Miss    Mary    Browne     nor   Miss   Hazel    Hotchkiss;    now    Mrs。
  George   Wightman;   followed   Mrs。   May   Sutton   B