第 15 节
作者:雨霖铃      更新:2021-05-03 16:33      字数:9322
  very slippery owing to the heavy drizzle that had been falling throughout
  the match。 At 3…2 in my favour; I essayed a journey to the net; only to have
  Kingscote   pass      me   'cross   court  to  my   backhand。   I    turned    and   started
  rapidly for the shot murmuring 〃Peach〃 as I went。 Suddenly my feet went
  out and I rolled over on the ground; sliding some distance; mainly on my
  face。 I arose; dripping; just in time to hear; sotto voce; in the gallery at my
  side: 〃A little bit crushed; that Peach。〃 The sense of humour of the speaker
  was delightful。 The whole side…line howled with joy; and the joke was on
  me。
  I am always the goat for the gallery in these little jokes; because it is
  seldom I can refrain from saying something loud enough to be heard。
  I   remember   an   incident   that   caused   great   joy   to   a   large   gallery   in
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  Philadelphia during a match between two prominent local players。 One of
  the men had been charging the net and volleying consistently off the frame
  of his racquet; giving a wonderful display of that remarkable shot known
  the world over as 〃the mahogany volley。〃 His luck was phenomenal for all
  his   mis…hit    volleys   won    him    points。   Finally;   at  the  end    of  a  bitterly
  contested deuce game in the last set he again won the deciding point with
  a volley off the wood; just as a small insect flew in his eye。
  He called to his opponent: 〃Just a moment; I have a fly in my eye。〃
  The disgusted opponent looked up and muttered: 〃Fly? Huh! I'll bet it's
  a splinter!〃
  There   was   a   certain   young   player   who   was   notoriously   lax   in   his
  eyesight on decisions。 He could never see one against himself。 He became
  noted   in   his   own   locality。   He   and   another   boy   were   playing   a   team   of
  brothers who were quite famous in the tennis world。 One of these brothers
  had a very severe service that the local Captain Kidd could not handle at
  all。 So each time the visiting player served close to the line; the boy would
  swing at it; miss it; and call 〃Fault!〃 There was no umpire available and
  there was no question of the older team losing; so they let it go for some
  time。   Finally   a   service   fully   3   feet   in   was   casually   called   out   by   the
  youngster。 This proved too much for the server; who hailed his brother at
  the net with the query: 〃What was wrong that time?〃
  〃I don't know;〃 came the reply; 〃unless he called a footfault on you!〃
  The   assurance   of   some   young   players   is   remarkable。  They  know   far
  more     about   the   game    of  other   men    than   the  men    themselves。     I  once
  travelled to a tournament with a boy who casually seated himself beside
  me   in   the   train   and;   seeing   my   tennis   bag;   opened   the   conversation   on
  tennis and tennis players。 He finally turned his attention to various people
  I knew well; and suddenly burst out with: 〃Tilden is a chop…stroke player。 I
  know him well。〃 I let him talk for about ten minutes; learning things about
  my game that I never knew before。 Finally I asked his name; which he told
  me。 In reply he asked mine。 The last view I had of him for some time was
  a hasty retreat through the door of the car for air。
  I played my first match against J。 C。 Parke at Wimbledon in 1920。 The
  time   before   that   I   had   been   on   the   court   with   him   was   at   Germantown
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  Cricket Club in 1911; when I acted as ball…boy in the Davis Cup between
  him   and   W。   A。   Larned。   The   Junior   members   of   the   club;   sons   of   the
  members;   used   to   consider   it   a   great   honour   to   act   as   ball…boy   in   these
  matches; and worked every means to be picked。 I picked up much tennis
  in   those   days;    for  I  have   worked     at  the   ball…boy    position    for  Parke;
  Crawley; Dixon; Larned; Wright; and Ward。
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  CHAPTER IX。 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF
  SINGLES AND DOUBLES
  Singles; the greatest strain in tennis; is the game for two players。 It is
  in   this   phase   of   the   game   that   the   personal   equation   reaches   its   crest   of
  importance。 This is the game of individual effort; mental and physical。
  A   hard   5…set   singles   match   is   the   greatest   strain   on   the   body   and
  nervous system of any form of sport。 Richard Harte and L。 C。 Wister; the
  former a famous Harvard University football and baseball player; the latter
  a football star at Princeton; both of whom are famous tennis players; have
  told me that a close 5…set tennis match was far more wearing on them than
  the biggest football game they had ever played。
  Singles is a game of daring; dash; speed of foot and stroke。 It is a game
  of   chance   far   more   than   doubles。   Since   you   have   no   partner   dependent
  upon you; you can afford to risk error for the possibility of speedy victory。
  Much of what I wrote under match play is more for singles than doubles;
  yet   let   me   call   your   attention   to   certain   peculiarities   of singles   from  the
  standpoint   of   the   spectator。 A  gallery   enjoys   personalities   far   more   than
  styles。 Singles brings two people into close and active relations that show
  the   idiosyncrasies     of  each   player   far  more    acutely   than   doubles。    The
  spectator     is  in  the   position    of  a   man    watching     an   insect   under    a
  microscope。 He can analyse the inner workings。
  The freedom of restraint felt on a single court is in marked contrast to
  the   need    for  team   work    in  doubles。    Go   out   for  your   shot  in  singles
  whenever there is a reasonable chance of getting it。 Hit harder at all times
  in singles than in doubles; for you have more chance of scoring and can
  take more risk。
  Few great singles; players are famous in doubles。 Notable exceptions
  to   the  above    statement    come     to  mind   at  once    in  the  persons    of  the
  Dohertys; Norman E。 Brookes; and F。 B。 Alexander。 Yet who could accuse
  W。     M。    Johnston;      R。   N。    Williams      (notwithstanding       his    World's
  Championship doubles title); Andre Gobert; the late Anthony F。 Wilding;
  M。 E。 M'Loughlin; or Gerald Patterson of playing great doubles? All these
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  men   are   wonderful   singles        players;   playing   singles      on   a   double   court
  alongside some suffering partner。 The daring that makes for a great singles
  player   is   an   eternal    appeal   to   a  gallery。   None   of    the   notable    doubles
  players;   who   have   little   or   no   claim   to   singles   fame;   have   enjoyed   the
  hero…worship accorded the famous singles stars。 H。 Roper…Barrett; Stanley
  Doust;      Harold     H。   Hackett;     Samuel     Hardy;     and   Holcombe        Ward;     all
  doubles   players   of   the   very  highest   order;   were;   and   are;   well   liked   and
  deservedly popular; but are not idolized as were M'Loughlin or Wilding。
  Singles     is  a  game     of  the   imagination;      doubles     a  science    of  exact
  angles。
  Doubles       is   four…handed       tennis。    Enough      of   this   primary      reader
  definition。 I only used that so as not to be accused of trying to write over
  the heads of the uninitiated。
  It is just as vital to play to your partner in tennis as in bridge。 Every
  time you make a stroke you must do it with a definite plan to avoid putting
  your partner in trouble。 The keynote of doubles success is team work; not
  individual      brilliancy。   There     is  a  certain   type   of  team   work      dependent
  wholly   upon   individual   brilliancy。   Where   both   players   are   in   the   same
  class; a team is as strong as its weakest player at any given time; for here it
  is even team work with an equal division of the court that should be the
  method of play。 In the case of one strong player and one weaker player; the
  team     is  as  good    as   the  strong    player    can   make     it  by  protecting     and
  defending   the   weaker。   This   pair   should   develop   its   team   work   on   the
  individual brilliancy of the stronger man。
  The first essential of doubles play is to PUT the ball in play。 A double
  fault   is   bad   in   singles;   but   it   is   in