Double Court.
When a double court is required, the base-lines must be prolonged 4-ft. 6-in. in each direction, when by joining the four new points, the side-lines of a double court are obtained; it will not now be necessary to prolong the inner side-lines further than the service lines.
The measuring of a court is always apt to be tedious work, but with a little method, a measuring tape, a reel of stout string, some small wooden pegs and a fair supply of patience, the difficulties are soon overcome. The first necessity is to fix the posts in position—I have always found it simplified matters to represent the net by a piece of string from post to post—then measure off a distance of 3-ft. from each, inwards of course. From the point now obtained, measure the side-lines, 78-ft. which gives us 39-ft. each way from the posts. From the side-lines now measure 4½-ft. inwards, and 21-ft. each way from the net string for the service-lines. It now only remains for these lines to be joined along their base by four others running parallel with the net, two on each side of it, respectively termed the base-lines and the service-lines. Half-way between the service-lines and parallel with the side-lines, a line is next drawn to form the half-court-line, which accomplishes the task. Each point as it is measured should be marked off with a peg; then when all the dimensions are taken, a piece of string should be pulled taut from peg to peg, serving as guide to the marker. As a last word on the subject, I may say that I have never heard a low price in markers, nets, posts, or indeed in any implement of the game, recommended as being really economical.
As to balls they can be obtained in many makes, but "Ayre's Championship" stand first in the list of excellence. By the laws of the Lawn Tennis Association the weight of a ball shall be not less than 1-1/8-oz., or more than 2-oz. In 1877, the year of the first Championship, the minimum weight was 1¼-oz., and the maximum 1½-oz.
The Racket. On the fortunate choice of a racket, depends literally at least half the success or failure of any battle fought with it. Writing of rackets, Mr. C. A. Heathcote says: "The essential points are—a good hoop, free from knots, with a well-marked and continuous grain, plain wooden handle, round or slightly octagonal, fitting the hand of the player, attached to the middle piece without any perceptible interval, and good strong gut."[7] It is an essential point that the racket should not be too heavy; on the other hand an over-light racket is far from desirable, except perhaps for a volleying game. From 12 to 13-oz. is usually considered a good weight range for a lady's racket, though I have frequently met with ladies who never touched anything under 14-oz. Indeed, in a matter of this sort, the choice must rest very much with the player herself, who will soon find from experience what weight suits her best. And so long as she confines her selection to the first makes, she cannot go very far wrong.
Scoring. The only satisfactory manner in which lawn-tennis scoring can be dealt with on paper, is by quoting once more from the laws of the Lawn-Tennis Association, thus:
Law 21. On either player winning his first stroke, the score is called 15 for that player, on either player winning his second stroke, the score is called 30 for that player; on either player winning his third stroke, the score is called 40 for that player; and the fourth stroke won by either player is scored game for that player, except as below:
If both players have won three strokes, the score is called deuce, and the next stroke won by either player is called advantage for that player. If the same player win the next stroke, he wins the game; if he lose the next stroke the score is again called deuce, and so on until either player win the two strokes immediately following the score at deuce, when the game is scored for that player.
Law 22. The player who first wins six games wins a set, except as below:
If both players win five games, the score is called games-all, and the next game won by either player is scored advantage-game for that player. If the same player win the next game, he wins the set; if he lose the next game, the score is again called games-all; and so on until either player wins the two games immediately following the score of games-all, when he wins the set.