Harper's Round Table, August 11, 1896

by Various

A glance at this list will show that the winners of the interscholastic matches have all, with the possible exception of Parker, become players of ability; and although Ware cannot yet be ranked with Chace or Wrenn, he certainly will achieve that distinction before long. It is pleasing to see that the schools are developing such good men in this line of sport, the winners of the tournaments of '91, '92, '93, and '95 being graduates of large schools, whereas the winner of '94, who has not achieved any particular prominence since, was not a graduate of any institution. Perhaps this shows the advantage of attending a large school, for this surely affords a greater opportunity for good practice, and a player gets the chance to brush up against many different styles.

This question of practice is a very important one, and no player who hopes to become proficient in tennis can ever hope to do so unless he keeps himself in shape by working daily on the court during the open season. In tennis, as in everything else, there is no high-road to success, and while it is possible that some men may have a greater facility for making strokes and covering the court than others, there is no such thing as a born tennis-player, and all who have succeeded in the game have earned their laurels by hard and persistent work.

It has sometimes been asked if a tennis-player should maintain any especial kind of training. He should—that is, he should keep in training in the sense of keeping in good condition and, as I have said above, in keeping in form. If a man wishes to win a closely contested five-set match, he has got to be absolutely fit. Such a game requires endurance as much as skill, and the man who is in the better condition, even if he is the poorer player, so far as science goes, is likely to be the winner.

Every one who has played tennis, no matter how little, knows what an amount of exertion and lung-power is expended in a three or five set match, especially if the weather is at all warm or humid, as it usually is in this part of the country on the day set for a tennis-match—(unless it rains!) In order to be able to stand the strain of such an exertion, any one who is going to play tennis regularly and in tournaments during the summer should make it a point to lead as much as possible a regular life. One of the most important things is to get a good long rest every night, and especially on the night preceding a hard match. A good night's rest may only be obtained by retiring early. The trouble with a good many of our tennis-players is that, being at hotels or summer resorts for the playing of tournaments, they are apt to be led into sitting up late at night by the company or the entertainment which is at hand.

Two hours sleep before midnight is recognized to be worth more than four hours of sleep in the morning, so far as refreshing the tissues of the body is concerned. For this reason tennis-players, and especially the younger men among them, to whom I hope to appeal in these columns, should avoid hops and dances at summer resorts, for this is the most common reason for sitting up late at night. A couple of hours' dancing in the evening, while it is fun, is exercise, and tires one. The man who has to play a match in the morning will feel that unpleasant weary sensation under the knees if he has danced the night before, and in the middle of about the second set he will wish he had gone to bed instead of to the ballroom.

As for diet, there is no particular reason why this should be especially restricted. Good wholesome food will strengthen any one who is exercising, and constant exercise will likewise usually overcome the effect of a certain amount of rich food; but it is better for the general health not to tax the system with pastry and sweets and rich sauces. Especially at luncheon, before an afternoon match, should these dishes be shunned. It goes without saying that smoking should be avoided, for there is nothing worse than such indulgence for the "wind."

While playing, either a match or practice sets, never under any circumstances drink anything. It is bad on general principles to drink when overheated, and while exercising in this way cold drinks will surely make a player feel badly, and eventually give him dyspepsia, if nothing worse. It is well to have a pail of fresh water—better still, oatmeal water—near the court, and there is no reason why the players should not occasionally wash out their mouths. In England, where there is even a greater fear of ice-water than there is among our own sensible people, tennis-players frequently take a little warm tea between sets when playing important matches. The tea, which is served not hot but only lukewarm, quenches the thirst very satisfactorily, and, in addition, acts as a stimulant to the system.

After an afternoon of play on the courts it is a very good thing to retire to your room and use a pair of light wooden dumbbells for two or three minutes. This exercise is not fatiguing and does not take up any time, and makes a man feel refreshed and somewhat rested, for it brings into play a number of muscles that were not used on the court. It goes without saying that bathing is imperative after tennis, as it is, after all, exercise, and after the bath a rub down with a rough towel. The man who takes a cold bath in the morning will find himself better set up for the coming day's play, and it cannot be too strongly urged upon players at the sea-side to take a plunge before breakfast, if they can, in the salt water.

To lay a grass court is not such a difficult matter as it might seem to one who has never attempted it, and as some of the readers of this Department seem to wish to be enlightened on this subject, it may be well to devote a few lines of explanation. We will suppose, of course, that the grass court is to be laid out on a lawn, and not on a bare space that must be sodded down. The portion of the lawn selected should be, of course, as flat and even as possible, and the court should be carefully measured out, but not necessarily marked out, before anything else is done. Then with sharp spades remove entirely all the existing turf. When this has been done the bare ground must be properly levelled and turned over, and a layer of fine soil about two inches deep should be laid on. Then replace the turf and beat it well down. It sounds like a heavy undertaking to remove the sod from the entire court space, but the results will justify the labor expended, and the court will be a much better one when completed than if the rough spots only had been taken up and smoothed over.

This court should then be left for a week or two, to settle down, so to speak; and after that the grass should be carefully mowed. There is a good deal of skill in the use of a lawn-mower, and a good gardener can do more for the turf with this little machine than might at first be supposed. The grass ought not to be cut more frequently than once a week in the spring-time, but as the summer becomes older and the grass grows faster, it may be well to mow the court twice and possibly even three times in the week. In the early days of the court's construction, if it is not in demand for playing, the best thing is to allow the cut grass to remain on the lawn, for it acts eventually as a sort of fertilizer and develops a superior quality of turf.