M'Loughlin gave us speed, dash, and verve in our tennis. It
remained for R. N. Williams and W. M. Johnston to restore the
balance of the modern game by solving the riddle of the
Californian's service. Brookes and Wilding led the way by first
meeting the ball as it came off the ground. Yet neither of these
two wizards of the court successfully handled M'Loughlin's
service as did Williams and Johnston.
M'Loughlin swept Brookes and Wilding into the discard on those
memorable days in 1914, when the dynamic game of the fiery-headed
Californian rose to heights it had never attained previously, and
he defeated both men in the Davis Cup. Less than one month later
Williams, playing as only Williams can, annihilated that mighty
delivery and crushed M'Loughlin in the final of the National
Championship. It was the beginning of the end for M'Loughlin, for
once his attack was repulsed he had no sound defence to fall back
on.
Williams and then Johnston triumphed by the wonderful ground
strokes that held back M'Loughlin's attack.
To-day we are still in the period of service and net attack, with
the cycle closing toward the ground- stroke game. Yet the circle
will never close, for the net game is the final word in attack,
and only attack will succeed. The evolution means that the ground
stroke is again established as the only modern defence against
the net player.
Modern tennis should be an attacking service, not necessarily
epoch-making, as was M'Loughlin's, but powerfully offensive, with
the main portion of the play from the baseline in sparring for
openings to advance to the net.
Pages:
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110