His ground strokes are hit in beautiful form. Gobert is the
exponent of the most perfect form in the world to-day. His swing
is the acme of beauty. The whole stroke is perfection. He hits
with a flat, slightly topped drive, feet in excellent position,
and weight well controlled. It is uniform, backhand and forehand.
His volleying is astonishing. He can volley hard or soft, deep or
short, straight or angled with equal ease, while his tremendous
reach makes him nearly impossible to pass at the net. His
overhead is deadly, fast, and accurate, and he kills a lob from
anywhere in the court.
Why is not Gobert the greatest tennis player in the world?
Personally I believe it is lack of confidence, a lack of fighting
ability when the breaks are against him, and defeat may be his
due. It is a peculiar thing in Gobert, for no man is braver than
he, as his heroism during the War proved. It is simply lack of
tennis confidence. It is an over- abundance of temperament. In
victory Gobert is invincible, in defeat he is apt to be almost
mediocre.
Gobert is delightful personally. His quick wit and sense of
humour always please the tennis public. His courteous manner and
genial sportsmanship make him universally popular. His stroke
equipment is unsurpassed in the tennis world.
I unqualifiedly state that I consider him the most perfect tennis
player, as regards strokes and footwork, in the world to-day; but
he is, not the greatest player.
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