First, the grip of the racket must be considered. If the player will
realize that, as far as possible, she must have her racket, with face
turned slightly up, parallel to the net when hitting the ball, she will
probably hold the racket in the grip most suitable for herself. Lay the
racket slanting across the palm, so that the butt rests at the base
of the palm, a little to the left, and the handle crosses the first
knuckle of the first finger. Close the fingers about the handle, and a
comfortable, firm grip is obtained. A very slight shift is made by most
players in taking a backhand shot, the thumb being slipped diagonally
across the handle, giving a better control over the racket.
The racket, as mentioned above, should always be _parallel to the net_
at the time that it meets the ball, direction being given to the ball
by following through with the racket in the desired line of flight of
the ball. The face of the racket should be slightly “open”; that is,
turned upward a little, not tipped towards the ground, which position
is called “closed,” and the racket itself should be almost parallel to
the ground. It is well for the beginner to exaggerate this last and
keep the head of her racket well up, to overcome a natural tendency to
let it drop too low. If the position of the racket varies all the time,
the player will have to consider whether the head is higher or lower
than usual and make due allowance in her strokes. But if she always
keeps it about the same, she will know from habit just where it is. The
more instinctive a player can become as to the elemental parts of the
game, the more attention she can pay to the finer points. Therefore,
from the very start try to hold the racket correctly, both as to grip
and general position, so that in time you need not think about your
grip at all.
[Illustration: Miss Eleanor Goss at the start of her service.]
[Illustration: Mrs. Raymond serving. Note the height to which the ball
is thrown, also the general balance of the body.
E. Levick, N. Y., Photo.
]
[Illustration: Mrs. Edward Raymond at finish of service. Note how the
weight has been shifted to the left foot.
E. Levick, N. Y., Photo.
]
[Illustration: MLLE. SUZANNE LENGLEN,