The Birth of My Backhand

An attacking backhand drive developed late in his career, through intensive practice. One becomes very weary of the cliches of one's youth that have been driven down one's throat. Take the old standby, "Practice makes perfect." Nothing, not even practice, makes anything, or anyone, perfect. Yet hidden in the dear old bromide is a bit of sound tennis advice. Practice may not make perfect, but believe me it has made many a good tennis player. I am a great believer in practice, but above all in intensive practice. My idea of intensive practice is to pick out one stroke and hammer away at that shot until it is completely mastered. My greatest success with this system was the development of my own backhand, from a feeble defense chop to an offensive attacking drive, through the intensive practice of one winter and at the cost of many lickings. My backhand was born in the Winter of 1919 and 1920. Its place of birth was Providence, Rhode Island. My backhand reached this earth because the United States was to challenge for the Davis Cup in 1920 and the Davis Cup Committee indicated to me that I would be considered seriously for the...