Johnston's volleying is hard, deep, and usually very reliable.He crouches behind his racquet and volleys directly in to the flight of the ball, hitting down.His low volleys are made with a peculiar wrist-flick that gives the rise and speed.His overhead is accurate, reliable, but not startling in its power.Johnston's game has no real weakness, while his forehand and volleying are superlative.
Johnston is a remarkable match player.He reaches his greatest game when behind.He is one of the hardest men to beat in the game owing to his utter lack of fear and the dogged determination with which he hangs on when seemingly beaten.He is quiet, modest, and a sterling sportsman.He gets a maximum result with a minimum effort.
R.N.WILLIAMS
R.N.Williams, American Champion 1914 and 1916, another of my Davis Cup team-mates, is a unique personality in the tennis world.Personally, I believe that Williams at his best is the greatest tennis player in the world, past or present.Unfortunately, that best is seldom seen, andthen not for a consistent performance.He is always dangerous, and his range of variation is the greatest among any of the leading players.
Williams' service is generally a fast slice, although he at times uses an American twist.He is erratic in his delivery, scoring many aces, but piling up enormous numbers of double-faults.His ground strokes are made off the rising bound of the ball.They are flat or slightly sliced.Never topped, But sometimes pulled.Williams' margin of safety is so small that unless his shot is perfectly hit it is useless.He hits hard at all times and makes tremendous numbers of earned points, yet his errors always exceed them, except when he strikes one of his "super" days.
His volleying is very hard, crisp, and decisive, coupled with an occasional stop volley.His use of the half volley is unequalled in modern tennis.His overhead is severe and ordinarily reliable, although he will take serious slumps overhead.He is a past master of his own style strokes, but it is an unorthodox game that should not be copied by the average player.
He is never willing to alter his game for safety's sake, and defeats himself in sheer defiance by hitting throughout a match when his strokes are not working.He is greatly praised for this unwillingness to alter his game in defeat.Personally, I think he deserves condemnation rather than praise, for it seems recklessness rather than bravery to thus seek defeat that could easily be avoided.
Williams takes tennis almost too lightly.Cheery, modest, and easy- going, he is very popular with all galleries, as his personality deserves.He is a brilliant ever-interesting light in any tennis gathering, and his game will always show sheer genius of execution even while rousing irritation by his refusal to play safe.He would rather have one super-great day and bad defeats, than no bad defeats without his day of greatness.Who shall say he is not right? We may not now agree, but Williams may yet prove to us he is right and we are wrong.
CHARLES S.GARLAND
The last member of the Davis Cup team and youngest player of the Americans is Charles S.Garland, the Yale star.
Garland is the perfect stylist, the orthodox model for ground strokes.He is an example of what stroke perfection can do.
He uses a soft slice service, of no particular peculiarity, yet places it so well that he turns it into an attack.His forehand is hit with a full swing, flat racquet face, and a slight top spin.It is deadly accurate and of moderate speed.He can put the ball at will anywhere in the court off his forehand.His backhand is slightly sliced down the line and pulled flat across the court.It is not a point winner but is an excellent defence.His overhead is steady, reliable, and accurate, but lacks aggressiveness.His high volleying is fine, deep, and fast.His low volleying is weak and uncertain.He anticipates wonderfully, and covers a tremendous amount of court.His attack is rather obvious in that he seldom plays the unusual shot, yet his accuracy is so great that he frequently beats a man who guesses his shot yet can't reach it.
N.E.Brookes stated he considered Garland one of the greatest ground-stroke players in the world.This is true of his forehand, but his backhand lacks punch.His whole game needs speed and aggressiveness.
He is quiet, modest, and extremely popular.His perfect court manner and pleasant smile have made Garland a universal favourite in America and England.His game is the result of hard, conscientious work.There is no genius about it, and little natural talent.It is not an interesting game as it lacks brilliancy, yet it is very sound, and much better than it looks.
VINCENT RICHARDS
Vincent Richards, National junior Champion of America and the most remarkable boy playing tennis, is a distinct personality.Richards, who is now only seventeen, won the Men's Doubles Championship of America at the age of fifteen.Richards is a born tennis player and a great tennis genius.
Richards' service is a fast slice that he follows to the net.It is speedy and very accurate.His ground strokes are both slice and drive, although the basis of his game is slice.He meets the ball on the rise and "spoons" it off his forehand.It is low, fast, but none too sure.His backhand shot is a fast twisting slice that is remarkably effective and very excellent as a defence.He is learning a flat drive.
His volleying is the great feature of his game.He is the greatest natural volleyer I have ever seen.Low and high volleying, fore- and backhand isperfect in execution.His half volleying is phenomenal.His overhead is very severe for a boy, and carries great speed for so small a person, but it is inclined to be slightly erratic.He is tremendously fast on his feet, but it inclined to be lazy.
