THE sight of giant tennis players smashing down ace after unstoppable ace is, as far as I’m concerned, not what sport is about.

Nor, for that matter, is the spectacle of a fast bowler threatening to decapitate each batsman with every fearsome delivery.

I advocate a return to gentler times when tennis players served underarm and bowlers in cricket were not allowed to raise the hand above the waist.

In those less competitive days, playing sport meant enjoying friendship and exercise in the fresh air.

Winning was not of paramount importance, which is in sharp contrast to today where crushing an opponent underfoot by virtually any means is considered acceptable.

A return to underarm serving and underarm bowling would give at least two sports a semblance of normality in a mad world.

It’s time sport in general examined itself most closely and considered giving sportsmen who don’t rely on brute force and ignorance the chance to display their full range of subtle skills.

GEOFFREY LINDLEY

Clayford Avenue, Ferndown