Loberati
An ancient and patient order of those who hit it over you.
Altius. Lentius. Iterum.
You have met us
For centuries a hidden hand has guided the affairs of club tennis. It has no topspin. It has no pace. It has only altitude.
You were at the net. You felt good about it. Then you looked up, and kept looking up, and somewhere behind you a ball landed on the baseline with the soft sound of a door closing.
That was us. It has always been us.
What we hold true
- The net player is not an opponent. The net player is an unlit candle.
- Pace is borrowed. Altitude is owned.
- The sun is the third member of every doubles team.
- A lob is never out. It is early, late, or misunderstood.
- Whoever runs back for it has already lost something more important than the point.
The one above
His Loftiness,
the Grand Lobmaster
Name withheld by order of the Order. He has not struck a ball below the height of a streetlamp since racquets were made of wood, and he has never been seen to run.
Witnesses agree on little. He arrives at dusk. The hood stays up. He stands where the sun is going to be. Look closely at his lenses and you will see his last lob. It has not come down yet.
The degrees
Every member begins at the bottom and rises slowly, with a great deal of hang time.
- 33°
The Unsmashable
Their lobs come down with frost on them. Opponents have aged visibly while waiting.
- 13°
Sunwhisperer
Places every ball between you and the sun. Carries a pocket almanac and will not say why.
- 3°
Keeper of the Arc
Can clear a six-foot-four net player by two feet, on purpose, twice in a row.
- 2°
Moonballer
Has stopped apologising.
- 1°
Dinker
Knows the lob exists. Uses it in emergencies. Says sorry afterwards.
We walk among you
You cannot join what you cannot find. Watch for the signs.
- A partner who calls “yours” before the ball has been hit.
- Someone testing the wind with a wet finger at seven in the morning.
- Opponents quietly putting on hats.
- A can of balls opened with more reverence than the moment requires.
- A warm-up in which nobody hits a single volley.
The Order is always watching. Mostly the sky.
Read the Rites