To the Editor:

After reading Richard Stern’s delightful essay, “Tennis, Anyone?” [April], . . . I wondered whether I was reading COMMENTARY or a misplaced article from the New Yorker, Gourmet, or one of the many travel magazines I often read. “Tennis, Anyone?” had humor, a great feel for England and Wimbledon, an expert knowledge of tennis and the people who play and watch it. In short, a treat for anyone familiar with the game. Then I began to wonder whether I had missed something: perhaps the article had some subtle meanings, some social messages I had not grasped. . . . Were there some hidden messages concerning family values, the peace process, the Hiss case, gay rights, and other weighty subjects concealed among the tennis lobs?

I then reread the article and concluded that it was just a happy, well-written discourse by an author who loved the game of tennis, enjoyed watching the people who watched it, and believed that tradition and good manners were compatible with enjoyment. . . . Thank you for having the imagination to include it in your April issue.

Robert J. Rosenthal
Washington, D.C.