June is always a busy month for Roy Emerson, or "Emmo" as the hall-of-famer is affectionately known. That's when he and his wife, Joy, leave their home in Newport Beach, Calif., for Gstaad, Switzerland, where he runs what many say is the most exquisite tennis clinic in Europe, and possibly the world, at the five-star Gstaad Palace Hotel. This routine is going on 35 years.

They make the trip every year to Gstaad , along with vacationing recreational players who pay $3,000 a week for tennis with Emmo in an idyllic setting. Participants in the "Roy Emerson Tennis Week" play five hours a day on immaculate red clay courts located next to the majestic hotel, which towers above them like a castle (turrets and all) in the midst of magnificent mountains and lush trees and foliage. There are three indoor courts nearby in the unlikely event of rain. The package includes accommodations at the hotel, all meals, and even a group dinner with Roy at a local Swiss restaurant. The package is popular among tennis devotees from the United States, Great Britain, Europe (particularly Holland and Germany) and, as Roy puts it, "the odd Australian."

Emerson gives lessons himself and supervises the outstanding teaching pros that make up his staff. It's quite an experience. After all, Emerson is the most prolific champion in the game with 28 Grand Slam titles that include 12 singles and 16 doubles titles. He is the only player in tennis history to have won both singles and doubles at all four majors. He was on his way to a third singles victory at Wimbledon when, chasing a ball, he ran into the umpire's chair and dislocated his shoulder; he played on, but lost that match. His record of five consecutive Australian Open singles titles is not likely to be broken.

Known for his powerful and accurate backhand, he was described by Jack Kramer as "the best doubles player of all themoderns, (and) very possibly the best forehand court player of all time. He was so quick he could cover anything. He had the perfect doubles shot--a backhand that dipped over the net and came in at the serverÕs feet as he moved to the net."

Participants of the special tennis week are treated to Emerson's candid tennis talk. "Most of the top players don't play doubles," he laments. "That really started with (Bjorn) Borg, who was going so well he decided he didn't need doubles. The younger players started copying that. This has hurt doubles," says Emerson, adding that it's rarely covered on TV. Moreover, he insists, this has hurt the players' singles games.

"Doubles helps your singles game. It improves your volley and overall game," Emerson explains. "Most players now don't come in to the net except when they get a short ball and can come in after the return. They stay at the baselineÑthe women and the menÑand, using semi-western forehand grips and two-handed backhands, hit the ball as hard as they can."

Emerson is quick to note an exception: Roger Federer. "He changes his grip, but it's not anything extreme, and he uses a one-handed backhandÊ He has an all-court game, but I think he should come in more. He is playing fantastically now."

Emerson played against most of the top players as an amateur and posted wins over Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Rod Laver, and Ashley Cooper. His toughest matches were against Laver. When he turned pro in 1968, Emerson beat the likes of Roscoe Tanner, Arthur Ashe and Bjorn Borg. And as a valued member of the Australian Davis Cup team from 1959 to 1967, he won 38 of 40 Davis Cup matches. His eight team championships are the most won by any man in Davis Cup history.

His wins weren't reserved for the international show courts, either. In 1978, Emerson and his son, Antony, then an All-American at the University of Southern California, which he attended on a tennis scholarship, won the U.S. Hard Court Father-and- Son Championships.

For years on the tour and after, Emerson always was the fittest player going, so it came as a shock last December when his doctor told him he had prostate cancer. He was referred to a surgeon at Mt. Sinai Medical School in New York, David Samadi. "I was in the hospital overnight and stayed in a hotel for a week. In a couple of weeks I started hitting. I had no side effects and a rapid recovery."

Richard Cummings writes for numerous publications, including Playboy. He played for his high school tennis team, which won the New York City championships and remains and avid player and fan.

KEY ADVICE FROM A MASTER

At Gstaad in June, Emerson was on court and eager to share his sage advice with young players:
"Develop an all court game. Work on solid ground strokes and serve. Come to the net and learn to anticipate. It's really important to start this early. This is the only way to learn to anticipate passing shots and when to move in the right direction. You will develop better volleys through practice."

"Kids now compete too early. They're too small to come to the net. They stay back and hit ground strokes and are not learning to come to the net. It's a different kind of exercise, using different muscles when you come to the net and bend. No one is getting down very well now and they are not anticipating. The ball is coming back at you so fast, because of the new rackets, that you don't have time to see where the ball is going."

"You need to study your opponents and learn who likes to hit crosscourt, as most players do, and those who like to go down the line. When youÕre at the net you have to make a split decision about which way to go. You've got to move one way or the other and anticipate."

"It's too late for Andy Roddick to learn to do this now. Roddick doesn't do this and gets passed all the time. Watch players getting passed now. They just stand there. But you must gamble on the right ball so they can't get an angle on you. It's better to anticipate, even if you guess wrong. It's better than just standing there. Coming in and getting down is a different form of exercise. If you don't do it from early on, you won't be able to do it later."