TILDEN'S TOUR.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 136, 11 June 1927, Page 7

TILDEN'S TOUR.

i TENNIS IN EUROPE. ! THE FRENCH STARS. l.\ .:iv. wonur< <•!•♦ ( C r»pT f; • i !'■ - ~ • ■ r-—t • v- : ■"* ' '. br N'«n h Atmn'-ic Alhaocf. LONDON. Msr 10. I travelled across. the Atlantic in tire » i -amp ship a; W. T. Tilden. The American ; tennis .'tar. and I had pler.tv of omcI I I tumties oi talking To bin-.. 1 "I never felt better in rr.v life." he ' said n;e, "I started To prepare for ■ | Th»» l'.'JT -ea*on on .lantiary ]. when 1 went To California. I took things easilv ' out Tlitre. and after five «f<U went tv> Florida. I an: satisfied with mv-jlf now in every way. "The principal Trouble I had ln<t rear was lack of control. My kr.ee is an old , j sTary. I have always had it. but sere- • | times it behave? better than o:h<>r=. The ] injury dates back U> a footbajl came . twelve years a;o. and I it a iiad twist down south early hi-t year. Ti.'T. 1 went ripht on playimr ar.d it pot '«r. . i-o that later, when it slipped arain. it ! did not come Kirk as readily - it ourht to. It has not bothered me so far. and I hojie it will not. As lor cwitr'd. 1 ■have it acsin/' , "How d" you rate the French*'" Tildet: was asked. He settled liack in his chair and thought a moment before answering. Finally, he -aiu. "Lacoste i-. day in and ■ lay out. the pTeat*>t tennis player in 'the world, t. 111 (V-eheT i- letter at time-. By that I mean I-aco-te i- a niapnificent I mechanical playei. but he lacks the 1 inspirational heights to which Cochet can i n-e. i " Let mc illustrate. Last September La'u-le mapped out hi- tactic-s agaui-t 'Borotra in the American tiual*. He decided To lob to Borotra, and he practised lobbing for an hour and a-half the niomin; of the match. Then he went on ■the court and by tocsin™ Borotra hiirh j ones that fell deep in the curt, broke I up his net game and all he had. But what would have happened if Borotra 1 had been able to stay Kirk? Lacosto j would have been Lacoste decides jon his plan of campaign and goes through with it. Cochet can cbnnge his tactics on the court, but has less t • mechanical skill. There is the difference. I As for Borotra. he is a preat net player. | the fa.-ter-t man on the court, and a fine ' actor. But hi= tennis is not sound, and. 'once his game is solved. he can l-e ,

beaten."' •'What is the came these Frenchmen huve I* it something: n<w m tennis. a next step in the history of stroke making*" "Well, they have so perfected lh<-.' defence that it becomes an attack. ' explained Tilden. "Usually a defend v.--troke means dumping the ball Iwick anvwherei Lacoste and Corbet mn k ball = short or deep to one side «r the other. By a defensive stroke I aicar. a -hort twin: with a modified folio* through. This i- a safer and surer way to play a h?rd hit ball than to swmon it two French stars nave •tm.bined safety with direction. That is . how they have l>een Winning. It remains for the rest of us to work out some method to co*ni>at it. 1 have a theory [which I will try out in Frame, t nt;i •Jvn I think it n.u-t ren.a:n a s»-cret. "1 think our trip ha- i--"n well arranged." continued Tilden. "V\ e plav team matche- in Cermany. II'•. I*^l ->i. Bnjrium. Franc*-. Ireland and England. ::: addition to the French Hard Court Championship* St. Cloud, at the end of May. and the British championships on -ra-- at Wimbledon at the end of June. This will give Hunter and -■■■>1 stiff competition in every match without the necessity of runntnc n* aj-iiin 6 -* p.oor pla vers m early round-. awe would have encountered if we had j. , n e over earlier and played on tin. K:-> eria " "IV> vo t , think the French will t>e better : ha id or era-* courts** "Oh. or. haid o-urt«. undoubu-dly r**ct more tumble at St. Cloud thar. . ' VVjii.biedon. And. by the way. waf'r. ill nunv. Th-y meet F:anee in ti. | -emi-finals of the I'avis Cup piay. and 1 I know several people w ho think they will IW m. K-'member Vincent Richards never v. 'ii .i set in Germany la->i summer. \ incent was not in the best of condition, but not to win a set means somethin::. i "We are going over 1j do our best. 'Tilden concluded. "We are com? to 'make no predictions before piaymg. and we wil' have no alibi* after we are through. That ought to i-e a novelty 1 anyw iiy ."