PLAYERS' RIGHTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 170, 20 July 1935, Page 11

PLAYERS' RIGHTS.

WIMBLEDON RULES.

THE AMATEUR FETISH.

HOW DO THEY LIVE?

(Special.—By Air Mall.) LONDON, June 29,

With the advent of Wimbledon this week the old argument over amateur and professional rights is resumed. Perry's acceptance of i Sydney post, gained solely through his tennis, is given prominence. Wimbledon is strictly amateur, in theory. None of the famous players who draw thousands of spectators —and thousands of pounds —to watch them will rcceive a penny in payment. The foreign stars have their travelling expenses paid by the Lawn Tennis Association- The home stars— Perry, Dorothy Hound, Austin, Betty Nuthall, Kay Stammers —have to pay their own way.

They even have to pay half-a-crown a day" for parking their cars, buy their own tea after a match . . and even the seats from which they may watch the play are so few that many never see the finals at all. \et most of the well-known players spend many months of the year doing nothing but playing tennis. How do they live? The fact of their entries being accepted for Wimbledon, especially if they do well there, is worth a good deal to them during the rest of the year, when they spend their time playing in a succession of smaller tournaments all over the countrv. It means that they are in a position to obtain a free week here and a free week there for the rest of the summer and autumn. In fact to-day a tennis amateur can make far more out of the game than do the real _ professionals. Some, of course, have business interests. Bunny Austin is connected with a stockbroker's office in the city. Jsorotra is a birr business man. Betty Nuthall helps to~run her mother's hotels. Mrs. Fearnlev Whittingstall and Mrs. Pittman both work in their dress shops, while I. G. Collins is kept out of the game most of the year by his duties in his father's publishing firm. There are RJ. Ritchie, Charlie Hare, Alan Stedman and C. Malfrov, the New Zealand Davis Cup players, who have appointments with sports outfitters, whom they represent in tournaments, but the majority of the present generation of tennis stars look upon the game itself as their life's work.