The Tennis Tour

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20988, 17 October 1933, Page 8

The Tennis Tour

The English and Australian tennis players who arrived in Wellington yesterday will be warmly welcomed wherever they go and watched with the liveliest interest whenever they play. Everybody will hope that they find in their visit as much pleasure as the arrangements promise their hosts; and though this is hoping a great deal, it is perhaps not hoping too much. If the Do-

j minion cannot march on to the | courts against them an equal array of Davis Cup players, to give them I ace for ace is not the only way of worthily complimenting and enterj taining them. Indeed, this form of compliment and entertainment is one which their recent history has perhaps a little staled for them. It will be enough to see them in brilliant but not desperate action with and against each other and against the New Zeala.nders matched with them; and it will be surprising if these, though beaten, do not come near enough to their opponents' standard to make them show how high it is. It has long been fairly clear that New Zealand tennis players fall short of the highest only because they are seldom tested by j it. They too seldom meet the very ! good or the best players of other | countries, regular competition : among which has developed the ; game amazingly. The last process i by which a player gains temper and ! edge is denied them; and the wonder is that so many New Zealanders should without it have achieved so much. A visit like this, or like the Frenchmen's a few years ago, \ is therefore invaluable to the leading players of the Dominion; but not only to them. The hundreds of spectators who will surround the courts ' will have an almost equally good j opportunity to improve their play, i partly, of course, by getting fresh ! enthusiasm and reviving their recol- ! lection of Anthony Wilding at the I volleyboard and renewing their ; resolution to imitate his industry—i partly in this way, by inspiration; (but still more by fixing in their J minds clear examples of stroke I mechanism, footwork, and so on. No game more freely gives up its secrets in this way, to the careful watcher, than tennis; and the Englishmen and the Australians have I them all in their keeping.