LAWN TENNIS New Zealand To Vote For Open Tournaments

Press, Volume C, Issue 29475, 29 March 1961, Page 5

LAWN TENNIS New Zealand To Vote For Open Tournaments

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON. March 28. New Zealand will vote for open lawn tennis tournaments at the International Federation meeting in Stockholm on July 12. The New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association’s management committee has unanimously resolved that open tournaments be staged for an experimental period of at least two and not exceeding three years. The qualifications that the, tournaments must be conducted on a national level only and that amateur players be accepted for participation only if their respective countries do not object. In making this decision the New Zealand association ensures that its nine votes will be recorded for open tournaments when the federation meets to resolve the contentious argument of open lawn tennis. The New Zealand vote will be an important one. as only, ‘he United States. Australia. France, and Britain, with 12 votes each. have greater voting strength. New Zealand’s representative at the International Federation’s meeting. Mr D. C Coombe, will be notified immediately of the decision. The management committee’s decision means that open tournaments will be approved in New Zealand provided they are on a national level and under the control of the national body. No province will be permitted to stage an open tournament. It was considered wise to limit the decision for three years so that the attitude of

the professionals could be ascertained. It was stated that the chance was now open for the professionals to prove their promise of co-opera-tion.