TENNIS Call For Open Wimbledon

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30178, 9 July 1963, Page 15

TENNIS Call For Open Wimbledon

(N.Z. Press Association—Copvno*>«)

LONDON, July 8.

It has been a rotten Wimbledon this year, because of the complete lack of class men players, according to the “Daily Mirror.”

“The seeding committee was made to look idiotic within the first six days—but then, how do vou seed ‘weeds’?” asked the newspaper’s sporting writer, Peter Wilson.

Roy Emerson, the number one choice, had no flexibility when he was under pressure. Manuel Santana had not the courage to extricate himself from the toils when an opponent played "better than he is supposed to.” Not even Wimbledon could

pass over the wry comment that the best men players were forbidden to bruise its turf with their professional feet, Wilson said. “Disgraceful”

It was quite disgraceful that a forward-looking administration which staged the bestorganised sporting event in the world was not allowed so to order its affairs to retain its pre-eminence. "This may be corny, but we did teach the rest of the world how to play most of the major sports. “And if other countries — notably America and Australia —wish to maintain an outdated conception of sport, then perhaps it may be necessary for us once more to be trail-blazers . . . and go it alone with an open Wimbledon.

During the second week of Wimbledon. Lew Hoad, champion in 1949, and Rod Laver, champion in 1961-62, were playing at Lyons. Because of Wimbledon’s legend, they got about two lines in most newspapers, while the championships absorbed columns.

Anyone who knew anything about lawn tennis knew that Hoad and Laver could both have won the "amateur” title without taking their sweaters off. Wilson said. He named Miss Margaret Smith as the only great player in the championships at Wimbledon.