Breakaway Urged If Open Tennis Opposed

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31597, 7 February 1968, Page 15

Breakaway Urged If Open Tennis Opposed

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

SYDNEY.

The former Australian Davis. Cup player, Adrian Quist, writing in the “Sydney Morning Herald” yesterday, called for a breakaway movement from the International Lawn Tennis Federation if it does not approve open tennis at its extraordinary meeting in Paris next month.

Quist, long an advocate of open tennis, is a senior executive of Dunlop Rubber (Australia), Ltd, which wholly owns Slazengers, Ltd, Australia’s strongest and biggest sporting goods manufacturer.

Quist wrote: “There is a distinct possibility that the amateur tennis-playing nations collectively will outvote the major nations at the forthcoming I.L.T.F. meeting. This would mean a rejection of open tennis.” He said that the four major tennis nations—United States, Britain, France and Australia, the only four to win a

Davis Cup challenge round—overwhelmingly supported open tennis. “If the smaller tennisplaying nations outvote this group, and decide to continue supporting its dishonest under-the-lap payments to amateurs, then I see no other alternative than for a breakaway association to be formed.

“Tennis today has become big business. Millionaire promoters are absorbing the world’s best players. “If you can’t fight ’em, join ’em, but the I.L.T.F. is an outdated piece of machinery, which needs streamlining or replacing.” The same newspaper also included an article by the New South Wales L.T.A. president, Mr G. Sample, replying to Australia’s Davis Cup captain, Mr Harry Hopman, a noted opponent of open tennis. Mr Hopman criticised the United States open tennis vote and threat of withdrawal from the I.L.T.F. and suggested the small nations would not be intimidated by the United States threat. Mr Sample said he believed the I.L.T.F. would agree to open tennis and the smaller nations would swing to open tennis “with the pressure being placed on them.” He said: “I have attended five of these I.L.T.F. meetings and I know how these smaller nations feel and operate. But, if a breakaway is needed to introduce open tennis, New South Wales will be to the fore. "... If open tennis does not go through at the I.L.T.F. meeting in March, you will see some pretty quick action taken here.”