AMATEURS MISSING

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31661, 23 April 1968, Page 17

AMATEURS MISSING

(N.Z. Press Assn.-Copyright) BOURNEMOUTH. Australian professionals are tipped to dominate the world’s first open tennis tournament, at Bournemouth.

British officials admit that some Davis Cup stars have evidently been scared away by the professionals. But the officials, having finally got their way after years of campaigning for open tennis, are nonetheless puzzled by the absence of Europe’s top amateurs from the entry list. “I suppose the top amateurs won’t come to play the professionals because the amateurs’ price would go

down if they lost,” said the chairman of the British Lawn Tennis Association (Mr D. Hardwick). The Australian professionals, R. Laver and K. Rosewall, are seeded to reach the finals of the tournament—the British hard courts championship—which carries a first prize of £lOOO. The six professiorals under contract to the American promoter, George MacCall—Laver, Rosewall, A. Gimeno (Spain), P. Gonzales (United States), and the Australians, R. Emerson and F. Stolle —have been given the six top-seeded positions. The other seeds are 0. Davidson (Australia), the professional coach to the British Davis Cup team, and the British Davis Cup star, B. Wilson. It will be the first time

amateurs and professionals have been able to compete. Britain’s women stars protested indignantly when the Lawn Tennis Association announced a first prize of £lOOO in the men’s singles, and only £3OO in the women’s singles. Mrs A. Jones, the British No. 1, announced she would not compete and subsequently signed up as a professional with Mac Call. Miss V. Wade, seeded No. 1, is playing for expenses only because she does not approve of the small prize. Open tennis has aroused the enthusiasm of Bournemouth, a sleepy south coast resort. An official of the West Hants club, where the tournament is being staged on slow courts of red shale, said ticket sales were the best in 20 years.