Budge slams new tennis stars

Press, 14 September 1988, Page 48

Budge slams new tennis stars

Steffi Graf became the first in a generation to join the select Grand Slam circle on Saturday, but the original champion for all seasons says the tennis players of the past were better than the stars of today. Forget Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, Don Budge says. Think Jack Kramer, Ellworth Vines and Bobby Riggs. Budge, aged 73, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of becoming the first player to complete the Slam — wins at the Australian, French, Wimbledon and U.S. championships — in a single year. In a recent interview the elder statesman of tennis opined that the players of today don’t have the attitude, or the time to develop their

games, that the stars of his era had. . . . Budge’s personal list, after thoughtful consideration is:— Jack Kramer (U.S.) 1, Ellsworth Vines (U.S.) 2, Pancho Gonzales (U.S.) 3, Lew Hoad (Australia) 4, Fred Perry. (Britain) 5, Rod Laver (Australia) 6, Bill Tilden (U.S.) 7, Baron Gototfried von Cramm (Germany) 8, Frank Sedgman (Australia) 9, Bobby Riggs (U.S.) 10. “They were the best I’ve ever seen,” Budge said, rejecting arguments for many of the players who came later. “Bjorn Borg, for example, was darn • good, yes, but how can I list a player who tried nine times and failed nine times to win the U.S. Open? Budge also believes that the year-round schedule

now in place now does not allow a player to .develop his full potential. “Today, many of the players look like they’re not having any fun — just struggling to earn points and money.” But Budge says Graf, who became only the fifth player to win the Slam, has what it takes. “It looks like she can make it. She reminds me a great deal of Maureen Connolly.” She was the first woman, in 1953, to win the Grand Slam. Budge was the first ever, in 1938, Laver accomplished it twice, in 1962 and 1969, while Margaret Court swept the four major championships in , 1970. Budge and his wife, Loriel, spend most of their time at home in the little town of Dingman’s Ferry; nestled in the Po-

cono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He still dabbles at tennis and this year was feted at all four sites of his Grand Slam triumphs half a century ago, a journey that rekindled recollections at each stop. “Australia was very hot, 46deg C in the shade,” he recalled. Budge beat Australian John Bromwich, famous for . his twohanded groundstrokes, 64, 6-2, 6-2, in the final.

In the French final he went up against Roderick Menzel, Czechoslovakia’s graceful Davis Cup baseliner, who ranked second in the world to von Cramm on clay. But Budge won 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Budge dominated Wimbledon as well. ’“I was playing well, and you had to in order to beat Bunny Austin 6-1, 60, 6-3 in a final,” he said.

Austin and Perry won the Davis Cup for Britain from 1933 through 1936. He breezed to the U.S. Open final and was set to face Mako in the Sunday title match at Forest Hills. “But New York was hit with a hurricane. I had to sit and wait six days until the following Saturday to play.” Unruffled by the delay, Budge won 6-3, 6-8, 6-2, 61. He turned professional the next year and earned SUSI4B,OOO. “That was like SUSI million today. Gas was. 10 cents a gallon, a hotel room cost SUSS-6, a steak dinner maybe SUS 3. And my income tax was only $U52,080.” ■ As Budge says, times have changed. The singles winners at this year’s U.S. Open received $U5275,000. NZPA-Reuter