Lawn Tennis Notes

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 18, 22 January 1938, Page 23

Lawn Tennis Notes

WHEN TILDEN

The excitable temperament of the Latin race has caused several disturbing incidents in-.the lives of Australian Davis Cup players, but a share of humour has balanced the account (states Harry Hopman in the "Melbourne Herald").

In the doubles of the Australia-Cuba match of 1932, Jack Crawford and I were playing Ricardo Morales and Gustave Volimer. We won the first two sets, but the Cubans, much to the delight of the gallery—a section of which was perched on a brick wall that divided the tennis court from a Jai Alai (Pelota) court —made a breakaway in the third set. '

At three-love there was a loyal outburst as we changed ends. Four-love increased the din, and . five-love brought a crescendo of excited cheering. Crawford and I were not worried, for we thought we could win comfortably when we spurted, so we were greatly amused, when, as' we began to call the score at .the end of the fifth game, Vollme.r ran round the net, grabbed the balls,' and stood ready for service before we had got -as far as the net post. Was he excited? I'll say he was—and he showed it by immediately serving two double faults. . Incidentally, we gradually overhauled their five-love lead, but there came another occasion for the gallery to' show its patriotic lung, power, for oiir, opponents took the set at 8-6.

PLAYER'S SHIRT REMOVED^

■One 6f. the greatest laughs Vivian McGrath has had on tour came during a recent match in Italy. Jack. Crawford was playing Francisco Romorioni, and they decided'to go on playing without the usual ten-minute spell after'the third set. But the Italian trainer had other,ideas, and rushed on to the court, pulled- Eomononi's shirt off ' his back, and, left: him shirtless while another shirt was being procured from the dressing-room. : Vivian adds that. Mussolini's daughter, Countess Ciano, appeared to enjoy the diversion as much as anybody. , A pen-picture of-"Bitsy" Grant will help you appreciate the following incident. The "Atlanta /Mite," as he is known among rnany other nicknames, is sft 4in,.' but :an , energetic little bundle, with a fund of American wisecracks arid a-keen sense of humour. He is a wonderful retriever on the: court, takes his game very seriously, and usually has marvellous concentration.' '.' / V ■■■''■. : :r :'■,.. , ;-\- :■ .■.; ,

Well, there had been several bad decisions against Grant in- a match at Southampton in 1934,' and finally "Bitsy" hit a ball right down the line. This ball was also called "out" by the linesman. A't this point Grant walked over to the man on the line and said: "What's the matter, buddy? Did the chalk get in your eyes?"

It seems ■.• fitting that Americans George Lott and Johnny Hennessey should «be concerned in some of the incidents that' come first to my mind, for Both; werehumorists. .

Never a tidy person on the court, George gave the gallery around No. 1 court at Wimbledon a treat on a hot day of the 1934 tournament. He was perspiring so freely that he decided to keep a small towel with him to wipe his lace in between points?1 It was too big to fit in his pockets, so ho'flapped it through his belt at the iback. Every time George took a step about two feet of towel, hanging behind him like a tail, flapped up and down. The gallery rocked with laughter, and finally his opponent, who was losing concentration, asked him to find some other place to keep his towel.

Another escapade of Lott's was told to me by Ellsworth. Vines, world champion in 1932. ■:'■.■"

During a tournament at New Orleans in 1931 he was playing agatnsi George Lott, arid in the course of a rally Lott's pants ripped open at the-back as 'he w,as stretching for & low volley. Instead of stopping and changing trousers, George put on a heavy over-size sweater, pulling it 'way down over the exposed part, and, much, to the delight of the gallery, continued on and won the match 8-6 in the fifth set.

I'll let Johnny Hennessey, former American Davis Cup player, explain in his own words how he beat Bill Tilden on one occasion. "We were down to meet in a Davis Cup; trial on. a scorching hot day, and,, when changing, 1 noticed Bill put ,on a polo sweater, so I took a little notice. ■ ' .

!'Bili;-had the reputation of being able to beat most of us. without getting unduly hot. Well, after' a few games I pulled off/a thick sweater. A few more games and off came another. As each of the four I was wearing came off," Bill became more indignant, that I had played him in four sweaters, and finally he worried himself out of his form to give me a win." .

"Bunny" Austin, England's leading player since Fred Perry, joined the professional ranks, told me the funniest incident in his tennis career was.when someone walked up to his wife, as he walked on to an outside Wimbledon1 court withi'the Japanese Davis Cup player Ryuki Miki, and asked: "Excuse me—which is Austin?"

SAT OUT THE RALLIES

At least one of Roderich Menzel's escapades must be included in this, for the big Czech has caused more laughs

AMUSING SIDE OE GAME

WAS RATTLED

than any, other player I know. One, I think a gem, happened at Sammering, a holiday resort in Austria, when Menzel and his wife played Jack Crawford and his wife, who were an excellent mixed doubles combination.

Menzel's wife could-not compare as a player with the other three on the court, so as soon as the ball was in play in a rally she would run to the side of the court and sit on a seat near the net, while Roderich would carry on playing singles in the doubles court. Mrs. Menzel didn't get much tennis, but she got a lot of exercise, and fun, in dodging Roderich and the ball as she made a bee-line for the seat each rally.

Bill Tilden told me this one when I was in America in 1928. The brothers Myrick, well-known tennis identities in the United States, were playing doubles. One, Mike, playing near the net, always scored several points a set with angled volleys off the wood. In this particular veteran doubles Mike was in great form, and his opponents were upset that such good fortune should go air his way.

Mike scored another, the ball going away from the wood of the racquet at a winning angle. His brother went to serve for the next point, but Mike held up the game—there was something in his eye. The brother fished about with a handkerchief, and finally said: "It's out." "What'was it?" queried Mike, "an insect?" But an opponent got in first with the answer: "No, you old fool. What else 'could it; be but a ■splinter?"--,, : . , '

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