TENNIS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 25 July 1925, Page 12

TENNIS.

The new world’s champion singles player, ltene Lacoste, did nor impress iiluen (now almost as great an authority on paper as- in practice), as ty-pically Gallic (says a- critic). “His game,’- Tilde n writes, “is more of the mechanical business-like type; the methodical precision of his movements, tne suave glide of hits yaJk, the inscrutable mask of a face, shielded by # small cap pulled far down over hi a .eyes, is not in any degree. French, There is almost an air of the East in his Sphinx-like face. His game has a few faults.. One cannot praise his footwork highly or approve of his forehand drive. There are technical faults in his volleying; yet Lacoste triuiiiphs over his defects and produces firstclass results-. Hi© biack-hand is beautiful, and he favours it whenever possible. He is very steady, and accurate, a cool, crafty court general and a dogged fighter. He is far more of the order of ai British star with some of the Japanese characteristics added than he i© of the French school.” What does. Lacoste think of Til den? “In my opinion the greatness of Tilden is more- in Ids ooncepit-ioa of the game than in his own game,” he wrote in 1924. “Truly he is the best pilayer off the ground in the world, though his forehand is sometimes uncertain on .short or low bounding balls —like Richard’s ground istrokets —ha can play a veiy steady game, topped, flat, or sliced, .as well as the most forceful (attack. The speed and the twist of his sen-ice make it the best singles sendee ever iseen. In doubles, although his swing obliges Tilden to stand -back a fraction qf a second! before following it, it remains so difficult to return that it is nearly equally effective. Some people used to say t-hat his volleys lack puuch. But when he wants a point at the net he rarely misses it,”.

ENGLAND’S DECLINE. Writing in the Evening News, F. Mj. B. Fisher, th© New Zealander, says: “It is not war-time losses that is causing the poverty in British tennis, but the players’ adherence to oldfashioned methods, and th©. association’s ignoring of youngsters. Britishers must abandon draught-beer tennis, and import the champagne variety. “Anderson against Brugnon proved what can be achieved by indomitable grit and daring.”

The Evening Standard, referring to the Australian press complaint that while Anderson’s presence increases the gate-money at Wimbledon, England never sends a star to compete in the Australian championships, declares that reciprocity in som e form is vitally important. The complaint cannot be dismissed with the Machiavellian jest. “There is no English star likely to draw an additional penny in gate-money.”