“ALL TALKIE” TENNIS

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 10 March 1934, Page 8

“ALL TALKIE” TENNIS

PERRY=CRAWFORD MATCH AUSTRALIAN SINGLES TITLE. ENG LISHMAN EXPRESSES REGRET Apparently the Sydney lawn tennis crowd which gave E. J. Perry some barracking while he was beating j. 15. Crawford in the final for the Australian singles championship was not nearly so unsportsmanlike as the condensed cabled version of the incident represented it to be. Perry brought on himself was barracking there was.

Perry talks to himself and to the crowd, and often his remarks to the crowd are tactless. That fact does not excuse the spectator who called out. “How do you like that, Perry?” when Crawford struck ail inspired ' patch, but it does explain when some spectators are moved to comment. “All-Talkie Tennis” is how one Sydney paper headed its description of this aspect of the Perry-Craw ford match.

Barely had play in this match started than Perry netted a ball. His loud ejaculation of disgust was of a word not used 1 in polite society, and it caused spectators in the nearest stand to gasp. Not long after that Ferry repeated the word, and then lie began a istream of comment which lasted until the end of the match. “Don’t go for the ball when it is off the court,” shouted Perry to a ball-boy. Spectators arched their eyebrows. „ , A minute or two later Crawford won a point on a net-cord. “That fellow must have been born on a Saturday,” snapped Perry loudly as he walked back toward the northern stand. “I don’t want it,” lia exclaimed later, as Crawford caine to the net to kill an easy ball. Crawford, who seemed upset, netted. Crawford then scored an easy point. No one applauded. “Say good shot, somebody,” called Perry to the crowd, which had been strictly impartial in its appreciation of good play. Indeed, most of the applause went to Perry. And so the monologue went on, game after game, until Crawford, near the end of the third set, passed Perry wide on his forehand. “Go on, applaud,” snapped Perry, turning round to the spectators. They did. Some hooted. It was then that a spectator asked Perry how lie liked Perry stood still and called out to the umpire: “Is this a tennis or a cricket match?” The umpire appealed to the crowd for restraint. A minute or two later the match was over. Rounds of applause bui st on the victor. „ That happened on the Saturday. Un the Monday, Perry was sorry about it all. “Perhaps I deserved all I .got, he. said to a newspaper man. However. I efm’t help talking to myself on the court, and maybe it will land me in much more trouble before my tennis career is finished. But I do not mean a thing by it. Upsetting my opponent is not my idea of winning a match. “Before I met Jack Crawford I was a bundle of nerves. I had played 10 oruelliiig sets on the Friday and 1 realised" that if the match went to four or five sets I would not win; so I staked everything on an unceasing attack from the start. I simply ‘played with my nerves.’ What I saicl durino- the match I cannot remember clearly, as I was so intent on getting tlie ball over the net that everything else faded into the background. When I netted I talked only to myself m an effort to spur my game to greater heights. “Perhaps my tone, of voice was a little loud and, if that is so I am deeplv sorry. I never had any intention of upsetting Crawford. He is 100 fine a gentleman for that. W hen you are •playing on your nerves’ and against a player of Crawford’s calibre, you are naturally liable to make a few remarks to yourself. I do not think there is any player in the world who does not ’sav something or other during a match,-hut I know 1 talk more than anyone else.” Better tennis has never been seen in Australia than that of Fred Perry in bis match against Jack Crawford in the final, of the Australian singles championship, writes M. Henry Marsh in the Sydney “Sun.” He dominated the game from the beginning to the end of a. very fine contest, one-sided though it unquestionably proved to be.

From the very first game he attacked. content to exchange drive for drive with Crawford from the baseline until lie' could advance to' the net. When he got there lie was so quick cm his feet that he reached most- Of Crawford's passing shots, and going back for the tosses lie crashed winner after winner that Crawford could not hope to get-. Only one© did liei break down on his shot. We were told before he reached Australia that his backhand was vulnerable. There were no signs of it m this match. He and Crawford had many a rally backward and forward, drives of perfect length and direction. It was an even go between two great players. What made Perry's win all the more remarkable was the fact that Crawford played first-class tennis, the onlv thing lacking being liis failure to get to tlie net more often, or his going in on the wrong ball. Perry beat him many times there with beautiful placements, and it bad a steadying effect on him; perhaps prevented him from risking the volley, again. Moreover, Perry’s length was so good that there were after all not ton many chances.

The Englishman is the greatest player we have so' far had in Australia,’ because he can play anywhere on the court. He can be steady, take risks, hit hard, volley, smash and drive. His service is always well placed, seldom an outright winner, hut really first-class and lie rarely doublefaults. Crawford’s service was tame by comparison. as a rule, and lie double-fault-ed much too often—twice in the last came of the second set. M e know that our Australian champion is not at his best, that he has not yet struck his top form ; hut ho will need to be right at his top to heat the Fred Perry of the Australian championships. We hope that before they meet on the other side Crawford has fully recovered his health and the form that made him world champion in 1933.