LAWN TENNIS

Taranaki Daily News, 23 September 1926, Page 4

LAWN TENNIS

THE DAVIS CUP. HELD FOR SEVENTH YEAR. TILDEN'S WONDERFUL RECORD. Once more, for the seventh successive /ear, the United States lias won the international championship, the prize for which is the Davis Cup. Ever since America re-entered the competition in 1020, the Davis Cup (captured from Australasia at Auckland in that year) lias remained in the United States, symbol of that country's supremacy among the tennis nations. This year there were twenty-four challengers, one less than last year, New Zealand and Australia both deciding not to enter. To win the European competition once more France beat in succession Denmark (5-0), Czechoslovakia (3-2), Sweden (3-0), and Britain (3-0). The superiority of France has been unquestioned, and that country is reaping the reward of youthful ardour, concentration on fast match play, and the acquisition of the will to win. Other features in the European zone where the sequence of victories gained unexpectedly by Britain in the upper half of the draw, the Home Country defeating in turn Poland (5-0), Italy (3-2), and Spain (4-1), but going down before France in the final scries. In the lower half Sweden was successful in accounting for Switzerland (3-2), and South Africa (4-1), while South Africa defeated Portugal (4-1) and Austria (by default). Crossing the Atlantic, France found as was expected, Japan awaiting her challenge, that country having defeated Cuba (3-0). Japan was then defeated in closely contested games (3-2). The Japanese star on that occasion w’as Takeichi Harada, who won both his games, beating Laeoste 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 9-7, and Cochet 6-1, 6-3, 0-6, ’6-4. The Japanese, however, lost the doubles, France winning, 6-0, 6-0, 6-2, and this with the two singles lost by Tawara clinched the series in favour of France. Had Japan a stronger player to place on the court alongside of Harada, a different tale might have been told. The Davis Cup has been won as follows since its inception in 1900: 1900 —United States. *l9lo—United States. 1902 United States. 1903 British Isles. 1904 British Isles. 1905 British Isles. 1906 British Isles. 1907 Australasia. 1908— Australasia. 1909 Australasia. *l9lo—Australasia. 1911— Aust Vlasia. 1912 British Isles. 1913 United States. 1914 Australasia. 1915 —No competition owing to war. war. 1919 Australasia. 1920 United States. 1921 United States. 192.2 —United States. 1923 United States. 1924 United States. 1925 United States. 1926 United States. •Holders Unchallenged.

THE PLAYEP.S. AV. T. Tilden, the most famous of all tennis players, is now thirty-three years old. He has many championships to his credit in the United States, and, in addition, won the men's singles at the Wimbledon Championship meeting- in 1920, when he was the first American to 'break through” the sacred portals of the All England singles. After wining a number of other matches, including matches in France, he returned to the United States to oust W. JI. Johnston from the American title after a 5-set match. He continued his successes and in 1922 he won the United States singles championship cut outright, defeating Zenzo Shimizu (Japan), G. L. Patterson (Australia), and W. M. Johnston (U.S.A.) on successive days. Year after year he has won the American title, resisting all attempts to ousthim, and never before has any player equalled his record. Tilden is the author of “The Art of Lawn Tennis,” "Match Play and the Spin on the Ball,” and other books on the sport. Whether he will continue his successes as an amateur remains to be seen, but it is rumoured that he will openly turn to professionalism in company with Mlle. Lenglen and his countrywoman, Miss Mary K. Browne, under the aegis of Mr. C. C. Pyle. W. M. Johnston, who defeated Rene Laeoste 6 —o, 6—4, o—6, 6—o, also has a distinguished 'career as a tennis player, Born at San Francisco in 1894, he is one year younger than Tilden. He, too has many scalps at his belt, first winning the American championship singles in 1915. The following year he lost the title to R. N. Williams, but regained it in 1919, only to fail before the onslaught of Tilden the following year. In 1923 he visited England, and won the singles at Wimbledon, besides other coveted titles. He has played in Davis Cup matches since 1920, and was a member of the team, with Tilden, which played at Auckland. R. N. Williams, who this year, with Richards, won the doubles, beating” the Frenchmen 6-4, 6-4, 6-2, is the “daddy” of the team, being 35 years old. He was born at Geneva, in Switzerland, his father being a generous patron of the sport. His first championship was that of Switzerland, won in 1910 ami 1911. and in 1913 was runner-up to M’Loughlin in the American singles, but the following year he won the singles, defeating the holder by 3 sets to 0. Williams was captain of the Olympic team which visited Europe in .1924. He is a famous doubles player, being even more successful iu this direction than in singles. Vincent Richards, the “baby' 1 of the American team, was born in 1903. When only 14 years old he won the boys’ championship of America, and has since followed it with many other titles. With Tilden he won the American doubles championship on several occasions, the first in 1918, but has never managed to capture the singles championship of his country. Rene Laeoste, the French star, is but 21 years old, and when only 17 succeeded in defeating Roper Barrett and other famous players. He first represented France in Davis Cup matches in 1923. The following year he won the French singles title and the All England championship at Wimbledon. Last year he also played in the challenge round against America, and four

times on that occasion was within a stroke of beating Tilden. Jean Borotra, who is 28 years old,, has won many open tournaments in France and Belgium, and first represented his country in Davis Cup matches in 1922. In 1924 he won the French title, and later the All England singles at Wimbledon. Last year he defeated both Patterson and Anderson, enabling his country to reach the challenge round with America. Jacques Brugnon, who was defeated this year in the doubles with Cochet, first played in Davis Cup matches, in 1920, and has been very successful especially in doubles. Henri Cochet, who is 2g years old, learnt his tennis at Lyons -'on covered courts, and first played in the Davis Cup contest in 1922. Cochet has been particularly successful in mixed doubles in partnership with Mlle Lenglen. TILDEN DEFEATED. THE NEW FRENCH STARS. Henri Cochet, so the cables say, defeated Tilden brilliantly at Forest Hills in a five-set duel. Cochet is known as the “poor boy” of France. His father was the groundsman of a big tennis club. Young Henri watched the players and Pere Cochet trained him. He became fairly good and desired to join the club of which his father was the groundsman. But in those days of Republican France tennis was an exclusive enjoyment. Young Henri was refused.

Undaunted he went to a neighbouring club and joined it. He became their champion. His old club, of which Pere Cochet was still the groundsman, grew envious of his triumphs. They requested him to join the select body that had barred its doors against him before. Henri refused and they threatened to dismiss his father unless he joined. Henri was already a good tennis player, but he was still poor. So he joined the club. In recent years he has shown promise of being a world beater, but he has been erratic. This was mainly due to lack of practice. Cochet had to earn his living. He' was unable to go for the jaunts and meet the great players that came the way of his compatriots—Borotra, Brugnon, and Laeoste. Cochet lacked experience. But lately his business has been establishing itself, and to-day Cochet finds the time to tour the world. ARTIST ON THE COURT. Cochet lacks a service, but even that is improving. In every other department of the game he is complete. His drives, low dipping flights, that always seem about to hit the net, but somehow just clear it, are always placed into the most difficult parts of the court. His volleying is flawless. He smashes hard, but relies on angle and placement rather than strength. Always he fights with a rapier, but it is a rapier with force behind it. Above all, he takes a rising ball very near the bounce. Is he the coming champion of the world ? SOME LAWN TENNIS “WONTS.” Everybody who writes about tennis comes out sooner or later with a list of “Dont’s.” Just in order to be different, then, and because it is a little more polite, let me suggest a sort of tennis catechism beginning with “I wont,” writes Amanda Lobb. It isso much nicer to say that we won’t do than to be told what we mustn’t do, and if we leave out club fixtures and tournaments there are many playing occasions for which the following recital would prove particularly appropriate. Incidentally, it would tend to save time, trouble and temper. Here we are, then;— I won’t return the balls between strokes to the server. I will look first to see where she is standing and return the balls as close to the point as possible. I will roll them along the ground and under the net if I can.

I won’t forget, if I touch the net while the ball is in play, or break any other rules, to tell my opponent that I have done so. I won’t leave it to my opponent to keep the score. It is my job as much as hers. I won’t “call” the balls that I have hit. My opponent will say if they are in or out, because she is the more likely to know, and she would not wilfully call them wrong. I won’t serve till my opponent is ready. A glance at her will show me whether she is or not; and it is not fair to hurry her. I won’t, because the service I receive is a fault, swipe at the ball to get it out of the way. I have no need to hit it at all in that case; and if I do so I am certain to annoy the server and put her off her second effort. I won’t say, “Don’t mention it” if somebody calls out, "Thank you.” I shall know that this is an appeal, and not an acknowledgment, and that I am expected to return a stray ball quickly and willingly. I won’t chatter, nor giggle, nor scream when I miss a ball. I will put all my energies and my emotions into my tennis. Why does Bill Johnston, America’s second best lawn tennis player, always defeat Laeoste and Borotra with even greater ease than Tilden does? The answer is provided by Mr. Wally Myers, who says: “Johnston had been trained all his tennis life to hit through a volleyer,” and his perfectly aimed, dipping returns are beyond most volleyers’ powers of redemption. SUZANNE AS PROFESSIONAL. XX HENCE HER OPPONENTS? (From Our Own Correspondent.) London, Aug. 29. When Mlle. Suzanne Lenglen withdrew from the lawn tennis championship, after having declined to appear on the court when the Queen had come specially to watch her play, it was declared that she would never again compete at Wimbledon. Se had lost the regard not only of the players of this country but of her own, and she had forfeited her publie popularity. No one realised this better than the French girl when she went home. This was the reason why it was declared that she would not face the Wimbledon gallery again. But now there is another. Suzanne has decided to commercialise her matchless skill on the courts. She has signed a contract which will bring her in E 30.000, and she is to play a series of exhibition matches in America during a four months’ tour. In addition, she is to appear as the star in a film. But the contract is still a little mysterious. She is not to go to America until October, when the out-of-door season will be over, and no suggestion is made as to whom her opponents will be. It follows, of course, that Suzanne is to be exploited for money-making purposes, and it is hard to conceive the lady players of America lending themselves for this purpose. But Suzanne cannot play

without opponents. Where are they to come from? At the finish it will probably be found that her contract io mainly for film work, though she admits that she has forfeited her status as a lawn tennis player. It is, of course, the end of her wonderful career. It is every one’s secret that she has made large sums through the game, and now she has accepted the last chance to profit.