TENNIS DISAPPOINTMENTS

Taranaki Daily News, 25 August 1931, Page 6

TENNIS DISAPPOINTMENTS

WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONSHIPS. ENIQLAND LACKS WILL TO WIN. (From Our Own Correspondent.) London, July 9. Keen disappointment was again caused by the failure of the English players in the lawn tennis championships at Wimbledon. Up to the half-way stage the prospects were excellent. In each of the singles there were three representatives among the last eight, and yet not one of them got into the final. After his dramatic win against H. W. Austin, Frank Shields, the tall Ameiiean, qualified for the final, and in this he should have met his fellow countryman, S. B. Woods. But Shields injured 7 his knee, and scratched. In the circumstances there was no _ deciding match, and Woods took the title. The mishap to Shields was not serious, and under ordinary conditions there is not much doubt that, he would have played. But he was officially not allowed to play, inasmuch as it was feared that his injury might be aggravated, and so prevent him from taking part in the Davis Cup final. The final of the women’s singles was an all-German event, and it was won by Fraulein Aussem, who beat Fraulein Krahwinkle in two straight sets. The public did not know how near this match, too, was to being abandoned. Fraulein Aussem played against her doctor’s advice, and immediately it was over she went home, and is to undergo an abdominal operation. She will not be able to play any more this season. In the absence of Mrs; Helen Wills Moody Fraulein Aussem must now rank • as the first woman player. She had defeated Miss Betty Nuthall for the French championship, and on the way to her success at Wimbledon she also accounted for Mme. Mathieu, the chief exponent of Franco. The men’s doubles were also secured for America by J. van 'Ryn and G. M. Lott, who beat the Frenchmen, H. Cochet and J. Brugnon, in a five-set match. ■ Though he showed some improvement, Cochct was still below his best. I think, however, that most of his trouble is due to lack of practice, and I shall be surprised if he does not show, when France defends the Davis Cup, that he .is still the best player‘in the world. As a matter of fact, I believe France will retain the cup chiefly because of the ability of Cochet to win both his singles. England’s solitary success was in the women’s doubles, and it was achieved by Mrs. Shepherd Barron and Miss Mud'ford, who beat a French girl, Mlle. Metaxa and Mlle. Sigart, of Belgium. I. G. Collins and Miss Joan Ridley reached the final of the mixed, but they lost to the American combination, Lott and Mrs. Harper. As is only natural, an “inquest” has been held on the English players, and definite conclusions have been arrived at. It is agreed that there has been a marked improvement in the all-round standard of play, Tmt that both men and women have still to acquire the art of winning. They are not keen enough in going for the vital points. They are, in fact, fatally slack as compared with their rivals. They have all the essential strokes, but they do not use them to the same good purpose. Before they can hope to hold their own, especially against the all-out-to-win Americans, they must tighten up their .game, concentrating closer, and learning to clinch an advantage when onpe it has been gained. Above all, they must cultivate “the will to win.”