LAWN TENNIS BAN WOULD PROHIBIT GIVING INTERVIEWS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18046, 5 January 1927, Page 7

LAWN TENNIS BAN WOULD PROHIBIT GIVING INTERVIEWS.

WRITING FOR PRESS BY AMATEURS ALSO NOT ALLOWED NOW. (Special to the “Star.”) LONDON, November 13. In a pamphlet issued by the Lawn Tennis Association to the various affiliated associations and clubs appears the following notice which the council propose to bring before the annual general meeting on December 13, and, if approved, before the annual general meeting of the International Lawn Tennis Federation in March, 1927. Subjcet to any modification which may bo made in its rules by an association in favour of Its own nationals in its own country, an amateur lawn tennis plaver is prohibited from writing reports or articles for the daily or weekly Press under Ills own name, initials, or recognisable pseudonym, or permitting himself to be Interviewed for the purpose of Press publications in connection with any tournament, match or competition in which he is entered as, or is, a competitor. j The pamphlet also states tinder Rule j 2, Section (h). Paragraph (IV.): An amateur lawn tennis player is j specifically prohibited from accepting i money or gaining pecuniary advantage | bv advertising his name or permitting his name to be advertised as the author of anv book or Press article on the game of which he is not the author. I Mr Stanley Doust, the former inter-j national player, and “Daily Mail” lawn j tennis contributor, writes: — j Since Mile Suzanne Lenglen joined , the ranks of the professionals, the j various lawn tennis associations, in somewhat of a panic, have revised the j whole of the amateur definition with i a view to tightening up the amateur law as it stands at present. The outcome is the addition —besides others—of the two above-mentioned clauses. In addition to Mile Lenglen, many well-known players have written on the game—and it seems to me that there is no one better fitted to describe a match, or to give advice, than an ex-

perienced player. Mr \V. T. Tilden is a prolific writer on the game, as is also ; Mr A. Wallis Myers. Both are journalists by profession, yet if this Jaw is passed they will have to refrain from writing, or be stigmatised as professionals. Mrs Lambert Chambers, Mrs Godfree (Miss M’Kane, the present champion). Mr J. P. D. Wheatley, Miss Helen Wills, M. Renee Lacostc, M. Andre Gobert—to name but a few—have been guilty of giving their views to the Press, both by interviews and by articles. If the above rules arc passed they will be debarred from contributing anything useful to those who arc unable to see them play, but are anxious for their The consensus of opinion of lawn tennis players is that the rule is too drastic and is quite unnecessary.