TOLL OF ILLNESS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20454, 6 November 1934, Page 11

TOLL OF ILLNESS.

Women Tennis Stars Are Affected. MAKING UP LOST TIME. (Special to the “ Star.”) LONDON, October 4. It is extraordinary how much serious illness there has been amongst sportswomen recently. Praulein Cilly Aussem, the one-time German lawn tennis champion, Only returned to the courts this season after a long illness. Then there is Miss Sheila Hewitt, who might have been one of our best tennis players by now if she had not collapsed after playing a match in the big Bournemouth meeting last year. She is, I am told, only just beginning to play a little tennis again—it may take her years to make up for this loss of time. Mrs Wills-Moody lost, temporarily at least, her place as the world’s best tennis player, owing to ill-health, and now I see that Mile Suzanne Lenglen is in hospital in Paris, and has had to undergo an operation. Fortunately it does not seem to be of a very serious nature, and she hopes to take up the game again when she has completely recovered., But Suzanne does not take tennis very seriously nowadays and is but rarely seen on the courts. The statement that Mrs “ Bunny ” Austin has just taken up the game of lawn tennis shows how short our memories are. She is certainly taking to the game just now with greater seriousness—taking lessons from a wellknown professional and practising hard. But she is by no means a newcomer to the game. Before they were engaged “ Bunny ” played with her occasionally in mixed doubles events, and Miss Konstam, as she then was, was recognised as an improving player. If she sticks to it there is no reason why she should not attain first-class status. She could have no better coach than her husband, who is indisputably the greatest stylist of his day. One of our well-known Dominions players also took a certain young lady in hand and in two years she won the mixed doubles title of her country with him. He brought her to Wimbledon as his wife this year, and she came very near creating a first-class sensation amongst us.