LAWN TENNIS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 281, 30 November 1935, Page 6

LAWN TENNIS

N.S.W. SURPRISES PERRY’S BACK INJURIES McGRATH’S ILL HEALTH SYDNEY, Nov. 16. The 1935 lawn tennis championships of New South Wales have been marked by a scries of sensations, the outstanding of which were F. J. Perry’s withdrawal after the first round, V. B. McGrath’s retirement in the fifth set of his quarter-final against Harry Hopman, and A. K. Quist 's defeat of Jack Crawford in a semi-final. Perry, in the first round, met a practically unknown player, who extended the world’s champion to five scrambling sets. Perry’s play was adversely criticised by officials, spectators and the Press. During the preceding week he had shown, evidence of not being completely recovered from the severe back injuries he suffered in the United States singles championship a few months ago. Before the second round of the New South Wales championship was played, Perry was medically examined and afterwards announce 1 that he would withdraw, not only from the tournament, but from all other playing engagements he had made in Australia, that he would cancel his proposed tour of South Africa, and that, as soon as he was free from business contracts, he would leave for London to consult au osteopath who had previously treated him. So Perry faded out of the tennis picture. McGrath was recently in hospital at Grafton owing to a severe attack of quinsy. He has not yet regained his strength, and this has been obvious throughout the present tournament, in which he has had several hard matches. It was the effect of his illness which compelled his retirement in the match against Hopman, who was leading 9 —B in the fifth set, after 3| hours’ play, when his opponent withdrew. On entering the committee room from the court, McGrath was rebuked for retiring by st prominent official of the New South Wales Lawn Tennis Association in the presence of a number of officials and players. Some spectators, unaware of the extent of his exhaustion, considered that McGrath should have stayed on the court, even if he made no effort to even the score. Asked why he did cut do so, McGrath said, “I couldn’t.” The boy was obviously completely exhausted, almost dazed, from hours of continuous running, and when hitting he was like a “punch-drunk” boxer, keeping the match going only by will-power. McGrath visited his doctor next day, and the doctor was amazed that the boy had played as long as he had. McGrath is to have his tonsils out almost immediately. Referring to the rebuke by an official, McGrath said: “The remarks made to me were very unfair and unjust. I was advised not to play tennis before next Monday, but to keep faith I did so. I was a sick man and after the match I felt very ‘stupid.’ I must occasionally place myself before others; when I retired, I felt that I just could not go on. 1 had been running a temperature for days, had lost a stone in weight, and had no strength at all in my legs. Those who would criticise my retiring should have been in my place. It is much easier to watch and make remarks th*" to play an exacting five-

set match, especially when you do not feel up to it.” Crawford had been playing so perfectly up to the semi-final that his defeat by Quist was utterly unexpected- But Quist, at his best, in capsble of any tennis deed. In the semifinal he was at his best, while Crawford seemed upset by a howling wind that had more effect on his delicate game than on Quist’s more robust methods