Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-15

''Yes. probably six yards to nv one II is
The same as hand ball IN that respect. you see;
he server can make the other man do all the
running. But clever player won't let himself
be used mp too quickly. When the match takes
place We will have some of the finest racquet
ers in the world here. Tom Petit of the BOs-
ton club. who is to play Al Wright and myself
Is world beaten at tennis and has held the
championship several years. lie has been try
ing TO get saunders. the English champion. TO
make a match but has not yet succeeded. Petit
has only been playing racquets year-in fact
since the opening of the Boston club. Wright
and have been at il over seven years. The
match will be played in this court about WASH
ington's birthday. under the usual conditions
the best of seven games, for a good stake and
the championship. Whoever wins will have to
meet Latham. the English champion. should
Petit be the victor he will have to play against
Boaker of Quebec, the present American cham
plon. before he can meet Latham. Wright
would have to do the same
"And YOU tOoy'
mo; played with Boaker twice last season
and beat him. He beat Wright i'll 1888 and
1889. Boaker 5 friends say he has retired He
has held the championship eleven years bu.
understand he hasn't really surrendered his
claim, although his friends in the Quebec club
have advised him TO do So
Why do they want to retire him!'
he Is getting old. He must be about thirty
eight or forty, and it's the same in racquet as
in other athletic sports-a PLAYER is AT his best
age he losses in elasticity, and, while ne NAV
be stronger. he is slower. But Boaker is still a
fine player. although Latham of London is
accounted the best in the world. He has held
the worlds championship for several years.
having won it from Joe GRAY, who became
champion after the death of Punch Fairs
who had held it for seven years. Walter GRAY
the brother of Joe. Is also one of the famous
English players, although he has never been A
champion. He competed with Latham after
the latter had defeated his brother and was
beaten in turn. The Grays were here about
seven years ago, and Joe at that time PLAYED an
exhibition match in the racquet club court
here with BOaker, in which the Quebec man
won the first three games and GRAY took the
last four straight. BOaker is a hard hitter and
plays with great judgment, never losing his
head He Is rather good on the drop GRAY is
a slashing player. very brilliant and hard
hitter all the time"
Who the best amateur American
players?"
There are many very fine amateurs. Within
the last half dozen years, and particularly dur
Ing the last two or three seasons. racquet has
taken jump into popular favor. Ten wears
ago II was almost unknown to Americans but
now II presses tennis very closely. The New
York club, which Is the pioneer. has been fol-
lowed by the organization of clubs iii a number
of large cities. Boston has a strong club with
a big membership and very fine quarters. The
Philadelphia club expects to move into its own
home sometime in February. There are two
clubs in the Quaker city. Three weeks ago I
rent to Chicago the first set OF racauets ever
nsed there, and court has been organized to
enable the Chlcagoans to mingle little
healthy athletics with their culture st Paul
has good court and Foxhall Keene tells me
that courts are projected at several OF the lead
ing colleges where athletics Ii "a prime feature
have no doubt We shall soon hear of then in
fulI operation AZ Harvard, Princeton and Yale