Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-17
THE TENNIS SEASON.



Whist 10 Prom,sed to the Lovers Il the
Game in Washington.
AN OPEN rouRNxMENr IN THE sPRrSo-PossIH1Y
THE sourHERN ASSOCIATION TOURNAMENT WILL
ALSO Re HELD HERE-rHE CLUBS AND PLAY
ERs WILL SOON GET INTO FORM.
Active preparations are being made for the
coming tennis season. The Bachelor Club,
| which is the largest tennis organization in the
| city, will hold the first meeting Of the season
| this evening, and in the course Of the next week
| or SO the other clubs will probably have their
annual spring meetings. 1t is too early as yet to
prepare the courts for the use Of the players,
but it will not be very long before the ground
will be in condition and players will be able to
ascertain how much they are out Of practice.
In the early days of the season it is possible to
tell a tennis player almost from his style of
walking, as the muscles, unused during the
winter. become sore and the victim is apt to
limp in his walk or to groan when he puts on
his coat.
rHE.BAcHELoR CLUE.
The Bachelor Club, which includes in its
membership all the leading local players, will
have the same grounds this year as they did
last. The prosperity of this organization is o
good illustration of the increase in the interest
| in tennis in this city and it ought not to be
many years before they will own their own
| grounds. There are now forty-fve members
and if it was desired this number could be in
creased. The advantage of this club, as well as
| all similar organizations, is the opportunity
presented OF becoming expert in the game by
meeting good players. It is claimed that men
their interiors in skill. This is one reason why
| tournaments are 30 popular. man who suf-
fers defeat in tournament is apt to gain in ex-
perience even if he lost the prize, because he
has come in contact with players who play a
much better game then he does and he learns
his weak points as wen as obtains valuable sug-
gestions as to methods Of playing. In regard
| to tournaments the coming season will be dis
tinguished by having at least two important
| events OF this character.
AN OPEN TOURNAMENT.
In the first place there will be an open tour
nament. That is now a settled fact. Mr..
Thomas P. Borden has secured a date from the
national association and some time during the
latter part of May the leading tennis players of
the country will give exhibitions Of their skill
on the grounds of the Bachelor Club. Mr.. Bor-
den expects to have Mr.. Campbell. the tennis
| champion OF the country, here and Mr.. r. d.
Sears, the ex-champion. and a number of the
other lights in the tennis world. Last year an
| open tournament WAS held here in the fall
OF entries, but there were other crack players
present and they played first-class tennis but
in spite of that fact the tournament was not a
success and in very important particular, too,
tenuated as compared with the ex-
penditures. This discrepancy was pain.
fully apparent to at least one tennis
enthusiast and Mr.. Borden knows exactly the
| extent and character of the failure to make
both financial ends Of the tournament meet
| h. 10
he proposes to make the experiment of a spring
| tournament and see if it does not arouse more
interest on the part of the public than similar
events have in the past
THE SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION.
This week the Southern Lawn Tennis Asso
citation will hold its annual meeting in this city
At that time arrangements will be made for
the usual spring tournament. Some date about
the middle of June is usually selected. The
| feature of interest will be the choice of the
place for holding the tournament. 1t was held
| in Baltimore last year and some are in favor of
holding this year 8 tournament in Wilmington,
| Del. The tennis players of that city, however,
have not shown enough interest in these an
| nual tournaments of the association to send
more than one representative. and it is argued
| that wilmington has no claim to be considered.
In case Wilmington does not get it then the
tournament will be held here. 1t is proposed
to hold the tournament for the District
championship in connection with the associ.
alton tournament, and in the event that it is
decided to go to Wilmington the District
tournament will be held any way. 20 that
there will be at least two tennis tournaments in
this city during the spring season..
| WHAT IS HOPED FOR LOCAL PLAYERS.
1t ia not expected that the local players will
be able to carry off any Of the honors of the
open tournament in the faca of the crack
players of the country. But it 10 proposed, or
| rather, to state 1t more mOdestly. it IL boped
that the Washington players will secufe some.
| thing better than the second prizes in the
Southern Association tournament. There is
good ground for such hope. The leading
players of the city class high in skill and mas
terry OF the game. Some Of them will require O
week or two before they get in good trim. The
superhuous flesh of the winters inactivity is q
drawback in some cases.
SOME wELL-KNowN PLAYERS
Mr.. McCawley, although not obese precisely
has not found that germans and receptions
afford sufficient physical exercise to keep the
muscles in training and the flesh hard and
firm. He is apt in the spring to discover thai
| some training down is necessary and this sea.
son is no exception to the rule. His success.
| last year in the tournaments was an evidence
that his style of playing is effective and it il
hoped that this year he will outclass the Nc
Cawley of last year. 1t is not acknowledged
by Mr.. Woodward that he has gained in flesh
during the past winter. He is, however, in
clined to admit doubt to his intimate friends
as to whether his last year fiannels will be
| large enough for use this season He has MOI
taken any special exercise the past winter ex
cept such IL man of his active habits would
| be apt to take. He expects to be in his usua
condition after playing week or 30 and no
doubt will be able to display his old time ex
pertness. Mr.. Davidson has beer
from time to time during the white,
| testing the muscle producing apparatu,
in the Athletic Club gymnasium. and it Is prob
able that his arm will swing with the usua
vigor and exactness when he resumes again the
use of the racquet. Mr.. Metcalf Mr.. Crane
and Mr.. Byrnes have also awaited themselves
of the advantages of the gymnasium to a
greater or less extent and they will be in very
good form when the season opens. Mr. Dor.
den, it is alleged, practices with a ball and
racquet in the basement of his house. but THU
statement is not generally credited, as hi,
friends say that his style of playing requires
more room than the space of the cellar OF the
ordinary city house affords. The Messrs
Peter. whose skill has been demonstrated in
many a hard-fought contest, will be ready Il
give ali corners a warm welcome as soon as the
season opens. Mr.. X. B. Goodfellow has again
become resident of the city and he will add
strength to the Washington representation or
the tennis field. A young player who is at
tracing attention is Mr.. Butterworth, the sor
Of ex-Representative Butterworth. He won hi,
spurs in the tournaments at Lie Droit Park
where he resides and it ia believed that in ,
wider field he would sustain the reputation
which he has SO deservingly won. There arr
practically no new names To be mentioned O,
those likely to appear i'm the list of u;ppers M