New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-08-15
THE REVIVAL or LAWN TENNIS.

Ono notable feature of the athletic year, now
half finished. has been the distinct revival of
interest I'm the game OF lawn tennis. for soihe
time past the outlook in America Tor this s'er-
ling form Of outdoor sport has seemed iar from
reassliring. Not only had the seasons OF $50
and 1896 failed.tO show an apprecEipie hu-
vance i'm the standards of play, Dut the huui-
her of expert performers with the racket had
diminished and the vogue of the game had
somehow suffered a dscOuraging ana wide
spread eclipse. The sudden bound to popularity
of the bicycle had undoubtedly much to do with
the general decline Of interest in this ana others
of the older and more exacting forms or out
door sport. But tennis had also discovered IN
golf n peculiarly inveterate and dangerous rival
the new and alluring pastime imported from
the Scotch dunes and beadlands threatening M
one time to start a wholesale exodus from
court TO toe. Yet game OF superlatlye SIKH
and dclicacy like tennis could not fail in the
long run to maintain its ground against the
freer and easier attractions of golf and bi-
cycling; and it Is gratifying to note this year, on
both Eastern and Western courts. healthier
display Of interest and activity and an advance
In skill with the racket which has easily car
ricd American play to the highest point yet
touched since the Introduction OF tennis here
some fifteen or twenty years ago.
Beyond question the success OF this years
tennis season has been due in great part TO
the international character given the leading
tournaments by the visit TO this country of
three Of the ranking British experts Mahony,
Nisbct and Eaves. Never have so many top
notch performers from abroad participated In
a whole seasons play in the United States, and
popular satisfaction at the widencd range and
increased intensity of this years struggle ut
the nets has been agreeably heightened by the
disclosure that the best home players have at
last more than closed the gap supposed to sepa-
rate American and British standards Of tennis.
Three years ago, when Goodbody, an Irish ex-
pert of moderate rating. visited this country, he
failed by but II single match at Newport to
carry back with him the National champion
ship AS IL was. he won the All Corners
tournament the Casino courts, defeating
Iarncd and IIovey, and was only stopped by
r. -. Wrenn i'm the final round for the Ameri-
can title. This summer Eaves, Mahony and
Nisbct-all players Of higher standing than
Goodbody-haye been defeated repeatedly by
Wrcnn and Larncd, the former losing but one
match out of five with the English visitors. and
the latter maintaining against hem in three
successive tournaments an unbrOken record of
victories
The annual matches at Newport next week
will demonstrate how far the bettered form OF
Wrenn and Larncd is shared by other Amerl-
can performers of lower rating. That n ma
teral improvement will be noticeable in this
years play seems. however extremely proba-
bic: and with the additional stimulus to further
development to he found in increasing skill and
renewed popular interest, the cloud which has
hung over the game for two years past may be
finally dspelled and a new lease of life as
sured TO this most strenuous and at the same
time most finished Of American outdoor sports