The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-05-04
TENNIS TALK.
The Game Moro Than Holds Its Own In
Spite Of Golf.

The Game Moro Than Holds Its Own In
Spite Of Golf.
People who have been thinking that
golf would drive tennis into Oblivion must
revise their opinions. Ex Champion Fred
Hovey accurately sizes up the situation
when he states that all rival athletic sports
help rather than injure one another. "The
more popular athletic sports In general
become" says Mr.. Hovey, "the more each
particular sport Is benefited. Each line Of
athletics Is particularly fitted to some par
tioular age and temperament, but no two
sports arc exactly similar In their nature.
Golf Is well fitted to one age and temper
ament and tennis to another. Golf will
undoubtedly weed out many poor tennis
players from tennis, but their loss will not
injure the game. Golf lacks one Important
element as sport which tennis possesses
the contest of mind to outwit an oppo-
nent. A golfer tries to beat his opponents
record; a tennis player tries to beat his
opponent The personal struggle will
surely outlive the contest Of bare skill.
w. ID. Orcutt, following along the same
line, seems to have come even nearer the
true relation of golf and tennis He main
tains that golf instead of being dreaded
u
He says: "It has been proved beyond ques-
tion that tennis players are the most loyal
supporters of golf. 1t is for the very rea-
son that it differs 30 from their previous
favorite that its hold Is so great, and the
contrast it offers is a pleasing diversion.
To throw down the racket for the golf
club does not necessarily imply that IL
will not be picked up again with greater
S,x a. afS thx.t - 80
recreation. Tennis enthusiasts, therefore,
should welcome the advent Of golf as tho
surest means TO prevent lawn tennis from
becoming stale. II is easy to tire Of any
single branch of athletics. and the great
est danger In which lawn tennis stood was
that It was absolutely alone In Its GLASS.
Now, however, the tennis player can turn
for time to kindred sport without the
necessity Of abandoning the old favorite
entirely. Lawn tennis and golf have al
ready joined hands, and together they
will pass on through the years to come,
unrivaled In their position among amateur
sports."
A match at court tennis, best II out Of
81 sets. for the championship OF the world
and purse of $40, 900, will be played ut
Lords tennis court, London, between
nOHuo u ttuie Va tno Atooech n oo-
sociation and Peter Latham of the Queens
club, London, In the first week Of next
November. This will be the most impor-
tant court tennis event since Petit defeat
ed Mr. Saunders nearly ten years ago for
the worlds championship and large
purse. The court to be used for the service
will be neutral and tho balls of French
manufacture. Each player will be al
lowed, by the stipulation OF the match,
to practice for "a hours In the court TO be
used. There will be five sets played each
day until the winner is known. Soon
after Petit had defeated Saunders he sur
rendered the championship, and Latham
then challenged Saunders to match for
the title, Latham winning. Pettit's friends
have been anxious for him to retrieve his
-iaurels, and, believing him to be the cham
pion of the world. arranged this match.