New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-11
NEW MEN IN LAWN TENNIS.
RISE OF THE YOUNGER PLAYERS GIVES
A BIG BOOM TO THE SPORT
AMERICAN AND ENGLISH METHODS AND PLAY
FRS COMPARED -- INTEREST IN THE
GAME REvIViNG AND INCREAs
ING RAPIDLY BOTH HERE
AND ABROAD

IN' RAPIDLY BOTH HERE
AND ABROAD
Lawn tennis in America has been under going Q
marked change during the season about to close
ana those who follow the sport with the closest
attention and The greatest devotion are convinced
! that the change Is one for the better For many
wears people have been waiting for the development
O. 'he younger generation Of players. hut their
CROWN seemed To be Overshadowed and stunted
b! the greater skill OF the few cracks" who stu
gobDled up all The honofs IN sight Last season
the hrst blossom OF he coming harvest was seen
a. Newport. when Whitman. one o. the younger
payers beat Mahony the imported expert and
then IAN Nsbet. his (eloW-visor to five close sets
ana came extremely close to winning from him
10 ne sure the absence this Of r. %.
"renn ana Larned VINO we're fighting Spaniards
Instead Of playing tennis. left all the honors open
Tor the younger men. yet this very freedom from
The constant presence Of the overawing skill that
dNarfed their OWN growth is responsible for much
o. the improvement this season I'm their play Last
year me second-cdss experts seemed convinced that
th'y couldn't win from Larned or Wrenn and they
'l"h t. Although much regret H. expressed for the
absence o. tho two Rough Riders from coupetition
III reality nothing could have been better for the
health o. the sport and the tournaments this sea-
son showed more interest among the PLAYERS than
ihose FOR some years back
no LONGER \ FoREGoNE CONCLUSION.
Even now. several Weeks after the championship
mas been won ana lost. IL r. almost = difficult as
Al the beginning % the season TO say which ara
inc best men. So evenly Mere the leaders ma tched
during tie earlier tournaments that the siruzgls
loi PREMIER honors at Newport, with Wreun and
i'drhed eit out was one in which fully dozen men
'''' chdhc'' Indeed. young Davis. Tho reached
1le "'"lS after beating such men as Davidson.
'OdHitn Stevens and Bond was not picked - on.
OF the i've or six prime favoriies and his success.
OILY served 10 emphasize the equality OF al la.st
" 'o%'h o. The best players The very life OF conn
P'"'ph III sport lies in the uncertainty OF result
"uS' 90 iohs de Nrenn or Lsrned was among the
entries aSt year for any tournament IL was A fora
gone conclusion that he would win first placs
with both o. them out this wear ev,r, ono r.,
chance. ami new HE was Infused INTO tho aan.
ana ne" ambition and enthusiasm appeared among
the players
Undoubtedly Whitman. the lsnky iisht-hs,red
harvard student. was IN" star OF the year and his
play has improved noticeable In its steadiness
Throughout the season he lost only two ,n.,oho.
ana ooth Of these were to Ware. whom he after,
ward defeated twice in the most important tourr.
hsit Of the year. the last time A. Nevpor, vsrx
"'''F' But next 10 him il would De dficu, 10 saw
whether Ware. Budlong. Bond Davis or Ceoro.
Wrenn should be placed All these men took turn,
~ beating one another in the course OF the seaso,
and even II they are grouped together It IL NOT
certain that any Of them could beat Forbes Ste
vens. Fischer Mllett. Hackett Paret Ward
belden Carleton and Davidson In fact the Younger
mon have all come up rapidly this year thai
stevens. Bndlons Davidson and Paret the promi-
nen' veterans OF the year. have all had 10 inproy.
themselves 10 keep mp with the pace the younger
men set
F"rhdps because OaSehne PLAYERS vary less in
."T skill stevens qua Zee are often considered as
's"uharHs rom which 10 judge Of The progress OF
me game Both are :ourney-tried veterans and
edcn * confident that he plays now az well as or
h-'ter man year or two years ago W, ss,h
succeeding season 6nds these trial horses le,,
inith~r behind ny the rising generation At New
port ms season stevens. whose record is wonder
i"'Y rec from defeat at the hands OF poorer men
iost in straight sets Young Davis 4 Harvard
junior and a player considered full class below
h'm I'LL shat week. Lee had a close nve-set s,rue-
Gle with young Ever OF Harvard and. after x,n.
Ming H. went down in straight sets before Leo
Ware
SOME SUGGESTIVE COMPARISONS
II l. much OF an open question whether Whitman
ana the other leaders al the game this year had
reached the standard OF Wrenn and L.arned and
whether 'h"y could have won from the cracks had
the war not taken them % competition The
consensus OF expert opinion as EXPRESSED AZ S.,
port Al the championship meeting was that 4ith.,
Nrenn or i.arned would have found Whitman q
worthy opponent and hat before next sea son shall
nave progressed far he is likely 10 be fully no to
their form. Certainly neither or the crack. couis
have beaten George Wrenn. the champions brother
or Ware with any more decisive scores than dd
Whitman at Newport. And for that matter IL ts
doubtful = either WrAnn ~ Larned ever showed
more brilliant tennis than two or three Of the set,
thot young Davis PLAYED in the Championship
series. II Davis can steady down and play IN.
same kind o. tennis through al his matches next
season. he Uill prove din, cult man for even the
best beat.
Young DOHERTYs RAPID RISE
In England this year there has been even more
brilliant instance OF meteodt outburst than Vas
Whitman or Davis. Young n l.. Doherty the
champions younger brother. although last year
among British PLAYERS ABOUT where Whitman va.
then among American experts. suddenly advanced
with rapid strides this season ana Is to-day At the
very top Of the ladder tie and his brother the
champion. considered lust bout even The
younger Doherty won the all-comers' AZ Wimbledon
and then played i've sets with his brother for the
championship
\ number OF other Young men nave been bound.
ing TO the front there. too and the hes, play
Of next season both sides OF the ocean will
probably be among the Younger men. Young Do
herty is champion Of Cambridge and the champion
of oxford Pearson. has also distinguished himself
several times this season. while Black another
Young recruit in the ranks OF the English ex-
perts has upset calculations several times by his
unexpected form Al Birmingham in July ! had
the pleasure Of umpiring the match in which n.
beat the veteran expert. & W Hyard one OF the
best OF the Older cracks abroad.
mere can De no question OF 'Hr tdct tnat inc
ascendency OF the younger players means a distinct
advance III the game and certain it is that hing
could be beneficial ths side OF the wafer.
For three four seasons have suffered from q
lack players and much of the interest in
the tournaments has centred In one or two
ma ,chrs because OF tho practical certainty I'm the
other matches as TO who would be victorious. The
future OF International tennis remains too In thu
hands OF the younger men, for American hopes for
supremacy our English rivals are centred in
the rapid improvement OF the younger men here.
: a nh
non. and easily the OF the year Is certainly
stronger than Whitman. discovered wonderful
respect for Whitman the other side ANY
one who beat Mahony and come within two
strokes OF beating Nisbet they Say must olay fns