The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-11-22
NERVES SUFFER
IN TENNIS PLAY
How It Feels to Play for Cup De-
scribed by Racket WieIter

New York, Nov, 22.-How it feels
to play in the challenge round of the
Davis cup, emblcmatic of the worlds
tennis championship, is wildly des-
oribed by Richard Norris Williams
second. who, With Mclaughlin, Hack
EFT ana Johnson, formed the United
States team that regained the famous
trophy ia England this season. His
story as printed where he is sopho-
more, is i'm part as follows:
I'VE were now In the challenge
round with the hardest task before us
Six or seven previous American teams
had reached just this point in the last
eight years, but none had been able to
lift the cup. ON the Saturday after
we played Canada, we went down to
Folkestone and there spent "a couple
Of quiet days, not talking or even
thinking of tennis. The rest did us
"A lot Of good, but the strain was grad
ually telling. No one can imagine the
mental strain under which we were
playing. After two long months of
play, a little slip, an Off day. an in
jury To IA member Of the team. might
mean the loss of the Davis Cup. We
all fully realized this, but we went into
the matches with confidence. We were
determined Ia do our best which was
all that America could ask.
Suspense Is Trying
THE draw for the challenge round
was made on the Wednesday before
the matches were started. McLough-
lin was to play against Parke at 2:30
and | was to follow against c. u.
Dixon after the first match was over.
ON Friday morning we took things
fairly easy. Mae had his lunch about
l2:30 and left i'm the car for Wimble-
GOn at about 1880. had my lunch
when Mclaughlin left and then took
things quietly until 2:15, when | fol-
lowed MIN TO Wimbledon.
when reached the court | was told
that things were not going our way.
! then spent the worst hour aud a
half one could possibly imagine. | was,
of course, not allowed to watch the
NNI, as II 10 llNlllE bil lllt eyes 81
lay down i'm the dressing room while
the attendant came to tell me now
ana then how things stood. At about
= O'Clock the sound of shouting and
applause announced McLoughlin's de-
feat. II was a bad beginning, for ev-
erybody had expected that Mac would
win Later | managed To pun the tide
our way a bit by beating Dixon.
Excitement Intense
ION Saturday the public certainly
got their moneys worth out of the
doubles. 1t was without doubt the
most exciting doubles match | have
ever watched especially as | was rath-
.er interested i'm the outcome. | re-
member when the score stood > sets
To /, , To 4 and 30-40 (McLoughlin
servng) for England, Il. ID. Wrenn. the
president of our association, was
chewing his straw hat. and w. John
son the fourth member of the Amer
light a cigarette What was | doing
Well really don't know.
I'VE spent Sunday quietly in the
country and Monday started on our
last lap. Mclaughlin again played
first, and this time when | arrived at
Wimbledon Mac was two sets up and
had long lead i'm the third. The
playing was slightly less exciting than
on the previous Friday. A few min
utes later the cup was won. After
ten years IL was To come home again.
finished out my match against
parle. although the outcome would
not have altered the fate of the cup
As a matter of interest | lost in five
sets"