New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-15
GOULD AIMS HIGH
in COVEY MATCH
Court Tennis History viii
BE Made in Meeting
for Title.
AMATEUR TO PLAY
WITHOUT HANDICAP
English Professional VIII Use
American Methods in
His Service.

The coming court tennis match between
g. f. Covey. worlds professional cham
pion. and Jay Gould. amateur champion
OF America since 1906, and British cham
pion in 1897 and 1905, stands out as A
rarity.
Since the days OF J NJ. Heathcote. Brit
ish amateur champion from 1867 TO 1851
and also in 1883 and 1856 no amateur has
vsntured to oppose professional. except
on receipt OF odds. Yet Mr.. Gould has
challenged Convey to play for his title on
level terms.
When LStham was here in the winter OF
lso5-oS he gave fifteen exhibition matches
to both Mr. Gould and Charles r. Sands.
winning from each in straight sets At
Cambridge. Mass, TO open the Harvard
University court. Latham played Mr..
Gould and beat him handily at the same
odds
That the noted American amateur is 10
meet Covey without odds has attracted
the interest Of court tennis players
throughout the world. and few will be
surprised should Mr. Gould repeat against
the professional the sensation created on
his first European trip in 1906
IL will be the only time the holder has
come to the United States 10 defend his
title, although the worlds championship
has been PLAYED since 1919 "Old" Cox
was the first holder. and the second Ed
mond Barre, Of France. from 1929 to 1862,
but he always made the challenger come
10 Paris to play.
80 60.
and n. S. Lytton. amateur champion of
Great Britain. who arrived with him in
this country on February % owe their
prominence in the game to their prof.
cheney in the American or railroad"
service. II is the first time that challen-
ger and defender in the worlds cham
pionship may claim this stroke as the
strongest part Of their game.
Naturally. the match has been arranged
with all due care and formality. Mr..
Gould is the challenger. and the contest
will be staged at his home club, the
Philadelphia Racquet and Tennis, to-mor-
row, "Wednesday and Saturday
IL will be the best OF thirteen sets. the
usual championship conditions, but If
either gains the requisite seven sets
quickly enough it may be over in two
days. The only time all thirteen sets had
TO be played was in 1910. at Brighton
when Punch" Fairs successfully defend
ed the championship from Convey but
only by the narrow margin Of sets to S
80 games 10 S.
Covey. if he wins. will receive a purse
Of $3.50. two-thirds Of the gate receipts
and his expenses Mr.. Gould will receive
plate valued at that sum if he wins.
Convey receiving his expenses and two
thirds of the gate money.
The Georgian Court tennis coach. Frank
Forester, in teaching the rudlments of
the game to Mr.. Gould. insisted that he
should use the drop service for an entire
year before permitting him to do as he
other Americans and serve by the rail
road" cut stroke. He has consequently
command Of both services. which may
help him in a pinch. Covey, as with all
high class professionals. is an adept ct
the drop side wall and giraffe" services.
although ne is best at the American ser
vice and used il entirely in 1911, AT
Brighton. in the match he won from
Fairs for the title he has since retained.
In 1910 Covey mixed his services
l..
amateur court tennis player in the sos,
is regarded as the inventor Of the Amer
lean service. Tom Pettitt. who used 1t at
the request Of his hackers, introduced the
American service TO the British players in
1899 in challenge match with Peter
Latham for 5000 and the title.
Not a few Of the British amateurs took
up the stroke and it has had supporters
there ever since. The claim was at once
put forward that the service was really
an OLD English stroke which Julian
Marshall used TO term the nick service.
The experts declared it TO be only a
slight variation of the "commonest form
of the underhand twist service" But
our players hold it to be absolutely
American in conception.
The worlds court tennis championship
has twice been won by an American
challenger. a fact that will not dim the
Iustre Of Nj Goulds effort, win or lose
for only professionals figured in the con-
tests Tom Pettitt, who was born at
Birkenhead. England, in 1860, but VINO
came 10 Boston as q boy, brought the
title each time 10 this country. In 1852,
at Hampton Court, Pettitt beat George
Lambert, OF Lord 5, sets to 5, So games
TO 81
He was then twenty-five and the young
est man 10 ever hold the championship.
When challenged by Charles Saunders
in 1890. Pettitt went over again, apd sue
cessfully defended the title at Loro
Iveaghs court. Dublin, winning by
sets 10 ;. 81 games TO 40. Pettitt resigned
the title on his return TO Boston.
Mr.. Gould is a better player now than
syer. His style has ripened with the
SS&sing years. and he shows more
aeAest devotion to the floor game thah
80 Nspeated forces for the winning open
~ which is a reversal of his methoos
IN buoyed up by the exuberance oil
,'o,A and more in accord with the 'eu
classAue." ...,,o
His first public game was durlns
e.hrlstmss week, 1906 in Georgian Court
when he and George Standing peat
charles E. Sands. then amateur chan-
MON. and Peter Latham, 3 sets TO ., %
games TO IS Within three months MT.
Gould won the Tuxedo gold RACQUET
championship and the amateur chaIn-