Evening star., 1915-05-31
TENNIS A VETERANS GAME:
EXPERIENCE A BIG FACTOR
Tactics and Skill Of the Forty-Y Year-Old
Player Frequently Overcome Speed
and Stamina of Youth.

abroad The wizards father WAS 4
tennis player of ability and a keen
lover of the game. He WAS intensely
interested in his sons development. and
1t is most unfortunate that his un-
timely death. at the sinking of The Ii
tanic. deprived him of the pleasure of
seeing the result of planning brought
to its successful climax, when the
Philadelphian Won the national cham
pionship at Newport last August.
Despite the fact, therefore, that VIII
liams was the second best tennis
player in the United States at the age
of twenty and national champion at
twenty-five. it must he borne in mind
that his unusual opportunities for
coaching and practice made him vet
eran in experience by comparison with
that of the average PLAYER in any de-
partment of sport
The sensational success of Maurice
Mclaughlin and the almost equally
brilliant showing of Johnson, Murray,
Strachan. Long, Buady and Fottrell are
accounted for much after the same
manner. All of these players are Cali
IofnlanS and they, therefore, enjoy a
cilmate that permits outdoor tennis the
entlre year Thus. every year of tennis
played in the west is the equivalent of
Two IN the east, where only six months
OF the year are seasonable for play out
of doors.
II, for example, an eastern youth of
from his sixteenth year on he would
nave had approximately five years. or
thirty months, of actual experience. ON
the other hand. a western youth in the
same period will, by virtue of Californias 5
endless summer, have been able to acquire
sixty months of actual experience. I-pon
close analysis the western environment
VIII prove to be the equivalent of even
more than double that of the east, for
WIN only SIX months of play in the east
G
the limited time available
Inc east is conducive to the develop
nent Oh many faults of footworli and
stroke' The winter season creates a
plateau OF Inactivity which naturally
causes the eastern player TO go back to
an extent for which month or two of
ard practice is Invariably necessary to
return to the form displayed at the close
OF tne previous summer. This is avoided
IN California, where. with a continuous
year of play. the westerners are not 50
prone to overplay, and during the winter.
WINE the eastern players are rusting in
idiehess. the western tennisites are moy-
ing on to uninterrupted Improvement
1t Is Old Boys Game.
Yes II is veterans game, and where
the vet" has played continuously
through succeeding years his accuracy
ana court craft are frequently more
than match for the agility of more
youthful opponent. This operates also
to permit the veteran to extract the
maximum amount of pleasure which
al"ays accrues from skilled play In
any line of endeavor
This brings to the fore the ionor.
lance to the future of tennis of en-
couraglng juniors and directing their
play through intelligent channels AS
mas mas neen pointed out above. National
.hailpion Williams did not just hap
pen 10 become great player Profes-
slonai coaching in the rudiments OF
form, stroke and tactics and the intel
ligent directing of the practice periods
1oliowlng his tuition hours were the
primal elements, co-operating- with m
course, his natural aptitude and a keen
love of the game, in flashing Williams
star so brilliantly in the tennis firma
ment
Ihe writer has frequently made point
eo reference to the Importance of pro-
1esslonal tennis tutelage and many
times touched upon its regretted pau-
city III America. Everywhere | have
heard it said that the need is uniyer-
sally felt by those in charge of many
OF the most prominent country clubs il
the United States, but, as every one
knows. there are no American lawn
tennis professionals. and though re.
peated efforts have been made 10 gel
them from England and France, none
VI could here
tofore be induced to come to America
If we except George Hasgett, who did
SO much for the West Side players sew
eral years ago.
1t would seem, however that now is
the psychological time to secure any
number of most desirable professionals
With every branch of sporting activity
stifed throughout England and France
1t must be that many first-class lawn
tennis professionals are without re-
muneratlVe engagements. once here
these tennis pros attached to the
larger clubs would, without the slight
est doubt. earn considerably more
money than they ever have done
abroad.
America Ready for Teachers.
The great keenness of the America II
in all of his endeavors. athletic or
otherwise, together with the fact of
the idea being comparatively new,
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