Evening star., 1915-09-12

My travels did not take me into
France and Germany sufficiently to
form any accurate impressions Of ten
mis- conditions in these countries. Will
liams and I had some practice at one
of the principal clubs in Paris. where
the courts were of clay. and very good
We were there more as tourists than
as tennis players. and consequently we
! did not come in contact with any of
the French players. This also applies
=, to Germany.
1t is strange. but it has so happened
that the French players, representing
one of the principal tennis nations on
the continent. are the only ones I have
not seen or played against. j am told.
however, that their style is very like
the American, especially in the ag-
the time of the war the interest in the
game had increased noticeably in
France.
| Play Upon Hard Courts.
Some of the most representative Ger
man players we met and played
against in England. and were very
| much impressed with their style of
game-especially that of their cham
pion, Freutzheim, whose ground game
is wonderfully perfected. The Ger
mans are good net players, too, but
show a preference for the base line
game. Their strokes have mechanical
precision that is striking. Many lit
i tie characteristics in their play show
that they do not develop their game
on anything but hard courts. AS mat
! ter of fact, both in France and Ger
many, l know of no grass courts at
all. Their tennis is confined almost
entirely to clay.
The German style is typical, but an
analysis would seem to indicate that
they have imbibed certain features
from the tennis-playing nations near
| hJ- hi up fhRQa
own. At least, that is the way their
game looked to me. Almost all the
Germans that I saw played in very
pretty form. The national tempera-
ment of a people enters largely into
| the style of game they favor. The
French are very excitable. They play
very fast and are apt to "go up. in the
air." The German player is very
mechanical precision. Germans in gem
eral move like well oiled machines
and march to their positions like SOL
diers.
We took hurried trip through
Switzerland and played little tennis
at Lucerne and Montreux. All through
this beautiful country we found any
number of courts. most of them main
tanned by the. hotels. The courts are
almost entirely of dirt and have the
most picturesque locations / have ever
seen, some of them on the tops of moun-
tains. others on the shores of beautiful
lakes.
One afternoon We played tennis near
! Montreux,. right on the lake shore, and
Immediately afterward climbed noun
tain overlooking the courts. on''the top
of which we found a hotel where great
many players. most OF them Frenchmen,
were gatherea,:for . tournament. They
welcomed us cordjally-especially VIII
HaEns. whom they knew and were great
Fly excited over seeing agaln--and then
| insisted on our joining them at a round
l feIaI Ia for ipv IN
accounts @ w of how .Heir tournament up
! in the clouds was progressing. and were
| sorry to be Obliged to leave without see
ing any Of the tennis.
England Tennis-P1aying Country.
Beyond a doubt. there is more tennis
played in England to the square mile
| than in any country in the world. The
widespread interest in the game is tre-
| mendous. yet, strange to say, there has
not been a corresponding development OF
the game itself. as in all the other coun-
tries. 1 refer in particular to the evolu-
ton Of the service and the increasing
importance of the net game. The
climate of England Is especially adapted
| to the growth Of turf. consequently they
average a greater number Of grass
courts Of better quality than those of
| any other country. Because the Eng
around ground strokes. we find him re-
markably proficient in this department.
, Not only the first-class players, even
those of very average ability possess
! wonderfully sound ground strokes. or
the form that is g foundation for sound
ness.
But the reasons they have not pro-
gressed in the game are. it seems to
, me. first, that they have made no effort
to encourage tennis among the younger
7 IN ha i
| versal fact that to develop new and
better players it is necessary for them
| to begin the game young. The average
! English boy is brought up to feel that
cricket is the major sport and the only
| one worth while. Consequently he has
developed into manhood before tennis
| receives his serious consideration. If
the time ever comes, and i think il will
/ some day in the future. when the large
| clubs, schools and park systems take
| a direct interest in encouraging boys
| tennis. it will result in.a tremendous de-
| velopment of the English game. Then
again the English are very methodical
and play in an extremely conservative
F! way. There is nothing aggressive or
| violent about their play. 1t is well
| thought out and studiously correct, hut
| lacking in a certain freedom which
| spells progress.
Great Race of spcrts1nen.
sport in Europe, along with far great
| er devastation, is, of course, beyond
prediction. But though Australians and
| New Zealanders are at the front, the
antipodes themselves are thankfully
I far removed from the bloody zone, and
we may reasonably expect that the
game will continue under far better
| conditions in this one of It's natural
homes than will obtain even in Eng
land after the war. The Australians
| are a great race OF sportsmen. To
| Australia and to America We may look
for the real future of the game for
some time to come. And In America
the east Is certainly the logical tourna-
ment territory, being the true tennis
center and the center of popular in
! terest.
| The sporting spirit of America Is dis
tinctly favorable to the development of
the young player and the fostering of
his growth into championship material.
The National Association shows
splendid enthusiasm and the ability to
take infinite pains to successfully
stage it's tournaments. The healthy
activity of the game wins ii an ever
increasing number OF adherents. The
/ outlook could not be more encourag-
| ing And 1t is pleasant to think that
this fine sport has proved another Of
the many ties to bind coast to coast
and acquaint easterner and westerner
with the beauties of the other fellows
playground.
Copyright, 1915. by the Wheeler Syndicate, Inc,
nAcr nAYT At, NYNuT