Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-23
HAS COMETS TENNIS
STARTED TO FAITER?
Mclaughlin Of Today Nothing Like
the Mclaughlin of Davis
Cup Fame.

NEW YORK, August 23.-What is
the matter with Mclaughlin is the
question uppermost in the minds of
tennis followers. Although the Cali
fornian has no excuses to offer for his
defeats this season at the hands of Karl
II. Behr and Richard Norris Williams
I'd, those who have seen him play in
other years. when his brilliance and
speed earned him the title of Comet,
are looking for some excuse for Macs
showing. Most of those who saw him
beat Norman E. Brookes and the late
Anthony F. Wilding in the challenge
round of the Davis cup matches last
year and saw Williams fall before the
same pair with scarcely struggle
find it hard to believe that the Phila-
delphian is the better player.
Seemingly the most logical reason for
McLoughlin's poor record this season.
it is poor only because he has educat-
ed followers of the game into believing
him invincible-is the change in his
style Of game. The Mclaughlin who
defeated the great Australasians last
year was the greatest exponent of the
slam bang, spectacular net style OF
play that the game has ever produced
The Mclaughlin who was beaten by
Behr at Seabright and by Williams in
Newport was a fairly good deep court
player.
II is true that when Mclaughlin was
sweeping everything before him his
back court game was weak, his ground
strokes mediocre and his backhand
pa ssa BILE. These defects did not bother
Mclaughlin a great deal, however. He
did not need the back court game. He
was so agile and powerful at the net
that only strokes extraordinary passed
him. Nor did he need to be any better
on his ground strokes, for he was a
voller without peer, and when he
strokes to his backhand that he could
not run around. He has apparently
sa crifced all of these qualities for lit
tie or nothing. His backhand. ground
strokes and deep court game have i'm
proved. but not enough to take the
place of his other game.
Seems to Lack Spirit.
Nor is this the only reason advanced
for the slipping of the Californian. AZ
fairs extraneous to tennis may have
taken his mind off the game; at any
rate, his general demeanor makes it
look that way. In other years Nc
Loughlin was about as carefree a
youngster as one would want to look
at. He had all sorts of energy and
court with confidence, but not the
gloating kind. He took the game
seriously and his opponent, no matter
OF what rating, the same way. He
pla yed his best when he had to come
from the rear and was always sports
man enough to let weak opponent
take some measure of enjoyment out OF
| a match with him.
| He lacked all of this vivacity in his
matches at Seabright and Newport. Ii
all of them he seemed TO be thinking o
| something else. His smiles were few
the game seriously. 1t was expected
| that when he met Williams he would
arouse and play real tennis of the Nc
Loughlin stamp. but he simply let the
ed gone and the Californian was un
| willing to recall it.
| That Mclaughlin is beginning to ret
| rosrade is possible, but highly i'm
probable. The speed with which h
played and the amount of nervou:
energy he has squandered in hi:
matches ever since he has been play
| ing the game may now be starting Il
take effect. but this does not seen
likely, as Mclaughlin is in his earl,
should be improving steadily AS :
matter of fact when he was beaten b,
both Behr and Williams these mel
played the game of their lives and hat
"a hard time winning.
| If it is case of mental attitude O.
change Of game beating him then hi
! conquerors may well look out, for Nc
| Loughlin in the proper frame OF mine
will play different game than h
! showed either at Seabright or at New
port. Mclaughlin and Williams hav
split even in their turf battles this sea
son and it is likely that they will hav
| their third meeting in the tourney be
ginning at Southampton. l.. l., TO-DAY.