The New York herald., 1922-06-11

NIS-By A. Wallis Myers. George
H. Doran Company.
DERHAPS no one is better ouali-
fled to write of the last twen-
ty years of tennis than A.
Wallis Myers, the greater p:.rt of
whose career has been devoted to the
interests of the sport, who has ac-
companied many an International
team to distant lands, who has played
with and has watched the rise and
fall of the worlds greatest s.ars of
the court, who has been on tn, Gene
of many of the most memorable and
most dramatic matches in tennis his
tory.
Twenty years of lawn tennis prac-
tically covers the period since the
sport became famous internationally.
since the hunt for the Davis cup be-
gan, bringing teams half way around
the earth for international matches.
1t covers the period during which
tennis came into its own. In the
form of "reminiscences Mr.. Myers
surveys that eventful tennis era, re-
views the most momentous struggles
ON the world famed center court at
Wimbledon. where no civilized coun-
try has been unrepresented On its
lawns writes entertainingly of the
styles of the champions and of the
growing popular interest that reached
its height when William T. Tilden
defeated Gerald Patterson for thei
worlds title in 1920.
Following his tale OF Wimbledon,
Mr.. Myers gives his impressions of
tennis players and tennis places on
the European continent. his recol-
lections of the Riviera, Of South Afri-
can tennis stars against whom he led
an English team twelve yeare ago.
There is a meaty chapter devc ed to
the Davis cup and what tennis owes
to it and to its donor. Dwight f.
Davis Finally a section devoted to
tennis in America. the styles and
methods of its champions, the rea-
sons for its present leaiing T. sition
among tennis nations, and it, out
look for the near future. On this
NJ NfxorS
America owes her supreme po-
sition i'm the lawn tennis world to-
day to several factors We may
examine them closely, for they pos
sibly offer lessons to ourselves and
to others. America :: a y5ung
country animated with zeal and
spontaneity of youth. Certury
old traditions do not encLmber
her: she need not and does not
recoil instinctively from action
without precedent. Some of us in
England may cavil at t lis spirit OF
independence It's extravaoance
may ruffie our sense of dignity.
strain our conception of mo'esty; /
but even the most prei.diced can
not deny the American his conf
dence. his genius for organization
and his concentration.
Organization on broad and am
bilious lines has made lawn tennis
a national pastime in the United
States. Imported forty-five ,ears
ago from England, like many ther
good things, the game appeals in
stinctively TO the Individual site
and combative qualities iE the
American. Nothing ir1ecisi-e at =
tracts him; he could never tolerate
the drawn cricket match. The spec
tacular attributes of first-olass
lawn tennis, it's call both for :orce
and finesse. its opportunity for the
sprinter, the contiguiiy of the
players to the crowd. TIE fact hat
thousands of people at one and
the same time may watch every
varying phase in a min ature hat
tie in which strategy courts as
much as strokes. and counter
strategy and counter strokes win
the day-essentially these are the