Evening star., 1923-07-22

With the coming OF Johnston and
Iliden, a new standard was set. as
he found 1t. Both men labored for
years conscientiously to eradicate any
errors in their technique, and eventu-
ally succeeded in producing a type of
game that is almost fawless. neither
| one having now any apparent weak
! ness In his armor.
Takes Time and Money.
This standard of play. while it has
brought TO the United States the
highest honors in tennis. has also
| laid upon the shoulders OF her young
players burden that but few are
able to carry, for supremacy in mod
ern tennis demands very high price.
The old saying that 1t takes ten
years and a rich father to produce
tennis player" while fortunately
not true for the average club player
Is undoubtedly more or less true when
1t comes to making champions. First
class tennis today, OF the type that
can win Davis cup matches against
all corners. requires three things, all
absolutely essential:
First. physique. Modern tennis,
strenuous, dashing. brilliant, endur-
Ing. is a game of youth and strength,
a game that demands the greatest
possible physical perfection. Cham
ments as pleasant vacations where
matches are part of q. round of social
diversions and where high balls,
dancing and late hours are permissi-
Bile. Only those men who are willing
to undergo the strictest training are
even considered as possible aspirants
for a Davis cup team.
Second. leisure. Perfection In the
modern game requires years of con-
stant tournament play against the
best players in the world. Tilden has
played tennis ever since he was six
years of age. and Williams began to
play at about the same time under
the guidance Of a competent instruc-
tor. Johnson, whose game is prob
ably at it's peak now, has been coming
east for ten years, making the rounds
Of the tournaments and stifening MS
game by opposing all sorts OF styles.
Third. The modern champion must
possess the temperament and the
fghtins quality so essential to sue
cessful match play, or all the practice
in the world will not avail him
Makes Task Great One.
When 1t is realized that the lack
| of any one of these three things VII VII
prevent d man from attaining the
highest place in tennis, the dlinculty
| that lies before the American TENNIS
Association becomes apparent.
| Sufficient leisure for constant tourna- !
ment play y,ds is Perfhps fha taT of
our young players to necessary point
of perfection. The highest honors In
| tennis are possible only to young men,
| and the great majority Of all our GOOD
juniors are obliged to give up tourna-
ment play and go into business after
| leaving college.
| Richards, for example. to whom we
| naturally turn as a logical successor OF
either Tilden or Johnston. has only mad
| about FIVE years of hard tournament
play, and yet at this important time
when his game is showing the improve
ment brought about by the practice he
has had. he probably will be obliged
very soon to retire and go into business.
Charles Garland. another promising
Junior, who made the Davis cup team
in 1920, and won the world COUPLES
championship with Williams, has had TO
drop entirely out of tennis for this rea-
| SON Season after season promising
young players to whom we looked as
possible Davis cup material have been
| lost to tennis. Now we are about to
lose. Neer. last years national inter
collegiate champion. This years cham
pion. Fischer. will soon be practicing
medicine, and I understand Jones.
1ngraham, Emerson and White are all
going into some business or profession.
Game Demands Leisure.
The element Of danger In this situa-
ton is that the European countries
have a much larger leisure class upon
which to draw for their Davis cup ma
seen and recognized the superiority OF
Tilden's and Johnstons game, and have
set about developing their young play
ers along the same lines. Some OF
them have come to this country TO take
advantage of the conditions that have
made our two men so great. Alfonso is
now spending an entire year here, and
the improvement he has already shown
oMh1IM6 4M1 9M49MA IN