Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-29


lie the strokes and the tactics of the
eply his own great love for the sport
which it is played.
The day of the match the gendarmes
had to be called out to keep the dis
appointed crowd which had not bought
tickets in advance from stOrming the
gates. These people We're willing to
pay anything to get in. They were
mostly wealthy people and they want
ed to pay for the privilege of seeing
Miss Wills and nlyself-two girls in
moderate circumStanceS-play against
each other-for nothing. Again the
question flashed across my mind: If
we amateurs are to contribute a life'S
work to learning to play for nothing,
why isn't there an amateur gallery
which can look on for nothing?
At first | realized what was hap
peninG. The owners of these clubs
1t which I SO often played were most
~ shrewd business men, and they saw
to it that these tournaments netted
them a handsome profit. With few
exceptions, the proceeds from these
amateur exhibitions went into private
pockets.
And not only does the public have
to pay admission, but the player also
must pay a stiff entrance fee in order
to compete in the tournament. The
club owner gets money going and COM
ing. Under these absurd and anti
quated amateur rulings only a wealthy
man can compete, and the fact of the
matter is that only wealthy men do
compete.
Is that fair? Does it advance the
sport? Does it make tennis more
popular--or does it tend to suppress
and hinder an enormous amount of
tennis talent lying dormant in the
bodies or young men and women
whose names are not on the social
register?
Occasionally, in spite of all that is
being done to hinder him a player
does crop up from the masses. Once
his talent is recognized he becomes
very much sought after and in spite
Of the fact that he is financially un-
able to idle and to travel from one
fashionable tourname to another he
is constantly doing just this. stopping
at the hest hotels, and leading the
life of his more moneyed opponents
How does he do it? There is some
thing rotten in the state of Den
mark"
Golf Benefits by Tolerance.
How much fairer are the rules Of
golf, There the amateur who can af-
ford it meets the professional who
can't. and in fair and honest open
competition they fight it out. do not
believe that golf is nearly as fine a
game as tennis, yet in popularity it
is leaving tennis far behind. think
that our amateur tennis rules are
largely responsible for that. Condi-
tons in tennis have changed, but the
rules have not kept pace with the
conditions.
For long l have been lowering on
and brink of doubt and discomfort.
Then from the West came the decid-
ing impulse that made me renounce
my amateurism and protest openly
against this unjust state of affairs
1t came in the person of Mr.. G.. c.
Pyle.
His straightforward speech, his con-
vincing sincerity and his American di-
rectneSs won over and converted even
that high priest of strict amateurism
my father.
I am today a professional: happy in
my decision: enthusiastic about my
future and sincere in the belief that
will preach the gospel of tennis to
thousands.
The recognition of professionals can
not hurt the sport-it can only do it
good. L know professionals who are
perfect sports-men-and I know
amateurs who are not. There is no
|! valid reason why the professional
should not match his skill against the
amateur-eXcept that the amateur
might he afraid
AS for myself, I can only say that
I have always been a clean amateur
and that now l am going to be a clean
professional.
Copyright. 1921