New Britain herald., 1927-07-08
Helen JACOBS IS
FORMIDABLE star
Rises Today as One Of Best
g.. Tennis Players
By NARY X. BROWNE
United Press stan Correspondent
Copyright 1927 by United Press)

By MARY X. BROWNE
United Press STAFF Correspondent
Copyright 1927 by United Press)
Cleveland. Ohio, July 3 (UP)-
Another Helen and another Califor-
mia tennis star appears in the con-
stellation.
Youthful Helen Jacobs. national
girls champion. is Pacific coast
champion by virtue OF her recent de-
cisive victory over Mrs. Bundy SIS,
GO. The tennis Helen Jacobs un-
ieashed in the match marks her as
Il probable successor Of Helen Wills.
tor May Sutton Bundy, although
world champion 81 years ago. is a
formidable opponent today when
competing on her favorite cement
court. l was greatly impressed by
the decisiveness OF Helen Jacobs
victory. She is Americas conner,
believe. just as Betty Nuthall is Eng
lands prodigy.
Helen Jacobs displayed two weak
nesses in last years competition in
the big eastern tournaments, which
| understand she is well on the way
toward eliminating from her game
this year. First, she made the mis-
take of abandoning her driving
game whenever she was in serious
difficulties and resorted to the de-
fensive. risky chop stroke. The 9TH
er weakness is that she is too easily
upset when things go wrong. She
must learn to profit by her defeats,
instead of letting them crush her. 1t
has taken almost invariably, ten
years to develop tennis champion,
for they must pass through seasons
of defeat. sinking to utter depths
before they can hope to rise and
remain on the heights.
Apparently, however. Helen Jacobs
has learned great deal since she
played in the east last year. In her
match against Mrs. Bundy her
strokes We're severe and her court
tactics sound. She has been select
ed to try for the American women's
International team and has an ex-
cellent chance of making good.
The fact that Helen Jacobs comes
from California and appears to be
the next logical champion, after
Helen Wills has had her fling, takes
me back in thought to the many
tennis champions this illustrious
state has turned out. Statistics show
that for 10 years out of the past
eighteen Californians have held the
women's championship in the Unit
ed States. The remaining eight years
Mrs. Mallory reigned supreme. but
she was one individual, while Cali
fornia produced May Sutton Bundy.
Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, myself
and Helen Wills, besides raising
Elizabeth Ryan, who was winning
at this time laurels home and
abroad, though she never annexed
our national title.
Among the men California pro-
duced during this time three cham
pions, Maurice Mclaughlin, William
Johnson ahd Lindley Murray, as
against two from the east, r. Nor
ris Williams and William Tilden.
Beside the champions, Is California
men have ranked among the first
ten, as against the total of thirty for
all the other states combined.
Why has California produced SO
many tennis champions? The first
answer one always receives, Cali
fornia has an all year around eli
mate and of course her players
should be better. The climate Is an
advantage but that Is not the main
reason for California's supremacy.
There are other places where it is
possible to play the game all year
around. for instance, Spain. Italy,
Mexico Florida. Cuba. Honolulu. in
TACT innumerable places on thrs
earth, and yet none has produced
players to compare in prominence
with the Californians. Other coun-
tries have produced prominent in
dividuals but not the vast number
of fine players.
The main reason in my opinion.
that Californians excel in tennis, is
that the players learn the game on
hard courts (Which are fast) and
compete for championship titles on
grass courts (Which are Slow. Also
throughout the state there is ire
mendous interest and enthusiasm
tor the game, besides a certain
pride in developing young players
to uphold this preeminence.
1t is much easier to go from
hard courts TO grass than vice versa.
For the mind, feet and racket are
adjusted to the fast game and it is
easier to slow down than to speed
up, as the players going from grass
to hard surface are obliged to do.
In California if youngster shows
promise, he is taken up by experts,
coached, encouraged and what is
most important he is given the ad-
vantages of competing in important
tournaments.
This year our entire women's in
ternational team could be made up
of nothing but Californians. Helen
Wills, Elizabeth Ryan, Helen ia
cobs and Hazel Wightman. Last
year the team had three out Of five
Californians. Three out of six of the
Suzanne Lenglen tour were Cali
tornians and we now have both the
junior and the intercollegiate ma
tional titles held by Johnny Doeg
and Bud" Chandler of California.
France is the only nation to threat
en- this states prestige.