New Britain herald., 1927-08-06
11LDEN Showing
He IS WEAKENING
Unable to Keep Up His Terrific
Pace at Tennis
BY MARY X. BROWN
United Press Special Staff
Cnrresnonde0t

By MARY X. BROWN
United Press Special Staff
Correspondent
Copyright 1927 by United Press)
seAbright N. j., Aug. The pre-
liminary tennis tournament leading
up to the national and international
competitions, are assuming consid-
cradle importance. because the re-
suits OF the matches influence the
selection OF members Of the teams
and forecast on the national.
Yesterday. members OF the Davis
Cup and Wightman Cup committees
were conspiciously located right be-
side the courts at the Sea Bright
tournament, so intent they seemed
to be measuring each breath taken
by their prospective candidates.
william Tilden was under their
scrutiny, while playing the finals
against Francis T. Hunter. Before
the match many of them were dis
cussing the possibility OF a five-set
affair, but T1lden treasured them
that he is all there by decisively
defeating the Olympic champion in
three straight sets.
Though Big Bill told me after the
match that he had worked just as
hard as he could to accomplish
these results I was under the I'M
preston that Hunter. though he
played beautiful tennis, did not ex-
tend Tilden.
l have seen Tilden many. many
times in action and in observing
him during the past week, the par
ticular change l note in his game
has to do with his world famous
service, still the most severe the
game has ever known, but not the
weapon It used to be. Tilden does
seem to use it as often and when
he does get 1t in bounds, his oppon-
ents return it far oftener than IN
the past.
discussed this point with T1lden
yesterday and he said that he does
not try his cannonball service as
often because it takes so much out
Of him physically. He feels he does
not need 1t as much as he used to
in his early years OF winning. He
uses it mainly when he needs point
badly.
Bill Tilden comes to the net less
often than OF old, seeming to pre-
fer to fight his battles on the base
line. His accuracy is uncanny, and
in many respects playing against
him must be somewhat like I found
playing against Suzanne Lenglen.
The situation is this:
What can player do when their
best shots come back?
Usually they attempt more than
they can control in application OF
sneed. etc. While both Tilden and
Lenglen are SO good they can keep
the bal going and await either an
error or set-up to gain their point
both these players seem invariably
to come out of long rally more or
less fresh, because they have COW
cred less court than they nave
obliged their opponents to cover,
and as the inevitable result their
exhausted opponents lose several
points in row.
remember well Big Bill telling
me that he was obliged to wear
Little Bill johnson down, tire him
out, before he (Big Bid could RISK
going for placements. Tilden's argu-
ment was that against an untired
johnson his best shots would come
back and he (Tilden) would lose
confidence, besides risking many err
rors. So his tactics were to keep the
ball in play, deliberately prolonglng
the rallies. When he finally saw Lit
tie Bill weakens. then to bring OFT
his terrific aces and singing drives.
Little Bill confessed to me that at
this stage OF their matches. Illden
began assuming the proportions OF
a giant. I could understand Little
Bills hopeless feeling SO readily
that / could almost imagine him
looking around frantically for his
bean stalk"
Whatever the results of our Da-
Wis Cup matches with France. which
nation is almost certain to be the
challengers, I am sure William Ill
den will play the game of his life.
There will be a great stage set for