Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-16

Van Ryn's forehand drive is a
fiat stroke, which has uniformly
good length and pace and is well
controlled, and his backhand,
which has more life, is almost
equally good, bordering on the
spectacular now and then.
His service, while not particularly
hard to handle, is a forcing shot, and
his volley and kill are adequate, though
Van Ryn is inclined to be cratic at
the net, at times bringing OF sensa-
tional shots and at others falling down
on easy ones.
ment. He concentrates every minute,
and the harder the going is the more
determinedly he digs in. II you are
close to the court you will hear him
squirting himself with such remarks as
"Come on, get this one!"
In spite Of the seriousness with which
he takes tennis, and the fact that he
trains carefully the year around, ana
despite the fact that his game has so
sound a foundation, doubt whether
Van Ryn will go much farther as q
singles player. There seems something
lacking in his game, the spark Of genius
that stamps the championship player.
Hard work has made Johnny the
fine player he Is. He deserves all the
success he has achieved, because he has
paid an exacttng price for it. But
aside from the Improvement that will
come In his game with the added con-
years of play, do not look for him
to reach the top.
Best in Doubles.
It Is In doubles that Van Ryn prob
ably will make his greatest mark. As
far back as three years, when he was
q junior in college, he was being hailed
as the best doubles player In the coun-
try While there are q number of fine
doubles players who can dispute this
honor with him, Van Ryn has clearly
earned a place among the half dozen
best in the world at the tandem game.
His return Of service in doubles Is
almost unfailingly good, beautifully
placed and with the dip required to |
break the rush OF the incoming server:
His work at close quarters Is better |
both on the volley and the overhead |
kill than it is In singles, and his gen.
eralship Is excellent. He knows the |
doubles game thoroughly, has a fine |
understanding of its strategy and directs
play on his side of the net.
Van Ryn's play at Wimbledon In the |
doubles brought cheers from the gallery, |
and In defeating the late Hans Modem |
and Henri Cochet and Jean Borotra |
Of France In the Davis Cup matches, |
he rose TO perhaps the greatest tri- |
umph Of his career as did also his |
partner Allison. The team failed to |
show the same form when it came |
home, losing in the Newport doubles |
to Bruce Barnes Of Texas and Phil |
Neer Of California In the first round,
and In the third round Of the national |
doubles to Lewis N. White and Berkeley |
Bell of Texas.
But in spite Of those setbacks Van |
Ryn and Allison stand as one OF the |
foremost teams In the world, and they |
are bound to receive serious considera- |
ton as our Davis Cup combination for
the coming campaign.
Fine Type Of Sportsman. =.
It is possible this pair win be broken
up and Van Ryn paired with some other |
player, for he seems able to play effec- |
lively regardless Of who Is on the other
side Of the court with him.
Van Ryn stands In high favor with
the men In charge Of our Davis Cup
destinies. He is regarded as the ideal
national play. He Is a fine sportsman,
conducts himself ideally on the court,
and In general 1t may be said that he
has shown the right attitude toward
the game-more so than the majority
OF the younger players.
Van Ryn's common sense was dem
onstrated two years ago when he passed
UP the chance to make the team in
order to complete his work at Prince
ton and get his degree. Since he was
graduated he has been giving more and
more time to tennis, playing in Cali
fornia In the Winter and in the South
and East In early Spring and Summer.
AL Of this extra practice should make
him q better player.
doubt that Van Ryn will get into
the singles unless both Tilden and
Hunter retire, and even then he might
have trouble making a berth. But he
Is seriously In the running for q place
in the doubles combination.
CCoryright, 1890. by North AmerAan News
paper Alliance)