Evening star., 1938-09-09
T|M|D STRATEGY
DECLARED CAUSE
Survival Essential to Keep
Expenses Paid Makes
Racketers Careful.
NJ rAvvr rAyn1r
Associated Press Sports Writer

NEW YORK, Sept. 9-Fred Perry,
who now plays tennis for money and
likes his work. has looked over the field
in the current national singles cham
pionship at Forest Hills and has de.
cided that the standard Of play among
the amateurs is getting worse faster
than it is getting better.
Perry's impression, while not neces.
sarily conclusive and perhaps even q
little biased, Is interesting, neverthe-
less. because he backs it up with sound
reasoning and all but draws a dia.
gram.
Look over this field" he demanded.
With the exception of Don Bulge
they're all baseline players. Not a one
Of the others knows how to rush the
net and take charge Of a match.
And I can tell you why they're
all playing this cautious, never-take-a-
chance stuff. They have learned that
as soon as they get knocked out of q
tournament the club quits paying their
expenses. No matter how weak their
opposition in the early rounds they
aren't going to take any chances. They
play 1t safe and win, but their game
never gets much better.
Trailed Austin for Experience.
"Up to about 1880 every player tried
constantly to improve his game When
was coming up followed Bunny
Austin all over England from tourna-
ment to tournament, just on the
chance I would get to play him. He
beat me regularly, but my game got
better. never would have beaten Won
Cramm and Crawford and Bulge If
hadn't learned to get to the net as fast
as could on nearly every point.
But these baseline specialists out
here. think Bill Tilden still could
trim any of them except Bulge. Why,
yes, should be able to beat any Of
the amateurs. Playing against Ellis
worth Vines all the time for 18 months
couldn't help improving my game,
could it?"
IL wasn't necessary to take Perry'S
word about the bsseline trend. A tour
Of the 20 green courts where matches
were in progress revealed the stars on
opening day were content to shoot
sitting ducks. They sat back and let
the nervous boys and girls make the
errors.
Don Takes 1t Too Easy,
That's the trouble with Bulge right
now, more than his sore throat" Perry
opined. Hes been taking it too easy
In too many matches. Hasn't had any
opposition. He didn't know what to
do with himself when Bromwich and
Quist started crowding him in the
Davis Cup matches"
The great Don, incidentally, re.
mained in his hotel room most Of
yesterday and rested his ailing larynx.
He thought it was little better and
fully intended to play his opening
match today against Welby Van Horn,
a promising junior from Los Angeles.
As usual, nothing much happened
the first day. and the odds were that
this days play would be similarly un-
exciting. Don McNeill of Oklahoma
scored the only thing approaching an
opening day upset by defeating
Bernard Destremeau of France, 60,
+6, 81, 6-3. The girls al won
as scheduled
The best thing on today's card ap-
peared to be the match between Bobby
Riggs and Frank Guernsey. jr., of Rice
Institute, the intercollegiate champion.
Joe Hunt and Wayne Sabin. Davis Cup
alternates of the last two seasons.
clashed in the second best The word
was around that Sidney Wood. jr..
the old boy wonder. was playing great
tennis and might upset somebody be-
fore the tournament ends.