Evening star., 1938-06-08
Dauid johnson, Seen as Sure
Junior Net Champ, Develops
TOpn0tch Game in Six Years

oAAobAo 81 w a tiCdll~Sut, UEu-
mis- player like David johnson.
For David is no run-of-the mine
junior champion. We're speaking of
him as the new champion because he
is more Of an odds-on choice to beat
Miguel Nunez for the title tomorrow
than Ellsy Vines would be to beat
the Districts boy champion. David,
1T seems, is in a class by himself as
far as this city's junior racketers are
concerned. and has yet to be pressed
by any of his contemporaries.
Has No Equal In Form.
For that matter, there are darn few
senior players in the District who can
beat johnson. In last weeks mems
tournament, johnson went to the
semi-f1nals after eliminating such
older players as Joe Baker and Frank
Shore. And. at that, it took mighty
fast playing on the part Of Farrin
before he was eliminated by scores
OF Ga, 86.
At the ripe old age of II, King
David has form second to no player
in the District. That's taking in a
lot of territory. but, for a style which
Is so pleasurable to watch that 1t is
difficult to look away, we know of
no equal in the city. His rhythmic
strokes, forehand or backfland, are
like the poet once said of beauty-a
JOY forever. The manner in which
he covers court calls to mind the i'm
preston of miniature greyhound.
When one sees David one sees, of
course, the entire johnson family:
His father, Strand; his mother, his
sister Ruthie and their dog Sally.
Once again, johnson recognizes no
superiors when it comes to family
backing. And that brings up John
sens start in tennis.
Learned Game From Dad.
Unhesitatingly, he credits his dad
with all Of the tennis he knows. Since
teaching him to play in 1882, the
elder johnson has been as faithful
and as helpful as any private profess
sional could have been. Strand claims
that he worked for two years on
David's back court game and did not
take up the matter of the net game
until the start of his sons third sea-
son in the game.
He caught onto the net game like
that" says johnson, swapping his
fingers. And because his drives have
depth and power, young johnson is
able to play in the forecourt to ad-
vantage.
David's record is something at
which to marvel. Last year he was
beaten by only one other junior
player-his doubles partner, Harry
Heffner. Together with Heffner he
converted pretty nearly the entire
Atlantic Seaboard and some inland
States and johnson never lost to any
other player but Heffner in any tour
nament. And with Heffner as q
doubles partner. he reached at least
the semi-finals of every tournament in
Washington, senior as well as junior.
Compiled Great Record.
The pair outclassed the field to win
the local junior doubles championship
and were runners-up in the Middle
Atlantic senior sectional tournament.
The other Middle Atlantic juniors
were push-over for them. Thus 1887
marked the second successive year in
which johnson shared every junior
doubles title in the District, for the
year before he and Allie Ritzenberg
and Billy Turner won joint champion
ships.
Johnsen's greatest triumph nation
ally, came in the national boys indoor
championships Of 1885, when he was
the rmner-up to Isadore Bells. Last
year, he and Heffner reached the
semi-finals in doubles both in the
indoor tournament and the national
junior tournament at Culver.
Possessed with a fine temperament.
not easily discouraged over infrequent
setbacks. johnson should 60 far. And
looking forward to his first year on
George Washington University's var
sity squad next year, he should ex-
pand, his fame in intercollegiate cir
cles as widely as he has among juniors.