Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-10-13
WIN LOSE OR
DRAW ), FRANCO, SIAM
Tennis, Anyone?

WHILE THE PURISTS bemoan Tony Traberts loss to
the pro game victim Of the root of all evil practical
tennis folks thinking that Promoter Jack Kramer
also signs Lew Hoad and Ken Roosevelt Of Australia he will
be making mistake.
Borrowing an obsolete Brooklyn baseball slogan they
cry wait It'll next year Why? Because the they want
to play Trabert long stretch is not Hoad or
Rosewal but King Kramer himself.
"That is the way personally feel about it." advises
Mr.. Caspar Names old connoisseur of the ancient
French pastine Of "ten-ez" which as you must know
actually was the proceed to play" resume
play" until the British loused it up Il have feeling that
Kramer handle Trabert At least I'd like to find out
to my own satisfaction"
s2IE is the notion of Names among others who
ehand from breaststroke that adding Hoad and Rose
wall to the tour would be gliding the lily you couldn't
very well match the two Australians Mr. Names says one
the other would have to play Traber leaving Kramer
and the other Aussie to play That isn't think
nE Why not Kramer and Trabert have it out then next
year sign up the Australians, who viii have mopped up
everything in the meantime?'
t KRAMER rs "a NOW and probably will be as
GOOD as when he in the prime of youth Yet Bill Tden
shortly before turned pro $780, 81 when he won
Americas only victory against France in the Davis Cup
and in his mid4os still beating the best in the world
amateur and pro.
Trabert won the wimbledon and United States cham
pionships Most OF the time when Tony met Rosewa he
won Onhand it is recalled that he licked Hoad most OF the
time presented singular problem When he was good
he was terrific Lew is a streak player Rosewa, on the
other hand, is steady. Trabert learned his style ana
mastered 1t.
These felloWS-Trabert, Hoad and RoSeWaA-naVe peen
playing the years amateurs 1t would be great
novelty here Australia to them in the guise OF
out pros But Kramer Tabert something else
Kramer OF the real good ones as an amateur
and pro- nobody could take him. either Even when ne
was the promoter and counting the house between serves
jackson ALL right up to and including Austraas
Frank sedgman last of the top guys to turn honest
BUT IF TRABERT alone joins the pros while Rosewall
d Hoad pursue their psuedoamateur careers will be
The kne for United States hopes in Davis Cup COM
petition next year possibly for time to come II
MI three jump-Tabert Rosewau and Hoadts gong 70 ne
q sad day for amateur tennis.
The calber of play has been deteriorating, Tor the
years. at least mainly because the pros nave oeen
skimming of the of the amateur crop the DAVIS
Cup has nothing but annual competition between
m United States Australia Mediocrty was rampant
III the United States championships Trabert was so
much better than other Americans that he looked ike
great one. Maybe he will be some day hardly yet
II amnesty could be granted to the pros who still have
lot of tennis their systems think what United States
or Wimbledon tournament might draw today Thered be
Tabert his contemporaries of course and in addition
the likes of Pancho Gonzales Sedgman, Ken McGregor,
Pancho Segura Kramer and few others Such amnesty
probably will be granted of course The Idea merely
TO point up how thoroughly the pros have raded the
so@called amateur ranks.
WHAT HURTS THE BADGE-WEARING net pappes most
Al connection with Traberts reformation is that in this
country at least they drawing card There not
single individual player male female who Will draw
paying his own, as Ted Williams In baseball or
Nashua in racing although horse might onJect 10 pelns
drawn into this thing Vic Seixas is fine player at times
but hardly box Office.
- Trabert was just beginning to draw people He was
gmor with muscles young man with crew cut fetch
Ing smile and background varsity basketball player at
Cincinnati Not every top player including many cham
pions in his right Trabert was about to join
q select list
Tden of course the biggest name of all Three OF
those fabulous Frenchmen-Henri Cochet Jean Borotra
and Rene La Coste-were box Office pulls. So was the
Brtsher Fred Perry and to lesser extent the Australian
Sedgman Getting back to the Don Bulge and
Kramer matches and made money
Very few girl player-perhaps only Helen Wills Suzanne
Lenglen and Pauline Betz-coud be considered
gate attractions We suppose that for brief time Gussie
Moran attracted few people, what with her shapey legs
and lace pantes but Gusse couldn't play tennis She was
/ for the tourists, not the puristS