A GREAT LAWN TENNIS PLAYER

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 272, 13 August 1919, Page 7

A GREAT LAWN TENNIS PLAYER

GERALD PATTERSON*

(By H. E. M'Donald in the "Daily Mail")

Ono day last winter a small party of Australian soldiers arrived at Queen's Club; West Kensington, for a little lawn tenuis practice. Most of them were entirely unknown to the habitues, and yet one of them was destined soon to"-be the most talked-of man in tho game's.revival. On one of the courts I noticed a well-built, determined-looking.- young man who served and drove astonishingly. No one seemed ablo to take his deliveries or to relish his drives. 'On inquiring of one of the club professionals I was told 'that tho player's name wasPatterson—Lieut. Gerald L. Patterson, from Australia—and that he was "jolly good." The news that Queen's was harbouring an embryo champion almost unawares soon spread. Then came the first post-war tournament with tho decision of the Covered Courts championships on the far-famed wooden surfaced courts of the club. Mr. Patterson was seen in serious competitive play, and our players went down like ninepins until Mr. P. M. Davison's experience and knowledge of local conditions administered the only defeat the young oversea player has so far sustained in this country. Then the critics their might. "No back-hand," said ono. "Far too erratic," decided another. But one merely smiled, knowing full well that Patterson had yet to play on his accustomed surface of grass. Ono had also seen tlra despised back-hand in full working order at practice. Surbiton, the first grass-court meeting sinco tho war, arrived and resulted Hi n great triumph for Patterson. Called upon to meet the cleverest of England s old brigade of champions, he gave a wonderful display of first-class lawn tennis, justifying to the hilt all that his friends had claimed for him. Meanwhile if ono were called upon to diagnose tho secret of'tho newcomers success it could bo done in ono word— severitv. Accuracy and pace are of course'tho foundations of success in firstclass lawn tennis as in ninny other "ames. Hardly the acmo of accuracy as yet, Patterson gets an extraordinary amount of pace into all his shots, Mill overhead and oft' the ground. His light; ning service with its break and -kick is often quite unlakable. whilo • his smashes nearly always beat the slopnetting. , If all these arts arc , not enough to overcome n stubborn opponent, this youii" Victorian of twenty-three sum; .mors resorts to a wonderful "chop stroke the like of which has not been <!r.«ii More. He can make it deep down the court, the ball being cut m such a fashion that it rises in a semi-circle to fall iust over the net and smn away aloii" the ground in a most disconcerting manner. Against Mr. Roper Barroll at Surbiton this stroke alone won many aces and was the chief factor iu the 'great Enudish player's undoing.. For the rudiments of his devastating game this world champion in tho nuikin.» has to thank his father, with "additional numbers," as they say in innsica', oomedv, by Mr. Norman Brookes, his modal* and doubles partner in tho present championships.