WIZARD OF TENNIS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 62, 6 December 1919, Page 13

WIZARD OF TENNIS

MR. BROOKES ON DAVIS CUP

PROSPECTS

A BOOM IN AMERICA

Mr. Norman Brookes, the tenuis player, arrived in Sydney recenUy from America, without the. championship ribbon—wliie.i was his when he last left here.

The unforeseen had happened—ibis pupil, young Ge.inid Patterson,'had proved too much for the wizard of the game. Brookes went to England in the first month of this year for demobilisation. Ho had played his part in tine great game in tlio fever-stricken area of Mesopotamia, as major, on the staff of Uenerai Headquarters at Bagdad. Sickness, however, laid bim low. When the armistice came, he went to London for demobilisation.

On reaching England, the tennis championships were about to begin, and feeling far from fit and nowhere near his 1014 championship form, Brookes found himself in the whirl and rush of tlio jjame. I'oiind himself, still suffering from tho effects of 1917 and 1918 war illnesses, matched against tihe tornado driving ot the young, blight, andtkeen Patterson. Tins was the young: Melbourne boy who had so often played with tho master, and Brookes was amazed at the brilliance. .

Lost Championship. But tihe old hand once more had thV thrill of tho championship contests, and" onco moro he baffled at the net, and drove and eerved with a dash, but not tho old dash, and so when time was called he was no longer champion, a.nd the plaudits resounded for Patterson on the tself-sajne cou'.t where five years before .tiho cry was Brookes.

The champion bowed to the inevitable, but thenco on his play improved. Practice came his way, and as tho days passed the effects of his illness vanished, and .something like tho Brookes of old appeared. So that when America came he was in great form. United States players saw it,,and they sang his praises, Big ponies caino and trials of skill found tho Australians ready. In tho Doubles Championship of America, Brookes and Patterson tihowed America what a combination Australia could produce. They wondered at tho defeat of their champions, Williams and Washburn, Alexander and Voshell, Johnson and Griffin, and Tildcn and Hichords. Ihreo sets to two wiaa tho way victory was won.

Brookes's lllnass, Tlia champion of (his doublo combina-tion—Pattcrson-camo homo a • few weeks ago. Brookes seemed tired and worn when Jie landed. Worry over (ho illness of his wife, who was forced to' leave the Niagara at Auckland a few weeks ago, in order to bo operated upon for appendicitis, produced this result; but she is now Well.

It 15 hard to imagine that thirty-IWo vears hare passed siuco Brookes first handled tho rackot. It amazed the Americans that Brookes, after so many vears. should bo so fine a player. And old nlavers. like Halcomhe, Wnra', and Whitman, who had given up the game on tho 6core of age, had once more joined up on seeing the form and keenness of Brookes, to whom ago is nothing and aeconmlishment everything. It was hard to Ret Mr. Brookes to lalk about himself, but as it was esßontinl that his defeat at the hands of Patterson should bo explained, a question under this head was put to him. "Well." ho replied, "I coulrf not pretend to bo in my best form when I arrived in England, for the reason that I onlv reached' there a fortnight before tho championship. Without taking away from the fino performnnco of Patterson I could not pretend to say that I was up to ray 19U form. It would have been impossible in the short time to have reached that. I had not played for five Tears, and with only a fortnight's practice I could not expect best form. "I was much better in America, bcftausfl I had so much lonijer to prepare. Alio: after I left Bombay on my way to Emrland for tho, championship a. bloodvessel in mv leg broke.'' Mr. Brookos considered tennis in America—where it was booming l —far superior to England, due to the fact that in>the States public schools rnrticipiite. Mr. Brookes unsuccessfully tried to indues the' English authorities to allow the introduction of tennis into ■ the publio schools, and offered a cup for competition.

Davis Cup; ' That Australia will win the Davis Cup is the oninion of tho ex-champion/ Tho Enclish renresentatives, Arthur - Lowe, iCincscote. Beamish, and Wootnam, were miito the best England had, ano.' a very fine team, he said.

Reference- was made to the unsuccessful attempt of the Americans, at a meeting in Paris, to have tho conditions of tho Davis Cup contest altered." They contended that the Cup should not remain in the homeland of tho holders for mors than one year; hi other words, that it should be contested in different countries, and ako (hat the world's championship should bo contested at tho same time.

That, proposal was defeated, and Mr. Brookes suggested to the Americans that tho present 'conditions of the Davis Cup should not be altered, but that the world's championship should follow the Davis Cup, and be contested in the country which held the Davis Cup, instead of,' as at present, at Wimbledon, Eng'■iiid. .Another solution would bi that the world's championship should.be decided in tho country of tho champion. ITo thought cither of these two suggestion* n-piihl '"> necr-ntn'do f o the Amci.' can body, and he was of opinion that tho Australasian Association 6hould consider the matter.

"The Davis Cup hns given such a wonderful filip to the game that we can, if we win it this year, reckon on tho Americans sending in 1020 one of the best teams. They aro very keen to come, and wo'will have to provide our best combination to retain it."

"Will you play in the Davis Cup,' Mr Brookes "'

"Provided I am fit and well and playing up to form, I hope to participate," Mr. Brookes roferred to the superiority of the Australians over the Americans in the game of doubles, due, ho thought, to the fact that the Australians had studied tho game more, and also on account of superior ' tactics. In tho singles, howover, it was doutful if the Australians were superior. The Americans had a population of 100.000,000 to draw from, and, naturally, there were more first-class players than in Australia, with only 5,000,000 people.