DAVIS CUP.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 December 1920, Page 4

DAVIS CUP.

INTERVIEW WITH TILDEN

AUCKLAND, December 0. | Tlie ‘ of the American Laris | -jjtffpf team and one of the last known tennis plgyyrs in the world at the j present tini.e ig \V. f . Tilden, who will heertui'i) iVloy ’ lead in the singles for I llie American rotors. %is tall, dark ■and sjjinj}’ hifj/f, witli little in his outward ipp.earance to indicate the sliced determination, and stajnin? that distinguish Jjirn on i)te tennis gourt. Like his captain, he was not disposed to talk at all of the possible, outcome ol the match which is to decide the destiny of ' the Davis Cup I'py another year. All ' that he would day on the point could , he summed up es meaning that if they I did not carry the trophy away w ith them, it would not he for want of trying. Tilden was much more disposed Ito speak his opponents and the ! pleasure that h- felt" in the prospect of j meeting ij’.eip apd especially renewing ! acquaintance wi'h his - old friends Brookes and Patterson. He was also j much interested in enquiring concerning ! the form that they had displayed in the recent Victorian championships. He l.n,d a sympa;cj.eii,e word to say fegard--1 ing the jack of a Now Zealand representative in the Australasian team, remarking <he death ol: Anthony Wilding was an irreparable loss. He asked who had Lee ton the Ne w Zealand representative in Victotia, and was interested to hear that it was 0 Hara , Wood. Tiiden made no remark concerning ft. D Patterson, who will doubtless he his opponent in ’he singles, but did 'not cqnpeal his .admiral- .‘op foy. tlje Aqstralian captain and selector, Norm in J’rookes He is the supreme gapiiis of the tennis court, was the climax of his description. In a match played in llie United States, after the last Davis Cup meeting; he said Brookes made, >n tennis parlance, only twenty mistakes in five sets, an average of four in a set, and in the last not a return touched the net—a performance which could he described only as phenomenal, i To be a champion player in the United States obviously involves living the strenuous life. It was announced by cablegrajn some time ago that 'tilden intended playing bis way across the country, to catch the ste.aqiep at Vancouver. Questioned concerning this, he said that he had not actually done so. He had gone part of the way and then

returned east. Attcr tear ne nau gu.jy to S an Francisco and played matches all the way the Pacifije Coast to Vancouver. Ho played on two successive , days in San Francisco, travelled to Portland, Oregon, arriving there two days later, and playing two days there. He next visited Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver, and Victoria, returning to Vancouver. In each place after Portland he played on one day, except in Vancouver where rain intervened. He thus play-, ed seven matches in ten days. . Asked concerning his own. expectations of striking form Tilden was noncommittal. He said that he could not expect to lie at his best at ojice after his period on ship hoard, but added that one could never tell. “For instance,” he said, “after being east, I arrived in Sun Francisco Without breaking my journey. The train arrived late and I expected to have a rest, but I went on to the court straight away, and played Bill Johnson on a covered court at eight o’clock at night. I expected him to boatime, but I managed to lieat him. He lias beaten mo before—ip, fact Bill Johnson and I heat one another every, now and then.” Tilden said. lie. was eager to commence practice immediately; in fact, the sooner the better. H© asked whether there was any prospect of tournament play before the Davis Cup matches commenced, hut added that after his strenuous play in America he was prepared for a spell of easy practice. In his opinion about beginning practice he was fully supported by his captain, who remarked that they were prepared to begin tomorrow, if possible.