“SUZANNE ”

Hokitika Guardian, 27 August 1923, Page 4

“SUZANNE ”

fly Stanley A-". Doust in Daily -'daily Of all the great personalities tit \\ iillbledon the greatest undoubtedly is .Mile. Lenglen. Wherever she plays—on the centre court or on some obscure outside court (although it is the exception for her to play oil any court other than the centre or the second show court) — the crowd knows the very minute she is appearing, and there is a general movement towards the court where this wonderful blench woman is playing. “Wonderful" is the right word to describe her. ll i- a word that she her self uses when she wishes to describe any great tennis, as she did the .loan -ton-Richard- classic single mall'll Friduv last. Anyone watching Mile.. Lenglen play lor the first lime int'.-l 1 *■ ]us; a shade disappointed that all he; grokes arc not fas; one:. Tilde;! illll’ - elf thought die wn- a decided ly ''soft" ldc>er tie lir-i tone lie watched he. (day. hoi I wonder if lie thinks so still f Hut (he; i- jii'-l where the young Fi'c.man is -o .toed. if d. Site can vary her pace without .ny apparent etiaiig ■■ ia i!:e -wing of l! e racquet. like I a li.iwler at erieket who vttrie.. his pace without I'm oai-i'.'.eit bring able te do so. ’.Mile. I.eltgiell leafs ail her nppotl i-hi--, with one or two exceptions, with the greatest of ease-—-generally the s or*-- r. ad 5- n. <• 1. So wonderful a player i- -he I hat the crowd usually ■e uiatc not as to the likelihood of la ro; poiiems gaining a. net, hut as te he':', r i key >.'.!! woi even one game. .\mi when the jioor victim neeusiuunlly g't- within a point of tt game, the <•>: iieiiicn; is a- iniell-e as ii a set we. l c involved. 'i Pet teu-.•ii '-- i- a great compliment to it:.' ]ii'o\Vc-.. of .Mile. Lough n. Uni s’uc.anr.c is never so dangerously clever as when she is within a paint ol le-in_ a game. To Iter, so an u-t.lined to vie to i'v is she. the loss of a game is like 10-ing one's renown. If she misses two re: urns of -ei'viies in a game it i"aw lul," and to nii.-s an easy w inning; stroke once in twenty times is “ter ’i'li ■■ ii -h" becomes .■•uper-steady--not in a mechanical wav hut in a superhuman way. with imagination developed to it - highest power. She returns every hall s.ild ly, high over the net, anticipating with iincuauv ceric.iiuy the direction of her opponent -hols, so that she i> always on ih -.pot before the hall, wiih Ii enable.-, her to make her strokes on.*.ily ami gracefully ami til return the ! all into an nv'vard position for her opponent. With a few V|uiidt steps she gets back on to the middle of the base-lino, to await tho next shot. sd'.zaline- makes her own opporlunii ies. slionening and lengtlioning hot drives with the greatest precision, anil wiien she has goi her opponent ins' where she wants her to be. a quick top spin drive, as I’a.-t a- may he required, wins her the ace and saves the game.