A Major Sport evolution' of tennis

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1033, 25 July 1930, Page 7

A Major Sport evolution' of tennis

LAWN TENNIS has evolved from a mild and innocent outdoor pastime into a fast and particularly strenuous sport. No longer is it regarded as a “soft and sissy game. ’ Maurice McLoughlin changed all that when, back in 1909, he came out of the American West with his terrific service, lightning-like forehanded drives, killing overhead smashes, lifting the game out of the society columns of the newspapers and placing it where it belonged on the sporting pages.

Among the players of the past, the American, Larned, was one of the greatest tennis has ever produced. A. F. Wilding was a player of the Larned type. He. and his partner, Norman F. Brookes, were Australia’s greatest contribution to the game of tennis. Both these sterling players had mastered every stroke and even

surpassed the Dohertys and Beals Wright in court strategy and speed A new milestone in tennis progress, however, was to be reached. In 1909 Maurice E. McLoughlin came East from California and tennis followers were given a treat in speed. On back and forehand drives McLoughlin was practically invincible. There was tremendous force behind his service and he imparted to the ball a spin, or twist, which gave it weird bounds

and hops. Mac reached the peak of his game m 1912 and beat Larned for the championship. Two years later when defending the Davis Cup. he had the historic matches with Brookes and Wilding at Forest Hills, N.Y. The fiery, red-headed sensation from the Coast beat Brookes after a recordbreaking set-to of 32 games, the final score being 17 to 15 in the Californian's favour. The next day Mac literally smothered Wilding with his bewildering speed and assortment of strokes.

McLoughlin, however, burned himself out by his excessive speed and his reign was short lived. William M. Johnston and William Tilden, ono from the Coast, the other from Philadelphia, carried on from where McLoughlin, a veteran at 20, had left off, and in *his pair of Bills, tennis in the United states reached its highest point so far as all-around excellence and achievement was concerned. Johnston i 3 through, but no one in the game today can produce the same terrific forej handers. Weighing but 130 pounds. “Little Bill” set a remarkably fast pace j and could generally be depended upon to run opponents ragged on the courts. He was invincible at the time he won the world championship in 1923 at Wimbledon in the presence of King George, Queen and some 20.000 J other spectators.