Show Tilden in hi Interview Tells TeDs v Ho ow Bil Made ae Him Hm a Title TUe Holder Hoder Perfection of Offensive Backhand Stroke Gave U. U S. S Champ Chance to Trim Johnston I NEW YORK July 28 AP AP Lit tie tle Bill Bm Johnston if he never knew it before may h here re and now learn of the stroke which Big Bill Tilden had to acquire and master seven years ago in order to defeat Johnston Johnston Johnston John John- ston at tennis And Tilden not only gives ives credit to Johnston for having been Leen een instrumental In pointing out outto outto to 0 Tilden the latter's weakness In Inthe inthe the he game but h he ho also expressed his gratitude to Johnston who he sa says s. s had lad greater experience and match In 1919 when the two met net In contest for the first time It was Johnstons Johnston's ability to pound my backhand stroke to a pulp said Tilden that taught me roe meI I had to have an offensive back stroke So during the tho following winter I worked indoors four foul days a week on my backhand at Provi Provi- dence Before wo so went vent to England In n 1920 for the Davis cup matches I I had acquired through intensive practice an offensive as well as a a defensive backhand stroke It was vas the difference between I Imy my backhand of 1919 and that of 1920 plus additional experience that enabled me to win the Wimbledon Wimble Wimble- don tournament carrying with It Ithe the he worlds world's title at that time and later the American championship In the American final that year Johnston Johnstun set out to pound my backhand back back- hand nand as he had done the year before before be be- fore fore but it wouldn't be be pounded this time It Is just this difference In backhand backhand backhand back back- hand strokes which I believe has provided the margin of my victories victories victories victo victo- ries over Johnston through the past sl six ix years IHAS J I HAS FORMULA For the mass of young tennis players who aspire to lift themselves themselves themselves them them- selves out of the ranks of the ordinary ordinary ordinary or or- Tilden has a formula for I success out of the elements of his own career of unprecedented unprecedented unprecedented un un- un- un triumph on the courts It Is the formula that has given Tilden the magic touch and made him him the champion of champions In Inan Inan inan an era of stirring competition but there is no secret key to it no short shortcut shortcut shortcut cut to the final product for Its chief ingredients are sacrifices concentration and an around all-around game They are the factors that stand for success In the game of life as aswell aswell aswell well as sports Their product Is championship stuff and if It you could hear Tilden himself as he expounded their application to his own career as well as to others you would woud know the intensity with which he has lived them made them the cornerstone of his own existence existence existence exist exist- ence an ant l sought to spread v their gospel to others There was sacrifice of the most spartan sort in n Tilden's early ca career career career ca- ca reer after h being ing a bust for some seven or 01 eight years He was willIng willing will will- ing log to spend a half halt dozen more overcoming obstacles and developing develop develop- ing the game that has lifted him to the top There was concentration of a track single-track variety in this and there was concentration in his lean figure his almost gaunt features features features fea fea- tures as he drove home for another another another an an- other generation the lessons of his rise riser I r started to play playas as soon as I Iwas Iwas Iwas was old enough to hold a t racquet at the age of 5 he lie began I was pretty good as a youngster for my age and got a great deal of Inc in incentive In- In c from helping as a ball boy boyat boyat at the Germantown Cricket club watching Parke and Dixon the British stars play such Americans as Lamed Larned Clothier Beals Wright and Ward My brother Herbert seven years ears my lily senior was one of the best cung players in the Philadelphia district at the time The most val thing he did was to to give me mea a general bawling out after every game I played in That made me sore and I tried to do better As he recalled these days of his gangling youth Tilden glanced re reI reflectively reflectively re- re I at one of his Junior Coen who has come East after making his mark in l Middle dle Western ranks The champion a afew afew afew few minutes minute before had been makIng making malting mak malt ing imaginary slices with a collection collection collection tion of new racquets under Coens Coen's admiring gaze PLAYED BAD BALL From the age of 12 to about 19 or 01 20 he went on I played pretty pretty pretty pret pret- ty badly I 1 was as wild as a hawk hawl My ry shots were not particularly sound I was just a swatter type At about 18 I 1 made up my mind to remodel my game which at the time was very erratic off oft the ground and had as its only redeeming feature feature feature fea fea- ture a fast service ervice I realized it wouldn't get me nie anywhere and that I 1 needed a sound ground game On that theory I 1 analyzed my play along common sense scientific lines and for the next half-dozen half years or 01 until I 1 was 25 I 1 worked on an all court game Everyone including my friends told me I 1 was foolish that I couldn't be both a base line Une and net player but fortunately I was pigheaded enough not to believe them and kept at it It As a result In 1918 I got to the finals of of the national singles losing to Lindley Murray and found a place in the first ten for the first time In 1919 1019 Bill Johnston and nd I began our long span of rivalry meeting meeting- four foul times altogether I defeated him the first time we met at Newport Newport Newport New New- port and also won In the East East- West East Vest matches but he turned the tables In the clay court tournament and again In Jn the title round of the national national national na na- na- na singles Two factors accounted for Johnston's Johnstons Johnstons Johnston's Johnstons Johnston's John John- ston's decisive victories vIctorIes first first his greater experience in match temperament temperament temperament tem tem- second his ability to pound my backhand to a pulp Tilden then told how he de developed eloped an offensive backhand in Providence Providence Providence Provi Provi- dence R R. I. I during the winter of 1919 and 1920 I 1 am convinced that any player who wants to can cari master any stroke in the game he said And no player will hold the American championship in the future who has any pronounced weakness Therefore Therefore There There- fore any young player who aspires to be a national champion must be j willing to go through the long tedious tedious tedious tedi tedi- ous and at times seemingly hope- hope less ess grind of learning the fundamentals fundamentals fundamentals funda funda- of an court all-court game I STYLE ESSENTIAL Style too must be acquired By that hat I mean correct form which Is Isa Isa Isi a i combination of racquet technique and footwork The ability to keep the eye on n the ball at all times and anti correct court position are absolutely essential to success Every Ever player to reach the top must acquire these fundamentals yet these alone wont won't make a cham- cham pion ilon Its It's the willingness and the knowledge of when to sacrifice to aid this form that makes a great champion Bill Johnston a model of style will sacrifice comfort looks and dignity to win a crucial point if that point happens to io mean victory or i defeat It It Is Is this I t term rm I the ability to scramble the determination deter deter- to go after atter everything which carries most players out of the he mass of the good into the select I circle of the great LaCoste has it So have Richards and Borotra but they hey are a few among many Dick Williams for example is not wiling willIng will wili Ing ng to scramble and as a result has failed to touch many of the heights to which his spectacular game I otherwise w would would have uld have carried himI him I cannot too strongly urge young I players slayers to attempt the Impossible In n recoveries At least 75 per pel cent of the shots considered impossible are actually recoverable l if the ef effort effort effort ef- ef fort Is made for them Let no player play play- er cramp his style by worrying about the gallery thinking he Is playing to the grandstand when he heIs heIs heis Is trying for sensational eries erles Tilden lives up fully to his own advice to scramble With his long stride and tremendous reach he has physical advantages that enable him to make difficult gets with seeming ease but at the same time he lie Is always ready to dash far out of court or plunge to the net riskIng risking risk risk- ing log possible injury I am a great believer In Imitation Imitation imitation tion he lie went on not that a player play play- er c can n accurately copy another's stroke but in attempting to do so he is apt to discover a valuable stroke of his own My forehand drive which actually bears no re resemblance resemblance resemblance re- re semblance to J J. J O. O Andersons Anderson's Is the nearest to It which I am able to produce My backhand slice which has no family connection with that of J. J J. J Armstrong former former former for for- mer Harvard star and ex Intercol champion started as an Imitation imItation Im ira- of his famous slice COPY STROKES My advice to young players Isto Isto is isto to see as much good tennis as possible possible possible pos pos- sible and attempt to copy the outstanding outstanding outstanding out out- standing strokes of the famous stars In attempting to develop the game of various Juniors I have found the road to greatest success lies in taking their natural game and modifying it for orthodoxy without destroying Its Individual Individual- ity The greatest danger of professional professional atonal coaching lies In the fact that every professional strives to make malte a duplicate of his own game whereas a sound teacher should treat each pupil as an Individual case to be developed along different different differ differ- ent cot lines rather lather than as a standardized stand stand- product I I could not have developed Carl Fischer the former intercollegiate champion along lines of Vincent Richards nor Sandy Weiner Welner and Junior Coen on parallel planes Each is great in his own way which is not mine but no two tivo are great in the same way Had I tried to tomake tomake tomake make them play my game I 1 would have ruined them all The guide lines which Tilden stakes salces out for boys would not however however however how how- ever apply to feminine players he hebell bell believes eves One hears hears hears' discussion of ot the relative relative relative rel rel- rel- rel merits of ot the tennis of leadIng leading leading lead lead- ing men and women but their primes games are entirely different he lie said To me roe the Ideal type of game for tor a woman is the base line game I r consider It impossible for women to play an court all-court game for three threes s ts They are not physically able to do so Even as great a star and unusually strong a woman as our own national champion Helen Wills vms or our former champion Mrs Molla Mallory or 01 Elizabeth Ryan cannot consistently go to the net through three sets and stand It ft It is common knowledge that Suzanne Lenglen notwithstanding the he sensational photographs of her pl playing only goes to the net when she's drawn in by her opponent Tilden deftly parried a request to explain some of the playing psychology psychology psychology that has been so conspicuous conspicuous In his many close matches his frequent uphill victories in in international international international in- in play He did so be because because because be- be cause he feels this Is a peculiar pecullar at attribute attribute attribute at- at tribute of his isis own game and that no explanation or 01 analysis of it would be beneficial to any other player HARDEST MATCH Tell ul us then what match was your hardest 1 Unquestionably my set five-set struggle with Rene Rena LaCoste In the challenge round of the Davis cup play last year replied the cham cham- pion I never was in a worse hole and I never took any greater physical physical physical cal punishment getting out of It than I 1 did in that match I 1 was physically dead on my feet In the first s set t losing g it as well as the second set and antI the first four foul games of the third set before striking my stride I was four foul times within a point of losing the m match b before fore I took the third set and turn turned d the tide but even then It was a terrific ter ter- battle battlo right down to the fin fin- ish What are your views as to professional pro pro- tennis I 1 do not b believe In in professional proCessional tennis My faith and interest are In the amateur game but at the same time I think tennis ten ten- nl nis might succeed Personally I J have never considered turning professional professional pro pro- fe and have no thought of It I now nov Necessity would be the only thing that would Interest tIe ze e in n St it |