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Show BUDGE PREDICTS OPEN TOURNEY WOULD BOOST INTEREST IN NET GAME By LARKY BOLUNS MIAMI, FU, Jan. 17 (AP) "Amateur tennis," laid Don Budge, "ia sliDping." ... Coming from anyone else who-earns who-earns his dally bread playing the game for money, that might be considered propaganda. It sounded sound-ed sincere, however, from the carrot-topped young giant who once ruled the world's amateurs and la now generally considered tops among the professionals that la, by all except Ellsworth Vines' followers, fol-lowers, "Wetat tennis needs," added Don, "Is an open tournament, as In golf. Whether the amateur tennis fa-then fa-then realise It or not, that's going to be the final solution. The best tennis player In the world today are professionals. Yon can't get away from It, and the 'WM'J - i. in an II public Is beginning to realise It' Our three-day professional tournament tourna-ment at the Roland Garros stadium sta-dium In Paris last year, for In stance, outgrossed the French amateur ama-teur championships, which lasted for 10 days. Budge said the case waa much deeper than lagging spectator Interest. In-terest. "It's a matter of Incentive." ha declared. "With the growth" of professional tennis, the amateur standards have become lower. When Bill Tllden was champion, he was the best In the world, amateur ama-teur or professional. Anyone entering en-tering tournament might have a ahaaea ta play agalnet him and everyone was trying to lift his game to match Tllden', "Such a thing Is no longer possible. pos-sible. The best tennis Is played by the professionals, whom the youngsters can't play. A kid sets his sights on the top amateur, who, lust now, I Bobby Rifts. Now Bobby Is a fin player, but there are a half dosen professionals, perhaps per-haps more, who could handle htm easily." . nam i ama aa.awn ajaaa.-a Don Bodge ... He eajn eent-etltlea eent-etltlea between Bret and omav toura weukt beast Interest la tennis. |