Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 262, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1915 — TENNIS IS NO LADIES’ GAME [ARTICLE]

TENNIS IS NO LADIES’ GAME

Man Who Can Go Through Tournament Is Athlete, No Fashion Plate —Endurance Is Taxed. There was a time when tennis was called lawn tennis, with the accent on the "lawn.” It was played at garden parties as a companion sport to that dear croquet. Gentlemen took part in it because it afforded an afternoon of mild entertainment without requiring the effort of conversation, while the ladies also affected an interest for the sake of the becoming costumes which the game made possible. Things have changed since then. The man who can go through a tournament match nowadays is an athlete, not a fashion plate. He makes a more strenuous and sustained effort than even the baseball or football player. While he runs no chance of being physically injured, he knows each time he goes on the courts that his endurance may be taxed to the limit. Frequently tennis players when not in the best of condition have been compelled to default through simple inability to continue. Often spirits of ammonia and other stimulants are kept on hand to revive the failing strength of a contestant. . \.« Those who still believe in the old tradition of lawn tennis as a social diversion should see a McLoughlin, a Behr, a Dawson or a Throckmorton in the midst of a hot fight.