Trabert on Tennis: The View from Center Court

Former Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion and now a TV commentator, Trabert here presents a comprehensive assessment of modern-day tennis, written with Newsday editor Couzens. They express concern about the declining number of American players, both men and women, to be found in the top ranks and attribute it to the fact that not enough time and energy are spent on conditioning. Among other elements in the contemporary game the authors find dismaying are the use of ``guarantees'' (here called bribes) to insure that players show up for a given tournament and the too-hasty decisions by players to simply concede a match. The authors discuss past and present stars, usually with great generosity, although they are scathing in their comments about impolite players, naming for one, John McEnroe. Photos not seen by PW. (June)