University of Virginia Library

Wimbledon

WTT's plans in the past. But there is, of course, that chance
that they may be called again and once again be forced to
follow up their threat or suffer defeat as a union. Afterall,
that's exactly what the ATP is a union of tennis Professionals.
And if they are to retain any bargaining power in the future
they must demonstrate their strength and unity now when
they're young or they are destined to disband and be forgotten
in far loss time then it took them to get together in the first
place.

THE WOMEN PROFESSIONALS have also demonstrated
recently they too, are not about to be taken for granted.
Their's was a weaker threat, but then they need the money
more. Speaking of money, that's precisely what they were
concerned about. Since the field of men players had been
reduced principally to a number of tottering old-timers, a
couple of boy scouts and a slur of perennial losers, (except
for Romania's Ille Nastase and England's Roger Taylor), the
women with Billie Jean King as spokeswoman figured a little
of the men's dough ought to go to themselves instead who
have remained real ladies throughout this whole sordid
affair. It didn't work, but then the point here is that
everyone seems now to be playing this game of power politics,
Nixon with Brezhnev, Kissinger with Xuan Thuy, Brandt with
Pompidu, Meaney with Nixon, Curt Flood with Bowie Kuhn
and now Jack Kramer and Billie Jean King with the
Wimbledon. Politics, I mean tennis, anyone?