Tennis Lesson

When he comes home from his first professional tennis tour, U.S. Amateur Champion Tony Trabert will be $75,000 richer--a nice reward for polishing his game by playing with Pancho Gonzalez, pro champion of the world.

Tony took his first instruction last week in Manhattan's Madison Square Garden, and for two sets it looked as if he had a chance of upsetting his master. His serve had a wicked hop; his volleys were too sharp to handle. He went out in front 11-9, 6-3. Across the net, Pancho looked off form. Playing it pretty, he sliced and chopped, tried to keep Tony off balance and never got unwound himself.

In the third set, Pancho took over. His big serve was bigger than anything Tony had tried to handle before. He began to get some length on his drives, and he kept the crew-cut newcomer away from the net. His sneakers whispered across the canvas as he covered court like a swarthy cat. He won, 6-3.

After that, Tony was through. Now and then he still walloped the ball with authority, but he was learning a valuable lesson: power alone is not enough against the best pros. Pancho--leaner and harder than he ever was during his brief career as a light-hearted amateur tournament traveler--ran Tony right off the court, 6-2, 6-2. It left Promoter Jack Kramer with a real problem : Can Tony learn his trade fast enough to make the tour a success? If not, Big Jake will have to go back in training himself, and Tony's first-tour salary will seem much smaller as it stretches out over thinner seasons.

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