Another Budge

The august U.S. Lawn Tennis Association remembered Edward John ("Budge")* Patty as an up & coming youngster in 1941 and '42, when he won the U.S. junior tennis title. But since then he had become rather a nebulous character who seemed to pop up in a lot of European tournaments, never showed up much at home. After his discharge from the U.S. Army in 1945, the big Californian had settled down to enjoy life on the Continent. Last year the U.S.L.T.A. left him unranked because of "insufficient data." By last week, however, Budge Patty had given the U.S.L.T.A. enough data to upset their statistical applecart.

For at the advanced tennis age of 26, Patty suddenly seemed to have turned serious about the game. Seven weeks ago, chain-smoking Patty gave up cigarettes, began to shrug off invitations to Paris nightclubs. Last month he won the French singles championship, defeating the No. 2 U.S. player, Billy Talbert, and the self-exiled Czech, Jaroslav Drobny, in five-set grinds.

So to Bed. At Wimbledon last week, though he was seeded fifth (behind Australian Champion Frank Sedgman, Talbert, Drobny and South Africa's Eric Sturgess), the experts gave Patty little chance. But by midweek he had defeated a wobbly Billy Talbert again, then outplayed the No. 10 U.S. player, Vic Seixas, to win his way to the final against top-seeded Frank Sedgman.

The day before the final, the reconditioned Patty went through a four-hour doubles match, longest in Wimbledon history (one set went to 31-29). Patty looked like a limp rag afterward, and for the singles the smart money was on wiry, 22-year-old Sedgman, whose austere training habits include calisthenics and jogging around Wimbledon Common. Patty declined an invitation to a party at a West End nightclub and was in bed by 11.

On Wimbledon's center court next day, Patty took the first set with flashy attacks at the net, 6-1. Since Sedgman is a notably slow starter, this did not overly surprise the big, pro-Sedgman crowd. They sat back to watch Patty fade.

Sedgman did come to life in the second set, ran it out, 10-8, with a series of passing shots that left tired-looking Patty flatfooted. He had flubbed six chances for set point, and was dragging around the court like an exhausted man.

Don't Jump. Appearances were deceptive. Time & again Patty's deftly placed drop shots outmaneuvered his opponent; his baseline drives were flicking up puffs of chalk. He won the third set, 6-2, kept up the pressure to run out the match in the fourth, 6-3. The new Wimbledon champion did not, however, test his remaining stamina by trying to jump over the net. He put one leg across, nearly pulling down the net, then walked toward the umpire's stand with an arm around Frank Sedgman's neck.

Patty's triumph not only gave the U.S.L.T.A. some data for thought, it also boosted U.S. stock in next month's Davis Cup matches with the Australians. Patty, holding down a new job with a U.S. export firm, announced that he would come home for a whirl at the tennis circuit, try for the U.S. Davis Cup team. Pressed for an explanation of his new-found success, grinning Patty told the reporters: "I guess I just got tired of losing."

In Wimbledon's women's final, an all-American event, Californian Louise Brough defeated Mrs. Margaret Osborne du Pont, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1. Miss Brough had a busy day. After her singles victory she teamed with Mrs. du Pont to win the women's doubles, then played with Eric Sturgess to take the mixed doubles title. This feat of stamina (nine sets) was old stuff to Miss Brough. She won the same three events in one day two years ago.

* No kin to tennis' great Don Budge; the Budge in Patty's name is merely a one-letter refinement of a nickname fastened on him in chunky childhood--"Pudge."

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