Advantage, Mr. Martin

"The public thinks that tennis is rich people out on their lawns going pitter-pat, pitter-pat," says former U.S. Women's Champion Billie Jean King. "As a result, the only ones who watch tennis are those who participate in the sport." Billie Jean has a point. Apart from the most important matches, tennis ranks slightly above barrel jumping and kite flying as a spectator sport. The fault is not with the game but with its hidebound governing bodies. Continually bogged down in petty disputes, they have been more concerned with self-preservation than promotion. Last week Alastair Martin, president of the usually staid United States Lawn Tennis Association, called for sweeping changes. The U.S.L.T.A., he said, "is losing opportunities, causing confusions and creating misunderstandings--not so much by its actions as by its inactions."

Super Series. To restore declining interest in the Davis Cup, Martin demanded that professionals as well as amateurs be allowed to compete on the national teams. What's more, said he, if an open cup tournament is not approved this year, the U.S.L.T.A. may promote a "super tennis series" that would bring the cup champions up against such top contract pros as Rod Laver, Tony Roche and Pancho Gonzalez.

Martin also leveled an attack on the "unrealistic control of American tennis" that is exercised by the International Lawn Tennis Federation. Noting that "different nations have different philosophies," he said that at the I.L.T.F.'s meeting in Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, on July 8, he will introduce an amendment that would allow each national association "to establish for itself rules of play, categories of players, and rules for the conduct, promotion and scheduling of tournaments."

Spirit of Revolt. The spirit of revolt that has sparked Martin's proposals is already in evidence on the court. At a recent open tournament in Philadelphia, the players defied an I.L.T.F. rule by electing to play a special "tiebreaker" game whenever a set was tied at 6-all. For the next game, the players simply alternated the serve, and the first to win a predetermined number of points by a margin of two, won the set. Under the old system, the competitors struggled on and on until one of them won by two games. Thus it took 5 hrs. 20 min. at Wimbledon last year for Pancho Gonzalez to defeat Chuck Pasarell 22-24, 1-6, 16-14, 6-3, 11-9--a situation that proved exhausting for players and spectators alike, and utterly impossible for network TV coverage.

Martin, 55, a former U.S. court tennis champion, may be just the man to solve the problem. Last week he allowed that if the I.L.T.F. does not relax its old policies, he will as a last resort withdraw the U.S. from the federation. Advantage, Mr. Martin.

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