Personality is a sexless thing. It transcends sex. Theodore
Roosevelt was a compelling personality, and his force and ability
were recognized by his friends and enemies alike while the
public, the masses, adored him without knowing why. Sarah
Bernhardt, Eleanor Duse, and Mary Garden carry with them a force
far more potent in its appeal to the public than their mere
feminine charm. They hold their public by personality. It is not
trickery, but art, plus this intangible force.
The great figures in the tennis world that have held their public
in their hands, all have been men of marked personality. Not all
great tennis players have personality. Few of the many stars of
the game can lay claim to it justly. The most powerful
personality in the tennis world during my time is Norman E.
Brookes, with his peculiar sphinx-like repression, mysterious,
quiet, and ominous calm. Brookes repels many by his peculiar
personality. He never was the popular hero that other men,
notably M'Loughlin and Wilding, have been. Yet Brookes always
held a gallery enthralled, not only by the sheer wizardry of his
play, but by the power of his magnetic force.
Maurice E. M'Loughlin is the most remarkable example of a
wonderful dynamic personality, literally carrying a public off
its feet. America and England fell before the dazzling smile and
vibrant force of the red-haired Californian. His whole game
glittered in its radiance.
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