ABSTRACT
Gentleman Jack's stylish tennis form and courtly manners were classic examples of old-school majesty and grace; he reminded one of a young man who had come for an afternoon of tennis at the Vicar's. Jack Crawford was lawn tennis's finest example of the gentlemanly ideal at a time when the Anglo-American empire was still at its peak of power and moral authority. Although the British had admired Perry's taking the lead in winning the Davis Cup the previous summer at Wimbledon, they cheered for Gentleman Jack rather than their "upstart" compatriot. In the Australian Championships at the end of the tour, Crawford beat Gledhill in the singles final after putting out Allison in the semis. John Herbert Crawford, widely acclaimed as the father of modern Australian lawn tennis was, in many ways the Tilden of Australia. In the 1934 finals, he virtually blew Crawford off the court, winning three straight sets in one hour and ten minutes.
