M'Loughlin was the disciple of speed. Cyclonic, dynamic energy,
embodied in a fiery-headed boy, transformed tennis to a game of
brawn as well as brains. America went crazy over "Red Mac," and
all the rising young players sought to emulate his game. No man
has brought a more striking personality, or more generous
sportsmanship, into tennis than M'Loughlin. The game owes him a
great personal debt; but this very personal charm that was his
made many players strive to copy his style and methods, which
unfortunately were not fundamentally of the best. M'Loughlin was
a unique tennis player. His whole game was built up on service
and overhead. His ground strokes were very faulty. By his
personal popularity M'Loughlin dwarfed the importance of ground
strokes, and unduly emphasized the importance of service.
M'Loughlin gave us speed, dash, and verve in our tennis. It
remained for R. N. Williams and W. M. Johnston to restore the
balance of the modern game by solving the riddle of the
Californian's service. Brookes and Wilding led the way by first
meeting the ball as it came off the ground. Yet neither of these
two wizards of the court successfully handled M'Loughlin's
service as did Williams and Johnston.

M'Loughlin swept Brookes and Wilding into the discard on those
memorable days in 1914, when the dynamic game of the fiery-headed
Californian rose to heights it had never attained previously, and
he defeated both men in the Davis Cup. Less than one month later
Williams, playing as only Williams can, annihilated that mighty
delivery and crushed M'Loughlin in the final of the National
Championship. It was the beginning of the end for M'Loughlin, for
once his attack was repulsed he had no sound defence to fall back
on.