Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-05-05
SHALL CHAMPION STAND OUT
Lawn Tennis Players Are Divided in Argu-
Ing the Question.
UNFAIR TO cH'ltESetS, SOME SAY
Statistics oftI.ast Twenty-Three Years
show that All Corners winner
has Defeated Holder
Six Tines Only.


has Defeated Holder
siS Times OnIy.
/ great argument among lawn tennis
/ players this season concerns the conditions
I for the playing OF the national singles
championship. IL may be said that there
are many persons who consider that II Is
! only fair and right that the champion
should be compelled to play through the
! tournament meeting all corners and not
| standing out as has been the rule here
/ for many years. That question involves in
a lesser way the idea that II the tennis
association adheres TO the present plan
] there should be n day OF rest IN between
the anal round Of the all corners and the
! playing OF the championship or challenge
1 round.
/ II appears clear 20 most persons that Il
would be fairer to have the champion play
through the tournament. Sense dictates
that II a man has played a week Of hard
tennis he cannot be In the finest OF con
dltion TO meet & player whose greatest
work has been an occasional practice match
to keen his form.
player who has spent his week coming
up to the challenge round is worn out phys
/ ically and also has undergone the strain
OF nervous tension. There is something to
each match, and he must keep his mind
mtentiy on the winning of It IL he is to
| prosper Conditions sometimes arise, too.
| that the winner OF the all-comers has his
very hardest task the final day. He may
then be meeting a player who has come
through the easy half Of the draw and who,
although fresh. il not the equal of the
lighting player.
Challenger should Have Rest.
Under such conditions. It is argued. 1t is
only right for the challenging player to
have a day in which to rest. He needs e.
greatly. for he has everything against
him. II he is not in the finest condition, a
skillful player as a champion is Of neces-
sity. will be able to tire him at once In
| the beginning Of the challenge round.
! Once he is started down. his chances be-
come much smaller. In fact, in most cases
Il may be said that the champion has his
match won before he enters the court to
| play the challenger
The first issue of American Lawn Tennis,
| the new magazine of the U. s. N. L. T. A.,
| contains a sort OF a symposium on the sub
| ject. Prominent lawn tennis players have
been induced to give their views of the
! problem. In many cases they have pro-
fessed unwillingness to say anything about
the argument and the list Of those who did
not answer doubtless is greater than the
roll Of those who did. The argument was
| nrst brought actively TO public attention
by discussion in the February meeting Of
the national association. There It was
| brought OUT by several players that they
! considered the lawn tennis men over
| worked. This called forth an expression
| from the opposition. In the end this ques-
| ton, like many others ct the same meet
! ing, was turned over TO the executive com
mittee. It has not yet come out Of the
committee.
Champion C1othier'e views.
William J. ClothieE. the present national
champion, is quoted by American Lawn
| Tennis as follows: 81 might say that I do
! not consider rest desirable or necessary
/ between the final match OF the Newport
4 tournament and the challenge match. l
think history has proven this. l would
prefer not to say anything about the ad-
Visibility OF compelling a champion to play
| through, at this time" Under the sircum-
stances. as holder Of the title Clothier could
not we'll be expected to give a definite opn-
ion as 10 what ought to be done. However,
| II he had done so It would have been
/ powerful argument either way. II IL con-
sidsHsd from his attitude on the day Of rest
/ proposition that he would be unwilling to
alter the present arrangement as to the
champions play.
Henry w. slocum. champion in 1888 and
1859. writes: II have been out Of the game
SO long that my opinion on the subject un-
der discussion would appear to be of little
value AS to my personal experience re-
member that I won the all corners tourna~
| ment In two successive years. and that
was in extremely good condition on the last
| 49,. ID
| match the following day. doubt that a
DAYS rest would have improved my game.
II is my idea that a man who Is able to
play through and win the tournament must
be in fine physical condition and well able
10 stand the strain ef one more match"
That IL another vote for those who favor
the existing condition.
| William A. LArned. champion OF 1871 ana
1902 and runner-up and all-comers winner
many times, was the chief opponent Of
reform IN the meeting Of the national as
4 ISOLATION. Larned's vast experience and
his keen interest In lawn tennis make his
| opinions worthy of respect He says that
his deliberate and emphatic opinion is that
the present system is right and that the
lack Of a day OF rest does not weigh ma
terially against the chances OF q champion
ship asplrant. Those are the chief men
/ against chhhke
| davis Says Play.
Dwight r. Davis, who Is best known per-
haps for his gift OF the Davis international
trophy. is one of those who approves Of
\ making a new rule II have always ia
vored the plan Of compelling the champion
to play through the tournament he says.
THE champion should be the best player
In the country. The present system IN
/ doubtedly places a handicap on the chal-
llenger due TO the mental and physical
strain OF the weeks play. II there is 20
be any change in the present system
would favor striking az the root OF the
whole matter by compelling the champion
l 20 meet all corners on equal terms by play
ing through the tournament"
The opinion OF Clarence Hobart is doubt
less based upon his own experience OF the
hard path 20 the championship. II is re-
corded that IN 1891 Hobart met the cham
pion. o. s. Campbell, the day after a herce
hve-set match against Frederick H. HOvey
1 IN the all-comers finals Campbell won
from Hobart IN five sets. the challenger
winning the first and third. Hobart says:
Il am OF the opinion that the challenger
has in many cases been handicapped In