New-York tribune., 1911-12-10
X a n king Committee
Adopts Novel Methods
For Rating the Best
Players of the Year.

Putting themselves on record that at
best the annual rating Of lawn tennis play
ers for the season is bound to be unsatis-
factory, the members Of the ranking COM
mttee Of the United states National Lawn
Tennis Association issued list yesterday
that Is record for brevity. Only ten OF
the players are ranked in numerical order
Twenty-Five others are classed, and there
the list stops. Last season the list reached
a total OF l02 players, and 1t has approx
mately stood at that figure for several
years
Along With the list committee. Henry w.
SIocum chairman: Miles 5. Charlock and
Raymond d. Little issued lengthy state
ment. which i'm brief is TO the effect that
only the topmost ten men really count for
anything That number constitutes the
charmed circle OF champions
William 4. I.araed leads the list at No
for the NTH consecutive year in the sim
giles In the doubles also only ten pairs
are named. Gustave f. Touchard and Ray
mond ID. Little occupying the position Of
honor, national champions.
An official disagreement accompanies the
report. as Charlock, Of the Crescent Ath
letc club. apparently believes that the
lengthy list is a stimulus TO the younger
men. There would appear TO be some
reason in this contention. as Walter Mer-
rill Hall. at No. 10 this year. was rated
No. Is last year and No 10 In 1899. Then
three years ago the Callfornians. who are
now close TO the top OF the list. were rated
in the thirties
Following Billy Larned. who tops the list,
comes Maurice +. Mclaughlin at No. =,
moving up from No. Of last year
Thomas G. Bundy drops back a notch to
No 3. Gustave f. Touchard moves up from
No. : Of 1910 to No. /. Melville II. Long
is again I'm his old place Of No. ., while
Nathaniel w. Niles also succeeds himself
as No. g. Theodore Roosevelt Pell moves
up peg to No. :, while Raymond ID. Lit
tie jumps to No from No # Of last sea-
son. Karl II. Behr. who was not rated
year ago, is now No. 9, while Hall fills out
the honored ten.
1t was the belief Of several players yes
terday that the radical departure would
not find favor among the followers OF the
game.
The official report Of the committee in
which their Views on the situation are set
forth and the changes explained is as fol-
lows:
me ranking committee OF 1911 has made
some radical departures I'm methods from
! those used In previous years and desires TO
submit the considerations which have in
iluenced It's action
In the first place, it may be stated that
| there Is some doubt In the minds of the
members OF the present committee as to
whether any useful purpose is served by
an Official ranking of the players i'm a
| country covering 80 wide a territory as
ours, and where so many fine PLAYERS are
TOT some reason or other. ineligible for
| ranking. In fact, II is the opinion of a ma
JoIlty lone member dissenting of the COM
ni''tee ~, , tnat the question should be brought
10 the attention of the members OF the as
sOclatlOn at the next annual meeting with
view TO ascertaining the opinion of the
members as To the adyisabiity OF continu-
Ing an official ranking. But assuming that
he ranking must be made. your committee
! * strongly of the opinion that something
radical should be done in order TO sim
| plfy IT.
An attempt TO rank one hundred men in
! numerical order becomes almost an alb
surdity and IL is difficult 10 believe that
! any player should be highly hattered by a
| ranking anywhere from fifty 10 one hun
| ured. Furthermore, We are assured by the
president OF the association that II has been
most difficult to induce men TO accept MEM
| Dershlp on the ranking committee during
recent years, and IL Is easy to see that un-
less something Is done TO simplify the work
| II Will become increasingly difficult TO OBJ
| tain committee.
Influenced by these considerations. your
committee has determined this year to
rank numerically only ten men. After the
! first ten. the committee has divided the re-
naming players up 10 thirty-.iVe go in
classes. The players In each class are
ranked alphabetically. and are supposed to
be OF relatively equal ability, or. I'm other
words the last I'm the class may be as good
as the first. 1t is believed by the members
OF this committee that the omission from
the list Of players heretofore ranked above
the numerical thirty-tive t&j) will be COM
! pensated for by the additional honor which
accrues TO those names which are included
| I'm the list.
Your committee has followed the gen
era principle that no player should lie
ranked unless he has played i'm al least
three tournaments held under the auspices
Of the association but this principle is
held to be subject 10 an important eX-
ception: for instance. the present national
champion, although he played in only one
tournament, must surely be ranked first.
On the other hand, your committee thinks
ii should be established as a principle that
Il player need not necessarily be ranked
even If he has contested in at least three
tournaments. II i'm the opinion of the COM
mittee the data be insufficient.
As IL Is quite possible that the placing
OF the first ten men may. In some re-
spects, be criticised. your committee de-
sres again TO call attention TO the fact
that the ranking must be based solely on
the records OF the players, and not in any
particular on the opinion OF the committee
as t. the relative merits OF those ranked
In more than one instance II - Sa1e 10
say that the ranking committees estimate
OF a players ability would have resulted
ia giving that player higher RANKING
but the committee has endeavored TO be
governed solely by the record or the sea
sons play, and IL Of the opinion that the
record I'm each case justites the ranking.
In accordance with the principles as
heretofore stated, your committee re-
spectfully presents the accompanying llSt
Of ranked players for 1911.
HENRY W. SLOCUM. Chairman
RAYMOND ID. LITTLE.
In signing the above report the uHuer-
signed concurs i'm the general recon-
mendations therein contained. with the
following exceptions. namely.
He is i'm favor Of having the president
executive committee or association appoint
"A ranking committee each year who should
be instructed to make an official rahhlhB
of the players throughout the country uh-
der regulations established by the asso-
citation. 49,.
lie also is Of the opinion that II might
be OF greater benefit 10 the PLAYERS ana
the game throughout the country II rev
more players were ranked numerlcaliy
and "A larger number in the classes each
year. MILES :. NhANh'NN'
The ranking follows:
SINGLES
w. A. Larned.
M. r. Mclaughlin lost 10 Touchard ana
Larned beat rouchard, Wright Long. Pell
-, Bundy and Dabney. go
al, e Bundy lost to Wright Mclaughlin
and Pell. beat Inman, Mathey, Ihurch'
Behr. Long and Little. -.,-. r.,,.o,.