The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-26
lU. s. Net Players
 Haue Good Chance
 to Lift DaUis Cup
Worlds Team Tennis Title Will Be Decided at Auckland, New Zealand, This Week.
 Record of Matches
By Associated Press

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 By Associated Press
 New York, December 25.--The pre- uier tennis players of the world gre Represented by the United States and Australasia teams, which meet on the ! turf courts at Auckland New Zealand, during the coming week in the ut- iteenth struggle for the Davis cup. The trophy, emblematic of the worlds ,eam tennis championship, occupies tho lunuue position of being the most fre- Squently competed for internati5 hal sport prize in the history of amateur iathletic contests. Donated in 1900 by Dwight F. Davis, at the time Ameci- ican doubles champion with Holco nbe Ward, the trophy has been battled for l14 times in the past 20 years. During | this period, Australiasian teams PdVe won if six times; British isless players five times and United States combna- tions three times.
 AMERICAN CHALLENGES | In the coming matches, which will consist of four singles contests and one doubles match, the United States will appear in the role of challenger and the Australasians as defenders. Four Americans composing the 1920 tea ar ' party consisting of William T. Tilden iof Philadelphia William M. Johnst on of san Francisco. Watson NJ. Wash Iburn of New York and Samuel Hardy lof Chicago. The defending quartet, so far as is known in this country. will probably be composed of Gerald Platter. sosi. Norman Brookes. R. V. Thomas and II. O'Hara Wood. The actual alignment of players will not be an- Inounced until shortly before the matches. It is expected that Til l n and Johnston will bear the brunt of the American attack. while Patterson and Brookes will be the Australia sian ."aces"
 Close followers of tennis are inclined to be optimistic regarding the outcome iof the matches believing that in Tiiden, worlds singles champion and Johnston, former American champion who Is rated just stroke or two below Til len at the present time, the United States has an invincible pair. sWatson is a lformidab ble relief player In case either lof the stars become ndsposed, while Hardy. who in reality is captain and manager of the team, can play super lative game if occasion demands. Pat terson is the power in the Australia sian team, playing a game somewhat sim lar
 
 the latter was at the top of his tennis l form. Brookes, undoubtedly one of rhe greatest players of all times is wei iadvanced in years from playing standpoint and cannot be expected tc carry the burden of the two singles matches and one doubles match in .hrc, days. If he pairs with Patterson 1T doubles, he will not appear in the sin. gles. It may be, however that Brooke and Patterson will devote their effort: , to the singles. and leave the double contest to Thomas and Wood wh' make a most formdab ble team A FEW FIGURES
 A study of the vast amount of lat } which has accumulated in connec .io
 with "A years of play for the Davis cu shows that, not including the prasimi : nary rounds of the 1920 matches, 6 players, representing nine na'i1ns , nave participated in the play for th international tennis trophy Of thi
 number, the British Isles has used 1 , and the United States IT. Austral lsi , is third with 10, and France. Belg.un and South Africa follow witN Give each All told, these players took part n 8 , matches which went to decision, n, one match resulted in a tie.
 BROOkES HOEDS HONORS me veteran, BrOOkeS, holds the in dividual honors, having been a nem
 Der of the Australasian team in eieh different years. During this period h played A matches. of which he vol 36. The late Anthony Wilding, a eom peer of Brookes who was killed turin; the World war, holds second holo,. for during his seven years of eonpe ltition he played 37 matches of vhicI he won 2S. ]. C. Parke, the En,,lisl veteran, ranks third, with 23 match, and l2 victories. w. A. Larned and M
 E. Mclaughlin, two outstanding s.ar or American tennis, are tied with 2 matches each. Larned has sligntl better winning average with f3 victo
 ries to McLoughlin,s 12. The latter defeat of both Wildng and Brookss II 1914, when the Australasans were n the height of their court career how ever, was undoubtedly the greatest :n dividual feat in the annals of intea1a } tional tennis.
 The complete record of ndividua players who have taken part in fiv . or re matches up to me close O
 lalo and the results of the final r,un, in each Davis cup match since 1900 fol flow
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