New-York tribune., 1920-04-29
Johnston Plans
Training Siege
liz California
Tennis Champion to Gel
Into Condition on Coast
for His Matches Abroad
By Fred Hawthorne

William NJ. Johnston, the national
singles lawn tennis champion, who is
to be the No. man on the United
States Davis Cup team that sails for
England from this city on May 30, will
do all his training on the clay and
asphalt courts OF California. According
to telegram received here last night,
Johnston will leave San Francisco on
May %, arriving in New York day
or two before the team sails
Until the last few days Johnston had
not fully made up his mind as to
whether he would be able to accompany
the invading team that is to play in
the All-England championship at Vim
bledon in June and in the Davis Cup
preliminary matches, to be held in Eng
land in July. The champion has been
fully occupied with his bus ness dutio
since last autumn. and to practically
throw all this aside for several months
in order to help bring the international
back to the land OF its birth meant q
great sacrifice
Now that the little Californian has
accepted, however we may rest as
sured that he viii round himself into
superb physical condition for the su-
prone tests that he Will be called upon
to face on foreign courts. 1t is prob
able Johnston is already in far shape
physically, and, gifted with the sound.
conservative style of game that is his.
the champion should not require an
arduous siege of preparatory work.
Not to Play Doubles
There is one significance, believe.
in the late arrival in the East Of the
man who is looked upon to bear the
chief burden Of the trip that Will
probably carry the American team
more than half around the world The
mere fact that Johnston viii not have
an opportunity of playing on an East
ern court before he sets foot on the
steamer, indicates that the Davis Cup
committee does not contemplate pair
ing Johnston with Tilden in the
doubles.
1t does not seem likely that the
singles champion and the man who was
runncr-pp for the title would be ex-
pected to make q successful combina-
ton without the fullest opportunity for
practice as team. 1t is true they
could pair up as soon as they reache !
England and also play in the tourney
at Wimbledon together but it seems to
me that even more time than this
would be required to transform them
INTO smoothworking team
1t is true that Johnston and Tilden
IN defeating Brookes and Patterson al
Forest Hills, following the national
sing les championship last September
performed in brilliant style but it wa
rather the power of their individual
skill on this occasion than any cohesion
as a team that pulled them through tc
victory. The fact must not be lost
sight of, either, that the Australians
had been through terrific campaign OF
war rigors trsvclling and playing when
they faced Johnston and Tiden, and
were certainly not in their best play
ing condition at the time.
Charles s: Garland, Of Pittsburgh
who. with Richard Harte, of Boston. is
generally regarded as the most logical
man to occupy the fourth place on the
team. is better doubles player than
Harte, although the latter probably is
superior at singles.
Tilden and Garland played together
last season as q pair, and were very
successful in majority Of their
matches, and hence it may be that the