The New York herald., 1921-12-05
RATING FOREIGNERS
A TENNIS PROBLEM
Opinion Differs Over Question
of Including Them in
American Ranking.
by SAMUEL ). nRooKMAN.


One Of the problems the national rank
ing committee has had to ponder over
this year was the advisability Of includ-
ing soma of the foreign tennis stars
who appeared here last summer on the
American rating list. Just what the So
luton has been will not be known until
the committee makes it's report to the
executive committee here on December
Anderson of Australia and perhaps
zenzo Shimidzu and Ichiya Kumagae
may be found on the list.
1t will be remembered that the ques-
ton came up when Ichiya Kunagae
made his first appearance in American
tournament tennis and before IL was def
initely established that he was 10 be-
come resident OF this country AT the
time there was considerable difference
OF opinion on the point but the majority
of the committee finally decided that 1t
would be proper to include the Nippon
csc who had been the sensation OF the
season, and who had beaten among
others the American title holder. Will
lam NJ. Johnston. Since then there has
care OF the point, the matter being left
entirely in the hands of the ranking
committee.
We are strongly inclined TO the be-
I lief that the American ranking ought TO
| be strictly an American ranking, espe-
cially now that the number to be rated
has been reduced from 100 to twenty.
The fundamental idea behind the prac-
| tlce OF rating players Is to find out who
| the best twenty players in the country
are, not who the best twenty-foreign
J or American-were who competed in
American tennis during the season. To
include foreign players. particularly in a
season when most of the foreign stars
were among US, would be equivalent
to drawing up q worlds ranking, which
is quite another thing.
A Supplementary List.
We should like to suggest however
that there is satisfactory way of
taking care of tho visiting players in
the matter of tennis rating by issuing a
supplementary list indicating just where
each and all of the foreign stars be-
longed In the committees opinion In a
first twenty ranking. In this way not
only would the ranking of strictly
American players remain intact but
there would be ample comparison Of the
strength Of the American and foreign
stars.
Undoubtedly II foreign players were
listed either in the American or In the
supplementary ranking James o. Ander-
son OF Australia. would be the first
named. The Antipodean made an en-
viable record for a player of compare
lively limited international experience.
Shimidzu managed to beat him In the
d. rson defeated at the height OF the
season were r. Norris Williams. and
LIZ wrence b. Rice in the national cham
pionship, William r. Tilden, world s
champion In the East-West matches in
Chicago-in a memorable fifth set that
went to a score of 1917 and In which
Tlden is said 10 have tried his utmost
t. prevent defeat--and then Roland II.
Roberts of San Francisco in a match
on the coast. Roberts be II known. was
one of the few to triumph over William
M. Johnston this season. and for sew
eral years has been near the top in
American tennis. yet Anderson out
played him in three straight sets. 1910.
60. 6-3. The only American to beat
Anderson was Wallace f. Johnson of
Philadelphia. but Johnson had a mar
row escape from d. feat before he
reached sensational form and turned
back the Australian.
The probability is that If Anderson
were included in the American ranking
he would rate about fourth--just be-
hind Tiden. Johnston and Richards
Shimidzu managed TO score over An
derson. but he lost twice to Voshell and
once to Williams. so his record. al
though a trifle more consistent, is not
quite so impressive as that of Ander-
son. Only Anderson and shimidzu of
the foreign players would qualify for
a place In The first ten. kumagae had
a more or less erratic season and prob
ably would be placed somewhere be-
tween ten and fifteen.