The New York herald., 1921-01-02
THDEN TFRST,
JOHNSTON SECOND
ON RATING LIST
Three CalifOrnians in the
Select Circle of
First Ten.
MRS. f. l. MALLORY AT TOP
Several Surprises Mark Choice
Of Players by U. S. L. L. Az.
Committee.
BY SAMUEL J. BRooKMAN.

IHnniS Association mas lsSuS0 It's f1sa-
nuai tennis ranking. One hundred and
nixty-one names have been listed in
mems singles. fifty In women's sim
giles and forty-five teams an men
doubles. 1t has been no small task for
the half dezen men who constitute
the national ranking committee, Tor
tournaments ana competitors never be-
fore have been as numerous as during
the season of 1920. With the marked
Increase in activity has come rise In
the general standard Of tournament
play, so that competitors In order to
win as high a ranking as the previous
year really had to excel their 1913 per
formances. In many cases. too. play
ers who showed decided Improvement
find themselves farther down the rank
Ing list.
AS usual interest centres in the or-
der OF the first ten in national rank
Getting into the select circle of the first
ten long has been the ambition of ris-
snr> nlavers. and devotees OF the sport
always have followed the shifts In the
order OF the topnotchers as keenly as
the niayers themselves. A glance at
the new ranking shows that there have
been quite sew changes In the croer
Of the leaders, yet there is not one IN
the first ten who has not been there
before IN ore year or another. In sew
eral cases men who have not been l.
the select circle have come back to re-
nav acquaintance with the est or the
tennis elite. - d.
OF course. William T. Tilden I'd, or
ph.ladelphia. national champion, DAVIS
Cur star. recognized worlds champion
ana the first American to win q British
tennis title, heads the list. The rank
inr. as most readers probably know,
for the last two years has been arrlveu
Mt fundamentally, tournaments oeins
rated according to their importance ana
performances according TO score anu
rating of opponents. The mathema.AcaI
rule may have been applied In Tilden
rase as In the rest. but II such was the
procedure the committee wasted iot
OF time. for there was no otner play. .'
who possibly could have been cohsiu~ na.
cred for the leadership. So far as l'.o
was concerned Tilden stood In a tennis
class by himself.
No Mathematics Needed.
T Neither did the committee nave 10
pcnder very long or delve into al .ne
,ecords To arrive at the conclusion that
ssco,d nlaue in the ranking belonged to
William NJ. Johnston OF California, VINO
bowed TO Tilden last September arter
one OF the greatest matches ever playea
tr n national championship hnal Just
as clearly as Tilden earned first place
IN the ranking 80 did Johnston leave no
roou for doubt that second place was
his. There may be some VINO VIII dis
sent from the choice of X. Norris VIII
Jams I'd Of Boston for third position
hut they will be comparatively tew.
Williams was very slow to rcach ms
best form last season, but he came with
n rr,sh In the last few weeks or tne
tennis campaign and played brilliantly.
Tn the national championships he was
close to the form that earned him the
American title on two occasions. After
a series of impressive victories Will
Jams was stopped In the national tourna-
rnent because he happened 10 face Will
lam NJ. Johnston when the latter was
travelling at his best speed
30 much for the first three. NO DOUBT
the ranking committee can show the
necessary data to prove that under the
mathematical system their selection or
the next seven IN the order named Is
correct, but there Is little doubt that
mary a tsnnis player and tennis fan
who figure ranking not mathematicaily
but tust by the ordinary common sense
method OF sizing up a players worth
NV what he has accomplished during the
i.season Will take exception TO the plac-
ing of several OF the men In the first
ten. This will not surprise tho ranking
committee in the least There never
has been a tennis ranking that has met
with universal approval. and whether
nierited or not, there always has been
plenty OF criticism OF the committees
selections.
A year ago, when the mathematical
roujeinrs were announced for the first
time, there was no end of dissatisfaction
over some Of the choices, all OF the
critics blaming the system, not the COM
rrittee. II win be remembered that the
most talked OF case was that OF Vincent
Richards. who hads been named thirty
second despite the fact that he had won
the national indoor championship. Few
tennis followers realized at the time
that indoor tournaments do not figure
IN tho ranking
GsrIand's Case.
The choice that perhaps will occasion
most comment this timo In that OF
Charles g. Garland for eighth place in
tho ranking Chuck when az his best
undoubtedly n one Of the finest players
in the country and deserving Of n rank
ing IN the first ten, but 1920 was not
his year on tire courts. Early In the
season Garland played his most I'M
pressivc tennis, defeating Richard Harte
ana WHaldCc JONUbou III ugOulb lOt
fourth place on the David cup team that
went to England for the international
preliminnries. In the British champion
ship singles Garland also played well.
but. a. we understand it, neither the
Davis cup tryout matches nor the Brit
fsh championship results have any bear
ing on the American national ranking.
In which only regular sanctioned tourna-
ments IN this country are considered
Eliminating the tryout matches and his
performances In England. Garland had
very little 20 show for the season. He
failed to get very far IN the Newport
tournament, in which he was not him
self, and. while he scored few con-
vincfne victories IN the national cham
picnxhip, his work In the title tourna-
uent did not warrant his selection as
eighth on the ranking place. The ex-
'pIanation perhaps lies In the announce
ment by the ranking committee that
sswhen In its Judgment such action was
warranted the mathematical system
s,was used simply as a guide to determine
the players ultimate position"
Some surprise will be occasioned also
BY the appearance Of Ichiya Kumagse's
name fourth on the list The Japanese
star was rated third year ago. and de-
served that place. This season. bow
ever, he participated In none OF the
prominent tournaments IN the East.
Ieavinx early IN July for the Olympic
teams championehip In Belgium. Before
Sv>ln~r. ahrond T<umaRae had won naveral