Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-15
NORTON, NET STAR,
TO PLAY IN j. s:
Youthful British Champion to
Come Here After Wimbledon
Tourney, Says TiIden
BLIND DRAW Is DOOMED
BY EDWIN J. POLLOCK


A MERICAN tennis folk will have the
"A opportunity Of seeing Babe" Nor
ton. the British marvel, in action on
United States courts, according to a
letter received from the foreign star by
William Il. 1ilden, our worlds cham
pion.
Norton, who Is the all-comers' 1921
champion, is rated as one who is des-
tined to play n big role in interna-
tional tennis. He is only twenty one
years old and stands just n couple> of
inches over five feet, but on the court
shows supcrhuman power and speed.
| In n letter to Tilden, which was re-
ccived recently. Norton expressed his
intention of returning with the Ger
mantown athlete to this country after
the Wimbledon championships.
Tildm Near Defeat
In the worlds championship last year
Norton won the final match and met
Tildcn for the title in the challenge
round. Twice he was within one point
Of coping the prize from big Bill. y
II consider Norton the best of the
younger players in tennis today said
Tilden. "Hc plays an all-court game
and displays no apparent weakness In
any department Of the game. He has
! PROMISED TO return Win ulttT lHt
Wimbledon championships.
4 II Norton does come to this country,
it is very likely that he will be seen
here in the nationals. The Americans
will return from England after the
worlds title play. about the middle of
July. and as the mems tournament usu =
ally Is held in September, it Is reason :
able to expect the British youth to re-
main for the title play.
Tilden Favors Seeding
Tildcn will be among those present at
{ the meeting of the Executive COMMITTED
of the United States Lawn Tennis As
sociation, which will be held In New
York on Saturday. SBig Bill" Is very
much interested in the seeding of the
draw, which will be one Of the big
topics of conversation at the session.
He predicts that the blind draw will
! be eliminated and that next season the
stars in any tournament will be placed
instcnd of drawn in different brackets.
."There has been unfavorable criti-
cism concerning the blind draw for some
time" said Tilden. but now the time
has come when it must go. Seeding Is
the only logical method of draw and
the plan undoubtedly will pass the
Executive Committee.
Draw All Wrong
"The method Of seeding has yet to. be
determined, and this is something the
officials must work out. Personally !
believe that two players should be
seeded in sixteen, four in thirty two,
eight in sixty four and so on.
THE death blow of the blind draw
came last summer when every one of the
big championships was spoiled by the
stars being clustered in one bracket.
.'In the juniors. Vincent Richards
was the only star in his half. All the
others we're punched in the other
bracket. In the women's championships
Marc Browne stood out head and ShOul-
dcrs above the other players in her
bracket. while the other half contained
the remaining stars. The mems tour
ney was just as bad
Same Awards Likely
Recommendation for the awards OF
the championships of 1922 also will be
made at the executive meeting. 1t is
likely that the big Journeys will remain
MT the same places where they were
last year. This means that the West
side Tennis Club. of New York. will
have the Davis Cup ch"' nge rounds
and the womcn's champ, nships: the
Germantown Cricket Club. the mems
singles, and the Longwood Cricket Club
of Boston. the mems doubles. These
clubs conducted the tournaments very
successfully last season.
1t is probable that the committee also
q will consider making the amateur rule
stricter. Last year players were for
bidden to permit tennis goods to be
named after them, and they probably
will be prohibited from permitting their
names to be used ndorsing racquets OF
my of her cnuinment.