Imperial Valley press., 1922-04-05
AMERICAN TENNIS
SHARKS BEST.
DECLARES
TILDEN

iIIllIADTIlII iiiH, I ADflI--''-I1 IL
seems to me that J. B. Hawks of Aus. |
tralia has, in the exuberance of youth,
made a rather rash statement on condi |
tions about which. he appears to know
little William Tilden, American ten
mis- champion, declared in an exclusive
interview with the United Press.
Tilden s statement was in reply to
one by the Australian that after Til
den and Johnston were through, Amer
lea would have to give up the Davis
cup, there being no good young tennis
players in America.
''Hawk' s statement hardly warrants
refutatiOn, but will be glad to give
you a few facts in regard to future
American tennis, F" "Big Bill' contin-
ued.
Possibly the crushing defeat ad.
ministerea to Hawks by Vincent
Richards, the eighteen year old Jun.
ior tennis champion of America, in the
East VS.. West matches at Chicago last
| fall slipped Mr.. Hawks mind when re.
viewing oiff young players.
"While ID is my opinion that nothing
but America g bent can cope success
fully with the magnificent team which
AUSTRALASIA is sending to challenge for
the Davis cup this season, it is the craft
and strategy of that magnificent play
er, Mr.. Norman Brookes, as captain
rather than the youth of the team that
we must. fear.
During my Davis cup trip to Aus
tralia | carefully studied the quantity
and quality of the junior players; there
the ration in quantity is about ten to
one in favor of America, while the
| standard OF play impressed me as q full
class higher here than there.
r''The tendency of the Australian
boys is to develop &; one or two shot
game rs compared with the all-court
game of the American junior. SIS
saw no boys comparable with
vincent Richards, Frank n. Anderson
Fand Charles Wood, Jr. New York; Arm
Old w. Jones and W. w. mgraham.
Providence; Harold Godshall and Phil,
lip Betterns California; Charles Wat
son Sd, Carl Fisher and Andrew Nor
gan, Philadelphia; John Hennessev and
fritz Bastian, Indianapolis; Marshall
Allen, Seattle; Philip Neer, Portland
ore; and James NJ. Davis, University
of California. -.
Also such young stars rs Julius
Sagalowski, indianapolis; Arthur In
graham, Jr., Providence; Miles Valen
tine and Neal Sullivan, Philadelphia:
Armand Marion, Seattle; and "'Sandvv -
Wiener, Philadelphia, my doubles part
her FOR the early season, all of whom
are less than sixteen years of age. are
unknown to Australian tennis.
H Delleve that America faces a more
serious crisis in defense of the Davis
cup TINS year than we will five or ten
years from now should we hold the
cup, as believe the stars of the future
VIII surpass even such players as
Johnston and Williams.''
when asked what effect he believed
the seeded draw wpnldahave on com
merclalizing the game, Tilden said:
] see no reasonrto believe the seeded
draw will effect the question of com.
merclalism i'll any way other than to
increase attendance. 1t merely assures
an even division of strength which
wonid provide an equally fair oppor-
tunlty to all contestants, thus increas-
ing and stimnlatingapublic interest in
the game. HTGa
"The sole danger Of creating profes.
slonal tennis lies in attempts to re-
strict the personal liberties of the play-
ers by the too stringent enforcement of
the amateur rule. L see no signs that
point to organized professional tennis.
unless 1T should come from the natural
reaction of the players themselves
against curtailing of their liberty in
playing when and where they desire,
provided, of course, they receive no
financial return for so doing
1.-The trend of the annual meetinp
| showed that sentiment throughout the
country was for u more liberal inter.
probation of the amateur rule and less
IN favor of the stringent regulations.
81 am in favor of as many exhibi.
tion matches in as different places as
are possible throughout the season as
the best method of popularizing the
game. The splendid work of the ma.
tional association in staging the Davis
cup ties in widely separated cities is
more that must bring results. 1t is
merely question of bringing first
class tennis to the public attention for
the game to gain u solid foothold in
any community