The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-04-26
TENNIS MATCHES In
EUROPE Is VERDICT
American Davis Cup Commit
tee Decides First Ties Must
BE Played There.
ny SAMUEL J. BRooKMAN.

Gable dispatches sent yesterday by the
United States Lawn Tennis Association
notified the Davis Cup challenging ma
tons that all of the first round matches
in the international tournament would
have to be played I'm Europe. Thus a
recommendation made five weeks ago be-
comes decision--a decision that will
not please all of the fourteen nations
concerned, but decision that will please
the majority, and that was the best the
American Davis Cup committee could do
under the circumstances.
With Europe furnishing eight of the
fourteen challengers, the Davis Cup COM
mittee at meeting that started late
Monday night and that wound up in the
early hours yesterday morning at the
Vanderbilt Hotel, came to the conclusion
that that Continent ought to be favored
over all as the venue for the preliminary
ties. Some of the nations bracketed for
the first round ties had failed to agree
as to the most logical place for the COM
petition and had pit it up to the United
States. the cup holding country. and the
American officials had to decide in the
interests of the majority.
The decision means that Canada will
have to send its team to Europe to play
France, and that Australasia will have
to play Belgium. Hawaii meet Czecho-
SlovaSia. the Philippines oppose Spain.
Japan meet Italy and India play Ru-
mania--all on European territory. 1t
means that at least three teams will
have to travel half way around the earth
to contest their prelminaries, but there
is no other way out Of it--not this year.
Change Is Likely.
OF course with the majority of the
European and other challenging nations
! opposed to the present system of elm
nations, there may be a new order or
! things next year. Delegates OF all tennis
playing nations, it is understood, are to
meet in London on July 6, shortly after
the British championships at Wimbledon
to settle the question and with opinion
in favor Of sombe geographical seeding
of the draw so as to tighten the financial
burden of teams by minimizing travel
as much as possible the changes may be
looked for.
American officials are perfectly salts
fed to leave the rules remain as they
stand and as they have stood for twenty
two years. They feel that one of the de-
slrable features of the tournament is
the fact that 1t sends teams from con-
tinent to continent to become acquainted
with one anothers customs and peoples.
Three or four players are quite sufficient
for any team and the benefits ACQUIRING
from q, journey of a tennis team to an
other continent are well worth the ex-
penditure
At any rate.the United States officials
will await some concrete suggestion from
another country on the subject before
adopting any definite stand. The dis
cussion on the subject at the meeting
indicated that the plan the Americans
would favor most il any seeding method.
had to be adopted. would be. a geographic
cal division of the nations concerned
into three groups, the worlds tennis GEN.
tiers being America, Europe and Austral-
asia. AS the European challengers at
present outnumber greatly those OF any
other center. the suggestion was made
that Europe could qualify two for the
7, semi-final round, the Australasian CEN
ter-which would include Japan, the
Philippines, Hawaii and India--one, and
the American center one.
To Select Defense Team.
The Davis cup committee incidentally
authorized Julian S. Myrick, president
of the United States Lawn, Tennis AS
ISOLATION, to appoint a committee of five
to select the Davis cup defence team OF
1922. The committee approved the plan
of last year Of naming two men for sin
doubles. Last September. II will be
remembered, William 7. Tilden and
William NJ. Johnston represented Ameri-
ca in singles and r.. Norris Williams
and Watson NJ. Washbum in doubles.