The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1922-12-29
AMERICA SHOWS
tennis ABILITY
Injury Of Tilden, Greatest of
All Time Players, Called
Outstanding Event
BY Henry L. Farrell

| Omitted Press Sports EdltOr)
New York, Dec. 29 Omitted Press)
Injury to "Big Bill" Tilden, which
may remove from the court the
champion of champions and the
greatest of all time players, was the
outstanding incident of 1922 in ten
mis-.
Rather fortunately, if such an ac-
cident can be considered as such, it
did not happen until the end of a
season in which he convinced all
skeptics that he was the greatest
player in the world.
In an exhibition game late in the
fall, Tilden scratched the middle fin
ger Of right hand on the wire Of a
backstop and blood poison resulted.
Two operations were necessary and
the finger was removed at the second
joint. +. .-..
+ With the exception of the FORE
hand and backhand strokes, Tilden
will &have to revise all of his defen-
sive and offensive weapons and he
says he will consider himself lucky
if he is able torsland in the first ten
next year. - 47's.-
Tilden has such tremendous
heart" though, that his courage on
the court may be enough to pull him
through. 49,. ,e7ia
/ Resumption of the fued between
Nile. Suzanne Lenglen and Mrs.
Molla Mallory was the feature of the
early season. The American cham
pion went to Wimbledon and worked
her way through the British cham
pionship to the final round against
the French girl. Mile. Lenglen play
ed the greatest tennis of her life and
in routing the American champion,
showed that she was the real queen
of the worlds court.
When Mrs. Mallory got to the
American woman championships, she
demonstrated he superiority over all
the American girls. =.
/ The form shown by Helen Wills,
the California youngster, was a
warning, however, to the queen that
she hasn't long to reign.
! If America had not been sitting so
unquestionably on the top of the ten
mis- world for several years, the vic
tory Of the American team over the
FAustralians in the Davis Cup Chal-
lenge round would have been one Of
the biggest events Of the year.
The work Of the two Bills-Tilden
and Johnson-and young Vinnie
Richards Of course was duly appre-
ciated, but it was rather matter of
form, as it was almost pre-ordained
fact that the Americans would win.
Tilden's injury will not work to
the harm of the Davis cup classics,
although it may be the cause Of an
other trip by the classic cup. .,,~---~-a -
American. supremacy present
and for the immediate future is so
soundly established sthat tStothers na7
tons are thinking Il poor; business TO
spend so much money fora seeming
ly impossible chance of winning the
cup for several years. ts I f's's,y &,
Bill Tilden has done niore for ten-
mis- than any other person IN I. the
game and even in misfortune he
may be doing the same good
For several years some tennis fans
have been of. the opinion that Ball
Johnston was the real king Of Amer
ican tennis and that in 1920 and in
1921 Tilden won because the physic-
ally inferior Johnston had been over
tennised.
In the championships this year,
however, Tilden should have con-
vinced all those who thought little of
him, before that he is the greatest
player in the world. = ..E,r i, B..
I He; beat Patterson, winner OF. the
British championship easily. and
when he beat Johnston, he defeated
Zone who Is; only a hair away from,
being the best in the world.