New-York tribune., 1922-12-03

INC NOIiQ.
Tilden met his greatest test In The
national singles championship tovrna-
ment at Germantown last September
when be met and defeated william ~
Johnston, OF California. IN the hnai
round. This was the one tournament
upon which the high hopes Of all the
eontonders for the championship were
set. the goal Of their ambitions, and
Tildeu, when the stakes we're highest
came through With bis greatest ois--
play Of tennis.
Had big Bill" not defeated Johnston
on that occasion. then. indeed, would
have had even less hcsitancy IN placing
the little Californian az the head %
IN. lat than I nov have IN naming
TiIdsn for the honor. Ard that - 20
because. aside from the national SIN
glcs engagement itself, Johnston nHa q
decided advantage over Itlden. ip,ie,,
on the asphalt courts Of California lss'
MAY. the Pacific Coast mar sominls.
tered crushing defeats 10 the PTs.ent
champion, and again, IN ne bas,- Mess
n atehes on the turf courts ~ forest
Uilis, a week after The national .in-
rles. Little Biz triumphed over eis
Bill" completely oycrwhe ming ~
rival In the last set, when Iiiden' real-
wing he was doomed 20 defeat, oello
eratsly let 90 by him balls that ne
could have returned.
National Title Cllnehes Claim
Impressive as we're Johnston's VIC
tories In these cases, and powerful and
yelsntleu his attack, Il must be said
RAT he failed IN the match he had set
bis besyt most upon winning, tnat
natch that would have given him per.
nan,nt possession Of the national
sin0les trophy. Tilden, having Won y
m 1890 and 1921, won the cup out
right when he vanquished Johnston
last September. a..
Perhans il Ia that We set TOO high
4 premium upon the winning OF the
national singles honors. Since the IN
ception OF the game IN this country *
has beer the custom 90 rank the ma
tional champion in the No. / position
au+omatically. as II were, althougn
there have been occasions, a. IN 1915
for instance. when Mclaughlin, de.
feated By Norris Williams IN the hnal
round Of the national az Newport, YET
was given the No. position over
Williams, the champion. The "Cai-
fornla Comet" had. the week before
defeated both Norman Brookes and the
late Tony Wuding In the Davis tup
mstehes at Forest Hills. While
Williams had made q very poor show
inc against these two Australians.
However. when the fact is taken into
confederation that the players them
selves consider everything else sec
ondsry 20 winning the national singles
title. and hence direct their cher ef.
forts toward that end, 4 seems logical
enough 20 adhere 20 custom, except IN
most unusual circumstances.
CauVinr the work Of Tilden and
Johnston throughout the last season'
! dnd the margin between thsm 20
slight that they might be rated by the
old "class" system, both IN the same
class, but the champion placed hrtt'
without doing either man an injustice,
Ouite as secure in his claim 70 third
place as Tilden and Johnson 70 tne
frst two places stands Vincent klcn-
ards. The youngest member OF this
wears Davis Cup team was rAnkeo AZ
No. 8 last season, and there Is no pos
sibie reason 20 change that assign,
ment for 1922. Tilden, johnson AND
Wallace r. johnson we're the only men
20 defeat Richards last season IN the
course Of a particularly severe court
campaign. To Offset these deteats,
Richards, beaten early In the season Dy
johnson in the Church Cup. matches
lnted decisively conquered the fhils-
delphisn in the Rhode lsland state
championship tourney luden' 100
Welded 20 the slender youth from on,
kers, being defeated In the final round