Evening star., 1942-01-15
All Outdoor Net
Titles 10 BeUp
In One Meet
Mems Indoor Tourney
Out; College, School
Come to Be Helped
BY AUSTIN BEALMEAR,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

Associated Press Sports Writer.
NEW YORK, Jan. 15.-FAced
with the problem of carrying on
through the war with what players
the armed forces don't need ana
the professionals don't want, the
United States Lawn Tennis Asso-
citation is about to take the game
away from the stars and hand 1t
over to the boys who still find the
net too high.
The first step in adjusting the
U. S. L. T. A. program to wartime
requirements will be taken at the
organizations annual meeting here
Saturday, with President Holcombe
Ward advocating a plan to get peo-
pie out Of the grandstand and onto
the courts"
Specifically, Ward will request the
Executive Committee to cancel the
national indoor tournament for men
this year and let the outdoor cham
pionships, both singles and doubles,
be decided in one tournament at
Forest Hills instead Of separately a.
in the past.
If Wards plan is approved. the
one national outdoor tournament
for both men and women In singles
and doubles will be held here Au-
gust 27 to September 7. The plan
does not involve the women's in
door meet.
Will Cater to Masses.
Most Of the ranking players
among the men probably will be In
service by then" Ward said, but
there will be many young men
under military age to f1ll their
places, thanks to the associations
junior development program.
In the future, Ward said, the
q. s. L. T. A. will pay less atten-
ton to the first 10 ranking players
and more attention to the rank and
file.
Actually, when the association
convenes, it will find gaping holes
already torn in its first 10" by
enlistments and professional tours,
with additional losses imminent, due
to both causes.
Bobby Riggs and Frank KoyacS.
top-ranking stars of l94l, decided
to play for pay and Gene Mako
traded his position at 14th ranking
amateur for q brief whirl with the
touring pros and 5000 on the side.
Wayne Sabin and Gardnar Null
10y, the sixth and seventh ranking
stars, have been approached with
q professional offer and are awaiting
only a hike In the ante before giving
up their amateur status.
Exhibitions to BE Secondary.
Bitsy Grant, ranked No. g.; Joe
Hunt, Frank Guernsey and Hal Sur
face already have entered the armed
forces. Former Champion Don Nc
Neill. who slipped from first to
fourth in l941, is thinking Of join
ing the Navy on his return from .
South American tour.
That leaves only Frank Parker.
Ted Schroeder. Jack Kramer and
Bill Talbert among the top 10, and
it is likely the weapons they will
carry next fall won't be tennis
rackets.
Ward said the U. s. L. T. A. would
sanction tournaments which serve
a useful purpose and provide op-
portunities to raise funds for the
Red Cross, U. S. o. and other war
relief organizations.
Tournaments will be sanctioned
in preference to amateur exhibi-
tions," he said, "for tournament
competition helps many players,
whereas exhibition matches provide
competition for only a few"
Ward also will recommend that
tournaments be maintained on an
amateur basis, that neither cash
prizes nor the equivalent be awarded
to winners, and that amateur tour
naments not be thrown open to
professionals on any pretext.
However, the association Will sane.
ton professional exhibitions by
member clubs to raise funds for war
relief or service organizations.
Broad Training Program.
For its part in the physical train-
ing program. the U. S. L. T. A. will
attempt to develop tennis not merely
in its member clubs. but especially
in schools, colleges. industrial organ
izations, public parks and play
grounds. It also plans to urge that
club courts be made available to
service men and for tennis clinics
and school matches.
The two clubs whose plans for
1912 will be knocked into . cooked
hat by the readjustment program
are the Oklahoma City Tennis Club
which was to have staged the indoor
championships for the second time,
and the Longwood Cricket Club OF
Brookline, Mass. where the doubles
tournaments have been held In the
past.