LAWN TENNIS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 239, 9 October 1935, Page 19

LAWN TENNIS.

GERMAN CHAMPIONS. CRAMM'S CUP TEAM. A DISTINCT DAVIS CUP THREAT. Germany is proud of Cramm and his team which came within an ace of defeating U.S.A. this year and thus winning the honour of contesting the challenge round of the Davis Cup against the holders, Great Britain. In Cramm they have a young man with ambition and a zest for the game that gives him energy to work for that ambition. With his wonderful repertoire of--strokes and the opportunity to devote his life to the game he loves, he must wield such influence on German tennis as ensures a great future.

Since the war Germany's tennis has been through many vicissitudes. After the war years some little time passed before any youngsters could be found to carry on the fine traditions of those great pre-war players, Otto Froitzheim and Otto Kreutzer.

Froitzheim, a contemporary of Norman Brookes, continued to play after the war. He was one of the finest world exponents before the war and was still reliable from the baseline even in 1928. His style of returning the ball with relentless consistency awaiting errors from an impatient opponent has been the inspiration and model of many of Germany a champions in the last 10 years. Moldenhauer and Prenn. Germany's first Davis Cup threat was made in 1929. In that year they had a fine team consisting of Hane Moldenhauer, a handsome fellow with Froitzheim's consistency plus a little dash, manifest 'n his ability to take the net, and a Russian Pole of wonderful physique, Daniel Prenn. Just when these two promised to do big things, Moldenhauer was killed when a car he was driving from the Rot-Weiss Tennis Club collided with a tramcar. However, another disciple of the Froitzheim style, Hans Landmann, a dour baseliner, was ready to step into Moldenhauer's place. He was in the Cup team for only one year, for he found his studies suffered by the frequent calls to represent his country. Into his shoes stepped Gottfried von Cramm, little realising it was an important step in his rapid rise to world honours. . With Cramm as the foundation stone and an ex-Davis Cup player, Henri Klienschroth, as the architect, Germany set about building a new team. . ' Already we find them a serious cnalienger to Great Britain's supremacy, with Cramm the second player of the worid and young Henkel following in tne f°°*J steps of Moldenhauer, Landmann and Prenn, quickly learning to outwit the volleyer with passing shots and outplay the confirmed baseliners by enticing them to the net and judiciously lobbing or driving. Defeated Great Britain. Cramm at this stage was inferior to Prenn and although possessing a pleasing style was too erratic to be regarded seriously in cup tennis. But Prenn had by strength of character and dour fighting qualities created an _ excellent impression and Germany s position ui tne game was rated high when in 1932 Prenn and Cramm eliminated Perry and Austia from the Davis Cup competition of that J troubles, however, were not at an end, for with the advent of, the Nazi regime Dan Prenn, who had bean lauded for his brilliant play a few montns earlier, left Germany to live in England, where he has made his home. , K Lund who partnered Cramm in tne doubles of the Davis Cup tie against America, is another of Germany s hopes, for he has a powerful style that will stand slight alterations. Dcnker, too, must not be forgotten, for until the advent of .Lund he was regarded an Cramm's legitimate 1 partner.