The Next Davis Cup Challenge Round

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 94, 21 April 1945, Page 20

The Next Davis Cup Challenge Round

Prospects Of Resuming Contests For Famous Trophy Analysed By An Australian

By HARLEY MALCOLM IN AMERICAN LAWN TENNIS

Australia is to loom very prominently in the resumption of the Davis Cup competition at the conclusion of the war it is natural that following the correspondence that has been passing between the L.T.A. of this country and that of U.S.A. on the matter it should be exciting more than ordinary interest at present.

Possibly it may be the desire to bring about a revival of the game here (Australia) where it has almost reached stagnation point that has influenced some the leading officials to press for the resumption of the international contest as soon as [world affairs permit. Yet it is the opinion of many others prominent in the control of the game here that nothing is to be gained by attempting to rush the matter, more so as the one nation from whom the outstanding challenge would be expected—U.S.A.—is likely to be one of the very last nations to come out of the war. Until she is quite ready to issue a challenge on her own initiative it is somewhat out of place to suggest\ her unduly hurrying her affairs just to oblige this country.

the Press eulogises him beyond what is fair or reasonable as a prospective Davis Cup man, the result being that mental balance disappears and' he finishes up among the "also ran." Victoria has been unfortunate that although grass play is possible the whole year round in Brisbane and Sydney, she has not been able to arrange visits from Grant, Kovacs or anyone else while they have been in Australia because of the fact that no grass surfaces are available until November, and even then it is doubtful whether they would stand up to any serious play.

We have noticed In the cables that Fred Perry has been forecasting that Australia is not' likely to lose the Davis Cup for many years, as American players are not as good as they are cracked up to be. Considering it is more than 10 years since Fred has been in Australia, he must be the possessor of some inside information unknown to us here. However, these views are not shared generally—not by those who ought to know, but who do know the actual position.

! Perhaps there Is something in the views of the advocates for the earliest possible resumption of the competition that the annual championships are being held regularly in America and that therefore there should not be any reason why the competition for the major event— the Davis Cup—should not be resumed. However, it is very different —playing in one's own country and sending a team overseas, almost to the theatre of war. One cannot imagine any of the members of the team selected desiring to go on a holiday jaunt while so many of their countrymen are fighting not many miles away.

The Entry Difficulty

I The one big difficulty of trying to j connect matters up is the long I period that must elapse between the [date of the closing of entries —January 31st —and the period that must [ ensue—November or December of the same year before the challenge [round could possibly be played— that is while Australia holds the Cup. This means under the present rules that unless challenges had been received by 31st January of this year and assuming that the war ends some time during this year, it will be almost two years before it would be possible to play the next challenge round—a long time to wait certainly, but <it makes one understand that when the closing dates were originally fixed no thought could have been given to Australia being the champion nation, otherwise a proviso allowing for entries being received much later in the year and nearer the dates of the playing of the challenge round might well have been inserted.

Now it seems matters will have to stand "as you were" until a meeting of the International Federation of Davis Cup nations be held, and as to when that will be no one could possibly answer. The suggestion to U.S.A. -made here recently that she be invited to send a team in 1945 has been received with mixed feelings in and outside official circles and it is not thought generally that it will be accepted. It is understood this 'is to be just a touring team but as it must contain players of repute—Davis Cup standard —it can hardly be expected that the same men would be available to return here immediately the Cup matches are resumed and first call on their services must undoubtedly be for the more important event. Personnel of the Teams In anticipation of the Davis Cup matches being resumed in the near future, Harry Hopman, who is a bit pessimistic about the contests being resumed for a while yet and who ought to know what he' is talking about through so many recent visits to the United States, has saved the selectors a lot of trouble as he has picked both teams. The United States team is Frank Parker, Joe Hunt, Ted Schroeder and Jack Kramer, with qualifying remarks as to their selection. The selection of the Australian team is much easier, as, if it boils down to the matches being resumed in the near future, there are only Quist and Bromwich, the difficulty ,being who to include in the team to make up the quartet. It takes years here to bring any young player to Davis Cup standard, and although Denny Pails, of Sydney, is the next best, the lack of competition of a class good enough to bring him and other young players on natur.ally delays the polishing up their game requires to bring them to international standard. There have been exhibition games in Brisbane and Sydney recently in which Bitsy Grant met Jack Crawford and others, but owing to lack of consistent practice Grant was not at his best. A great fault in Australia is that as soon as a young player appears with anything like an attractive style