The Davis Clip

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22081, 1 May 1937, Page 14

The Davis Clip

New Zealanders have two very good reasons for taking more than the ' : usual interest in.this year's international lawn tennis competition for the Davis Cup, .which began this week-end. In the first place a team from the Dominion is once more among the challengers. New Zealand has no pretensions to world championships, but Australia, our nearest neighbour, certainly has, and this year there is a very good chance of Australia becoming the premier tennis nation. What this might mean to New Zealand is difficult, at this stage, to foresee, but if Australia is the defender of the famous trophy next season, it may be taken for granted that Australia will become the centre of the tennis world. There" the challenge round of next year would have to be played, and this would probably mean the presence in Australia of at least the winning teams in the European . and American zones. It is not difficult to foresee the Australian championships, becoming a second Wimbledon. New Zealand could reasonably expect to receive some crumbs from this tennis rfeast in the shape of visits, though perhaps only brief ones, from famous European, American, and Asiatic players. More important, it would give New Zealand players a chance of seeing and meeting the world's best exponents of the garrfe. For such experience now they have to go to Europe, and the cost is prohibitive to all but a few of the Dominion's players. It is possible, too, that Australia's success would hasten the institution of a Pacific zone of the Davis Cup competition, as advocated by Mr Norman Brookes. New Zealand'would then be able to enter teams of players resident in the Dominion. The New Zealand Association so far has been unable to meet the very considerable cost of sending teams of resident New Zealand players away to play in the European or American zone, and the Dominion is represented abroad by New Zealanders living in England. These men are doing a valuable and necessary work in keeping New Zealand on the tennis map, but it is distinctly desirable that men who-are able to .pass on the benefit of their experience to their fellow-players in the Dominion should have the- opportunity of international play. Australia, of course, has a very hard task ahead, and in spite of the unanimity of overseas observers, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that the United States or Germany should win the Davis Cup this year, or even that Great Britain should retain the trophy. Wit! ut F. J. Perry, however, Great Britain appears to be weaker than the three leading challengers, and of these Australia seems to have the strongest all-round team. If Australia succeeds—for the first time since 1919—it will be the triumphant climax of many journeys round the' world and of a long process of team-building. And if the Davis Cup does go to Australia this year it may well remain there for a long time. Three of the Australian team, at least, may be expected not.only to represent Australia for some years to come but to reach ah even higher standard of play vthan they have yet achieved. Moreover, the visits of world champions to Australia in recent years have shown how real are the problems of acclimatisation in Australia. The record of Australians on their home courts, indeed, is so impressive as to suggest that when Australia does regain the cup the United States' record of seven consecutive years of success, from 1920 to 1926, may be seriously threatened.