TENNIS 5-Year Davis Cup Plan Proposed

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30103, 10 April 1963, Page 20

TENNIS 5-Year Davis Cup Plan Proposed

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, April 9

Members of the New Zealand Davis Cup team who returned to Auckland from the Far East tonight brought back strong recommendations for the country’s furture in international tennis.

The opinions expressed by the manager, Mr A S. Burns, were:

That New Zealand spend the next five years making challenges for the Cup in the Eastern Zone. That future teams for this zone be chosen on the basis of the suitability of the players for the type of court and the type of player likely to be encountered rather than on the merit of the players by New Zealand standards. That attempts be made to introduce into various New Zealand centres the kind of court which was recently encountered. That consideration be given to means of overcoming the principal difficulty of the zone. “In spite of our defeat in the Cup tie by the Philippines and our defeats in the Malayan championships by Australian competitors, I maintain that the tour has been a success.” said Mr Burns. Heat Problem “The problem posed by the heat was considerable and I would say that in the future we shall have to think ■ of, means of acclimatising to it before engaging in the important matches. “In spite of the heat, though, I still say that our future in the Cup competition lies in this zone.”

Mr Burns will advocate that the clay-type court which is standard in the East should be experimented with in New Zealand. This could easily be done, he said. The Filipinos mixed salt with the clay to form a thin pan on the surface.

No doubt New Zealand could conduct experiments to devise the most suitable surface for such a court. "The important thing,” said Mr Burns, “is that the volleying game just can’t be pursued on this sort of court. Team Selection

"That is why I would suggest our teams for the zone should rather be chosen on the basis of the suitability of players for these courts than on their actual merit as measured by performances in New Zealand under New Zealand conditions.” financially, the short tour of just under four weeks was likely to yield a small profit, Mr Bums said. This might have been larger if the invitations for the team to play in such places as Taipeh. in Formosa, and Seoul, in Korea, had been received in time to permit the arrangement of a suitable itinerary As it happened, the tournaments would not have yielded sufficient in expenses to justify the travel costs involved Accordingly it had been decided to return to New Zealand.

“I would say that the team made a most remarkable impression in both Manila and Malaya,” Mr Bums said. ‘ ‘These Filipinos were the

most wonderful people. If the friendships we formed with them can typify our friendships with the people of the Eastern Zone, then I am additionally sure that our future as a Davis Cup nation lies in competition against them.”