U.S. DAVIS CUP TEAM SUBSIDY

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31169, 20 September 1966, Page 17

U.S. DAVIS CUP TEAM SUBSIDY

“Experiment To End Amateur Tennis” rt'Z. Press Association—Copyright) NEW YORK. A United States Lawn Tennis Association committee member has alleged that the American Davis Cup team was being subsidised in an experiment aimed at getting rid of amateur tennis.

“The world is watching,” said Joseph McLaren, a member of the L.S.L.T.Vs nominating committee. “A fantastic sum—nobody knows exactly how much —is being spent on the Davis Cup team.

“The players are being kept on a daily allowance of $2B (£10) the year around. This amounts to something like $7500 to ! $9OOO (£2678 to £2857) * a man, not counting transportation.

“This does not bother me so much—bad as it is. What I am really concerned about is that we have men in the association working toward elimination of the term ‘amateur’ in tennis. They want to make the tournament player

simply a player, not bound by amateur rules. “The idea will be submitted to the International Lawn Tennis Federation in July, 1967, with the United States Davis Cup experiment serving as the guinea pig.” Martin Tressel, president of the U.S.L.T.A., denied the allegation, although he admitted that open payments had been made to the United States Davis Cup players, a fact that has not been covered up, and said the U.S.L.T.A. was making a broad survey into all facets of amateur tennis. “We formed a Davis Cup

squad on a more or less permanent basis a year ago under Captain George MacCall and sent them to Australia on a very profitable campaign,” Mr Tressel said. “We give the boys 28 dollars daily in the United States and 20 dollars (about £7 3s) when out of the country.” The team is now on a crosscountry exhibition tour with the Australians. Mr McLaren said the Davis Cup budget had been boosted from 26,000 dollars to 64,000 dollars (£22,857) last year, and added: “Heaven knows what it will be this year.” He said a strong segment in the U.S.L.T.A. was opposed to the heavy Davis Cup outlay and the move to kill amateurism in tennis, but “the people who control the association, and I’m not speaking of Tressel, are in favour of open tennis and getting rid of the amateur designation.”