THE DAVIS CUP

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 24, 28 July 1933, Page 5

THE DAVIS CUP

BRITAIN FINE (HAXCi

WANING OF THE FRENCH

It is just twenty-one years since Brit« am last held the Davis Cup, trophy cj|i tennis supremacy of the nations, w.hic'i may be in/her grasp again after-, this weekend. . Only on seven occasions ia the thirty-four years of the competitions have* the present holders of thjj trophy .been, defeated.. This contest, as, the Trench realise all too well, is like!/ to add one more occasion to the 'list*

The; French grip on the trophy'has been "relaxing season'by season. ?Tvr<i years' ago. they held the Gup agdinst Britain's challenge only by a magnificent triple win by Cochet. Last year, against the challenging Americans, eveu Cochet failed, and it was Borptra^S turn to save.the great silver, bowl for Prance. This; year Borotra, thirty^-fiva and thoroughly tired of singles, .has revolted and will not take, they/court save in doubles!, France looks "to Cochet again. And Gocliet, who r w<m: his first world championship over "a ;tleea<ld ag» who had been thrashed by Vines three times since last July, and who was watched by a thin and mournful crowd at'Auteuil last month while Crawford wrested away his singles crown, is no longer first player in the world. A brilliant man growing nervy with tho realisation of waning powers, vulnerable to the speed and staying power of youth, he has to face two challengers of twenty-six and twenty-four, both men who have been in the top flight, of tennis for years, who are thoroughly seasoned in Davis Cup play, and.whose game has been steadily improving throughout the period in which his owl ability has begun to wane.

QUIET PREPARATION. The French understand well howU keep their players fit for such a match as this. The team stays quietly in tho country, having just enough stroke practice to keep it in trim, removed from the noise and distractions of tha city, coming to the court keen and witk. husbanded strength. The Americans, the most regular challengers in recent years, have made a mistake season after season, burning 'up their team with ■■•»■ long series of tournaments, living iat the heart ;of Paris and practising,'at their game until they have been thoroughly jaded and unable, to give thet? best. But brilliant captaincy of .thaFrench has enableu^therii'to' i'etain..thai trophy for at leasts two;, years ;after ; 'it> ; seemed certain to pass away/from theni;Again their skill in ./judging the posir ion has been brought to bear".' * In 1931 it became.apparent:-that ißprotra, could not pjay three matches," it was' doubtful even if he could play singles. Hu was chosen for singles alone last year. The escape against the United States ia 1932 revealed clearly that to ask Cochet to play in singles, and doubles both was to invite disaster. So tha team this year will-restrict Cochet to the singles and Borotra to doubles, and it is obviously in" these three matches that the French put their faith.' Cochet must win both his events and Botfotra with Brughon, fresh from their triumph at Wimbledon, will'seek %a make certain of the doubles. Against them will be ranged F. J. Perry and H. W. Austin in the singles, with the the youthful Perry probably partnering G. P. Hughes in the doubles as well. The second French singles string, Andre Merlin, is a promising player and is improving, but he is young, untried in contests of this ijalibre, and matched against men who have fat" finer records .than, he is able to display.' He is, obviously, a forlorn hope; if he wins his countrymen will be at much surprised as delighted.

MUCH AT STAKE.—

The fault in these tactics-is'thait they; place so much on individual: matches. Cochet, facing the loss of one of "his1 singles, may find the responsibility' weigh too heavily on him, Borotra and' Brugnon, with the doubles 'at, stake,, may become rattled and act too swiftly, may miss that essential point 'which' makes all the difference between victory ana defeat. In short, the French. are on the defensive. They start with.. a handicap of two matches and while that handicap, may bo such as <to make them play all the better, adversity it: likely to double the burden. When a player must win a match there is only one way he can be sure of itf to win it all the way. And two years ago tha Coehet who was world champion was not able to do that against Austin and < Perry. Today he will find it a harder task. He is, of course, capable of. winning, and in that event the whola match will turn on the doubles, in which the odds are' slightly on the; French. The fact that BorOtra ■ and Brugnon arc appearing in a singlo match, that they are playing well, and..; have made a spectaculaiv showing,.it j Wimbledon is in their favour.. Againstthem is the fact that theyiihay hava worked up to the height of their form, for the big event and fail just as' they have failed before. For it must, not be lost sight of that Cochet hasbeen the backbone, of , the French doubles team, as of. the, singles team." Never since France won the Cup until, last season had he lost a singles match, only once had he lost a double. And jit must not be forgotten that two youthful Australians defeated Borotra' and Bruguon only two months ago. ;; If the French could win the Cup again this year they would equal the record of the United States of sevea (successive victories. No Empire country has been a serious contender for the trophy for the last thirteen years, the United States losing only threo matches of the thirty played by her teams in defence of tho trophy, and the duel between France and the U.S.A. continuing from 1927, -when the trophy went to Paris, until last year, -with! the sole interruption of 1931,' when Britain entered the challenge round once again. ■ .-- --.'■ •■ - ■-•■■.•' •