TENNIS ABROAD

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 110, 5 November 1937, Page 3

TENNIS ABROAD

D. C. COOMBE RETURNS

PLAY AND PLAYERS

' Holder Sf the New Zealand men singles championship, D: C. Coomb returned to Wellington today by thi Tamaroa from England after an absence of six months abroad, during which he had a considerable amount of match play, His activities included playing in the Davis Cup tie for New Zealand against South Africa. Mr. Coombe played in the French, championships at Paris, and the Belgian championships at Ostend, and the rest of his time abroad was spent in, playing in England and Scotland. Asked about the performances at Home of the New. Zealanders Stedman and Malfroy, Mr. Coombe said that Stedman had progressed quite a lot. He thought Austin was the only player in England who could beat Stedman at his best. Stedman won practically all the tournaments he took part in, and I he and Malfroy as a doubles pair were ' definitely the third pair in England; at their best they were probably better than that. Mr. Coombe referred to Stedman's visit to New Zealand this season, and said that particularly as he had been away from New Zealand about five years he was looking forward to tht trip. The American star, Donald Budge, Mr. .Coombe considers to be as far ahead of the rest of the amateurs at the present time as Perry was inS his day. Asked about Britain's prospects ot regaining the "Davis Cup, Mr. Coombs said he did not think they were particularly bright at the present time. Austin was still very good, but he was growing older; he was now.about 29 or 30 years of age and he did not .think that he wruld get any better. Nevertheless Britain had a good team. Har« was quite good. Either Hare or Wilde or Hughes and Tuckey made a good doubles pair. But his opinion was that Germany and Australia had the best chance of lifting the Davis Cup. Last time Australia had a lot of bad luck. His trip and the match play he had had overseas Mr. Coombe described as being very well worth while. He thought his game had improved, but it ws really very difficult to tell in England, because the standard was made so high by the presence of overseas players. Playing at Wimbledon was a marvellous experience. What impressed him greatly in England was the great amount of competition play. There were many tournaments each year—anything, up to 14 per week in England. He had played constantly from. the time he arrived there. He played in seventeen tournaments in England, one in Scotland, ona in Belgium, and one in France, and had two Davis Cup matches as well. That represented practically : Vix months' solid play, and if he had arrived earlier and had stayed longer he could have had even more play. With opportunities such as that a player was able or should be able to' make a definite advance. The young players he saw in action in England did not seem to be so far advanced as the Australians; the Australians seemed to develop much younger. The Australian Bromwich, he said, he considered was a potential Wimbledon winner. Quist had been ill; Mo Grath was quite as good as ever, and Crawford, although he played badly in the Davis Cup matches, played very well at Wimbledon. Australia h« thought had the best team of four in the world today.