THE DAVIS CUP.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XVIII, Issue 1856, 1 September 1923, Page 4

THE DAVIS CUP.

By defeating France in the semifinal, Australia has become the challenger for the coveted Davis Cup. No other game has, of late years, become invested with such glamoui and prestige as international tennis. Australasia, assisted by the incomparable Anthony Wilding, of whom a

rare and ways remain, times, and held it, nf

siderable period, American pair, Tilden re-captured it at Auckland }fAmerica has not had much in retaining it ever since. To-day, Australia, represented by Anderson, Hawkes, Mclnnes and Schlesinger, will again do battle for their country in an endeavour to bring the Davis Cup once more to Australia. Although they have defeated Hawaii, France and Japan, there has been nothing in the form shown by Anderson and his team mates to suggest that the result is a foregone conclusion in favour of Australia, but it might be added none of the tennis fraternity will be disappointed if they lose. Their success to date has been the more gratifying because there was a strong body of tennis opinion opposed to sending a team which had not much chance of winning the championship. This opposition was unsportmanlike, and the outcome of a narrow point of view. It implied that Australia should not send a team that was not certain of victory. Happily, wiser counsels prevailed, and a team was selected and sent to America. Apart from the fact that they will be playing in their own country, with a moral backing of probably 30,000 deep-throated Yankees, the . Americans have earned the right to be regarded as strong favourites. They will be represented by Tilden, one of the greatest exponents of the game who ever wielded a racquet, and Johnston, the present world’s champion. With Richards as third man, they appear to be almost invincible. Anderson has scored one win against Tilden, and whether he is capable of repeating the victory will not be known until Monday next. At the moment, his chances may be regarded as fair. His chance of beating Johnston, however, is said to be much better, though he will have to be at the top of his form to do so. Hawkes, however, is still below Davis Cup standard, whilst Schlesinger and Mclnnes (if they play) should be easy for their more experienced opponents. Australia, in the tennis sense, is building for the future, as she and other countries have had to build in the past. Presently—so remarkable is the boom in the summer game—other Wildings, McLaughlins and Brookes will arise to replace their illustrious predecessors. Even New Zealand need not despair of producing another world beater, though there is not one in sight at the moment. It will be a great day in sporting circles of the Dominion when we can enter a team along with those of other countries which have made tennis the world’s most universally popular game.