THE DAVIS CUP

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 22, 10 February 1937, Page 10

THE DAVIS CUP

ITS STRAIN UPON NATIONS SHOULD ENTRIES BE UMTTED? DIPLOMATIC MOVE NEEDED The figure in shorts and a sweater we saw trotting neatly, breathing correctly, and looking nicely fit, on Hampstead Heath the other day was none other than "Bunny" Austin, who now has both handles of the Davis Cup to hold, writes Clifforii Webb, in che Daily Herald. The said cup, which is really a bowl, is a heavy piece of precious metal. With sundry tennis nations pulling and tugging, "Bunny" is going to be awfuliy hard-pushed to retain his grip, The Hampstead Heath effort is, no doubt, indicative of the seriousness with which Austin views his task. We may be incjined to a little super-optimism in sport in view of the cricket turn-up. I would say, though, that England will achieve a miracle far more sensational than the cricket win, if we manage to keep this Davis Cup. within the tight little island. What would happen if the rule that keeps the holders out of the combat until the chailenge round did not operate, I . hesitate to think. Which brings us to a litle point. Behind this Davis Cup competition there is — and always has been a muttering and a fluttering of slight resentment against certain features of the annual international lawn tennis tournament. ' Not surprising, of course. The surprising faqt is that, with so mapy nations represented, there should have been sueh smoothness of wprking for so many years. Holders' Exemption But the feeling is growing that this exemption of the holders from all rounds, except the chailenge round, is neither good for the competition nor for the game generally. There was a time when the holders of the Wimbledon singles championship were not called upon to play through the competition. That soon to an end, when it was realised that the rule ' kept the most attractiye player out of the competition until the last day. And that is precisely what some of the tennis nations have been thinking about the Davis Cup. In some of the European countries where it is extremely difficult to get suffieient spectators to pay expenses — even for early round matches — it is felt that to be drawn against the holders in the first round would, at least, provide home tennis enthusiasts with one attractive tie. The frequency with which nations win the Davis Cup three, four, pr even five years in succession, f is quoted to prove the difficulties " of challengers. Long sequences of wins for any on'e nation is apt to rob the competition of much of its international interest. But that isn't all. I hear that the most startling proposal yet made in connection with the Davis' Cup is to be placed before the responsible committee in the near future. Limit Entries It is this. Entries should be iimited to, say, 12, and the whole competition decided during a fortnight's tournament at one specified centre. A programme would be drawn up, and the competition given to each oi the big cities in turn — London, New York, Paris, Berlin, Sydney, for example. With three or four courts available, it is considered' that the whole competition could easiiy be got through in a fortnight, beginning and ending on a Saturday, or a Sunday as the case might be. It is argued that sueh a concentrated carnival o£ the best men's tennis in the world could not fail to attract big crowds. The receipts would be pooled and equalljw shared after expenses have been pald. Long and weary wanderings from one country to another would be avoided, as would. long lapses between rounds, and the strain imposed on players by participation in varioUs national championships, followed immediately by long trips to play a Davis Cup tie in some other country. We had an instanee of that last year, when the Germans had to race from Wimbledon to middle Europe for a Davis Cup tie, and then back to Wimbledon for the inter-zone final with the Australians. That was a bad arrangement, and there are bound to be many sueh bad arrangements under the present system. Calls for Dlplomaey

The question of selecting the 12 entries in the event of the list being over-subscribed would be a problem, calling for a certain amount of diplomacy; but I feel sure that several of the nations which now enter teams for the Davis Cup would be better of£ financially if they did not compete. Anyway, it is a novel suggestion and, even if an early round had to be played else where in oraer to limitthe number of teams to eight for the big show, there would still be created an enermous amount of interest. The indications are that something of this sort will have to be planned, or else the competiion altered to a bi-annual affair— a move that has already been put forward officially on more than one occasion.