THE DAVIS CUP

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 71, 10 April 1937, Page 14

THE DAVIS CUP

AUSTRALIA OR U.S.A.? OPINIONS IN LONDON / BUDGE AMEraCA'S SPEARHEAD -i?" J ■ AUSTRAUA'S DOUBLES i,2 f '■ STRENGTH . Opinion seems to be fairjy well divided on the prospects of Australia and the United States . of " America Teaching the later stages of the competition for the Davis Cup, coriaments tliat authoritative London journ'al, Lawn Tepnis and Badminton. Both nations have their immediate problems of team selection and neither can affprd elaboratp experiment as the American zone contains only three ties. The United States are perhaps more happily placed as the first-rat,e o'ppositibn Jappn will prpyide shpuld give their players inva,luable rnatcbplay without risk bf defeat before they meet Australia in the final. The appraiser of form would be justified iri concluding that Australia's prospects of survival over*' America — apd over the winner Of the European jzpne— nre sligbtly fyetter than those oi Antara, despite the admitted advance of J- D. Budge and the evident decline of J. H. Crawford over the past two years. The history* of the competition shows that ' the better-' balanced team with its strength, distributed in singles and doubles, usually prevails in the key matches of the competition. It may be cpjatended that Budge is somewhat in advance of the best that Australia can produce, but the latiter nation can point to fopr players, any two of whom on currept form c.ould b'e selected as an adequate singles team without disturbing the doubles strength. America ori the other hand reckons on the help of Budge for singles and 1 doubles in it? estimate of success next May, and as an American journal perr tinently remarks: "It will be generally admitted that Budge is capabie of beating any play.er who wll battie for the Cup ijti 1937. To b,eat two with a : day between, take a breather and scpre another point in the doubles; ' that is a difierent matter." With a fine array of potentiaf talent at hand, America have not always been lucky enough to strike the best combination, so elusive is form egrly in the year wbept the teams have had to be nominated for Europe. Aiisfralia are mor,e * fprtunately placed bi tfiis respec.t as their seiecr tors will have the results of their present summer in front of them before naming their players, though it is apparent tliat Australian form at present is in the melting pot. Quist lost his Australian championship in the quarter-final round and Crawford fell to the 18-year-old Bromwich. With such perplexing results the Ausfraliap selectors are pot to b.e envied. In gambhng on a sbort cut ix> the challenge round through the American zone, one slip in team selection may prove fatal; in the European zone they could have allowed the form of their players to settle down during the early rounds and name their best for the crucial matches in the later sfages. A further advantage Australia may be said to possess over America is that four of the fiye players from wh°m their t.eam wiil prespmably be selected have had several years' experience in international competition," and are seasoned fighters, J. Bromwich being the only "raw" recruit. Last May, Australia beat America by a narrow margin after a fljictuating tie; and evpnts seem destitned to follow a similar course this May, If America has good claims to two singles mafches through Budge, Australia has also strong claims to victories over America's second player, apd the r.esult would then turn on the doubles match, won last year by Crawford and Quist from 1-4 in the fifth set against Budge and Mako. Australia may deem it wise to build the team round their doubles combination, endeayouring to strengthen their pair for What may be the vital match and naming two other players for the singles. Perry is of. opinion that Crawford should no longer be asked to play on all three days, and in. view of Australia's maturing talent there is no reason why he should carry sueh a heavy burden.