THE DAVIS CUP

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 119, 5 June 1937, Page 17

THE DAVIS CUP

australia fails WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW? germany may euminate AMERiCA. • vastly changed outlook Australia, just when the future nve greater promiae than it has «ver given so far as the Davis Cup is oonoerned, lailed to negotiate the zone flnal gainst America, Blnase was a baslc oause, perliaps, but other factors are worthy of ■> bsing anelysed, even at this late kour. The defeat, notwithstandiny the fact that we.in New Zealand knew that illness was a d!s^ turbing element in the Australian twim, came as something of a surprise. • In fact, all the leading up to this year's zone final painted R picture of rosy hope for Australia. It was regarded, right from the time when Sproule sailed with his team for America, that the Commonwealth had the brightest chance it had ever had of hringing the trpphy back to the warmth of Paeific seas. To-day the putlook is completely changed and Australia is looking ahead tp the distal possibility of never being able to jlft the trophy at all. McGrath's illness and then that of Qpjsjb played an unhappy part and it •really seexned as if the fates had deflnitely loaded the dice against Australia. Bromwich was not up to the ,peak of international standard and it

. ■ i ' ' • bec&mes patent now that the decision to play hira in the singles in preference to McGrath was an error of judgment. If he had been sent to. the courts to pair with Crawford he would have had that frlend'ly suppoort from a player schooled on the hard road of international tests. McGrath should have been capable of holding his own in singles. In any oase, it would have been more to the point to expect him to do well in comparison with Bromwich. who must havesehsecT a' touch of inferiority complex when he went out alone to'fake the courthill his first really big international test. * So ihe whple DjlvIs Cup out'look is changed and instead of the critics of the world endeavouring to assess the relative merits of Austin and Crawford in the chailenge jnatch final, the effort npw will be to try and read aright the relative strengths of America and Germany. At the mpment of writing word of Henkel (Germany) gathering in the French championship comes to hand. That confirms & belief that Germany witi be hard to beat, Jlenkel and G. Von Cramm will present something for ' America to conquer. It is true that they would have tested Australia, but thpughts of Australia focussed on a fit Q'uist. .\yith the fates denying that one is forced to a conclusion that the United States, having got through the American zone hnal without Quist in the picture, will not offer to Germany the same opposition as a truly representative Australian combination would have done. ■ Baron Von Cramm (Germany) finds it necessary to refrain from too much tennis. He retired from all events in the French championships — needs a rest before ihe inter-zone final against Americp. . . , . That, actually is a good reason. Most of ihe JDavis Cup leaders get too much match play. Cochet for years refuSed to take Wimbledon seriously. He went down year after year to players inuch below him in 'actual skill. Several critics think that Cochet simply . used Wimbledon to keep him in form for the Davis Cup. Now von Cramm is possibly doing the same patriotic thing. . It wpuld be a ealamity if Germany lost his services for -the Davis Cup. Seeing that a tour -through Australia is being arranged for von Cramm and Henkel" at the end of this year, his health cannot bo seriously affected. ' •