Davis Cup

At Wimbledon last week, Joseph W. Wear, banker, court tennist and non-playing captain of the U. S. Davis Cup team, was up against a tough question. The U. S. team had just managed to beat Germany in the interzone final (TIME, July 29). In the doubles, after match point had been called against them five times, Wilmer Allison and John Van Ryn had nosed out Baron Gottfried von Cramm and Kay Lund in five long sets. Next day, Allison had, as expected, won his singles match against Heiner Henkel and Donald Budge had amazingly defeated von Cramm. This gave the U. S. the right to play England in the challenge round but instead of making Captain Wear's job easier, it merely plunged him deeper into a dilemma which for the last seven years has made the captaincy of the U. S. Davis Cup team one of the most thankless in sport.

Specifically, his problem was whom to choose to play singles against England. Budge, the red-haired 20-year-old Californian whose game has been the sensation of the season, could of course be taken for granted. That left Allison and Sidney Wood eligible for the other singles position. Since U. S. chances seemed to depend on winning both singles matches against England's stylistic little "Bunny" Austin, the choice which confronted Captain Wear seemed quite likely to decide possession of the Cup. Wood is a tennis genius who, almost unbeatable on his best days, can play like a second-rater on his bad days. Allison is a dependable, aggressive player who, though he loses most of his important matches, always works hard and makes his opponent do likewise. If he chose Allison, Captain Wear might not see his team win the Cup but at least it would be a close call. If he chose Wood, and Wood had an off-day against Austin, Captain Wear could be reproached with some justice.

Captain Wear pondered for a whole day. Then he chose Allison. Since England's Fred Perry could be counted on for two singles points, America's Budge for one and the U. S. doubles team of Allison & Van Ryn for another, the crucial match was Allison v. Austin. When the draw was announced, it became clear that Captain Wear would not have to wait long to have his decision tested. The crucial match was the first on the schedule.

Smartly dressed in the shorts which he says he wears only because the amenities forbid his playing nude, Austin promptly made Captain Wear squirm by winning the first set 6-2. Allison comforted his captain by winning the next two. When Austin had won the fourth, the crowd perked up for the set which they felt sure was destined to decide the series. Allison led at 3-1, 4-3. and 5-4. At 30-15, only two points from victory, Captain Wear smiled as he watched his man trot up to smash an easy lob. Allison volleyed feebly into the net. Five minutes later the match was over, 6-2, 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, for Austin.

Whatever remote chance the U. S. had to win the Davis Cup thereafter disappeared with surprising promptness. Later that same afternoon, Perry beat Budge, 6-0, 6-8, 6-3, 6-4. Two days later, the supposedly unbeatable U. S. doubles team, possibly weakened by the effects on Allison of his match with Austin, came out to play George Patrick Hughes and stocky young Charles Raymond Davys Tuckey, making his first appearance in a Davis Cup match. Instead of winning in three sets as anticipated, Allison & Van Ryn lost in five --6-2, 1-6, 6-8, 6-3, 6-3--and it was England's Cup for the third year in a row.

*The Davis Cup, an elaborate silver bowl and tray, is now so completely covered with names of winners that where to put this year's will be a puzzle. It was put up for competition in 1900 by onetime Secretary of War Dwight Filley Davis. Last week, Dwight Davis Jr., the donor's son, was beaten 6-3, 4-6, 4-6 by an unseeded player named Frederic Gaskell in the quarter finals of the Suffolk County, N. Y., singles championship.

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