1939: Tennis

In a remarkable repetition of history, Australia won the Davis Cup from the United States in 1939, the crowning achievement of a season that was not particularly distinguished for the quality of its tennis. Twenty-five years ago, as the war clouds gathered in Europe in 1914, Norman Brookes and Anthony Wilding defeated Otto Froitzheim and Otto Kreuzer of the Kaiser's imperial staff of officers in Pittsburgh and then went on to win the cup from the United States at Forest Hills. Last September while Germany was invading Poland, President Norman Brookes of the Australian Lawn Tennis Association looked on as another pair of Australians wrested the trophy again from America.

The matches in 1939 were held at the Merion Cricket Club, Haverford, Pa. To make the victory all the more notable, the Australians achieved it after losing the opening two singles matches. Their feat in winning the next three for the series by the score of 3 to 2 marked the first time such a comeback had been made in a Davis Cup challenge round. Adrian Quist and John Bromwich represented the Australians, with Harry Hopman serving as captain of the team and Jack Crawford in reserve. Robert L. Riggs, Jr., Frank A. Parker, Joe Hunt and Jack Kramer played for the United States. J. Donald Budge, the world's leading amateur in 1937, when he brought the cup back to the United States after its ten-year absence, and again in 1938, when he led the successful defense, was not available for the American team in 1939. He was in the professional ranks, and so the Australian victory came as no surprise except that it was achieved after all seemed lost for the challenging team.

Parker defeated the veteran Quist on the opening day to give the United States a victory it had not counted on. Riggs did more than some had bargained on when he disposed of Bromwich in three sets with a carefully thought-out exhibition of crafty tennis, and so the United States led 2-0 at the end of the first day. Quist and Bromwich defeated Hunt and the youthful Kramer in the doubles, as had been taken for granted, on the second day. On the final day Riggs lost to Quist in a punishing, fluctuating struggle after the former had lost the first two sets and seemed to be headed towards victory in the fifth; and Bromwich crushed Parker in a colorless concluding match. Thus Australia won the cup for the first time since 1919.

Excepting the Davis Cup games, the most important competition in tennis, American players swept all before them. The British, French and national championships fell to them; and for the ninth successive year the United States defeated Britain in the women's Wightman Cup matches. Riggs succeeded Budge as the American vs. British champion, though he was beaten in the French competition by Donald McNeill, who carried off the championship. Miss Alice Marble established herself as the unrivalled champion in women's tennis. The blonde Californian won the American championship for the third time and the British for the second time. She also won the women's doubles with Mrs. Sarah Palfrey Fabyan and the mixed doubles, both at Wimbledon and Forest Hills.

The only player to threaten her supremacy was Miss Helen Jacobs, who gave her two bitter three-set battles at East Hampton and Forest Hills.

The national doubles championship fell to Quist and Bromwich, who defeated Crawford and Hopman in an all-foreign final at Longwood. The Australians did not fare well in the national singles. Quist was beaten by Wayne Sabin; and Bromwich, who was regarded by many as Budge's likely successor as world's champion, fell before the 19-year-old Welby Van Horn. Van Horn was the sensation of the championship, in which he gained the final against Riggs. He and Kramer, both stalwart youngsters who play the hard-hitting tennis characteristic of Budge and Ellsworth Vines, stand as America's two leading hopefuls for the future. The future of tennis is not very bright, with the world afire, and unless the war comes to an early conclusion, international play in 1940 is unlikely.

Professional tennis was marked by the successful debut of Budge at Madison Square Garden before more than 16,000 spectators. Budge defeated Vines and, on a return appearance, beat Fred Perry, to establish his world supremacy. He maintained this supremacy over Vines and Perry in cross-country tours with them and went to England to beat the best professionals there, including William Tilden, 47-year-old marvel of the courts. His plans for a world tour had to be canceled owing to the war. The national professional championship, in which Budge did not compete, was won by Vines.

Until a new figure emerges from the amateur ranks to stand as a challenger to Budge, professional tennis is not likely to offer much appeal to the public. It is Budge's misfortune that he is too good for his own good — a player without a rival. Until international competition is resumed on a large scale and a new box-office magnet is built up to throw down the gauntlet to him, his great talent is not likely to profit him much.