Evening star., 1934-08-05
STOEFEN SHAPING
AS NEXT REAL ACE
Strain Of Davis Cup Play
"Gets" Most Big Timers.
Yanks Did Well.
BY ALAN GOULD.
Associated Press sports Editor.


IN row that our Davis Cup
I'M argonauts are coming
back again empty
handed from the chal-
le'nge round against England, ]
hope you will not take up the
cudgel and lambaSt the boys"
writes Mark Scarr, who peers in
tently at all sporting proceed
ingS from his coming tower
down along the Eastern Shore.
1t isn't necessary for us to Join the
anvil chorus. for two reasons: (l)
that We consider the best available
American team was sent to this years
Davis cup wars. and (2) that we did
not think beforehand It had much
chance to beat England, under any
circumstances.
II know and you know" continues
Mark, that they did their best, gave
everything they had and that the
sting of defeat hurts them deeply.
They left their hearts right out on
the court and they deserve a hand.
Their stand against Australia Is
something to remember. / wish the
tennis writers would stop criticizing
Frank Shields, in particular. His
stand against Pred Perry showed
what kind Of a fighting heart he has.
Shields Ia q big dx-iooter, high
strung and nervous"
There's no doubt about nerves being
jumpy in this Davis cup business.
Cup stars have told me that no one
who hasn't experienced the strain of
q challenge round match can appre-
ciate the pressure 1t puts on any In
dividuals nervous system. Only ex-
ceptional men, like Tilden. Cochet
and Perry, have the ability to rise to
their greatest competitive moments
under such circumstances. IL gets"
most of them, with not even the
slightest question Of gameness in
volved.
No Big and Little Bills.
The striking fact remains. based on
the record OF seven years since France
lifted the trophy from the United
States at the Germantown Cricket
Club in 1927. that America has failed
to produce n singles player able 70
pick up where either Big Bill Ttlden
or Little Bill Johnston left on.
Undoubtedly H. Ellsworth Vines was
the nearest thing to 1t. For one year,
at least, Vines was the greatest anna
teur in the world. but he did not
manifest the stability or inclination
to make his mark as an information
alist. His Davis cup career was abb
breviated and marred, at its close, by
the fact he was thinking more Of his
professional future than any amateur
glory he might reflect upon the
u. s. A.
For three years after America lost
tbs Davis Cup, Tilden carried on and
scored our only singles victory each
time in vain attempts to disiodge the
French musketeers.
In the interzone or challenge round
matches In which the United States
has participated in the last four years,
only four singles victories have been
recorded, and half Of these took place
when Sidney Wood and Frank Shields
made their magnificent rally against
Australia this year. p
Thus in seven years the United
States record is exactly seven singles
triumphs against no less than as de-
feats in decisive Davis Cup competi-
toni Shades OF Heals Wright, Bill
Larned, Maury Mclaughlin, Dick VIII
liams, Bill Tilden, Bill Johnston and
other giants Of American tennisl In
the interzone matches of 1888 and
the challenge round Of 1884, both
against Great Britain, our players
failed to win a single match against
Bunny Austin or Fred Perry.
May Become Big Shot.
Over the same seven-year period our
doubles teams, which used 10 be q
continual source Of worry. have come
to dominate things completely. Our
lads haven't lost Davis Cup doubles
match since 1890. The record is six
victories and two defeats in the inter-
zone and challenge round competition
of 1923 to 1884, inclusive.
This leaves the future issue squarely
up to the development of singles play
ers able to scale the heights on for
eign fronts. They have in many in
stances been spectacular enough at
home, only to become jittery at Roland
Garros or Wimbledon, under the pres
sure.
On his play abroad this year Sidney
B. Wood, jr., undoubtedly ranks among
the worlds first five" He may yet
be the figure around whom q winning
combination can be built. Shields has
yet to demonstrate his reliability in
international battle. Lester Rollo Stoe-
fen is the next best singles prospect
II he comes along another year at the
swift pace he has shown most Of this
year the tall California blonde may be
the "nniSSinO lff1k