Evening star., 1938-07-11
BUDGE WANTS HIM
|. AS DOUBLES MATE
Don Probably Could Handle
Tandem Assignment With
Gr0ucho as Partner.
BY GAYLE TALBOT,
Associated Press SPORTS Writer.

NEW YORK. July 1l.-There Is
noted = renewal of the campaign to
get Gene Mako of our Davis Cup team,
the fear being expressed that unless
J. Donald Bulge has better doubles
partner forced upon him we will be
in dire danger Of losing the miniature
bathtub this fall at Germantown.
For those who are alarmed easily
about such matters, and to calm Mako's
admirers, we hasten to set down that
Gene will play alongside the big red
head in the challenge round against
Australia, and that Uncle Sam will
retain the gilded reservoir by about
four matches to one. Shucks, make
it five to nothing.
The reasons that Mako will stay
right in there, despite the. viewing
Withdrawn, are two-fold: % Bulge,
the world champeen, won't have any
other doubles partner, and C2) the
absence of anything resembling dam
gerous opposition.
Could Use Groucho Marx.
With Bulge and Bobby Riggs play
ing the four singles matches in the
challenge round, and probably winning
all OF them, it would do no appreciable
harm if Bulge and Groucho Marx got
the doubles assignment, with the latter
swinging a banjo. In fact, it might
add some comic relief.
Dismissing what little real tennis
talent is left in Europe since Gottfried
won Cramm went to prison, it seems
virtually certain that the showdown
at Germantown will find the two Aus
tralians. Andrian Quist and Jack
bromwich, trying to life the cup.
The Two other Aussie stars, Vivian
McGrath and Jack Crawford. are re-
ported to have tired of the annual
struggle. and, anyway. Quist and
Bromwich have been trimming then,
regularly Of late.
Quist, though still about the has+
doubles player in the world. isn't the
singles threat he was in 1886. when he
beat men like Wilmer Allison and
Bunny Austin and gave Won Cranm a
sensational scrap in the inter-zone
nnal at Wimbledon. They saw he
never has recovered completely from
an attack of jaundice.
BrOmwich Home Hot Shot.
Bromwich. the other man, is a holy
terror in Australia. He is the worlds
most unorthodox player, hitting thu
! oail "oouble-handed" from both sides
ana generally acting like sleieht-
oi-hand artist. The only thing: He
isn't yet quite 20. and something seems
to happen to his game on this side
of the world.
Bulge. OF course. will trim both of
tnem. and it wouldn't be surprising to
see Riggs do the same. That is. TAX
ing 1t for granted that Riggs has
shown normal improvement since the
last national championships at Forest
. Hills. At least, you may bet that he
will lick Bromwich.
Riggs is much better PLAYER than
most people think. Judging from the
TACT that there has been some con-
lecture about the No. 2 singles berth
on the American cup team. It isn't
even a contest. The tennis fathers
don't like Bobby much, but they do
want to keep the cup.
strangely enough. the much.ma-
llgned Gene Mako also is 4 better
oouoies partner than he has been
MADE out. He isn't George Lott or
even John Van Ryn. and he can't
peat anybody at singles, but he and
Bulge have proved themselves the
pest doubles pair in the world for the
last two years. It's just possible that
Bulge wouldn't do as well with an
4 other partner.