Evening star., 1940-07-23
From the
Press Box
Italians Find No Fun
In Axis Cup Matches
BY JOHN LARDNER,

NEW YORK, July 23 IN. A. N. Az
The Davis Cup. first trophy Of
tennis, has been replaced for 194o
by the Axis Cup. named In honor
Of Cornelius ]. Axis, the noted En-
ropean sportsman.
never heard of Mr.. Axis up till
now, but he Is well known to little
Joe Goebbels, the mouthpiece OF
the third reich, who says that you
couldn't pick better man for the
job.
When pressed by interviewers to
describe this benefactor of tennis
Mr.. Goebbels, who has . ready wit,
laughed merrily.
Axis no questions and we'll tell
you no lies" said the great editor,
IN that roguish dialect which has
kept the people Of Germany in
stitches (or in concentration camps:
choice Of one) since 1888.
Unfortunately, while the Germans
can laugh about the Axis Cup, it is
no kidding matter for the Italians.
The Italians have been stung. l
think 1t is beginning to dawn on
the Duce that he led with his chin
when he agreed to play a little
friendly tennis with Germany once
In a year, in lieu Of sending q couple
Of cruisers down, to Australia to
compete for the Davis Cup.
Duce Discovered Joker
In Ployer Roster
It sounded all right when little
Joe Goebbels said. Lets you and
us play for our own cup. old man,
just chummy game between the
two Of us, Germany and Italy" The
Duce signed the papers with all the
goodwill in the world. Then he
took q glance at his latest map of
Europe. hot of the press (they
leave the new edition every morning
on his doorstep), and saw where the
Joker was.
The tennis players of Europe are
divided roughly as follows:
For Germany: German. Polish,
Czech, French, Dutch. Belgian. Nor
wegian. Austrian. and Danish.
For Italy: Italian.
Not only did Hitler corner all the
tennis players in this shake up, but
he impounded all their rackets and
tennis balls and most of the good
grass and clay courts. Unless the
Duce can dig up an Ethiopian tennis
player or . couple of Albanian aces,
the Axis Cup matches will be a hol-
low mockery. and little Joe Goebbels
will die laughing (the silver lining)
NsorIy All Davis Aces
On hitIer's Teom
What it amounts to is that Hitler,
though he failed to win the Davis
Cup last year, has won almost all
the Davis Cup players. It's a round
about way of doing things, but A. H.,
as they call him at the club. has
succeeded In making a sucker out Of
Mussolini. and I guess he figures
that the reward justifies the outlay.
This Axis cup swindle was fore
shadowed two years ago, but Italy
seems to have been looking the
other way. Hitler and Goebbels be-
gan by Anschlussing Austria and
with 1t an Austrian Davis Cup play
er. This helped the German team,
but they still lacked punch in the
middle of the battling order.
Then the Czecho. Slovakian Davis
Cup team was taken overall but
one member, Mr.. Hecht, who made
good his escape to America with his
rackets under his arm. Mr.. Hecht
now is performing with left-handed
brilliance over here, and Mr.. Hitler
cusses Mr.. Goebbels every time he
thinks Of the one that got away.
Itoly Won't Be Given
Any Help BY A. n.
There is q rumor that a couple Of
good French players got away too, in
the latest tennis scouting expedition,
but A. H. seems to have trapped
the best of the Dutch. Belgian. Nor
wegian, Danish and Polish material.
Will any of his boys be loaned
- Y<a01, fae %k> Nat ~