The online description was enticing. Based on the title alone, A History of the Davis Cup: Being the Story of the International Lawn Tennis Championship was destined to end up in my library. Even though it only covers 1900 through 1948, the fact that it was written by D.C. Coombe, the Captain of the 1947 New Zealand team, made it sound even better.
This is a book best suited for decorative purposes. Despite the fact that my copy is well-worn, as an accent piece it clearly conveys tennis fanaticism and an interest in the minute details of the sport. The majority of the book is filled with a year-by-year summary of the players for each team and the results of the matches. Suffice it to say that I did not read every page of the book for this review.
There is some historical value in the preface written by A.K. Trower, who is identified as the Wimbledon Referee for 1946. For example, he indicates that the dressing rooms at that tournament carry solemn admonitions that “knocking up” before matches must not exceed three minutes. A lot has changed in tennis since this book was published.
Similarly, the two-page introduction provides a brief history of the Davis Cup competition and introduces the challenge cup format that was used during the initial years. In fact, seeing the evolution of the structure and format of the Davis Cup over this period somehow makes the recent streamlining innovations more palatable. The competition has been in continuous flux since its inception.
Additionally, there are several vintage photos printed in the book. It includes portraits of key players as well as some action shots of matchplay revealing panoramic details of the venues where the Davis Cup was contested.
A History of the Davis Cup: Being the Story of the International Lawn Tennis Championship is out of print and hard to find. However, you might stumble across a copy in a used bookstore. I wouldn’t go out of my way to search for this book again, but I don’t regret the initial purchase decision.
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