Sport: Up in Smoke

Not so long ago, the U.S. Davis Cup squad—on paper, at least—looked as though it had an even chance of bringing the cup back from Australia this December. Dick Savitt, Australian and Wimbledon champion, was thelogical No.1 man in singles. Up & coming Tony Trabert, U.S. clay court champion, could play the No. 2 singles, and team with veteran Billy Talbert in the doubles. Then the paper plans began to go up in smoke. A week after Trabert was ordered to duty with the Navy, Talbert quit the squad to go back to work as a salesman for the Security Banknote Co. in Manhattan.

With two-thirds of his paper team up the chimney, non-playing captain Frank Shields now has a squad that might well have its hands full with little Sweden in the interzone final. Remaining members: Savitt; Vic Seixas, who lost the U.S. championship to Australia’s Frank Sedgman in straight sets; Budge Patty, who has never regained the touch that made him 1950 Wimbledon champion; and Hamilton Richardson, 18-year-old former junior champion. Shields says he has one hope left: the chance of the Navy’s transferring Trabert to Australia for temporary duty just at Davis Cup time.