Harry Hopman versus Donald Dell: 1960-1969

1960
Grass court dominance changed this year, when the Italians and Sergio Tacchini fought their way through to the Challenge Round. All was set for the familiar final, but the Italians came back from 2-0 down, against the Americans, in Perth.

Australian Bob Hewitt [l] and Frew McMillian of South Africa teamed up to form a great doubles team, as Hewitt transferred allegiances in 1966. They won 57 titles together.

Piertrangeli and Sirola beat Butch Buchholz and Chuck McKinley in the doubles and Pietrangeli then beat Buchholz, before Sirola played the match of his life by defeating McKinley 9-7, 6-3, 8-6. The Italians master tactician had been a certain Jaroslav Drobny.

In the final at White City Italian preparation had been immaculate, with early nights, being their forte before the match. Australia however soon dispelled the Italian Challenge: Neale Fraser defeated Sirola; the "Rocket" Rod Laver ripped past Nicola Pietrangeli; and the deadly duo: Fraser and Roy Emerson ended won the doubles.

Now the Challenge Round was no longer an Austro-American preserve.

1961
The Davis Cup Committee decided that instead of playing the Inter-Zone finals in the land of the Cup holders, matches should be played on a rotation home and away basis. So the Americans instead of facing the Italians on Australian grass faced them in front of thousands of screaming Romans at the Foro Italico. The Italians suffice to say won 3-2; they would be in the final.

They were mere grass court fodder for Harry Hopman's men, with Fraser injured Emerson won his singles and so too Laver, who had won his first Wimbledon earlier in the year.

Roy Emerson, won 12 Grand Slam singles titles throughout the 1960s while his Australian compatriots turned professional

1962
Laver confirmed his greatness by becoming the second man since Don Budge to achieve the one season Grand Slam, so for this reason there was never going to be any doubts when it came to the Challenge Round. South Africa and Mexico caused the surprises of the year by beating the French and United States respectively. Mexico then beat the Swedes and were in the Challenge Round.

Rafael Osuna was Mexico's outstanding player, a serve-volleyer with fast hands and feet combined with tactical knowledge, but little did this matter against the Australians.

With the smallest crowd since the war, consisting of 7,000, Australia won 5-0, with Laver and Fraser winning on the soggy grass courts. But this was an excellent result for Latin American tennis, who worshipped Brazilian Maria Bueno.

1963
With Laver having gone professional and Fraser retiring from singles due to a persistent knee problem, it was left to Emerson to fulfil Hopman's hopes. 'Emmo' would become the fastest and fittest player ever to play for Australia.

The greatest: Rod Laver took pride in playing for Australia and won the ´Grand Slam´ in 1963 before turning professional at the end of the year. He would later complete another ´Grand Slam´ in 1968

USA were on the march again, having rebuilt their team, they defeated Iran, Mexico, Venezuela and Britain, to book their place Down Under.

Emerson was brilliant, but powerless when it came to beating McKinley and Ralston in the doubles with Fraser. The destination of the Cup lay on the 19-year-old shoulders of Australian John Newcombe, and unsurprisingly he and Australia lost, 6-2 in the fourth and 3-2 overall.

1964
Hopman's production line was in danger of stopping altogether when a dispute concerning the practices of the Australian LTA, eventually barred Ken Fletcher, Marty Mulligan and Bob Hewitt from playing. The LTA didn't like their players travelling a great deal and it was Hopman who secured the services of Roy Emerson and Fred Stolle, through gritted teeth and many apologies.

At the Harold T. Clark courts, in Cleveland, the two enemies squared up and on the final day Australia found themselves 2-1 down. Stolle then played a roller coaster of a match, by beating Ralston in five sets, and showing Hopman that he was battle-hardened. After rain later that day Emerson returned and beat McKinley in four sets to secure the Cup, once again for Australia.

1965
Spain won through to the Challenge Round final, with a Madrid ball boy, Manuel Santana, whose singles victory at Wimbledon had heightened enthusiasm in Spain.

The United States and Spain met on the red stuff and a young American from Bakersfield, California, who had made quite an impression by not dropping a set on the way to the Inter-Zone final, was dropped for the clash. His name was Arthur Ashe.

Spain´s Manolo Santana shows he can volley, while defeating Roy Emerson in a dead Cup rubber Down Under in 1965 final

Spain conquered all on the clay and arrived in White City, Sydney, with Santana the new US Champion, so the Aussie's knew he could play on grass. It mattered not as Stolle beat Santana in five exhausting sets and Juan Gisbert proved nothing to the Emerson game.

1966
With sari-clad wives and the tremendous game of Ramanathan Krishnan, India found their way to the Challenge Round held at Kooyong. India had beaten Ceylon, Japan, West Germany and Brazil. In Melbourne though Stolle made sure.

The lean and mean Davis Cup playing machine, beat Krishnan and his fine touch in straight sets and Jaidip Mukerjea lost to Emerson. Hope for India was kept alive by the two in the doubles as they beat Newcombe and Tony Roche, but Emerson finished the job on the third day.

1967
As the Americans failed again, this time in Ecuador, Santana led the Spaniards back to Australia, having beaten South Africa in Johannesburg. Manuel Orantes replaced Gisbert, but it was to no avail as Emerson and Newcombe clobbered all before them.

Hopman had now won 15 times in 17 years. Something had to change. The change came in the shape of a new American captain.

1968
With their continuing woe on European clay and their only brief success coming in 1963, America sought counsel and appointed the services of one time Davis Cup player - albeit briefly - Donald Dell. Between 1960 and 1967 America, once the great nation of tennis had lost to Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, and Italy twice.

Gene Murphy [c] was a popular member of Donald Dell´s victorious 1968 Davis Cup squad. Here he crouches alongside [l to r] Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell, Clark Graebner, Dennis Ralston, Dell, Stan Smith, Jim Osborne and Cliff Richey

Dell's gun-hoe attitude saw him select college campus players whom he had spotted during the 1960s. Arthur Ashe and Charlie Pasarell; Stan Smith and Bob Lutz and; Clark Graebner and Jim Osbourne were the backbone of the 1968 challenge against Jamaica, Mexico, Ecuador, Spain and India.

Dell and his boys travelled Down Under, with a win-loss record of 23 rubbers to 2 after five rounds. America reclaimed the Cup by 4 matches to 1 after Hopman had fielded a weaker than usual team, which were without the services of 'new' professionals Emerson and Stolle.

1969
With the advent of 'open' tennis midway through the year, coinciding with Wimbledon, Romania surprisingly found their way through to the Challenge Round, in Cleveland, equipped with the services of Ion Tiriac and Ilie Nastase.

The prize awaits: Arthur Ashe against Romania, 1969

Tiriac found himself two sets up against Smith, who went onto win the fifth 6-4. Nastase forever the clown previewed what the world was to see throughout the 1970s and Philippe Chatrier; later ITF President refereed the match. USA won the tie 5-0 and Dell retired after two years in the captain's seat with 32-3 win-loss record.

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Next: Open Tennis, Political stage and 'Super Brat': 1970-1979