Following
Davis Cup triumphs over Britain’s top seeds Fred
Perry and
Bunny Austin and a victory over
America’s Frank Shields in 1932,
Daniel Prenn was labeled “Europe’s number one man” by
American Lawn
Tennis magazine. The German tennis
star was the World’s eighth ranked
player in 1929 by Bill Tilden, number
six in 1932 by England’s A. Wallis Myers,
and number seven in 1934 by
American Lawn Tennis.
Prenn was at the top of his game,
ranked number one in Germany for
four straight years, from 1928 to 1932,
when he was barred from competition
in 1933 when the Nazis came to power.
Despite his major success on the court,
the German Tennis Federation passed
these resolutions (in part) in April
1933: “1. No Jew may be selected for a
national team or the Davis Cup. 2. No Jewish or Marxist
club or association
may be affiliated
with the German Tennis Federation.
3. No Jew may hold
an official position in the Federation.” And, they added:“ The player Dr. Prenn (a Jew)
will not be selected for the
Davis Cup team in 1933.”
Soon after, Prenn moved to
England and became a British
subject. Although he continued
to play competitive tennis,
he never quite matched the
brilliance that once was his in
his homeland.
Representing Germany in
Davis Cup competition 1928
through 1932, Prenn played 13
events, winning 17 matches
and losing 5.
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