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During our recent 5 Live tennis coverage, you may have heard an entertaining tale from 80 years ago which perfectly illustrates how the status of the Davis Cup has changed over the decades.

In 1931, the Wimbledon men's singles final didn't happen.

Sidney Wood was awarded the title by walkover after his scheduled opponent, Frank Shields, pulled out through injury.

Except that's not exactly true.

Shields was actually instructed to pull out by the United States Tennis Association because they were keen to rest him ahead of an important Davis Cup match with Britain the following week.

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