In May 1939, only a few months later, he already played for his new homeland, Germany, in the Davis Cup. After the outbreak of World War II, Menzel started working as a journalist in a foreign broadcast of . Unlike his other colleagues in the team (Henner Henkel was killed at Battle of Stalingrad, von Cramm was wounded on the Eastern Front) Menzel didn't have to go to the front, and spent the war years in the relative safety of Berlin (he lived in the , Güntzelstraße 4). After the war, Menzel tried to build on his pre-war tennis achievements, but with the exception of a few victories in tournaments of only regional significance, his career came to an end. Roderich Menzel had at that time an unusually tall physique (6 ft 3in), which directly predetermined him to a serve and volley style of play. He was also notorious for his fierce temper – he refused to play until the nearby bells stopped ringing or a child stopped crying in the stands. Menzel also loved often to passionately „discuss" with the judge and spectators. The spectators at the stadium of the Italian tennis championships in Rome annoyed him to such an extent that he went off the court and never came back. Although Menzel failed to win any Grand Slam tournaments, his achievements in the Davis Cup and at the most prestigious international tournaments rank him among the world tennis elite of the time. There was yet another addition to Menzel's passions – travel. He was often, as he states, in a good mood, when he was eliminated from some tournament, because he had more time to explore the surrounding beauty. And when he saw something extraordinary, he often had to think about it during the next match. Africa certainly belonged among his favourite parts of the world, not only because of his five consecutive wins in a row at International Championships in Cairo. It was particularly in Egypt that he felt at home. Cairo, pyramids, Alexandria, Luxor, Nile, Assuan – all these places made every time a huge impression on him. He often also recalled the meeting with lots of interesting people, such as Sheikh Mussa, King of snakes. Menzel also visited Australia several times, sometimes with mixed feelings. It certainly had something to do with a conflict that happened during one doubles match, when the audience didn't want to allow the players to leave the court, even though it was becoming dark; "Play on – we paid" they shouted.