The Connecticut labor news., 1921-12-02
FRENCH TENNIS FLASH MAY NEVER
 ENTER COURTS TOURNAMENT AGAIN
MILE. SUZANNE LENGLEN'S BREAKDOWN ON HER DE- BUT IN AMERICA so SERI- OUS SHE MAY BE OUT OF GAME FOREVER.

Mile Suzanne Lenglen, the queen of the European courts and one of the greatest women tennis players in the world, may ever be able to compete again on the courts.
 Reports from Paris that the French girl is not recovering from the physical collapse which Causeed heer to retire against Mrs. Molla Mallory, and later to call off the exhibition tour of Ameri- ca she came over to make, has brought the fashy little star back into public notice.
 Many kind things were said about Mile. Lenglen after she she had raised her hand as a token of surrender and retired from the courts. at Forest Hills when Molla Mallory, the queen of the American courts, had her obviously beaten in the second round of the na- tional woman's championships.
 America expects Uncle Sam's sport missionaries to get a fair deal in Eu- ropean competition and it is only part of the self-claimed perfect sportsman ship of Americans that accorded conti- mental, especially a girl who was making her first appearance in America.
 Perhaps 1t is not too late to give little inside story' of the events that led up to the dramatic episode when the French girl staggered off the courts, coughing violently and weeping hyster- ico11v uyoi1e the rroy1,d hicced
 Mile. Lenglen was not retiring be- cause she lacked the courage to con- tinue
 She was i'll.
 More than a month before her de- parture for America, Julian s. Myrick, president of the United States Lawn Tennis Association, entertained several New York sport writers at a luncheon at the Bankers Club for the purpose of discussing plans on how the big tennis championships and Davis cup matches were to be Powered"
 At that time he referred to a cable he had received from the Frence Ten his Federation in which it was said that Mile. Lenglen was not in good physical condition and that she might not be able to compete in the American national championships unless the date would be changed. It was said also that she felt able to go through her exhibition tour where the strain would not be as great and the competition not as severe. The United States Association cabled back that it would be impossible to change the date for the woman's champion ships as 1t would completely wreck a schedule that it had taken months to complete.
 The French girl arrived here on a Saturday and the championships were to start on the following Monday. She was still i'll and was very ''rocky" after suffering sea-sickness on the trans-At- lantic Journey.
 Soon after her arrival she asked the favor to have her first round match with Miss Eleanor Goss put over a day from Monday until Tuesday. She worked out Monday with Samuel Hardy captain of the Davis cup team, and said on the following morning that she did not feel able to play,
 Tuesday noon 1t was pointed out tc her that a great crowd of 12,OOO spec tators had gathered to see her play and that it would be a great disappointment if she did not appear. She consented.
 The schedule, of course, called for her to meet Miss Goss, ranked as the hftf best player in America. Just before time for her to take the courts she was notified that Miss Goss was i'll and hac defaulted and that she would have tc play Mrs. Mallory, the American cham. pion.
 Just suppose that Georges Carpenter had come over to make his American debut with the fifth best heavyweight in America and just before he entered the ring he would be told that his op- ponent was sick and that Jack Demp- sey would take his place.
 Mile Lenglen went on the courts To anyone who had seen her before and the writer had been privileged tc see her in real form at Antwerp ir 1920, it was strikingly apparent that she was not in form. Her judgment was bad and she seemed anchored to the ground.
 After losing the first set, she raised her arm feebly and walked to the ref cree with: "It is impossible for me tc continue, l retire"
 In France or England that procedure would not have caused a stir. Over there, the ethics of sports are different A boxer, tennis player, track athlete seeing nothing but defeat ahead, can re tire in good grace. In America 1t i: tradition that an athlete should die 1T the attempt. -~
 When the French girl retired she