The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-11-23
Lacoste Might Have Given
Henri Trouble But He Is in
Business Now; California
Woman Champ Is Head and
Shoulders Above COMPETE
tors
BY HENRY FARRELL,


No difficulty of any kind attends
the selection Of the outstanding ten
MS stars of 1923. The process re-
qulres no heavy thinking and in
wolves no manipulation of mathe-
mates.
The ritual of browning Henri
Cochet as the tennis king of the wear
and Helen Wills as the queen war
rants no more ceremony than the
mere writing of their names on the
ticket. Because there was no contest
and there is something drab about
acclalmlng someone on an acclama-
ton ballot.
In the case Of NJ. Cochet there is a
mental warning against rash judr-
ment in giving him the honor with
out struggle and lingering bunch
that he didn't knock every rival dead.
The records show that he was
beaten at Wimbledon in the British
championship tournament by Rene
Lacoste. who was the 1927 king be-
yond a dispute. But the records
snow that just previous to the Brit
lsh show Lacoste was trimmed by
Cochet in the French national cham
plonships, and that in the challenge
round for the Davis Cup, Cochet was
the hero in repelling the American
Challenge and that Lacoste was beat
en- IN one of his singles matches.
Father Withdraws Rene
lacoSte might have made much in
a rubber match at Forest Hills, but
ms father became too serious for
the father Of worlds champion and
ordered his boy to take his mind off
tennis and 60 to work in his auto
mobile factory. Lacoste. under the
circumstances, had to make the most
OF a compromise. He succeeded in
reaching the United States, but his
arrival was just casual event that
occurred weeks and weeks after the
Forest Hill tournament, and so many
weeks after, in fact, that all but the
official recorders of the tennis as
ISOLATION had forgotten that Cochet
had won the American championship
and lot of other district champion
ships.
The critics who take their tennis
seriously. however, are willing to ac-
cept Cochet as the best performer
OF 1928, even though they might not
admit that he was a champion tn
compare with Tilden and Lacoste
when they were enjoying their best
years.
It is quite probable, however, that
from now until they arrive at the
ripe old age where the legs 90, Co.
Chef will continue to be the No.
ranking player. 1t was unfortunate
Tor Lacoste, perhaps, that Just when
the time arrived when he had to
cease making tennis a business and
20 to work, Cochet found conditions
would permit him to quit hard work
and make tennis his chief business.
Cochet is his own boss. He is the
proprietor of string of sports
goods stores, and after a life of
early hardships he has reached the
point where his business works for
him. And Lacoste is in a factory.
Picking Wills Easy
The browning Of Helen Wills in
the years following the retirement of
Suzanne Lenglen is a chore like
winding clock. She is so far ahead
OF the field against her that the only
chance for them to catch IN is for
her to run down.
She won every championship in
1923 that she cared to 20 after. and
she made very judicious choice of
her appearances. She fits her ten.
mis- in with her business as an artist.
and as long as she can arrange her
schedule SO conveniently she will
continue to be the champion.
The California girl probably will
reign as long as Mile. Lenglen did,
unless she gets tired Of the game.
and that would be very poor bust
ness.
Miss, Wills has iutip,ated that she
will retire after one more campaign
and devote herself entirely to the
pursuit Of art, but it may not be
impertinent or unkind to advance the
opinion that tennis is the greatest
art OF the very attractive young lady.
and that to retire from the game
would convince her quickly that her
tennis is too valuable atalent to cast
It off for > typewriter or a drawing
hnard