Imperial Valley press., 1933-01-21
ON
SPORT WORLD
BY HENRY McLEMORE

By HENRY McLEMORE
United Press Staff Correspondent
NEW YORK, Jan. 21.-Bill Til
den, who has forgotten more ten
mis- than you or I ever will know, is
of the opinion that those people
who believe the United States a
lead pipe cinch in the Davis Cup
business this year, are bit cuhh-
rrazy.
Bill voiced this opinion while
resting here preparatory to resum-
ing his match for the worlds pro-
fessional tennis championship with
his stooge, Hans Nusslein. This
match between Bill and Hans, by
the way, has been going on nearly
two years. At the last count Bill was
leading 987 matches to 1888. He now
needs only 426 more to take the
title.
But to get back to Bill and the
Davis Cup. Tilden proved he was
a grade A prophet by calling the
turn on the 1888 challenge round.
And if we're. not mistaken, it was
Tilden, and Tilden alone, who pre-
dicted our rout by Britain in the
1881 inter-zone final. The 1888 cup
play, Tilden says, will see France
retain the trophy and Germany
give the United States whale OF
fight in the interzone final.
Tilden's selection of France can
mean but one thing-that he rates
all this talk of Jean Borotra's re-
tirement from singles play as the
old malarkey. For Bill, like the rest
of us, knows that if Borotra stuck
to his promise to play doubles only,
France, Cochet or no Cochet,
wouldn't have Chinaman'S
chance. Who would France use if
Borotra stayed on the sidelines?
Christian Boussus? Marcel Ber-
nard. Andre Merlin?
Yes. That's the trio from which
France would be forced to choose
its No. singles man. And you can
throw them all out. They're not of
Davis Cup calibre. BousSuS looked
like a coming champion two or
three years ago, but he lacks that
something which makes for great
ness. Bernard, a southpaw, may be
top-liner some day, but right
now his game is too soft, too con-
servative to withstand internation-
al play.
Must Have Borotra
Merlin, another youngSter, has
the strokes, but his control is like
that of bush league southpaw on
cold Monday, and his strategy, to
be subtle about it, lacks intelli-
gence.
So you see France must have
Borotra. And Borotra, as Diamond
Lii would put it, can be had. Oh
yes, he'll refuse dozen times, but
in the end, with the press urging
him to answer the call to duty,
Jean, with the flair of real show
man, will answer his country's call.
And when he does enlist, he'll be
SO hoped up with patriotism that
he'll forget his cracking back, sha-
ky legs and short wind, and play
miles above his head.
Tilden thinks Henri Cochet will
win both his cup matches. Bill
says Cochet's licking at the hands
of Vines last year was due to over
confidence, and that the French
man doesn't make the same mis-
take twice. Maybe SO, but we Won
der if Bill saw Vines, dynamite all
the way, blast Cochet aside in
straight sets at Forest Hills last
year? If he did, we don't see how
he can sell the Californian short.
Bill would seem to be right in his
prediction that the United States
team is in for real dog-fight with
the German players. Germany has
been coming along quietly, but
swiftly In DR.. Daniel Prem and
Baron Won Cramm, the fatherland
has aces. When he's feeling right,
DR.. Prem, the better player of the
two, is a fit match for any play
er in the world. That is, he can
give any of 'em fits.