Evening star., 1938-07-09
From the
Press Box
Fred Perry Fovors YueosIovio
As Davis Cup Challenger.
BY JOHN LARDNER,

NEW 1SIt1A, July I'LL
John Perry, the pride of Piccadilly, is
correct. our country will be teemine
with Yugoslavs along about September
Frederick figures that Yugoslavia will
get her nose ahead of Australia's in
the Davis Cup final and meet our mob
in the challenge round
There are more good !Yugoslav ten
mis- players than you can shake stick
at, If that's your idea of fun" says
Fearless Freddie, sighting with salts
faction down the crease of his flannel
pants. THE Yugoslavs play tennis a
good deal like those bouncing Czechs
They hit the ball back all day long II
Is most discouraging. says the toast
OF Soho, flicking bit of dust off his
sleeve.
A winning Yugoslavian Davis Cup
team will be novelty in tennis circles
We have been challenged for the cup
at various times by English. French,
Australian, japanese and German out
fits, all pretty tough. In fact, the
French were so tough that they took
the bowl and saucer clean out of here
and sat in them for number of years,
before the English, led by the above
mentioned Fearless Frederick Perry
stepped in and moved the silverware
across the Channel.
French Strong and Colorful.
OF all the invading mobs, that
French team was the strongest and
most colorful There was nothing
wrong, admit, with the team of Perry
and Austin, or the team of Anderson,
Patterson and Hawkes., or Shimizu
and Harada But the French team was
four deep and strong in every position.
Remember the four musketeers of
Gaul?
Rene Lacoste On his good days, and
he seldom had bad one, there was
no tougher player in the world to beat
than this thin and swarthy son of the
Midi, in his famous white peaked cap
He was probably the greatest re-
triever of all time. He was tireless
and his eye for the gap in his enemy's
court was razor-sharp Lacoste was
guy with Tildens number.
Il do not often knock myself" says
Large William, very truthfully, but If
the man ever lived who could fool me,
1t was Lacoste'
Henri Cochet. There was a time
when the old ball-boy of Lyons did
not have to take off his sweater with
its striped V-neck, to lick the best
in the business A cool little fellow,
he had the French flair for tennis
science and the French durability
There never was a better flve-set
player
Jacques Brugnon. Strictly doubles
player, but the greatest specialist IN
the world in his line. with the possible
exception of George Lott. Brugnon
was voleying fool
Jean Borotra. The clown of the
Gallo squad, but one of the best play
ers who ever lived. This Basque could
and did play great game of singles
and his doubles play harmonized so
perfectly with Brugnon's that The
French tandem was apt to be IN
vincible
Glowing Ratified Opponent.
To tell the truth, never was much
OF q fan for Borotras crowd-pleas-
ing stuff While he clowned and
somersaulted and slapped his forehead,
he was likely to be giving his opponent
with cold calculation-a bad case
Of Jared nerves And Borotra was
the leading exponent in his time Of
what might be called the phoney chiv-
airy of tennis.
You know what I mean The lines
man calls doubtful point against the
other guy. You promptly throw the
next point-With as much ostentation
rs possible. The crowd used to sWoon
with holy admiration when Borotra
pulled this stunt, which is nothing
more or less than an insult to the
official and bad sportsmanship gen.
orally.
The Basque saw to it that you did
not overlook what he was doing His
tactful method of correcting the lines
man was to whale the next ball out
of the park and then beam in all
sure, but I don't think any big league
tennis player is anxious to win his
points this way.
Shimizu of Japan was one of the
best of all foreign drawing cards in
the big dish at Forest Hills and on
the courts of Germantown. Maybe
you remember Tilden's terrific five-set
victory over Shimmy in the Davis Cup
challenge round Is year ago. The
Japanese was another great retriever,
and his chopping-no one hSs ever
successfully initiated his Stroke
methods-sould throw hard, straight
player. or even scientist like Tilden,
off his game.
Big Jim Anderson, the Australian,
had the fastest forehand drive ever
seen in these parts. That goes for
Ellsworth Vines I believe, and for
little Bill Johnston, though Johnston
was a vicious driver for his size and
poundage The ball was just blur
Of speed when Anderson caught it
squarely He didn't have much else
but that forehand.
The .Yugoslavs will be most welcome
II and when they clip Australia and
come to meet us for the Cup. But re-
member, you have only fearless Fred
die Perry's word for it that they WILL
and the odds are still to that we
will wind up playing the same old
Anzacs.
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