Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Wednesday 27 November 1935, page 17


COCHET'S STORY

Tilden Defeated Cup Goal in Sight

By HENRI CROCHET

(Former World's Tennis Champion)

Crochet describes the steady French advance towards the capture of the Davis Cup. With the defeat of Tilden, the Americans began to recog-nise the French menace to their tennis

supremacy.

ARTICLE III

(Copyright)

Our performances in the United States had aroused the greatest enthusiasm in France, and on our return a great tennis wave swept over the country, which

reached its climax when we captured, a little later, the Davis cup. But there were many rallies and games before that

happened. I did not play very much in 1923, for I was not in the best of health, and I was too intent upon my business at Lyons, where I was connected with the

sporting goods trade.

The following year I was selected to represent France in the Olympic Games tournament, when your great swimmer "Boy" Charlton astonished the world. I was not in the best of form, but managed to reach the final, to be beaten 6-4 in the final set by the young American "Vinnie"

Richards.

Owing to the demands of business and ill-health, I did not play much in 1925, But I entered for the French champion-ships only to be bcUen in the semi final ships, only to be beaten in the semi-final by W. T. Tilden. We had a great tussle, Bill prevailed, only to be defeated by Rene Lacoste in the final. That was the year when outside entries were permitted.

But in the following year I was at the top of my form. I started my campaign by winning the French championship. Rene Lacoste was my opponent in the semi-final but I beat him in straight sets. "Vinnie" Richards, though, had still to be beaten if I was to win the title. He had, you will remember, beaten me in the Olympic Games, two years before. On this occasion, however, my severity and general courtcraft had improved to such an extent that I won in straight sets. That win put me back as France's No. 1 again, and ensured my selection in the French Davis Cup team. We beat the Danes again at Copenhagen. Czechoslovakia at Praguem to enter the inter-zone final.

Our successes caused a wonderful stir in France. To that time I had not lost a match in the series, but I dropped a rubber to T. Harada in the inter-zone final against Japan. I was not selected for the final singles against the United States. We lost that match by four rubbers to one, Lacoste beating Tilden by machine-like play. That was when the Americans began to realise that France would be a serious contender for the Davis cup before

many years.

Tilden Dethroned

This menace to American supremacy was further emphasised by a win I had at the expense of W. T. Tilden. He was champion of the United States at the time, having held sway for six years. I will never forget that match. It was played before a gallery of 10,000, and not one person gave me n chance of winning. Tilden was a very hard man to beat. He had a remarkable game at his command. while his physical resources were magnfi-cent. But I was at the top of my form, and adapted my game to the occasion. Tilden was always very clever in the way he mixed his game. He would suddenly switch from a hard game to a soft game, then vary his shots, change his length, and try to lure an opponent into errors. But I did so also, puzzling him by the strength and cunningness of my resist-

ance.

You have all heard of Tilden's "cannon-ball" service. It is a terrible affair, and rarely produced unless the position is seri-ous for Tilden. Then bang! and the ball is past you, unless you possess an instinc-tive sense that warns you of its arrival. I knew, therefore, that when Tilden resorted to his "cannon-ball" service he was get-ling anxious and this was most hearten-ing to me. For some years I had played the rising ball, and when Tilden hurled down his thunderbolts I was fortunate enough to be in a position literally to crash them back at him, with such speed that they often caught him unprepared and unbalanced after winding-up for this service, which calls for a severe physical

strain.

So we battled hard for nearly two and a half hours, until the board showed five-all in the fifth set, and the crowd critically watching every stroke. My team-mates were watching me, and I knew that they were playing every stroke. Tilden was serving, and before I could quite realise the position, I had taken his service to

love.

That gave me the lead 6-5, with my ser-vice to follow. That last service game of mine was never very clear to me. I was told afterwards that I won it to love, thus win-ning eight vital points in succcession. It was a drnmtlc ending to a match which made possible the first All-French final in the history of American tennis. Lacoste was my next opponent, and although I won the first two sets he won the other three, and then beat Borotra in the final.

The French team had covered itself with glory. Borotra beat W. M. Johnston, Lacoste beat the Spanish player Manuel Alonzo, and I beat Tilden. Three French-men had contested the semi-finals.

Brugnon and I won the doubles at Wimbledon that year, while my old rival, J. Borotra won the singles Thus in the one year Lacoste and Borotra had won at Forest Hills nnd Wimbledon respectively, and a French pair had won the doubles at Wimbledon. It was evident that France was rapidly becoming the tennis nation of the world. We four, Lacoste, Borotra, Brugnon and I, had set out hearts on the Davis Cup-a feat never before achieved by our nation.