LAWN TENNIS TALKS

Evening Star, Issue 19775, 27 January 1928, Page 12

LAWN TENNIS TALKS

"TOTO" BRUSKON (Special Interview.—Exclusive to ‘Evening Star.’) [By Mrs Satterthwaite.] No. IX. I feel 1 ought to apologise at the very beginning of this interview for not starting it in the approved fashion, and calling this famous player by his baptismal name of Jacques. If I did so I should feel that not one person in a hundred would recognise him under such a heading. There is no doubt whateved that “Toto” Brugnon is quite the most popular of the “ Big Four ” who have given France that wonderful position in the very forefront of world lawn tennis that she holds to-day. He may not be the best player of the four. Nor can lie speak with perfect English as can Jean Borotra (as T often tell him, bis English is very bad indeed); but the fact reniains that he makes a whole army of friends wherever he goes. Even the people whom he defeats always tell you they never enjoyed a match more, “ although, of course,” they add, “wo never had a chance from the moment we started.” This wonderful popularity comes, I think, from the fact that “ To to ” has a tremendous love of the game and a great and wide sympathy for all those who play it. He is always ready to help anyone else along the road which he has travelled so far and so successfully himself. You will always find him in the most wonderful spirits, despite the fact that, like Rene Lacoste, he is far from strong. 1 have often told him how foolish he is to play so much when he is obviously overtired. However, he goes on playing, and as he usually seems to be successful, I suppose he must have the strength somewhere to carry him through so many long days’ play. This year, on the Riviera, we had many long talks together, and I learnt from him many of his ideas on the game, the strokes, and the general tactics of modern players.

He is a great believer in the volleying campaign. “ I don’t feel at home on the base line,” he told me. “ I like to hit the ball quickly and get up to the net; when I am playing well it seems so easy, but when I am getting a bad length on my ground shots how hard it seems.” “Toto” has a most wonderful “ round arm ” return to the service, which everyone envied tremendously in the South of France. No matter how high the hall hounded, lie was always there to hit it before it reached the top, and simply slam it straight down at his opponent’s feet. I asked him to tell me something of the way it was done. “My dear Phyllis,” he laughed, “ you just take your racket back quick, before the ball gets up, and bring it with a. straight face full on to the ball; hit it directly downwards with no curve at all, et voila.”

It sounds an extraordinary shot, I know, but then you must remember that it was only the service 'which he treated in this way, and as it came comparatively near the net and the

ball was always bounding extremely high he was easily able to get this “slam” shot successfully.

“ I love lawn tennis,” ho told me once. “ I must be playing. I can’t keep away from the game. Sometimes I play badly, then for the moment I get discouraged; that is when 1 am. Avhat you call, ‘ Overtired,’ 1 suppose,” and his eyes twinkled; “ but then 1. get all right again and I want to try again. Of course, I think I prefer men's doubles to anything else, but then, as you know, 1 have been very fortunate m having such good partners. With Henri (Cochet) it is such good fun. If we lose we have done our best, and always we ‘keep smiling,’ as you say in England. Henri is always smiling; ho laughs when most people would cry.” Brugnon is a great believer in the “attacking” policy which has made France so successful in the last few years’ lawn tennis results. “ You will remember,” he said, “ how we French boys used to play—one beautiful shot and then two into the stop netting. Now we have watched you English players and you keep getting the ball back and back until your opponent can do no more, and we have tried to put the two things together. C’est une bonne idee, n’est ce pas,” said “ Toto,” relapsing into French at the end of his sentence, as he usually does. “Look at Rene Lacoste; there is a careful conscientious player. Almost you might say he was an English player; he has learnt every stroke, ho can do ‘ cut ’ shots, ‘ top spins,’ and what you will, but always at the back of it all. he can hit and hit the ball if he wants to. Ho is a fine player, our little Lacoste.”

Another boy whom he admires very much is young Boussu, who recently beat Cochet in the Marseilles tournament. “ There is a young boy who will go far,” he told me. “Ho has all the best points of the modern players without. so far as I can see, any of their weaknesses.”

Brugnon is a very adaptable player, and lie is always able to settle down under strange conditions much better than anyone else I know. I have seen him playing on covered courts one day, grass th'e next, and perhaps hard courts the next, and always with practically the same degree of accuracy. 1 asked him how he managed to do this, and he told me the same old story ns Borotra; “You must make up your mind to concentrate on watching the ball. Nothing else will help you ns this will do, no amount of balance or foot work (though, of course, they are both very valuable things also) will carry you through if you neglect this most important item of all. So often when you play tennis you get ‘ put off ’ because the background is perhaps had, or the light is difficult or something like that. If you once allow yourself to stop looking at the ball you will simply become hopelessly bad.” I asked him to tell me something about bis favorite strokes. His eyes twinkled. “Well, some days, you see, I play so well that all my strokes seem to be my favorite: on the other days, when I can do nothing right, well, perhaps I prefer my forehand return to the service (the famous ‘slam’ shot). Because then, you see, I am quite at the net. and there anything may happen.” With which sentiment I, knowing how extremely deadly he was over, head, most cordially agreed. “ Toto ” Brugnon has been playing lawn tennis here, there, and everywhere this spring. He has been on the "Riviera for some months, then to America with Borotra, back to England to defend his title at the British hard courts championships, then Wimbledon, and then “on route” for America once more. . “ But how one travels at tins lawn tennis game 1 Always I learn more and more geography,” he told me in parting. ...