Bill Tilden and the Four Musketeers: 1920-1929

1920
The list of challengers for the Cup had grown to six, the United States, the British Isles, France, Holland, South Africa and Canada all decided to enter teams. As in any era of Davis Cup tennis one player was to create a legend and etch his name on the game of Lawn Tennis, that man was American Bill Tilden.

The ´Caesar´ of 1920s tennis: ´Big´ Bill Tilden

Tilden had just won the Wimbledon men's singles crown defeating the young Patterson in four sets, with a heavily strapped knee. One week later Tilden helped the United States beat France, at Eastbourne and led another emphatic victory against the British Isles 5-0, at Wimbledon.

The Dutch then forfeited the final round and gave the United States a walkover into the Challenge Round, against Australasia in Auckland, New Zealand. Before the tie there was a remembrance service for Anthony Wilding.

Tilden played 43-year-old Norman Brookes in the opening rubber, two legends of the game, both fighting for their lives in this memorable battle. Tilden, of the new generation won 10-8, 6-1, 6-4. Gerald Patterson was unable to stem the Bill Johnston assault on his backhand and lost 6-3, 6-1, 6-1. The Americans regained the Cup 5-0.

1921
Tennis was becoming fashionable amongst the social elite, but Davis Cup offered something more. Matches were contested all over the place. Belgium beat Czechoslovakia in Prague; Spain lost to the British Isles 4-1, in Hendon, London, and India beat France, in Paris. An Australasian side beat Canada 5-0, the British Isles 3-2, in Pittsburgh, and Denmark 5-0, in Cleveland. But it was Japan who were the revelation of 1920.

India played Japan in Chicago, and later travelled to Newport, Rhode Island and defeated Australasia, with Brookes and Patterson, 4-1. The Australasian's only victory came in the doubles. The crowd had been spellbound.

So for the 1920 Challenge Round, at Forest Hills, 14,000 spectators watched to see what kind of fight Zenzo Shimizu and Ichiya Kumagae could put up against 'Big Bill' and 'Little Bill,' - Tilden and Johnston respectively.

Zenzo Shimizu won the respect of Tilden, during the 1921 Challenge Round final, when the Japanese player was leading by two sets and 5-3 before the beneficial rain break for the American

Tilden described Shimizu as having one of the best tennis brains the game had ever seen. Shimizu used all his mastery and ingenuity by lobbing and drop-shotting through the first two sets 7-5, 6-4 and was leading 5-3 in the third before Tilden blasted his way to winning the set 7-5. Thereafter followed a break in play, due to the sweltering conditions. Tilden headed straight for a cold shower and change of clothes. Shimizu did neither and cramped up. Tilden was a new man and won the final two sets for the loss of three games.

Japan eventually lost 5-0, but their achievement in reaching the Challenge Round, proved that the Davis Cup was slowly being put onto the map and that would only encourage other nations to join in. Kumagae would subsequently retire from playing soon after.

1922
Fourteen nations issued a challenge, but Canada, the Philippines, Hawaii and even Japan failed to raise a suitable team. France, in beating Denmark 4-1 in the second round, gave debuts to Jean Borotra and Henri Cochet. Jacques Brugnon had played in the previous years challenge. The French were soon to enter their 'golden' age.

Gerald Patterson under the captaincy of Norman Brookes led Australasia to victory against a French side in Boston later in the year. Spain were Australasia's last opponents before the Challenge Round and won 4-1.

The match was played in New York, at Forrest Hills. Tilden was at his most petty and vindictive, when Vinnie Richards, his doubles partner began to get a little cocky. America had already won the two singles on the opening day and Tilden took the dispute onto the court throwing the match. In three sets of tennis, Tilden just won seven points off of his racket and committed 25 unforced errors. Richards didn't play doubles again for a further three years.

Australasia´s new star Gerald Patterson (left of the net), on his way to beating Frenchman André Gobert in the third round of the 1922 competition at Longwood Cricket Club

George Lott, a Davis Cup colleague was mesmerised by the Tilden, he said: "When he came into a room it was like a bolt of electricity hit the place. Immediately, there was a feeling of awe, as though you were in the presence of royalty. The atmosphere became charged and there was almost a sensation of lightness when he left."

With the services of Bill Johnston, America ruled the Davis Cup for seven years, in which time Johnson and Tilden contested several Championship finals.

1923
In 1923 and 1924 Australasia, separated their entity with New Zealand, simply, in 1924 playing as Australia. These years gave Australia two years to wrench the Cup from the American's hands.

They beat Hawaii in New Jersey; then Japan in Chicago; and the French with the Fourth's Musketeer, 19-year-old Rene Lacoste, in Boston. Australia travelled to the West Side Club in New York, knowing this would be their toughest test. They were not wrong.

Anderson levelled the tie on the first day by beating Johnson in the singles, but couldn't repeat the feat against Tilden. USA retained the Cup by a margin of 4-1.

René Lacoste driving force in French tennis throughout the 1920s

1924
The Australians gained revenge over Shimizu, by beating Japan 5-0, at Providence Rhode Island, and then played the French in the Inter-Zone final, in Boston. The Four Musketeers were emerging as players of great talent. It was now they went to sharpen their blades. Australia won 3-2, with Lacoste winning both his singles matches.

The Challenge Round was to be played once again at the Germantown Cricket Ground, in Philadelphia. Tilden and Johnston played the doubles and Richards - reprieved from his previous error - was entrusted with the second singles berth. He was not to disappoint. The Patterson-Tilden match once again proved a talking point, for all of Tilden's skill in winning 6-4, 6-2, 6-2; American Lawn Tennis described it thus:

"Throughout the match Tilden looked as if he was merely practising his strokes, or experimenting with them. He paid comparatively little attention to Patterson's shots. If they were good, as they not infrequently were, he let them go. It was his own shots that he was thinking of most of the time, studying them as if he were in a laboratory and they specimens."

USA had won again, but within a few years their dominance was to diminish.

1925
Throughout the competitive year of 1925 and 1926, the 'Four Musketeers' worked their way through to both Challenge Rounds, never losing more than one live rubber in any tie they played.

The U.S. team of 1925 [l to r]: Dick Williams, who survived the Titanic, Vinnie Richards, who was Tilden´s protége, ´Little Bill¨ Johnston and ´Big Bill´ William J. Tilden 2nd

In 1925 their skills failed to dislodge the two 'Bills' from their mantle. USA won 5-0 in Philadelphia, but the score was very misleading as Borotra took Tilden to five sets in the opening singles. Tilden then played René Lacoste, 'The Crocodile' in the reverse singles and this match goes down as one of the greatest Davis Cup rubbers ever played.

National honour was at stake and Tilden looked stunned at two sets and 4-0 down in the third set. But for the man who hadn't lost an important match for six years, he wasn't going to fold that easily. Tilden took a great swig of ammonia and benefiting from a seven-minute break, fought back to the bewilderment and delight of the crowd. Saving four match points in the process. Tilden eventually came through 3-6, 10-12, 8-6, 7-5, 6-2.

1926
'The Crocodile' went back to the drawing board. France fought their way through to challenge the great USA team once again. Tilden and America had already won the tie: leading 4-0 by the time the two faced each other again. The match lay at one-set all and six-all, when Tilden re-injured a damaged knee. He should have stopped then and there, but bravery forced him to continue. Lacoste beat him 8-6 in the fourth set.

René Lacoste, ´The Crocodile¨ the youngest and most innovative of the Four Musketeers

1927
It was once again, a France - America final. The two 'Bills' and the 'Four Musketeers' proved dominant forces in the game of tennis. France beat Romania 4-1 in Paris, Italy 3-2 in Rome, South Africa 5-0 at Eastbourne and Japan 5-0 in Boston, and eagerly awaited the Challenge Round against the USA.

Journalist Wallis Merrihew described the French side now as:
"a homogenous one, keyed up to concert pitch and sanguine of success. Everything had been planned, all was ready."

The USLTA had been squabbling as to team selection following Vinnie Richards' decision to turn professional, breaking up the successful doubles team with Williams. Tilden and Johnston carried U.S. burden, Cochet and Lacoste the singles and Borotra and Brugnon the doubles duties.

Tilden buoyed by the 12,000-spectator support, at Germantown Cricket Club, Philadelphia defeated Cochet in four sets. 'Little Bill' Johnston had played very little over the year and it showed losing to Lacoste.

When America won the doubles 6-0 in the fifth set, Tilden's arguing with U.S selectors as to the choice of his partner had been vindicated, when Frank Hunter played - a decision that was made one hour before the match was to commence.

It had worn Tilden out and Lacoste gleefully ran Tilden into the ground during the reverse singles. It had exactly been what the French had wanted. 'The Crocodile' had him between his teeth and won in four sets, leaving the score even at 2-2. It was now up to Monsieur Cochet and Johnston.

France captain Pierre Gillou races up to embrace his man as a triumphant Henri Cochet shakes hands with Bill Tilden for the 1928 Challenge Round at the new Stade Roland Garros

Johnston was in bad health, the onset of tuberculosis was evident and although Tilden's great rival gave it everything he had, 'Big Bill' fell in the fourth set losing the match, the tie and the Cup 6-4. France's victory once again inspired other countries to join the party and Dwight Davis's dream of international competition was becoming reality.

1928
Tilden's criticism of tennis governing bodies almost forced the great man off the U.S team ahead of their semi-final tie versus Italy in Paris. Even the intervention of U.S President Coolidge couldn't stop his exclusion from the team. Tilden had been a journalist before he was a tennis champion and his words in a syndicated column contract worth $20,000 a year was seen as a bad influence. America beat Italy without him winning 4-1 with the services of Frank Hunter, John Hennessy and George Lott.

The French had just buil Roland Garros, on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne with the success of Suzanne Lenglen, they had sold tickets in anticipation, and after the previous year's success badly wanted their most feared competitor to be there. For the French, their worries were banished when he was re-selected for the final.

With telegrams zipping two and fro across the Atlantic, it was the work of the French Foreign Office and diplomatic political powers in America that got Tilden reselected for the tie, only 24 hours before it was due to start.

The Four Musketeers together: the team that would defeat the United States for the third straight year line-up at Roland Garros in 1929. [l to r] Jacque Brugnon, Henri Cochet, Pierre Gillou, René Lacoste and Jean Borotra

The Challenge opener was a windy day, a fire started in one corner of the wooden stands. What else would you expect? Tilden disorientated had lost the first set to Lacoste 6-1 before he knew what hit him. Tilden eventually won 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 and one journalist, named Deford, summarised Tilden's turnaround simply by saying: "If Tilden could not beat Lacoste as Tilden, then he would beat Lacoste at Lacoste."

The 35-year-old Wimbledon and US Championship winner had confounded not only Lacoste but also his team-mates and the crowd watching. Lacoste distraught and emotionally drained in the dressing room posed the question - that many even today answer in the affirmative - "Is he not the greatest player of all time?"

France were leading 2-1 after the doubles in which Tilden and Hunter had been on court for five sets. Tilden's resistance dwindled in the reverse singles and he lost to Cochet 9-7, 8-6, 6-4. The Cup was once again French and Tilden was suspended from all tennis for what was left of the year.

1929
Cochet toyed with Tilden in the opening rubber of the 1929 Challenge Round, winning 6-3, 6-1, 6-2. The new doubles team of Wilmer Alison and John Van Ryn kept the Americans in the tie by winning the doubles against Cochet and Brugnon and then Tilden restored his reputation by beating Borotra. It was 2-2. Cochet won the decider in a nervous battle coming through 6-3 in the fourth.

Top

Next: Fred Perry and Don Budge: 1930-1939