Capitalising Suzanne

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 61, 3 June 1927, Page 6

Capitalising Suzanne

Those Entertaking Promoters European Tour Crashes pINCE Suzanne Lenglen started to reckon up success with U the racquet in terms of Uncle Sam’s bright, silver dollars, there has been none of those entertaining “scenes” on the courts which used to scandalise the elite at Wimbledon. Suzanne has been making money—and losing some of it—while the management provides the entertainment.

In America, or the first leg of he: projected world tour, Suzanne was to busy gathering in the dollars to hav time to provide “divertissement” fo the fans. She left the States with ; small fortune as a tribute to her whirl mg racquet and flying feet, but h Europe, where she is better known, th tour was a rank failure, and did no pay expenses.

“Europe is not ready for professional tennis,” was the reason given by her manager for Suzanne’s inability to draw the crowds. With some little expedience in Maoriland of the gentle art of promoting, as a set-off to the accusation that he is using a long-dis-dance telescope, the writer ventures to take a shot in the dark, and hazard the opinion that the real reason for Suzanne’s failure as a drawing-card was the lack of capable and wellboomed opposition. By way of a digression—Suzanne’s manager in Europe was a Mr. Baldwin, presumably no relation to the worthy gentleman who has been putting those nasty Bolsheviks in their place. The other Mr. Baldwin—that is, Suzanne’s manager—was accused of contemplating a divorce in order that he. might marry Suzanne. This, Mr. Baldwin vehemently denied. BILL TILDEN COOLS OFF In the meantime, most of the big international stars who had been watching the result of the Lenglen tour with 11!-concealed eagerness, have now discovered that the amateur game is still “good enough for them.” Big Bill Tilden, who has been busy throwing bouquets at himself through the newsprints, has developed an alarming interest in this year’s Davis Cup fixtures, in marked contrast to his recent ambiguous references to his amateur status. Suzanne’s backers are now diligently endeavouring to. boost a German player, Fraulein Koring, as an opponent for Suzanne. “Competition is the life of trade,” even in sport, as the Hahn-Rose track duels in Maoriland last year proved to our New Zealand promoters of international tours—the New Zealand Amateur athletic Association.

The Fraulein looks to be good “copy” anyway. The Py!e-Coch-rane interests bill her as “a member of an old German family ruined by the war, who is striving to redeem the family fortunes per medium of her skilful racquet.” Not even Luis Angel Firpo, hairy son of the Pampas, could say he started his professional career with a better “ballyhoo” than that. Mr. Charles Cochrane, enterprising British promoter-man, offi •; s 'to back the Fraulein for £I,OOO ;inst any woman except Suzanne, for whom he predicts “the hardest fight of her career.” Shades of Helen Wills! FATHER FORBIDS Miss Evelyn Colyer, a happy-go-lucky little English girl, has shown signs of nibbling at the tempting bait, much to the consternation of “the best people” in England, among whom Miss Colyer lives, moves, and has her being. Miss Colyer, who, by the way, does play tennis, is a daughter of the King’s dentist, Sir Charles Colyer, who is keeping an eye on Princess Betty’s teething while her adoring parents are busy doing their duty to the Empire in these far-off lands. According to Evelyn, father is very much against the idea of his daughter becoming a “pro.” “Father objects to me signing a contract with Mr. Cochrane,” war.. Miss Colyer’s frank declaration recently, “and also to accepting a theatrical engagement. Questions of social anci tennis status do not enter into the considerations. My parents’ wishes are the sole objections to acceptance.” Apart from Miss Colyer, Suzanne’s future movements are indefinite. She has already skimmed the cream off the American market, and the milk cans of Europe have turned sour. Maybe,

Australia and New Zealand are next on the list. Last year, Mr. Pyle’s ambitious plans for Suzanne’s world tour Included a visit to the Antipodes this coming summer. In Sydney, J. O. Anderson has already turned professional, and if there was a woman player on the horizon capable of extending the brilliant French woman while “Vince” Richards tackled Anderson, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that the Pyle-Lenglen cohorts might be disposed to try and recoup their European losses in this part of the world. So far, however, Mr. Pyle has had his hands full in paying off “Red” Grange, the famous American footballer, and other high-priced athletic stars, who did a freeze in the States for lack of opposition, while Suzanne was making big money with Miss Mary K. Browne as her capable sparring partner. J. M. McK.