(See front cover) Frederick John Perry last week blacked his eye on an awning rod bowing to Helen Jacobs, threw a handful of rolls at Lester Stoefen, appeared with a wave in his hair. At Germantown, Pa., George Lott and Lester Stoefen retained their U. S. doubles championship by defeating John Van Ryn and Wilmer Allison 6-4, 9-7, 3-6, 6-4. At Rye, N. Y., most of the first-class tennists in the U. S. assembled to put the finishing touches on their games. In the citified suburb of Forest Hills. L. I., groundskeepers rolled, clipped and patted the Stadium courts of the West Side Tennis Club where this week 90 players will start in what, until officials see fit to sanction an open, remains the most important U. S. tournament of the year—the Men's National Singles Championship.
When he arrived in Manhattan from Great Britain to defend the title which he won at Forest Hills last year, dapper Fred Perry told newshawks his purposes and plans: "I intend to fool around in Hollywood for a while. I don't know whether I'm going to be an actor or not. Universal approached me with an offer to make a picture but I don't think I could do it and remain an amateur. . . .
"When you're a pro in England, you have to take the back door. I wouldn't consider it, now or ever. . . .
"After Hollywood, I'm off for Australia. After Australia, I'm getting married, settle down and become sedate. . . .
"I'm really tired of tennis, hang it. I like golf and I intend to master it. ...
"In the tennis world, there are about five blokes who are as good as each other. In order to win. a bloke needs a bit of luck. . . ."
Of the five "blokes" whom Perry complimented anonymously last week, two will be absent from Forest Hills—Australia's Jack Crawford, who was too weary to play any more after the Davis Cup interzone final, and Great Britain's "Bunny" Austin who dislikes the strain of a long tournament. With these exceptions the names on the West Side Club scoreboards include nearly all the best players in the world. Topping the list are the members of the U. S. Davis Cup team, Sidney Wood, Frank Shields, George Lott and Lester Stoefen. Experts wondered how o rate the chances of Berkeley Bell, once No. 9 but now No. 18 in national ranking, who has won nine tournaments this season; of youthful oldtimers like John Van Ryn, Wilmer Allison, Bryan Grant and Clifford Sutter: of the latest batch of promising youngsters like Donald Budge, Gene Mako and Frank Parker.
More impressive if not more efficient than any of his confrères was a 200-lb., 6-ft. 3-in. Czechoslovakian named Roderick Menzel, who plays in long shorts and woolen socks that come up almost to his knees. A minor poet and novelist in Prague, Menzel began to play tennis seriously eight years ago. Although he liked it much less than soccer, he soon contrived to be his country's No. 1 player. This season he carried Perry to five sets at Wimbledon and beat Crawford in the European Zone Davis Cup final. If Perry, the defending champion, plays through his field at Forest Hills and becomes the only foreigner except Lacoste to win the U. S. title twice, it will be one of the most brilliant chapters in one of the most extraordinary histories the game has ever known.