Interested in the history of Burotra and Brugnon? Read on for a rundown of their careers on the tennis court…
The world of tennis abounds with the tales of the four musketeers of doubles: Jean Borotra, Brugnon, Cochet and Lacoste. All four men were champions in their own right on the tennis circuits in the late 1920sand early 1930s
Even though, in 1921,Brugnon won the French singles championship, he was particularly famous for his supremacy in doubles. To his credit were four Wimbledon doubles championships won in1926, 1928, 1932 and 1933. He played with Cochet twice and twice with Borotra.
He also won five French doubles championships in 1927, 1928, 1930, 1932, 1934; these were played with Cochet twice and three times with Borotra
He also added the Australian Doubles title to his cap which he won with Borotra. He went on to claim the French mixed doubles title from1921–26, playing with the brilliant Suzanne Lenglen
He headed the French Davis Cup team for 6 years as their captain and the four musketeers held the cup for an astounding 5 years in a row. Even though they could create magic on the court; the two players Brugnon and Borotra were exact opposites in terms if their demeanor. As opposed to Borotra’s ebullience, Brugnon was shy and together they were one of the strongest and the most popular teams that played together till 1939.
Brugnon’s last game at the Wimbledon was in1948 while he and the three other musketeers made it to the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1976. The other two musketeers were equally successful; Lacoste was popularly known as the “Crocodile” because of the embroidered crocodile symbol on his tennis outfits. The symbol is a popular emblem on the clothing line named after him even today. He played in 26 Davis Cup ties, securing a never again achieved winning record of 40-11.
Cochet was the fourth musketeer and considered the top player in the game for five years in the ’20′s. He was well known for his lightning fast speed as he traversed the court and his effortless ability to hit shots, Cochet played 26 Davis Cup ties in 11 years and hold a record 44-14 Davis Cup result.
Of the foursome, Borotra was always the vibrant showman and his Davis Cup career lasted for over 17 years and he held an amazing 36-18 overall record. While not exclusively a doubles player, his reputation was definitely made as the master of the tandem game. He was a steady, player but certainly not flashy. He particularly enjoyed playing on the deuce side of the court because he claimed that he possessed a not so good backhand.
