This film is part of Free
First Frenchman to Be Tennis Champion
French tennis aces Jean Borotra and René Lacoste prepare to face each other at Wimbledon.
Overview
Jean Borotra and René Lacoste (on the left and right respectively), two giants of French tennis, face the camera ahead of the men’s singles final at Wimbledon. Together they would go on to win four singles titles at Wimbledon, but Borotra’s win here was the first one, and the first ever by a Frenchman. It’s a great shame we can’t see footage from the match, a see-saw affair in which Borotra finally overcame Lacoste in the fifth set. The final result was 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4.
Together with Jacques Brugnon and Henri Cochet the four were known as The Four Musketeers. They dominated the game in the 1920s and into the 1930s.
Related
Sue Barker plays Evonne Goolagong Sue Barker plays Evonne Goolagong
Sport 1971 9 mins Location: Torquay
A young pretender takes on the Wimbledon Champion
Festival Wimbledon Festival Wimbledon
Sport 1951 22 mins
Extended highlights from the 1951 Wimbledon Tennis Championships
Centred on Wimbledon Centred on Wimbledon
Sport 1947 23 mins Location: Wimbledon
An account of the 1947 Wimbledon tennis championship
Colourful Wimbledon Colourful Wimbledon
Sport 1954 47 mins Location: Hampton
Wimbledon 1954, from the meticulous preparation of the 16 tennis courts to the finals and the glory on Centre Court.
Duke Beaten at Wimbledon Duke Beaten at Wimbledon
Non-Fiction 1926 1 mins Silent
The future King George VI takes to the court at Wimbledon Tennis Championships.
Sue Barker in the Ladies Tennis BP Cup Sue Barker in the Ladies Tennis BP Cup
News 1977 5 mins Location: Paignton
It's a question of Sue: tennis player Sue Barker competes against an American opponent in the Ladies Indoor Tennis BP Cup.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.