Uncourtly Manners

Bad manners became fashionable in big-time tennis after World War I. Suzanne Lenglen and Big Bill Tilden set the style --and the pace. One day on the French Riviera, so the story goes, a hot-tempered Austrian almost outdid everybody when he won a tournament; openly sneering at the tiny silver trophy that was presented to him, he set it down in midcourt and squashed it flat with a roller. Last week, in Paris, tomboyish Patricia Canning Todd, No. 4 among U.S. women players, did her bit to keep the tradition alive.

When officials asked her to play a semifinal match on a side court, Patricia had a fit of sulks. The more she thought about it, the madder she got. Said she: "I told the committee I would play only on the center court. I'm the defending champion and I don't see why I can't play on the center court . . ." Just to show them, Pat flounced out of the stadium. France's Mme. Nell Landry promptly claimed and got a victory by forfeit.

A few hours later, after Pat Todd had calmed down, and apologized, the committee decided to play the match if the French star consented. But Winner Landry was not to be found.

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