First tennis ball machine

[gzhpcu]

Lacoste and the first tennis ball machine...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdzrORnycTo

[johnyandell]

I've seen this before. He was ahead of his time. First metal racket also.

[johnyandell]

I've seen this before. He was ahead of his time. First metal racket also.

[gzhpcu]

I played with his Lacoste metal racket. I broke at least two of them, because the welding between shaft and head gave way. Wilson then copied it as a T2000 which became Jimmy Connor's racket.

[don_budge]

Rene Lacoste...The Crocodile

The "inventor" of the first ball machine...Rene Lacoste.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/11/sport/tennis/rene-lacoste-davis-cup-tennis/index.html?hpt=hp_mid

I spoke with Jean-Paul Lothe at the French Open this year. I was sitting on the grounds and this older fellow came strolling through the grounds twirling and swinging an old wooden racquet. He certainly knew how to swing it so I ran after him and engaged him in a conversation that meandered from my knowing Don Budge to his role in the French Tennis Federation. Fascinating guy.