The urgent telegram René Lacoste held in his hands was the official call-up that every tennis player dreamed of. It was news he had been eagerly anticipating. Still so young, he had been selected to play on France’s national team in the Davis Cup. This wasn’t the first time—Lacoste had recently been part of triumphant encounters against Denmark, Ireland and Switzerland—but this time around was special.

In late July 1923, the Europe Zone final of the Davis Cup would see the French team battling it out against Spain in Deauville. If they won, they would have to travel all the way across the Atlantic for the play-off, on American soil, against the America Zone winners. Whoever triumphed there would then go on to challenge the defending champions, the United States. So it was vital that he held his nerve. Even though he was only 19.

When they got to Deauville and the newly refurbished grass courts of the Sporting Club – below today’s Golf Barrière, where the Lacoste Ladies Open de France is played – René Lacoste was thrown straight in at the deep end. On Saturday 28 July, the French team captain Allan H. Muhr picked him to spearhead the assault by taking on Manuel de Gomar, a Spanish star player who had yet to lose a match in the tournament. There ensued an epic battle, drawn out over two days because of rain, with Lacoste staying surprisingly composed despite the squalls of wind sweeping the resort and the clay court. He ultimately managed to prevail, winning in four sets. France was now leading 1-0.

But in the doubles match that followed, Jacques Brugnon and Henri Cochet were beaten by their Spanish opponents. Lacoste took up his racket again, for his second match against Spain's Eduardo Flaquer. Spurred on by the elegant Deauville spectators – avid tennis fans who particularly relished his talent – Lacoste quickly trounced his adversary 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 under the sunshine. This young sporting hero had just put France within striking distance of victory. Jean-François Blanchy stepped up and finished the job, to the crowd’s acclamations and with Lacoste cheering himself hoarse. Next stop: America!