Bill Tilden
 |
|
| Full name | William Tatem Tilden Jr. |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |
 United States
|
| Born |
February 10, 1893 Philadelphia, PA, U.S. |
| Died | June 5, 1953 (aged 60) Los Angeles, CA, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 1 1⁄2 in (1.87 m) |
| Turned pro | 1931 (amateur tour from 1912) |
| Retired | 1946 |
| Plays | Right-handed (1-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1959 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 907-62 (93.6%) |
| Career titles | 138 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (1920, A. Wallis Myers) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| French Open | F (1927, 1930) |
| Wimbledon | W (1920, 1921, 1930) |
| US Open | W (1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1929) |
| Other tournaments | |
| WHCC | W (1921) |
| Professional majors | |
| US Pro | W (1931, 1935) |
| Wembley Pro | F (1935, 1937, 1938) |
| French Pro | W (1933, 1934) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | W (1927) |
| US Open | W (1918, 1922, 1923) |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| US Open | W (1913, 1914, 1922, 1923) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926) |
William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill," was an American male tennis player. He is often considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Tilden was the World No. 1 player for six years from 1920 through 1925. He won 15 Major singles titles including ten Grand Slam events, one World Hard Court Championships and four Pro Slam tournaments. He was the first American to win Wimbledon in 1920. He also won a record seven US Championships titles (shared with Richard Sears and Bill Larned).
Tilden dominated the world of international tennis in the first half of the 1920s, and during his 18-year amateur period of 1912–30, won 138 of 192 tournaments. He owns a number of all-time tennis achievements including a career match winning record and a career winning percentage at the US National Championships. At the 1929 US National Championships Tilden became the first player to reach 10 finals at a single Grand Slam event. This mark stood until 2015, when Roger Federer reached his tenth Wimbledon final. Tilden, who was frequently at odds with the rigid United States Lawn Tennis Association about his amateur status and income derived from newspaper articles, won his last Major title in 1930 at Wimbledon aged 37. He turned professional on the last day of that year and toured with a handful of other professionals for the next 15 years.
Bill Tilden was born on February 10, 1893 in Germantown, Philadelphia into a wealthy family bereaved by the death of three older siblings. His father was William Tatem Tilden, a wool merchant and local politician, and his mother, Selina Hey, was a pianist. He lost his semi-invalid mother, who suffered from Bright's disease, when he was 18 and, even though his father was still alive and maintained a large house staffed with servants, was sent a few houses away to live with a maiden aunt. The loss at 22 of his father and older brother Herbert marked him deeply. After several months of deep depression, and with encouragement from his aunt, tennis, which he had taken up at age five, became his primary means of recovery. According to his biographer, Frank Deford, because of his early family losses Tilden spent all of his adult life attempting to create a father-son relationship with a long succession of ball boys and youthful tennis protégés, of whom Vinnie Richards was the most noted. In spite of his worldwide travels, Tilden lived at his aunt's house until 1941 when he was 48 years old.
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Wikipedia