Bill Tilden
Tennis
Local, Germantown Academy, University of Pennsylvania
Nicknamed “Big Bill” given his tall, lean 6-2 frame with gangly arms and broad shoulders
Looked upon as one of the most influential people in the history of tennis
Helped change the image of the sport from that of a country club sport to one played by world class athletes
One of the five dominant figures of the "Golden Era of Sport" of the 1920’s along with Babe Ruth, Red Grange, Bobby Jones, and Jack Dempsey
Known for a “cannonball” service which he reserved for critical moments in a match
Preferred instead to dazzle his opponents with a combination of slice shots, lobs, and dropshots with sudden powerful ground strokes deep into the corners
Used a cerebral approach to the game, implementing both strategy and tactics to defeat opponents
Had a knoweledge and mastery of spin that has never been exceeded
His book, Match Play and Spin of the Ball, is still the definitve work on the subject
Unbeknowest to the public, he had the tip of his middle finger of the hand he gripped the racquet amputated secondary to infection
11 time participant in the Davis Cup for Team USA (1920-30)
Led the USA to 7 consecutive Davis Cup titles, a record that remains unmatched (1920-26)
Won 13 straight victories in Davis Cup competition
Served as captain of the USA Davis Cup Team (1928)
Went undefeated in all competitions (1924)
Won 57 consecutive games in one stretch (1925)
Wimbledon Championships
- 3 time Singles Champion (1920, 1921, 1930)
- 1 time Doubles Champion (1927)
French Championships
- 2 time Singles Finalist (1927, 1930)
- 1 time Mixed Doubles Champion (1930)
U.S. Championships
- 10 time Singles Finalist (1918-25, 1927, 1929)
- 7 time Singles Champion (1920-25, 1929)
- 7 time Doubles Finalist (1918-19, 1921-23, 1926-27)
- 5 time Doubles Champion (1918, 1921-23, 1927)
- 9 time Mixed Doubles Finalist (1913-14, 1916-17, 1919, 1921-24)
- 4 time Mixed Doubles Champion (1913-14, 1922-23)
Holds the U.S. Championships / Open record for Most Total Titles with 16 (1913-29)
Current rank on the U.S. Championships / Open Career Leaders
- 6th in Matches Played [78]
- 4th in Matches Won [73]
- 1st in Successive Matches Won [42]
- 1st in Match Winning % [.910]
- 1st in Singles Finals Appearances [10]
- 1st in Successive Singles Final Appearances [8]
U.S Professional Championships
- 2 time Singles Champion (1931, 1935)
French Professional Championships
- 1 time Singles Champion (1934)
Wembley, England Professional Championship
- 4 time Singles Finalist (1935-38)
12 times ranked in the U.S. Top 10 (1918-29)
Achieved the U.S. #1 ranking a record 10 consecutive times (1920-29)
Spent twenty-one consecutive years ranked in the World Top 10 (1919-39)
Achieved the World #1 ranking a then record seven times (1920-25, 1931)
His 10 major single titles were a record for a male until it was topped in 1967
During his amateur career (1912-30)
- Won 138 of 192 tournaments
- Match record of 907-62 for a .936 winning percentage
Named the greatest tennis player of the first half of the century in an AP poll (1950)
Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (1959)
