Bill Tilden
William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill," was an American tennis player. He is often considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Tilden was the world no. 1 player for seven years, he won 15 Majors: ten Grand Slams, the 1921 World Hard Court Championships and four Pro Slams . Bill Tilden dominated the world of international tennis in the first half of the 1920s. During his 18-year amateur period of 1912–30, he won 138 of 192 tournaments, and had a match record of 907–62, a winning percentage of 93.6 percent.
Read more about Bill Tilden: Personal Life, Early Tennis Career, Influence On Tennis, Professional Tennis Career, Place in Sports History, Sexuality and Morals Charges, Death, Career Statistics
Famous quotes by bill tilden:
“Tennis is more than just a sport. It’s an art, like the ballet. Or like a performance in the theater. When I step on the court I feel like Anna Pavlova. Or like Adelina Patti. Or even like Sarah Bernhardt. I see the footlights in front of me. I hear the whisperings of the audience. I feel an icy shudder. Win or die! Now or never! It’s the crisis of my life.”
—Bill Tilden (1893–1953)
“[My one tennis book] was very, very old. It had a picture of Bill Tilden. I looked at the picture and that was how I learned to hold the racket.”
—Maria Bueno (b. 1939)