Bill Tilden - Personal Life

Personal Life

Tilden was born into a wealthy Philadelphia family bereaved by the death of three older siblings. He lost his semi-invalid mother 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 starting 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.

Tilden was a graduate of Peirce College in Philadelphia.

Although Tilden almost never drank, he smoked heavily and disdained what today would be considered a healthy life style for an athlete. For most of his life, his diet consisted of three enormous meals a day of steak and potatoes, with, perhaps, the occasional lamb chop.