Between the wars
United States · born Philadelphia, 1893 · died 1953 · three times Wimbledon champion
All playersBack to the rankings
3
Wimbledon singles titles, 1920, 1921, 1930
37
Age at his 1930 Wimbledon title
7
Davis Cup titles in a row, 1920 to 1926
6
Years ranked world No. 1, 1920 to 1925
25-5
Davis Cup singles record
Born in Germantown, Philadelphia, in 1893, Tilden stood 1.87 metres and was known as Big Bill. He won his first major at 27, when he became the first American man to win Wimbledon in 1920, and went on to win the US Championships seven times and Wimbledon three times. He was ranked world No. 1 six years running from 1920 to 1925, and helped the United States win seven consecutive Davis Cups. He wrote more than 20 books on tennis and spent much of his income on plays and Broadway shows in which he acted. He turned professional in 1931 and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1959. His later life was marked by convictions in 1946 and 1949, both followed by prison terms. He died in Los Angeles in 1953.
| Major singles titles | 10: Wimbledon (1920, 1921, 1930); US (1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1929) |
|---|---|
| Major singles finals lost | 3: US 1918, US 1919, US 1927 |
| Other grass singles titles | 14: Newport 5 (1919, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1930); Southampton 3 (1918, 1926, 1927); Longwood 2 (1922, 1926); Eastern Grass Court Championships (1929); Queen's (1928); Seabright (1927); US Pro (1931) |
| Major doubles titles | 6 doubles (Wimbledon 1, US 5), 4 mixed (US 4) |
| Titles kept in a challenge round | 1: Wimbledon (1921). Scored as a final won, not a full draw (-4 points). |
| Wimbledon finals | 1920: beat Zenzo Shimizu 6-4, 6-4, 13-11 in the All-Comers' final, then the holder Gerald Patterson 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the Challenge Round. 1921: beat Brian Norton 4-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-0, 7-5. 1930: beat Wilmer Allison 6-3, 9-7, 6-4 |
| Wimbledon doubles | 1927 with Frank Hunter, beating the holders Jacques Brugnon and Henri Cochet from two sets down, 1-6, 4-6, 8-6, 6-3, 6-4 |
| Wimbledon semi-finals | Lost in the semi-finals in 1927, 1928 and 1929 before winning the title at 37 in 1930 |
| Davis Cup on grass | Won six Challenge Rounds at home on grass, in New York (1921, 1922, 1923) and Philadelphia (1924, 1925, 1926), against Japan, Australia and France |
| Queen's | Won the London Championships at West Kensington in 1928, beating Frank Hunter 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Men's singles | |
| 1921 | Men's singles | |
| 1927 | Men's doubles | with Francis Hunter |
| 1930 | Men's singles | |
| US Championships | ||
| 1913 | Mixed doubles | with Mary Browne |
| 1914 | Mixed doubles | with Mary Browne |
| 1918 | Men's doubles | with Vincent Richards |
| 1920 | Men's singles | |
| 1921 | Men's doubles | with Vincent Richards |
| 1921 | Men's singles | |
| 1922 | Men's doubles | with Vincent Richards |
| 1922 | Mixed doubles | with Molla Mallory |
| 1922 | Men's singles | |
| 1923 | Men's doubles | with Brian Norton |
| 1923 | Mixed doubles | with Molla Mallory |
| 1923 | Men's singles | |
| 1924 | Men's singles | |
| 1925 | Men's singles | |
| 1927 | Men's doubles | with Francis Hunter |
| 1929 | Men's singles | |
| Newport, Rhode Island | ||
| 1919 | Men's singles Newport Casino Invitational | |
| 1926 | Men's singles Newport Casino Invitational | |
| 1927 | Men's singles Newport Casino Invitational | |
| 1929 | Men's singles Newport Casino Invitational | |
| 1930 | Men's singles Newport Casino Invitational | |
| Pennsylvania Grass Court Championships (Merion) | ||
| 1918 | Men's singles | |
| 1919 | Men's singles | |
| 1925 | Men's singles | |
| Southampton (Meadow Club) | ||
| 1918 | Men's singles Southampton Invitational | |
| 1926 | Men's singles Southampton Invitational | |
| 1927 | Men's singles Southampton Invitational | |
| Seabright Invitational | ||
| 1919 | Men's singles | |
| 1927 | Men's singles | |
| Longwood Bowl | ||
| 1922 | Men's singles | |
| 1926 | Men's singles | |
| New Zealand Championships | ||
| 1920 | Men's singles | |
| Queen's Club | ||
| 1928 | Men's singles | |
| Eastern Grass Court Championships (South Orange) | ||
| 1929 | Men's singles | |
| US Pro Championships | ||
| 1931 | Men's singles | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"Never give a player a shot he likes to play."
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon 1920
At 27 and without a major title, Tilden arrived for his first Wimbledon and came through a close five-setter against A.R.F. Kingscote. In the Challenge Round he lost the first set to the holder, Gerald Patterson, then attacked his backhand and dropped nine games in the next three sets. English crowds took to his daring and named him King of the Courts.
Source: Sports IllustratedWimbledon 1921
Spectators queued from 4am for the Challenge Round. Brian Norton took the first two sets, and at 4-4 in the fifth reached match point on Tilden's serve. Tilden's shot landed on the line, Norton's reply went out by inches, and Tilden won 7-5. A rumour went round that he had bet he could give away two sets and still win; nobody ever proved it.
Source: Sports IllustratedWimbledon 1927
Tilden won his only Wimbledon doubles title with Frank Hunter, against the holders Jacques Brugnon and Henri Cochet. The French pair led 6-1, 6-4 before the Americans took the last three sets 8-6, 6-3, 6-4. A year later Tilden beat Hunter in the final of the London Championships at West Kensington.
Source: WikipediaParis 1928
The US Lawn Tennis Association suspended Tilden for being paid to file newspaper reports during Wimbledon. The French federation, which had built Roland Garros partly in expectation of a tie against him, asked for help, and President Calvin Coolidge backed his reinstatement for the Davis Cup final. He played, but was not allowed to captain the team, which lost 4-1.
Source: ESPNBroadway
What Tilden wanted most was to act and to write. He appeared in films and plays, and wrote, produced and starred in Broadway shows that he paid for largely out of his own earnings. Sports Illustrated later noted that most of the plays were flops. The tennis books, more than 20 of them, fared better.
Source: Sports IllustratedWimbledon 1930
Nine years after his second title, and after three straight semi-final defeats, Tilden won Wimbledon for a third time, beating his compatriot Wilmer Allison 6-3, 9-7, 6-4. At 37 he was the oldest man to win the singles at that point. He turned professional the following year.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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