Bill Tilden

WILLIAM TATEM TILDEN II d1953. American tennis player nicknamed "Big Bill". He is often considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. He was the World's No1 player for six years between 1920-1925. He won 15 Major singles titles (including ten Grand Slam events) / one World Hard court Championship and four Pro Slam tournaments. He was the first American to win Wimbledon in 1920. He also won a record seven US Championships. He dominated the world of international tennis in the first half of the 1920s and during his 18-year amateur period of 1912–29, 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 Nationals. At the 1929 US Nationals, he became the first player to reach 10 finals at a single Grand Slam event. His ten finals at a grand slam tournament remained a record until 2017 when Roger Federer reached his 11th Wimbledon Final. He was frequently at odds with the rigid US Lawn Tennis Association concerning his amateur status and income derived from newspaper articles. He 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. He died of heart complications aged 60 in Los Angeles on June 5th 1953.