June 5, 1953: The day Bill Tilden died

Youth: family drama and late interest in tennis

Although he was born into a wealthy family on February 10, 1893, Bill Tilden's youth was marked by heartbreak. Three of his siblings died before he was even born and he grew up being overprotected by his mother. He begins playing tennis with his older brother, Herbert, and although he shows some talent for the game, no one imagines that he will one day become such a great player. In 1911, his mother died of nephritis, leaving the 18-year-old Tilden in shock. Four years later, in 1915, his father died of a kidney infection in July, and on September 22, his brother Herbert died in turn of pneumonia. According to Sports Illustrated, “Tilden sank deeper into mourning. He left Penn a semester before graduating and seemed, for a while, to have done nothing but sit in his room at his Aunt Betsy's house listening to her records.

Aged 22, Tilden devoted himself fully to tennis and constantly improved. From 1914 to 1917 he won the Philadelphia championship, and in 1918 and 1919 he reached the finals of the US Nationals. He spent the winter of 1919-1920 improving his backhand: a few months of training transformed his weakest shot and made Bill Tilden an unbeatable player who would leave his mark on the history of tennis.

A career in numbers: the greatest player of his time

Bill Tilden triumphed at the US Nationals for the first time in 1920. He remained undefeated at Forest Hills until 1926, winning six consecutive titles. Throughout the 1920s, “Big Bill”, considerably larger than most of his opponents, left players of his era helpless, relying on a powerful serve, a huge forehand and great tactical sense. He made the game much more physical and, throughout the 1920s, he left only crumbs for his rivals.

“No man has ever reigned over his sport like Tilden did,” according to famed sports journalist Frank Deford. “He wasn’t just unbeatable, it was as if he had simply invented the game himself.”

Let's take a look at some records set by Tilden in his heyday:

• From 1920 to 1926, he won 51 consecutive matches in major tournaments, including a series of 42 victories at the US Nationals.
• In 1924–25, he had a 98-game winning streak, with a win-loss ratio of 68–0 in 1924, making him the only player in history to go undefeated for an entire season.
• Between 1922 and 1926, he played in 52 consecutive finals.
• In his career, he won 106 matches by a score of 6-0, 6-0, and 11 by a score of 6-0, 6-0, 6-0.

At the end of the 1920s, his domination was challenged by the French Musketeers, notably René Lacoste and Henri Cochet (against whom he suffered his first defeat in seven years at the US Nationals, in 1926 (6-8, 6-1, 6- 3, 1-6, 8-6). Tilden won the last of his 12 Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon, in 1930, at the age of 37, beating Wilmer Allison in the final (6-3, 9-7). , 6-4), and soon after, he turned professional.

Even if he was not as dominant among the pros, he still won the US Pro in 1931 and 1935, the Wembley Pro in 1935 and 1937, and the French Pro in 1934. However, at this time, the Professional tennis players spend most of their time traveling from city to city and competing in a different venue every night, and even when some younger players begin to regularly gain the advantage over him, it is Bill Tilden who most spectators come to see play.

Tilden simply personified tennis in the public mind

Frank Deford

Bill Tilden can be considered tennis' first superstar, the player who made tennis a popular sport in the United States, leading the Davis Cup team to seven titles and becoming the first American to triumph at Wimbledon.

“Playing for himself, for his country, for posterity, he was invincible,” writes Frank Deford in his biography “Big Bill Tilden: The Triumphs and The Tragedy.” Tilden simply personified tennis in the public mind.”

“People have no idea how big a force he was 100 years ago. (…) Tilden was known all over the world and he was simply an incredible majestic figure,” explains Allen Hornblum, author of American Colossus: Big Bill Tilden and the Creation of Modern Tennis, according to USA Today

At the height of his fame, Tilden frequented many Hollywood stars, and among his good friends, the most famous was undoubtedly Charlie Chaplin.

After his career: A man accused of child molestation

In 1946, Bill Tilden's reputation was ruined when he was arrested and accused of having sex with a 14-year-old boy. At first, “Big Bill” doesn't panic, because he thinks his powerful friends will be able to help him out of this situation. However, he was sent to prison, where he spent seven months. He was banned from most country clubs, which prevented him from giving tennis lessons, and in January 1949 he was arrested a second time. After that, all doors close in the face of the ancient legend. In 1953, his old friend Frank Feltrop invited him to participate in the National Professional Hardcourt Championships, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. However, at the last minute, the hotel manager summoned Feltrop and, according to Sports Illustrated, told him that he “is sorry, but he has a hotel to manage and the Beverly Wilshire cannot be associated with a degenerate ex-convict”.

“I think at that point he knew he didn't have much left to live for,” Feltrop later said.

However, Tilden, whose health had deteriorated considerably, planned to participate in the US Pro Championships, in Cleveland, for which he was scheduled to fly on June 6, 1953. But on June 5, he was found dead in his apartment: his heart finally gave out. At the time of his death, the former tennis star had a total of $88.

The posterity of the moment: An immense, but contrasting, legacy

According to New York TimesBill Tilden's legacy can be compared to that of Michael Jackson in music: unassailable, but tainted for some by his conduct.

“I think it's a very good analogy,” says Deford. “Tennis people tried to suppress Tilden's private life. They were actually afraid it would hurt the sport. I think that’s why no one ever celebrates their achievements.”