Tilden, William Tatem, 2d

Tilden, William Tatem, 2d (Bill Tilden), 1893–1953, American tennis player, b. Philadelphia. He developed into a brilliant, versatile tennis player, and from 1913 he won several doubles titles in the United States. He became one of the foremost tennis players of the world by winning the U.S. singles championship seven times (1920–25, 1929) and the British singles crown three times (1920–21, 1930) while taking several other national tennis crowns throughout the world. "Big Bill," as he was called, was the leading member of the American team that won the Davis Cup and was chiefly responsible for U.S. retention of the cup until 1926. After turning professional in 1931, Tilden won the professional singles championship in 1931 and 1935. In 1945, at the age of 52, Tilden, along with Vincent Richards, won the professional doubles championship. He wrote numerous books on tennis. Aces, Places, and Faults (1938) and My Story (1948) are autobiographical.