Bill Tilden - American Tennis Legend - Research Paper Example

?Introduction William Tatem Tilden II more popularly known as Bill Tilden or often nick d “Big Bill” is one of the greatest American tennis player. His rise to stardom took place during the ‘Golden years of Sports”. He was born on February 10, 1893 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a relatively wealthy family. During the first twenty years of his life he experienced many tragedies within his family. When he was fifteen years old his mother became disabled after contracting Bright’s disease. She died three years later. His father died three years after the death of his mother and shortly after, Bill’s only brother Herbert succumbed to pneumonia. Three siblings also died in infancy from diphtheria before he was born. Tilden’s Early Years Bill was homeschooled from kindergarten until he was ready to attend junior high school. He enrolled at Germantown Academy and later went on to the University of Pennsylvania for a short while before cutting his studies short. He also became despondent after failing to make the tennis team. After his mother died he went to live with his aunt and a cousin and they encouraged him to take up the game of tennis. He developed a love for the game and started practicing several techniques which shaped his success in later years. The game was not entirely new to him as he won his first tournament when he was seven years old. The tournament was held at a private club in New York. He won another tournament at the following years. He recorded several wins as an amateur player especially in the doubles games. By 1915 he was playing in many tournaments at both the national and state level. After competing in the Pennsylvania State Championship and reaping success he was invited to the Seabright Invitational by the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA). His Successes His rise to fame, however, came during his mid to late twenties. When World War 1 started Tilden enlisted in the Medical Corps. It was during this period that his rise to stardom began. He entered the American Championships in 1918 and won the title in the men’s doubles with Vincent Richards as his partner. He also won a number of Canadian doubles titles. After losing the men’s singles final at the American Championships in 1919 Bill withdrew from active play and spent time improving his skills and techniques. When he returned to the championships he quickly became the best tennis player of his era. His biggest win soon after his return came in the U.S. National Finals in 1920. It was a very important match for boosting his ego as he beat Bill Johnston, the same man who beat him in the finals in 1919. At the end of 1920 Bill became the number one player in the world. He was the first American to win Wimbledon singles in 1920 and he went on to secure victories in 1921 and 1930. Tilden dominated the sport. His wins were very impressive. In the decade of the twenties he won the U.S. singles championship seven times and the U.S. doubles championship four times. He played twenty eight Davis Cup matches and won twenty one times. He reached the finals of the U.S. Open ten times. He won fifty seven games consecutively in 1925. Between 1912 and 1930 he played in 969 matches and he won ninety four percent of those matches. These matches included singles, doubles and mixed doubles. One of the techniques that led to his fame and success was his powerful serve. It was referred to as ‘cannonball’ serve. He holds the record for the fastest tennis serve. This he achieved in 1931. It is recorded at 163.3 mph. Bill continued to be victorious in spite of some misfortunes. He suffered from a knee problem and he also lost one of his middle fingers due to infection but this did not deter his progress. In 1930 at age thirty seven he became the oldest man to win a Wimbledon singles title. Tilden’s Tennis Strategies Tilden had a strong backhand and he used several tactics while he played. He had a preference of playing from the backcourt. He sometimes liked to copy the tactics of his opponents while beating them. Tilden loved the game so much that he wrote extensively on the subject. This includes two books, “The art of lawn tennis” and “How to play better tennis”. He looks at the whole aspect of the game from the mental preparation to clothing. According to Tilden, “Always dress in tennis clothes when engaging in tennis. White is the established color. Soft shirt, white flannel trousers, heavy white socks, and rubber-soled shoes form the accepted dress for tennis. Do not appear on the court in dark clothes, as they are apt to be heavy and hinder your speed of movement, and also they are a violation of the unwritten ethics of the game” p 16. He also believed that some technical aspect like the size of the racquet will allow the player to have an advantage over his component. In terms of sportsmanship Tilden practiced what he believed. He was noted for giving points to opponent in the event of the umpire calling a shot for him. He loved fairness. One example of this trait in him occurred during the match between himself and Australian James Anderson in the Davis Cup. He allowed Anderson to win a set as a means of paying back for a point that was given to him after the umpire made a bad call. Tilden also delighted allowing the opponent to gain advantage, thinking that he is the better player then come to win from behind. His personality Although he displayed sportsmanship to his opponents Tilden would come across as being arrogant at times. He would often have conflicts with officials of the sporting body. In many cases he would protest against the doubles partners that were suggested by officials. Tilden could be seen as the one who brought life to the game of tennis. He would travel to England by slow boat as he builds up momentum to participate in Wimbledon. According to Borges he brought theatrics to tennis. “His greatness was not simply in his ability to hit a tennis ball. It lay as much in the way he did it.” On one occasion he appeared on the tennis court in a coat made of camel hair. Bill Tilden as a professional tennis player Bill embarked on the journey of a professional tennis player in 1931. He toured with other players such as Karel Kozeluh and Hans Nusslein. He was crowned champion of that first tour when he beat Karel Kozeluh at 63 to 13. Between 1931 and 1937 he earned approximately $500,000. For the next fifteen years he toured Europe and the United States. He blazed the path for other tennis players to become professionals. After joining with Bill O’Brien Tilden went on to be successful against the much younger Ellsworth Vines on several occasions. He organized the Professional Tennis Players Association which paved the way for the ATP Tour. He was the coach for the German tennis team for the Davis Cup in 1937. Bill continued as a tennis player into the 1940’s. He went on several world tours and was still successful in some games. When he was fifty two years old he won a doubles match with Vinnie Richards, his partner of former years. His other interests Bill was also an accomplished writer and actor. He was editor for a tennis magazine and he published several books. He wrote several short stories with tennis as the main theme. He also liked acting. He was the main actor in many of his short films that were geared towards giving instructions on playing the game. He took part in his first Broadway production in 1922 in a play entitled Clarence. Four years later he appeared in Don Q. Junior, another Broadway production. He became a good friend of celebrated actor Charlie Chaplin and Tilden moved to Hollywood where he got to coach celebrities such as Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn and Errol Flynn. Personal defeats He suffered his greatest professional defeats when he continued playing after his fortieth birthday. When he was fort eight years of age he entered into several matches with Don Budge, the number one tennis player at that time. Although Tilden was beaten on several occasions he still played reasonably well. His downfall Tilden troubles began when he was arrested in 1946 on charges of soliciting a male prostitute considered a minor, a fourteen year old boy whom he allegedly met at the Los Angeles Tennis Club. After being found guilty he was sentenced to a year in prison but only served seven and a half months. A similar problem overtook him when he was arrested again in 1949 for soliciting a sixteen year old hitchhiker. He was also charged with violating his probation. He was sentenced and served ten months in prison. After this latest stint it became increasingly difficult for him to participate in public events as he was accustomed. This led to financial problems and public condemnation he also lost much of his earning for failed Broadway productions. Even before his arrests he was unable to play in many country clubs. Many persons questioned his motives of travelling with his personal selection of teenaged ball boys. “He carried tennis from the backyards of manors to mainstream America only to be ostracized. He was essentially unemployable in tennis, and teenagers who played practice matches against Tilden were advised not to step into an automobile or a room alone with him” Crouse NY times. Even his alma mater, University of Pennsylvania struck his name from their files. His pictures were also unceremoniously removed from the walls of the Germantown Cricket Club where he played and won several Davis Cup tournaments. It is believed that Tilden developed homosexuality as a child. He was an extremely protected child as his mother feared that he would contract diseases that were responsible for the death of her other children. She would warn him about making contacts with females as they could be responsible for infecting him with venereal diseases. His Death Tilden died alone and penniless at home on June 5, 1953 at sixty years of age. He suffered a coronary thrombosis. The only funds that he had at the time of his death were approximately $282 in cash and travelers checks and when his debts were subtracted was calculated to be about ten dollars. He was not one to live in poverty, however, as he lived very lavishly and is said to have overspent even what he had inherited. His Place in History Bill Tilden has been denied the recognition given to persons of his skills and talents. The lack of recognition is due to the arrests made for sexual advance to underage boys. Shortly after his second arrest a poll was released by the Associated Press on the top sports personalities. Tilden made it to the top along with other sports personalities such as Bobby Jones, Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey. Tilden lived in an era when homosexuality and a gay lifestyle were frowned upon. In these days of liberation it is almost certain that he would still be recognized for his contributions to the game of tennis. Although he brought many firsts to the game of tennis there are no stadium courts, trophies, statutes or other forms of memorabilia to honor his greatness. In today’s world he would still receive all the accolades. “Today such a troubled man might be the darling of television. He would be on Montel Williams one day, Larry King the next, Oprah repeatedly. There are some persons, however, who still pay homage to Tilden. Jack Kramer identified Tilden as one of the six greatest players of all times. He mentioned Tilden in his autobiography which was published in 1979. In a less than honorable way it is assumed that Tilden is depicted in the well known classic Lolita written by Vladimir Nabokov. The character is a former tennis champion who has a group of teenaged ball boys. The treatment meted out to Tilden can also be seen as a fear of associating his conduct with the sport. Crouse quoted the writer of Tilden’s biography Frank Deford, “Tennis people tried to hush up Tilden’s personal life. They actually were afraid it would hurt the sport. I think that’s why nobody ever celebrates any of his achievements”. In the biography entitled “Big Bill Tilden: The Triumphs and the Tragedies”, biographer Frank Deford details the life of this sports icon that has largely gone unforgotten. Before writing the biography he has done several articles on Tilden in the Sports Illustrated magazine. His legacy Although there is no physical recognition of this great tennis player his legacy lives on in the sports. His inclusion of the mental aspect and the use of psychology helped to transform the game. His longevity is also an important contribution that should be admired. Up to a year before his death he defeated Wayne Sabin when he played him in a professional championship. When he died he was preparing to attend and participate in the 1953 U.S. Championships. To a large extent public support for the sport grew after Tilden became the great player he was. Spectators enjoyed his antics on the courts even when he did not win. He became very popular. The United States lawn Tennis Association suspended Tilden for six months in 1928. They had a row over him earning an income from writing tennis articles in a local newspaper. This suspension prevented him from playing in the Davis Cup between the United States and France. On hearing about his exclusion French tennis fans communicated a message to Calvin Coolidge, the American president at the time to allow Tilden to play. Their wish was granted as the ban was overturned and he was allowed to participate. His influence on the sport was double fold. He was not only a contributor to the practical and physical angle of the game. His theoretical aspect has helped to lift the standard of the game. Although he never won French Championship in the singles division he was a singles finalist in 1927 and 1930 and was a mixed champion in 1930. He proved to the world that age was not a determining factor in his participation. Although his wins may have reduced he was still a robust player and was still successful for a man at his age. His writing ‘Match, Play and Spin of the ball” among other pertinent writings has been the subject of study for many persons who are involved with the sport. Bill Tilden, although, he may not have gotten the recognition he deserves has left a lasting impression on the sport of tennis. Perhaps his greatest recognition to date came in 1959 when he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Many great American tennis players have come after him but none has reaped the number of successes like Tilden. His love for the sport has left an indelible mark, one that is hard to erase by the passage of time even though full recognition has not been given to him. Fortunately, in the minds of some persons his memory still lives on. 1. Retrieved from http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Bill_Tilden 2. Crouse, K (August 30, 2009). Bill Tilden: A Tennis Star Defeated Only By Himself. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/sports/tennis/31tilden.html 3. Bill Tilden: Profile of a tennis legend. (March 18, 2010) Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/tennis/03/18/tennis.federer.tilden.sears/index.html 4. Borges, R. (2007). Tilden brought theatrics to tennis. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016509.html 5. Quinn, K. G. (2009). Sports and their fans: the history, economics and culture of the relationship between spectator and sport. Library of Congress. Read More