Bill Tilden - The Tilden Age

Tilden continued his dominance in world tennis in 1921, successfully defending his Wimbledon and U.S. singles titles. At Wimbledon that year he beat a South African newcomer, Brian "Babe" Norton, in what many viewers have termed the strangest match in Wimbledon history. Exhausted from previous play and suffering from boils, Tilden had to get out of his sickbed for the Norton match. During the course of play, Tilden employed his drop shot, a stroke he had not invented but had perfected and was the first to use in major competitions. The British crowd started booing him, finding the shot unsportsmanlike. Tilden's opponent, Norton, infatuated with the great Tilden, became as angry with the crowd as Tilden did. Down two sets, it looked as though Tilden would not regain his title. But suddenly he came back, or as some observers mention, Norton began to throw points his way. Later that summer, in the U.S. singles championship, Tilden won the U.S. singles title on his home turf, at the Germantown Cricket Club where he had played as a youngster, as a new stadium was being built at Forest Hills. Tilden attracted record crowds of 12,000 people to see him demolish his opponents. In 1922, Tilden again faced Johnston in the finals of the U.S. singles. As each had won the title twice by this time, this match determined who would be able to keep the trophy permanently. Played again at Germantown in front of overflow crowds, the match became a trademark Tilden affair. Down two sets, Tilden came roaring back to with the match in the final three sets. He then took the trophy to his Auntie Hey's house on nearby Hansbury Street where he placed it in a prominent position in the living room. Shortly thereafter, Tilden was playing an exhibition match in New Jersey when he scratched the middle finger of his right hand on some chicken wire that was part of the backstop. Gangrene set in and he almost lost the entire finger. Finally amputated above the second joint, the finger was a setback for Tilden, but he adjusted his grip and in time was able to compensate for it, playing better than ever.

Tilden maintained his number one position throughout the first half of the 1920s, winning the U.S. singles titles six years in a row and leading his Davis Cup teams in an unprecedented run against worldwide challengers. It was not only his stroke production that made Tilden such a strong competitor, but also his psychological read on the game. As early as 1920, while sitting in his London hotel room in preparation for that year's Wimbledon, he began putting his thoughts on technique down on paper in the book The Art of Lawn Tennis. Another classic title from Tilden is Match Play and the Spin of the Ball in which he not only describes his amazing ball spin technique, but also informs readers of the importance of impressing one's personality on the opponent. Tilden was always the first to throw his racquet down before the match to decide who would begin serving, and always the first to call out to see if the opponent was ready to begin play. With such tactics he subtly put himself in charge of play even before it had begun. A gentleman on the court, Tilden was also a master of gamesmanship.

As Tilden's reputation grew, more and more fans were attracted to the unlikely sport of lawn tennis in America, formerly thought of as a "sissy" sport. Ironically, it was Tilden, an admitted but also very private homosexual, who popularized the sport in this country. As his fame grew, his other aspirations came to the fore. Always a frustrated actor, he began to spend his family fortune on Broadway plays featuring him in the lead, one time even playing Dracula. Such shows were generally failures and a drain on his resources and time. He lived high, spending money easily, and continued to write books and articles. Such activities got him in trouble with the United States Lawn Tennis Association in 1924. His threatened resignation from the Davis Cup team in protest forced the USLTA to reconsider its new rules banning players from writing about the sport. More arguments ensued between Tilden and the USLTA in 1928 when he was suspended from play for his writing. The intercession of powerful political friends in the United States and in France allowed him to play Davis Cup that year, but he was barred from the Forest Hills championships.