Bill Tilden, American tennis player and coach (d. 1953)
William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American male tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six years from 1920 to 1925 and was ranked world No. 1 pro by Ray Bowers in 1931 and 1932 and Ellsworth Vines in 1933. He won 14 Major singles titles, including 10 Grand Slam events, one World Hard Court Championships and three professional majors. He was the first American to win Wimbledon, taking the title in 1920. He also won a record seven U.S. Championships titles (shared with Richard Sears and Bill Larned).
Tilden dominated the world of international tennis in the first half of the 1920s, and during his 20-year amateur period from 1911 to 1930, won 138 of 192 tournaments. He owns a number of all-time tennis achievements, including the career match-winning record and the career winning percentage at the U.S. National Championships. At the 1929 U.S. National Championships Tilden became the first player to reach ten 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 eleventh Wimbledon final. Tilden, who was frequently at odds with the rigid United States Lawn Tennis Association about his amateur status and income derived from newspaper articles, 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.