William Tilden II, also known as “Big Bill,” was an American tennis player born on February 10, 1893. He won 10 Grand Slam tournaments, one World Hard Court Championship, and 14 Major singles titles.
He was the first American man to win Wimbledon in 1920 and went on to win a record-tying seven U.S. Championship championships.
Bill Tilden cause of death: What happened to Bill Tilden?
The controversial American tennis player died of a heart attack in 1953. Even though he chalked unprecedented successes in tennis, he has almost been forgotten because of his exploits off the tennis court.
Tilden who was gay courted so many scandals with boys when he was alive.
He was imprisoned in 1946 for having sex with a 14-year-old boy. Tilden spent about seven months in prison for the offense.
He repeated the same offense in 1949 for which he once again served a prison term of close to a year. The back and forth scandals completely destroyed his reputation in tennis.
Even though he was rich and a super talented player the tennis world shunned him completely. Private tennis clubs and associations removed his name from their membership list.
When he died at 60, he was totally broke and alone.
Source: Ghanafuo.com
