Bill Tilden, who also went by the nickname “Big Bill”, was an American tennis player who was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years.
Bill Tilden parents: William Tatem Tilden, Selina Hey
Bill Tilden, was born William Tatem Tilden Jr. to William Tatem Tilden and Selina Hey in Germantown, Philadelphia. He was born into a wealthy family where his father was a wool merchant and local politician and his mother was a pianist.
His mother, Selina, who suffered from Bright’s disease, died when he was 18. While his father was still alive, he was sent a few houses away to live with a maiden aunt.
When he was 22, he lost both his father and his older brother, Herbert, with the latter dying from pneumonia. These deaths greatly affected him.
After several months of deep depression and with his aunt encouraging him, tennis became his primary means of recovery.
