Bill Tilden won the men’s singles title at Wimbledon in 1920 despite not trying to disguise his homosexuality.
He participated in Wimbledon for the first time as an American and went on to win seven other U.S. championships in addition to two more Wimbledon crowns.
Was Bill Tilden gay?
One of the best male tennis champions in history is regarded as Bill Tilden.
From 1920 through 1925, he held the top spot in the international rankings for six years.
He won Wimbledon for the first time as an American at that time.
He was born into luxury in Philadelphia and took up the racket as a young youngster.
He had lost both of his parents and his brother by the time he was 22.
Tennis became his main form of distraction from his intense grief and served as his main means of healing.
In a number of illustrious works, such as “Match Play and the Spin of the Ball,” he wrote about the sport.
He had become a champion by the age of 27.
14 major singles titles—a World Hard Court Championship, 10 Grand Slams, and three Pro Slams—are among Tilden’s numerous victories.
A record seven U.S. Championships were also won by him.
His career match winning record and winning percentage at the U.S. National Championships rank among his greatest tennis accomplishments.
At the age of 37, Tilden won his third and last Wimbledon before going pro.
Who was Bill Tilden’s gay partner?
Tilden’s career deteriorated as a result of two embarrassing arrests for sexual misconduct with underage boys in the late 1940s.
Many clubs refused to let him play on the courts when he first started touring with carefully chosen teenage ball boys.
Tilden, though, who was 52 at the time, and his longtime doubles partner Vinnie Richards won the professional doubles tournament in 1945.
