author
William T. (William Tatem) Tilden
1893–1953
A towering figure in early tennis, he turned championship experience into lively, practical books that helped shape how the game was taught and understood. His writing carries the confidence of someone who knew the sport from the center of the court.
1 Audiobook
The Art of Lawn Tennis
by William T. (William Tatem) Tilden
About the author
Best known as Bill Tilden, William Tatem Tilden II was an American tennis champion born in Philadelphia in 1893. He became one of the most dominant players of the 1920s, winning multiple U.S. Championships and Wimbledon titles and earning a reputation as one of the sport’s first true superstars.
He was also a prolific tennis writer. Alongside competition, he wrote instructional and reflective books about the game, including The Art of Lawn Tennis, sharing strategy, technique, and the psychology of match play in a style shaped by firsthand experience at the highest level.
Tilden’s life later became more troubled, and his reputation grew more complicated over time, but his influence on tennis writing remained significant. He died in 1953, leaving behind both a major sporting legacy and a body of work that still interests readers looking at the history of the game.