Bill Tilden career accomplishments-a comparison with Federer

[hoodjem]

Originally Posted by cristiano

I like the thread because I have always seen similarities between the two players.

They (and almost only they) have been considered by most the best ever, they have won and dominated in a similar way. They have similarities in their game, with a big forehand, a great serve, a great body and footwork, a good but nit great backhand, a good but not great volley, a complete game but mostly playing with ground strokes. Federer has not Tilden's ' aura' , but still is seen by many as the main character on the court even when he loses, like Tilden. They both lost the number one to players that were even more consistent from the back of the court, retrieving everything, clever players, and they did not succeed in change their strategies becoming more aggressive net players, because of them.

I prefer, by an inch , Tilden, but I think they are on the same level.

I usually hate the youcannotcomparedifferenteras argument. But I have to say that before Tilden, and maybe even in the twenties, at least the first half, it's an argument that makes sense. I remember what, if my memory is not wrong, Lott told his wife, one day, not to be upset for Tilden's behaviour, because ' we all just like to play, but for him, tennis is his life'. And, if it' s true that Tennis was really Tilden's life more than anybody else's life in the future , it' s true that in those years the competition was a bit different not only form today, but even from the very next decades. It's not fair to mention the musketeers, budge, vines, and perry. Tilden had his best years before they arrived. Ok, he's been great even afterwards, but definitely not a possible goat. Tilden helped creating tennis, so I prefer to compare all the players after Tilden.

I have both Tilden and Fed in my top-5 all time.

[kiki]

If Laver is generally considered the guy by which all modern players have been seized, Tilden played the same role for pre open era players.

[mental midget]

Originally Posted by pc1

How true. Roger Federer may not be playing the way he plays now without the teachings of Bill Tilden.

i think somebody woulda figured it out eventually.

[pc1]

Fred Perry in his book wrote that one of his (Perry's) ruses was to hit the ball (in those days the ball was white) and move his body behind it making it tough for his opponent to pick up the ball against the background of his white shirt. The only player who noticed this was Bill Tilden. Tilden apparently told Perry in Omaha that he (Tilden) had gone to an optician because he was bothered with his eyesight recently, particularly indoors as the ball seemed somewhat hazy. The optician told Tilden he had perfect eyesight. Tilden looked Perry straight in the eyes and said "You know something, Fred? When you come into the net you move in behind the ball so I don't get a clear picture of what I'm looking at." Perry wrote that Tilden never missed a trick.