Phoenix1983
G.O.A.T.
I do find his story interesting, as far as the pure tennis side is concern. There have been many fascinating individuals in tennis history. Tilden is definitely up there with anyone.
Phoenix, in looking at tennis history do you have any players in the past you find fascinating. I don't necessarily mean just the tennis but the overall story.
There are quite a few. I think that the players of yesteryear generally led much more fascinating lives than the players of today - because today's players live the lives of conditioned, financially secure sportspeople from a young age.
Some names I've read about who had very interesting lives:
Gottfried von Cramm
Pancho Gonzales
Budge Patty
Art Larsen
Ilie Nastase
Von Cramm's story probably interested and impressed me the most from the human perspective. Here was a guy who the Nazis tried to use as a poster boy for the Aryan ideal, but instead he showed great dignity and humanity in respecting all his opponents (despite being born into the nobility). I believe he was eventually banned from competing by the Nazis and was imprisoned during WWII. If I recall correctly, he may also have been bisexual, which was another reason for his persecution.
His life after the war was of course better, but he still died tragically in a car crash when not that old.