Match Play and The Spin Ball -
William T. Tilden. Stephen Wallis Merrihew [editor]
1925 - American Lawn Tennis, New York - First Edition
‘Champions are born in the labor of defeat’’
Thus spoke Bill Tilden who, after being humiliated by Bill Johnston in the finals of the US nationals for his weak backhand, spent 12 months obsessively developing a topspin backhand by mixing repeated backhand strokes with chopping wood to gain strength, returning the following year to beat Johnston and in the process the legend of Big Bill Tilden was born. A man whose theatrics led him to fame fortune, infamy and poverty. A ‘handsome genius’ who would arrogantly hold hold four balls in his hand, serve three aces, throw the fourth aside and walk away.
A bright copy of this classic work, not only covering what was at the time revolutionary spin technique for the back hand, but the art of strategy, and the psychology of the game. Illustrated with 96 black and white photographs.
‘Tilden [1893-1953] reigned supreme over the world of tennis in the 1920s. He won a record seven U.S. Championships, won three WImbledons, played on a record seven consecutive victorious American Davis Cup squads, and held the No. 1 American ranking an unprecedented 10 times. Tilden was in many ways larger than the game he played, a master strategist who wrote probing instruction books that held up decades later. Exceedingly tall for a player of his era at 6’2”, Tilden was a towering figure of almost ineffable greatness’. - International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport, Rhode Island. pp. xxiv 355 [5] Condition: Near fine, one or two faint markings to board, small repair to split of title page. Ref: 104745 Price: HK$ 2,500
Thus spoke Bill Tilden who, after being humiliated by Bill Johnston in the finals of the US nationals for his weak backhand, spent 12 months obsessively developing a topspin backhand by mixing repeated backhand strokes with chopping wood to gain strength, returning the following year to beat Johnston and in the process the legend of Big Bill Tilden was born. A man whose theatrics led him to fame fortune, infamy and poverty. A ‘handsome genius’ who would arrogantly hold hold four balls in his hand, serve three aces, throw the fourth aside and walk away.
A bright copy of this classic work, not only covering what was at the time revolutionary spin technique for the back hand, but the art of strategy, and the psychology of the game. Illustrated with 96 black and white photographs.
‘Tilden [1893-1953] reigned supreme over the world of tennis in the 1920s. He won a record seven U.S. Championships, won three WImbledons, played on a record seven consecutive victorious American Davis Cup squads, and held the No. 1 American ranking an unprecedented 10 times. Tilden was in many ways larger than the game he played, a master strategist who wrote probing instruction books that held up decades later. Exceedingly tall for a player of his era at 6’2”, Tilden was a towering figure of almost ineffable greatness’. - International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport, Rhode Island. pp. xxiv 355 [5] Condition: Near fine, one or two faint markings to board, small repair to split of title page. Ref: 104745 Price: HK$ 2,500