Cliff Drysdale
Drysdale at the 1966 Davis Cup in the Netherlands
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| Full name | Eric Clifford Drysdale |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |
 South Africa
|
| Residence | Miami, Florida, United States |
| Born |
26 May 1941 Nelspruit, South Africa |
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 1⁄2 in) |
| Turned pro | 1968 (amateur tour from 1962) |
| Retired | 1980 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 2013 (member page) |
| Official website | www.cliffdrysdale.com |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 308–186 (62.34%) |
| Career titles | 5 (Open era) |
| Highest ranking | No. 4 (1965, Lance Tingay) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (1971) |
| French Open | SF (1965, 1966) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1965, 1966) |
| US Open | F (1965) |
| Other tournaments | |
| WCT Finals | QF (1971, 1972, 1977) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 189–160 (54.15%) |
| Career titles | 6 |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (1971) |
| French Open | 3R (1973) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1974, 1977) |
| US Open | W (1972) |
Eric Clifford 'Cliff' Drysdale (born 26 May 1941, Nelspruit, South Africa) is a former top-ranked professional tennis player of the 1960s and early 1970s who became a well-known tennis announcer. He was one of the Handsome Eight, a group of players signed by Lamar Hunt in 1968 for the newly formed professional World Championship Tennis (WCT) group. He became President of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) when it was formed by Jack Kramer, Donald Dell, and himself in 1972. Drysdale was ranked World No. 4 in 1965 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph.
Drysdale won the singles title at the Dutch Open in Hilversum in 1963 and 1964. In 1965 he won the singles title at the German Championships by defeating Boro Jovanović in the final. During his Open era career, Drysdale captured five singles titles and six doubles titles including winning the 1972 U.S. Open doubles crown with Roger Taylor. He defeated Rod Laver in the fourth round of the first US Open in 1968. He was a pioneer of the two-handed backhand which he used to great effect in the 1960s [USA Today, 11 July 2013]. He became a naturalized United States citizen after retiring as a player. Today, he serves as a tennis commentator on ESPN. He is the founder of Cliff Drysdale Tennis (along with partner Don Henderson) which specializes in resort, hotel, and club tennis management.
In 1998 Drysdale won the William M. Johnston Award for contribution to men’s tennis, given by the USTA. In 2013 Drysdale was elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
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