Cliff Drysdale

Eric Clifford Drysdale (born 26 May 1941) is a South African former tennis player. After a career as a highly ranked professional player in the 1960s and early 1970s, he became a tennis announcer.

Cliff Drysdale
Drysdale in 2009
Full nameEric Clifford Drysdale
Country (sports) South Africa
ResidenceAustin, Texas, United States[1]
Born (1941-05-26) 26 May 1941
Nelspruit, South Africa
Height1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in)
Turned pro1968 (amateur from 1962)
Retired1980
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF2013 (member page)
Official websitewww.cliffdrysdale.com
Singles
Career record685-345 (66.5%) in pre Open-Era & Open Era[2]
Career titles23[3]
Highest rankingNo. 4 (1965, Lance Tingay)[4]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenQF (1971)
French OpenSF (1965, 1966)
WimbledonSF (1965, 1966)
US OpenF (1965)
Other tournaments
WCT FinalsQF (1971, 1972, 1977)
Doubles
Career record189–160 (54.15%)
Career titles6
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open1R (1971)
French Open3R (1973)
WimbledonSF (1974, 1977)
US OpenW (1972)
Drysdale at the 1966 Davis Cup in the Netherlands

Biography

Born Eric Clifford 'Cliff' Drysdale in Nelspruit (today known as Mbombela, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa) on May 26, 1941 and compelted his high school at Grey High School, Port Elizabeth.[5]

Drysdale won the singles title at the Dutch Open in 1963 and 1964. In 1965, he reached the singles final of the 1965 U. S. Championships[6] and he won the singles title at the German Championships. He defeated Rod Laver in the fourth round of the first US Open in 1968. During his Open-era career, Drysdale captured five singles titles and six doubles titles, including the 1972 US Open doubles crown with Roger Taylor.[7] He was a pioneer of the two-handed backhand shot, which he used to great effect during his playing career.

Drysdale was included among the Handsome Eight, a group of players signed by Lamar Hunt in 1968 for the newly formed professional World Championship Tennis group.[8] He became president of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), an association that Drysdale had formed in 1972 with Jack Kramer and Donald Dell.[4][9]

Following retirement, Drysdale became a naturalized American citizen. He has been a tennis commentator for ESPN since the network's inception in 1979.[10] In 1998, the USTA awarded Drysdale the William M. Johnston award for his contribution to men's tennis.[11] In 2013, he was elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.[12]

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss1965U.S. ChampionshipsGrassSpain Manuel Santana2–6, 9–7, 5–7, 1–6

Doubles: 1 (1 title)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1972 US Open Grass United Kingdom Roger Taylor Australia Owen Davidson
Australia John Newcombe		 6–4, 7–6(7–3), 6–3

Grand Prix Championship Series finals

Singles: 2 (2 runner-ups)
Result Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Loss1971Boston WCTHardAustralia Ken Rosewall4–6, 3–6, 0–6
Loss1972Las VegasHardAustralia John Newcombe3–6, 4–6

Open Era finals

Singles (5 titles)
Result No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win1.Jul 1968Gstaad, SwitzerlandClayNetherlands Tom Okker6–3, 6–3, 6–0
Win2.Apr 1971Miami WCT, U. S.HardAustralia Rod Laver6–2, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4
Win3.May 1971Brussels, BelgiumClayRomania Ilie Năstase6–0, 6–1, 7–5
Win4.Mar 1974Miami WCT (2)HardUnited States Tom Gorman6–4, 7–5
Win5.Jan 1978Baltimore, U. S.Carpet (i)United States Tom Gorman7–5, 6–3

Grand Slam singles performance timeline
Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
Tournament1962196319641965196619671968196919701971197219731974197519761977197819791980 SR
Australian Open A A A A A A A A A QF A A A A A A A A A A 0 / 1
French Open 1R 2R QF SF SF A A 1R A A A 2R A A A A A A A 0 / 7
Wimbledon 1R 1R 2R SF SF 4R 3R QF 3R 1R A A 3R A 2R 3R A 1R 2R 0 / 15
US Open 3R 2R 3R F 3R 2R QF 1R 2R A 4R 3R A 2R A 1R 1R A A 0 / 14
Strike rate 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 3 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 37

Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.

References
  1. Cliff Drysdale partners
  2. "Cliff Drysdale: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  3. "Cliff Drysdale: Career tournament results". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  4. United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 427.
  5. "Cliff Drysdale - ESAT". esat.sun.ac.za. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  6. Talbert, Bill (1967). Tennis Observed. Boston: Barre Publishers. p. 140. OCLC 172306.
  7. Collins, Bud (2010). The Bud Collins history of tennis : an authoritative encyclopedia and record book (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. p. 478. ISBN 9780942257700.
  8. Wind, Herbert Warren (1979). Game, Set, and Match : The Tennis Boom of the 1960s and 70s (1. ed.). New York: Dutton. pp. 65–70. ISBN 0525111409.
  9. "Gear Talk: Q&A with Cliff Drysdale". Tennis.com.
  10. "Cliff Drysdale".
  11. "The William M. Johnston Award". USTA. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  12. "Hingis elected to International Tennis Hall of Fame". ITF Tennis. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
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