| Intro | South African tennis player | ||||
| A.K.A. | Eric Clifford Drysdale | ||||
| Is |
Athlete Tennis player |
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| From | South Africa | ||||
| Type | Sports | ||||
| Gender | male | ||||
| Birth |
26 May 1941, Nelspruit, Mbombela Local Municipality, Ehlanzeni District Municipality, Mpumalanga |
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| Age | 79 years | ||||
| Star sign | Gemini | ||||
| Residence | Miami | ||||
| Stats |
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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.
Grand Slam finals
Singles
| Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent in final | Score |
| 1965 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Manuel Santana | 2–6, 9–7, 5–7, 1–6 |
Doubles
| Year | Championship | Surface | Partnering | Opponent in final | Score |
| 1972 | US Open | Grass | Roger Taylor |
Owen Davidson John Newcombe |
6–4, 7–6(7–3), 6–3 |
Grand Prix Championship Series singles finals
Runner-up (2)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1971 | Boston WCT | Ken Rosewall | 4–6, 3–6, 0–6 |
| 1972 | Las Vegas | John Newcombe | 3–6, 4–6 |
Open Era titles
| No. | Date | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 22 July 1968 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Tom Okker | 6–3, 6–3, 6–0 |
| 2. | 5 April 1971 | Miami WCT, U. S. | Hard | Rod Laver | 6–2, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4 |
| 3. | 24 May 1971 | Brussels, Belgium | Clay | Ilie Năstase | 6–0, 6–1, 7–5 |
| 4. | 4 March 1974 | Miami WCT (2) | Hard | Tom Gorman | 6–4, 7–5 |
| 5. | 23 January 1978 | Baltimore, U. S. | Carpet | Tom Gorman | 7–5, 6–3 |