Cliff Drysdale
{{short description|South African tennis player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use South African English|date=July 2012}}
{{Infobox tennis biography
|name = Cliff Drysdale
|fullname = Eric Clifford Drysdale
|image = CliffDrysdale (cropped).jpg
|caption = Drysdale in 2009
|country = {{RSA|2023}}
|residence = Austin, Texas, United States[http://cliffdrysdale.com/news/cliff-drysdale-tennis-partners-with-cincinnati-tennis-club Cliff Drysdale partners]
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1941|5|26}}
|birth_place = Nelspruit, South Africa
|death_date =
|death_place =
|height = {{height|m=1.89}}
|turnedpro = 1968 (amateur from 1962)
|retired = 1980
|plays = Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
|careerprizemoney =
|tennishofyear = 2013
|tennishofid = cliff-drysdale
|website = [http://www.cliffdrysdale.com/ www.cliffdrysdale.com]
|singlesrecord = 685–345 (66.5%) in pre Open-Era & Open Era{{cite web|title=Cliff Drysdale: Career match record|url=https://app.thetennisbase.com/?enlace=playern&player_input_enc=DRYSDALE%2C+CLIFF&player_input=DRYSDALE%2C+CLIFF&sub=2#aSubmenu|website=thetennisbase.com|publisher=Tennismem SL|access-date=17 November 2017|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031837/https://app.thetennisbase.com/?enlace=playern&player_input_enc=DRYSDALE%2C+CLIFF&player_input=DRYSDALE%2C+CLIFF&sub=2#aSubmenu|url-status=dead}}
|highestsinglesranking = No. 4 (1965, Lance Tingay)United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 427.
|AustralianOpenresult = QF (1971)
|FrenchOpenresult = SF (1965, 1966)
|Wimbledonresult = SF (1965, 1966)
|USOpenresult = F (1965)
|Othertournaments = yes
|WCTFinalsresult = QF (1971, 1972, 1977)
|doublesrecord = 189–160 (54.15%)
|doublestitles = 6
|highestdoublesranking =
|AustralianOpenDoublesresult = 1R (1971)
|FrenchOpenDoublesresult = 3R (1973)
|WimbledonDoublesresult = SF (1974, 1977)
|USOpenDoublesresult = W (1972)
}}
File:Cliff Drysdale (1966).jpg in the Netherlands]]
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.
Life and career
Born Eric Clifford 'Cliff' Drysdale in Nelspruit (today known as Mbombela, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa) on May 26, 1941 and completed his high school at Grey High School, Port Elizabeth.{{Cite web |title=Cliff Drysdale - ESAT |url=https://esat.sun.ac.za/index.php/Cliff_Drysdale |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=esat.sun.ac.za}}
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{{cite book|last=Talbert|first=Bill|author-link=Bill Talbert|title=Tennis Observed|year=1967|publisher=Barre Publishers|location=Boston|page=140|oclc=172306}} 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.{{cite book |last=Collins |first=Bud |title=The Bud Collins history of tennis : an authoritative encyclopedia and record book |publisher=New Chapter Press |year=2010 |isbn=9780942257700 |edition=2nd |location=[New York] |page=478}} 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.{{cite book|last=Wind|first=Herbert Warren|title=Game, Set, and Match : The Tennis Boom of the 1960s and 70s|year=1979|publisher=Dutton|location=New York|isbn=0525111409|pages=65–70|edition=1.}} He became president of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), an association that Drysdale had formed in 1972 with Jack Kramer and Donald Dell.{{cite web |title=Gear Talk: Q&A with Cliff Drysdale |url=http://blogs.tennis.com/the_pro_shop/2011/03/gear-talk-qa-with-cliff-drysdale.html |publisher=Tennis.com |access-date=25 October 2012 |archive-date=3 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003231651/http://blogs.tennis.com/the_pro_shop/2011/03/gear-talk-qa-with-cliff-drysdale.html |url-status=dead }}
Following retirement, Drysdale became a naturalized American citizen. He has been a tennis commentator for ESPN since the network's inception in 1979.{{cite web|url=https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/drysdale_cliff/|title = Cliff Drysdale}} In 1998, the USTA awarded Drysdale the William M. Johnston award for his contribution to men's tennis.{{cite web|title=The William M. Johnston Award|url=http://www.usta.com/About-USTA/USTA-Awards/112832_The_William_M_Johnston_Award/|publisher=USTA|access-date=25 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120820004611/http://www.usta.com/About-USTA/USTA-Awards/112832_The_William_M_Johnston_Award/|archive-date=20 August 2012|url-status=dead}} In 2013, he was elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.{{cite news|url=http://www.itftennis.com/about/news/articles/hingis-elected-to-international-tennis-hall-of-fame.aspx|work=ITF Tennis|date=4 March 2013|access-date=6 March 2013|title=Hingis elected to International Tennis Hall of Fame}}
Grand Slam finals
=Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)=
| class="sortable wikitable" | |||||
| style="width:40px"|Result
!style="width:30px"|Year !style="width:140px"|Championship !style="width:50px"|Surface !style="width:140px"|Opponent !style="width:140px" class="unsortable"|Score | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background:#ccf;"
|style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 1965 | U.S. Championships | Grass | {{flagicon|ESP}} Manuel Santana | 2–6, 9–7, 5–7, 1–6 |
=Doubles: 1 (1 title)=
| class="sortable wikitable" |
| style="width:40px"|Result
!style="width:30px"|Year !style="width:140px"|Championship !style="width:50px"|Surface !style="width:140px"|Partner !style="width:140px"|Opponents !style="width:140px" class="unsortable"|Score |
|---|
| style="background:#ccf;"
|style="background:#98fb98;"|Win |1972 |Grass |{{flagicon|GBR}} Roger Taylor |{{flagicon|AUS}} Owen Davidson |6–4, 7–6(7–3), 6–3 |
Grand Prix Championship Series finals
=Singles: 2 (2 runner-ups)=
| class="sortable wikitable"
!Result !Year !style="width:140px"|Tournament !style="width:50px"|Surface !style="width:160px;"|Opponent !style="width:110px" class="unsortable"|Score | |||||
| style="background:#ccf;"
|style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 1971 | Boston WCT | Hard | {{flagicon|AUS}} Ken Rosewall | 4–6, 3–6, 0–6 |
| style="background:#ccf;"
|style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 1972 | Las Vegas | Hard | {{flagicon|AUS}} John Newcombe | 3–6, 4–6 |
Open Era finals
=Singles (5 titles)=
| class="sortable wikitable" | ||||||
| style="width:40px"|Result
!style="width:25px"|No. !style="width:60px"|Date !style="width:150px"|Tournament !style="width:55px"|Surface !style="width:140px"|Opponent !style="width:120px" class="unsortable"|Score | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 1. | Jul 1968 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | {{flagicon|NED}} Tom Okker | 6–3, 6–3, 6–0 |
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 2. | Apr 1971 | Miami WCT, U. S. | Hard | {{flagicon|AUS}} Rod Laver | 6–2, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4 |
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 3. | May 1971 | Brussels, Belgium | Clay | {{flagicon|ROM|1965}} Ilie Năstase | 6–0, 6–1, 7–5 |
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 4. | Mar 1974 | Miami WCT (2) | Hard | {{flagicon|USA}} Tom Gorman | 6–4, 7–5 |
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 5. | Jan 1978 | Baltimore, U. S. | Carpet (i) | {{flagicon|USA}} Tom Gorman | 7–5, 6–3 |
Grand Slam singles performance timeline
{{performance key|short=yes|active=no}}
| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
!Tournament !!1962 !!1963 !!1964 !!1965 !!1966 !!1967 !!1968 !!1969 !!1970 !!1971 !!1972 !!1973 !!1974 !!1975 !!1976 !!colspan=2|1977 !!1978 !!1979 !!1980!!{{Tooltip| SR | Strike rate}} |
| style="text-align:left; background:#efefef;"| Australian Open
| A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | style="background:#ffebcd;"|QF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | style="background:#efefef;"| 0 / 1 |
| style="text-align:left; background:#efefef;"| French Open
| style="background:#afeeee;"|1R | style="background:#afeeee;"|2R | style="background:#ffebcd;"|QF | style="background:yellow;"|SF | style="background:yellow;"|SF | A | A | style="background:#afeeee;"|1R | A | A | A | style="background:#afeeee;"|2R | A | A | A | colspan=2|A | A | A | A | style="background:#efefef;"| 0 / 7 |
| style="text-align:left; background:#efefef;"| Wimbledon
| style="background:#afeeee;"|1R | style="background:#afeeee;"|1R | style="background:#afeeee;"|2R | style="background:yellow;"|SF | style="background:yellow;"|SF | style="background:#afeeee;"|4R | style="background:#afeeee;"|3R | style="background:#ffebcd;"|QF | style="background:#afeeee;"|3R | style="background:#afeeee;"|1R | A | A | style="background:#afeeee;"|3R | A | style="background:#afeeee;"|2R | style="background:#afeeee;" colspan="2"|3R | A | style="background:#afeeee;"|1R | style="background:#afeeee;"|2R | style="background:#efefef;"| 0 / 15 |
| style="text-align:left; background:#efefef;"| US Open
| style="background:#afeeee;"|3R | style="background:#afeeee;"|2R | style="background:#afeeee;"|3R | style="background:thistle;"|F | style="background:#afeeee;"|3R | style="background:#afeeee;"|2R | style="background:#ffebcd;"|QF | style="background:#afeeee;"|1R | style="background:#afeeee;"|2R | A | style="background:#afeeee;"|4R | style="background:#afeeee;"|3R | A | style="background:#afeeee;"|2R | A | style="background:#afeeee;" colspan="2"|1R | style="background:#afeeee;"|1R | A | A | style="background:#efefef;"| 0 / 14 |
| style="font-weight:bold; background:#efefef;"
| style=text-align:left|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 | colspan=2|0 / 2 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | {{nowrap|0 / 37}} |
Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Cliff Drysdale}}
- {{ATP}}
- {{ITF}}
- {{Tennis Hall of Fame}}
- {{IMDb name|id=0238767}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100612050027/http://www.cliffdrysdale.com/cliff.bio.html Biography and images of Cliff on the Cliff Drysdale site]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080218071150/http://redledges.com/tennis.html Red Ledges] Cliff Drysdale Tennis Academy in Utah
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130911210236/http://www.racquetsportsindustry.com/news/2008/09/espns_cliff_drysdale_to_emcee.html ESPN's Cliff Drysdale to emcee "Legends Ball"]
- [http://espnmediazone.com/us/bios/drysdale_cliff/ Cliff Drysdale ESPN Bio]
{{US Open men's doubles champions}}
{{International Tennis Hall of Fame members}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drysdale, Cliff}}
Category:Sportspeople from Mbombela
Category:South African emigrants to the United States
Category:South African male tennis players
Category:Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles
Category:International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees
Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States
Category:Alumni of Grey High School
Category:US Open (tennis) champions