Cliff Drysdale

Last updated

Cliff Drysdale
CliffDrysdale (cropped).jpg
Drysdale in 2009
Full nameEric Clifford Drysdale
Country (sports)Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Residence Austin, Texas, United States [1]
Born (1941-05-26) 26 May 1941 (age 83)
Nelspruit, South Africa
Height1.89 m (6 ft 2+12 in)
Turned pro1968 (amateur from 1962)
Retired1980
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF 2013 (member page)
Official website www.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 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 record189–160 (54.15%)
Career titles6
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open 1R (1971)
French Open 3R (1973)
Wimbledon SF (1974, 1977)
US Open W (1972)
Drysdale at the 1966 Davis Cup in the Netherlands Cliff Drysdale (1966).jpg
Drysdale at the 1966 Davis Cup 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.

Contents

Biography

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. [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)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss 1965 U.S. Championships Grass Flag of Spain.svg Manuel Santana 2–6, 9–7, 5–7, 1–6

Doubles: 1 (1 title)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Win1972 US Open Grass Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Roger Taylor Flag of Australia (converted).svg Owen Davidson
Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Newcombe
6–4, 7–6(7–3), 6–3

Grand Prix Championship Series finals

Singles: 2 (2 runner-ups)

ResultYearTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss1971 Boston WCT Hard Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ken Rosewall 4–6, 3–6, 0–6
Loss1972 Las Vegas Hard Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Newcombe 3–6, 4–6

Open Era finals

Singles (5 titles)

ResultNo.DateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1.Jul 1968 Gstaad, SwitzerlandClay Flag of the Netherlands.svg Tom Okker 6–3, 6–3, 6–0
Win2.Apr 1971 Miami WCT, U. S.Hard Flag of Australia (converted).svg Rod Laver 6–2, 6–4, 3–6, 6–4
Win3.May 1971 Brussels, BelgiumClay Flag of Romania (1965-1989).svg Ilie Năstase 6–0, 6–1, 7–5
Win4.Mar 1974Miami WCT (2)Hard Flag of the United States.svg Tom Gorman 6–4, 7–5
Win5.Jan 1978 Baltimore, U. S.Carpet (i) Flag of the United States.svg Tom Gorman 7–5, 6–3

Grand Slam singles performance timeline

Key
W F SFQF#RRRQ#DNQANH
(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.
Tournament19621963196419651966196719681969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 SR
Australian Open AAAAAAAAA QF AAAAAAAAAA0 / 1
French Open 1R 2R QF SF SF AA 1R AAA 2R AAAAAAA0 / 7
Wimbledon 1R 1R 2R SF SF 4R 3R QF 3R 1R AA 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 AA0 / 14
Strike rate0 / 30 / 30 / 30 / 30 / 30 / 20 / 20 / 30 / 20 / 20 / 10 / 20 / 10 / 10 / 10 / 20 / 10 / 10 / 10 / 37

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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Tilden</span> American tennis player (1893–1953)

William Tatem Tilden II, nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional by Ray Bowers in 1931 and 1932 and Ellsworth Vines in 1933. He won 14 Major singles titles, including 10 Grand Slam events, one World Hard Court Championships and three professional majors. He was the first American man to win Wimbledon, taking the title in 1920. He also won a joint-record seven U.S. Championships titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacques Brugnon</span> French tennis player

Jacques Marie Stanislas Jean Brugnon, nicknamed "Toto", was a French tennis player, one of the famous "Four Musketeers" from France who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s. He was born in and died in Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Smith</span> American tennis player (born 1946)

Stanley Roger Smith is an American former professional tennis player. A world No. 1 player and two-time major singles champion, Smith also paired with Bob Lutz to create one of the most successful doubles teams of all-time. In 1970, Smith won the inaugural year-end championships title. In 1972, he was the year-end world No. 1 singles player. In 1973, he won his second and last year end championship title at the Dallas WCT Finals. In addition, he won four Grand Prix Championship Series titles. In his early years he improved his tennis game through lessons from Pancho Segura, the Pasadena Tennis Patrons, and the sponsorship of the Southern California Tennis Association headed by Perry T. Jones. Smith is a past President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and an ITHF Life Trustee. Outside tennis circles, Smith is best known as the namesake of a line of tennis shoes made by Adidas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Olmedo</span> Peruvian tennis player (1936–2020)

Alejandro "Alex" Olmedo Rodríguez was a tennis player from Peru with American citizenship. He was listed by the USTA as a "foreign" player for 1958, but as a U.S. player for 1959. He helped win the Davis Cup for the United States in 1958 and was the No. 2 ranked amateur in 1959. Olmedo won two Majors in 1959 and the U.S. Pro Championships in 1960, and was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Roche</span> Australian tennis player

Anthony Dalton Roche AO MBE is an Australian former professional tennis player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Okker</span> Dutch tennis player (born 1944)

Thomas Samuel Okker is a Dutch former tennis player who was active from the mid-1960s until 1980. He won the 1973 French Open Doubles, the 1976 US Open Doubles, and two gold medals at the 1965 Maccabiah Games in Israel. He was ranked among the world's top-ten singles players for seven consecutive years, 1968–74, reaching a career high of world No. 3 in 1974. He also was ranked world No. 1 in doubles in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rafael Osuna</span> Mexican tennis player

Rafael Osuna Herrera , nicknamed "El Pelón", was a former world No. 1 tennis player, the most successful player in the history of Mexico and an Olympian. He was born in Mexico City, and is best remembered for his singles victory at the U.S. Open Championships in 1963, winning the 1960 and 1963 Wimbledon Doubles championships, the 1962 U.S. Open Championships doubles, and for leading Mexico to its only Davis Cup Final round appearance in 1962. He is the only Mexican to date to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, in 1979.

William Franklin Talbert was an American tennis player and administrator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neale Fraser</span> Australian tennis player (1933–2024)

Neale Andrew Fraser, was an Australian champion tennis player. Fraser is the most recent man to have completed the triple crown, which he did in 1959 and 1960 at the U.S. National Championships. He won the 1960 Wimbledon championships. Fraser was ranked world No. 1 amateur tennis player in 1959 and 1960 by Lance Tingay and Ned Potter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilfred Baddeley</span> Tennis player and sports administrator (1872-1929)

Wilfred Baddeley was a British male tennis player and the elder of the Baddeley twins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Ralston</span> American tennis player (1942–2020)

Richard Dennis Ralston was an American professional tennis player whose active career spanned the 1960s and 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Slocum (tennis)</span> American tennis player

Henry Warner Slocum, Jr. was an American male tennis player who was active in the late 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John F. Hennessey</span> American tennis player

John Francis Hennessey was a top American tennis player of the 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Gore (tennis)</span> British tennis player

Arthur William Charles Wentworth Gore was a British tennis player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff Richey</span> American tennis player

George Clifford Richey Jr. is an American former amateur and professional tennis player who was active during the 1960s and 1970s. Richey achieved a highest singles ranking of World No. 6 and reached at least the quarterfinal stage of the singles event at all four Grand Slam tournaments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gardnar Mulloy</span> American tennis player

Gardnar Putnam "Gar" Mulloy was a U.S. No. 1 tennis player primarily known for playing in doubles matches with partner Billy Talbert. He was born in Washington, D.C., and turned 100 in November 2013. During his career he won five Grand Slam doubles tournaments and was a member of the winning Davis Cup team on three occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. Norris Williams</span> American tennis player (1891–1968)

Richard Norris Williams II, generally known as R. Norris Williams, was an American tennis player and passenger aboard RMS Titanic. He survived the sinking of the Titanic. He won the U.S. National Tennis Championships in men's singles in 1914 and 1916. He was ranked the U.S. No. 1 player for 1916 by the USLTA, and world No. 2 for 1914.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owen Davidson</span> Australian tennis player (1943–2023)

Owen Keir Davidson was an Australian professional tennis player of the 1960s and 1970s.

George Allan Worthington was an Australian male tennis player who was active in the 1940s and 1950s.

This article covers the period from 1877 to present. Before the beginning of the Open Era in April 1968, only amateurs were allowed to compete in established tennis tournaments, including the four Grand Slam tournaments. Wimbledon, the oldest of the majors, was founded in 1877, followed by the US Open in 1881, the French Open in 1891 and the Australian Open in 1905. Beginning in 1905 and continuing to the present day, all four majors have been played yearly, with the exception of during the two World Wars, 1986 for the Australian Open, and 2020 for Wimbledon. The Australian Open is the first major of the year (January), followed by the French Open (May–June), Wimbledon (June–July) and the US Open (August–September). There was no prize money and players were compensated for travel expenses only. A player who wins all four majors, in singles or as part of a doubles team, in the same calendar year is said to have achieved a "Grand Slam". If the player wins all four consecutively, but not in the same calendar year, it is called a "Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam". Winning all four at some point in a career, even if not consecutively, is referred to as a "Career Grand Slam". Winning the four majors and a gold medal in tennis at the Summer Olympics in the same calendar year has been called a "Golden Slam" since 1988. Winning all four majors plus an Olympic gold at some point in a career, even if not consecutively, is referred to as a "Career Golden Slam". Winning the year-end championship while also having won a Golden Slam is referred to as a "Super Slam". Winning all four majors, an Olympic gold, and the year-end championships at some point in a career, even if not consecutively, is referred to as a "Career Super Slam". Winning the four majors in all three disciplines a player is eligible for–singles, doubles and mixed doubles–is considered winning a "boxed set" of Grand Slam titles.

References

  1. Cliff Drysdale partners
  2. "Cliff Drysdale: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  3. "Cliff Drysdale: Career tournament results". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 17 November 2017.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. 1 2 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. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  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.