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Hall of Fame Tennis Player and Original ESPN Broadcaster Cliff Drysdale on this Edition of Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe
Cliff Drysdale - Retired tennis player and Hall of Fame legend from South Africa. The former highly ranked professional player of the 1960s and early 1970s became a well-known tennis announcer.
Drysdale reached the singles final of the U. S. Championships in 1965 (beating Dennis Ralston and Rafael Osuna before losing to Manuel Santana). 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.
He 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 US Open doubles crown with Roger Taylor.
Drysdale has served as a tennis commentator on ESPN since the network's founding in 1979.
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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By Patrick McEnroeCliff Drysdale - Retired tennis player and Hall of Fame legend from South Africa. The former highly ranked professional player of the 1960s and early 1970s became a well-known tennis announcer.
Drysdale reached the singles final of the U. S. Championships in 1965 (beating Dennis Ralston and Rafael Osuna before losing to Manuel Santana). 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.
He 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 US Open doubles crown with Roger Taylor.
Drysdale has served as a tennis commentator on ESPN since the network's founding in 1979.
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.