Cliff Drysdale Net Worth

What Is Cliff Drysdale's Net Worth?

Cliff Drysdale is a South African former professional tennis player who has a net worth of $4 million. Cliff Drysdale was a highly-ranked tennis player in the '60s and early '70s, and he won 35 singles titles and 24 doubles titles during his career. From 1972 to 1974, Drysdale served as the President of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he co-founded with Donald Dell and Jack Kramer. In 2013, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In 1979, Cliff joined the new sports network ESPN as a tennis commentator. He also owns Cliff Drysdale Tennis, which "specializes in tennis, pickleball and padel facility design, program development, daily operations support, membership sales and marketing at clubs and resorts around the world."

Early Life

Cliff Drysdale was born Eric Clifford Drysdale on May 26, 1941, in Nelspruit (now known as Mbombela, Mpumalanga Province), South Africa. He attended Grey High School, Port Elizabeth.

Career

Drysdale won the singles title at the 1963 and 1964 Dutch Open tournaments. In 1965, he competed in the U. S. Championships, reaching the singles final. He also won the singles title at the 1965 German Championships. At the US Open, Cliff won five singles titles as well as six doubles titles. He was known for his two-handed backhand shot and is considered a pioneer of the move. According to his official website, Drysdale was "a member of the esteemed 'Handsome Eight' signed by Lamar Hunt in 1967, and his presence on the WCT circuit in the seventies was vital to the evolution of the game." In 1972, he co-founded the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) with Donald Dell and Jack Kramer, and he served as the organization's first president. Cliff ended his professional tennis career with a singles record of 380-218 and a doubles record of 188-159. He played on the South African Davis Cup Team from 1962 to 1967 and from 1973 to 1974.

After his retirement, Drysdale joined the new sports network ESPN as a tennis commentator in 1979. He stayed with the network until September 2025, and his final gig for them was calling a US Open semi-final match between Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka. After Bob Ley retired in 2019, Cliff became ESPN's longest-serving commentator. In 1998, Drysdale was honored with the William M. Johnston award, which is given to "that male player who by character, sportsmanship, manners, spirit of cooperation, and contribution to the growth of the game ranks first in the opinion of the selection committee." He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013, and the Hall of Fame's website says of him, "As a player, activist, and broadcaster, Drysdale has been the 'voice' of tennis for nearly five decades, and in all three capacities, no one has represented the game with more dignity, grace, and distinction than the man from Nelspruit, South Africa. While Drysdale's playing career isn't loaded with major championships, throughout his 12-year amateur and professional career, he was known as a competitive and combative 'tough out,' a threat to win any tournament he entered."

Personal Life

Cliff became a naturalized American citizen after retiring from professional tennis.

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