What we can all learn from Cliff Drysdale

The cable sports network ESPN started on September 7, 1979. One week later, ESPN aired their very first tennis broadcast. One of the “in front of the camera” members of that team was Cliff Drysdale.

If you don’t happen to watch tennis — or if you haven’t watched any tennis on ESPN in the last 46 years — you may not know Cliff Drysdale. In any case, do yourself a favor and read on. You’ll learn some things about him that might just inspire you, no matter which sports you watch, even if that is none at all.

A little background

Cliff Drysdale grew up in South Africa and learned to play tennis there. He got very good, and his career rose and peaked at a most fortuitous time.

Ranked in the Top 10 in the world in singles and even higher in doubles, Drysdale was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013. He won 35 singles titles and 24 doubles titles, including the U.S. doubles title in 1965.

He was one of the Handsome Eight, a group of male tennis professionals recruited by Lamar Hunt in order to promote professional tennis. It was the late 60’s, and every major tennis tournament only allowed amateur players to compete. Because of them and others who had turned professional, Wimbledon (in 1968) finally allowed both pros and amateurs to compete — an “Open” championship.

Drysdale also stepped up and became a founder and the first president of the Association of Tennis Professionals, a union for tennis pros that is still active and important to the game today.

Cliff, in short, was not just a great player. He was a solid and highly respected leader. And still is.

The Farewell from the ESPN team

On Wednesday, 9/3/25, as quarterfinal matches were being played at the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, Cliff and four of his fellow broadcast team members were in the on-site studio. As a men’s match progressed, the team surprised Cliff with a farewell that lasted 20 minutes!

The tributes began with a video about Cliff’s career, and it was narrated by his good friend Jack Nicklaus — a pretty good player in his particular sport. You can find it online, and it’s worth watching.

But the very real, very heartfelt, often emotional tributes came in person. It wasn’t just the four other broadcasters there: a parade of ten more members of the ESPN tennis team came out and spoke for about a minute each. Based on what was said, here are some things we can learn from the incredible Cliff Drysdale. Apply these in your life and work.

LEAD

The first commenter was Chris McKendry, the host of the show. She said of Cliff, “You are our North Star.” That is a steady, reliable, always there source of guidance. It is a function of leadership that is not always carried out by the one in the leadership role, but it is critical to success over the long haul.

Chris Evert, one of the greatest players ever, first told Cliff that in the early 70’s, when they were both on tour, she was intimidated by him. “You’d be walking toward me,” she said, “and you were so handsome and so confident and so charismatic that I’d turn and run away.” She went on to say that when she came to ESPN and met with the team, she could see how much everyone loved and respected him. “You are our leader,” she said.

This on a team that includes a whole list of over-achievers, including Evert and John McEnroe and Pam Shriver and Brad Gilbert and Darren Cahill.

FOLLOW

Cliff Drysdale was a tennis pro, so naturally he started his career on TV as an analyst. That role goes to an expert in the field who can explain what is happening in the game. He or she can point out nuances that the casual observer would miss, helping the audience get more out of what they are seeing.

The tougher job is that of the play-by-play broadcaster. That person tells the audience what the score is, when a critical moment is coming, where the players are from and what they’ve accomplished, and on and on. For a tennis pro, analyzing is natural. But at some point ESPN needed Cliff to move into the more difficult role. His producer said, “He started as an analyst and moved to play-by-play and didn’t skip a beat.”

In other words, he did what was needed, and he did it with grace and without complaint.

SHARE

A common theme touched on by virtually every one of the fourteen people who praised and thanked Drysdale in that segment was this: “I learned so much from you!” There were many specific illustrations, but Patrick McEnroe said it best when he stated flatly, “I would not have made it in the television business without you.” He called Cliff not only a friend, but “another brother, another father, and certainly a mentor.”

Brad Gilbert said to Cliff, “You were always giving, always teaching.” He and Darren Cahill (two of the best coaches in the world) said they’d never met a better tennis historian. Chris Fowler supported that and said, “But he was never one to brag about his own career.”

Be humble

No one said to Cliff, “You are humble.” What several of them said was that Cliff always made everyone else the star. He made tennis the star, the players the star, and most of all he made the rest of the team (especially his analysts) the stars.

James Blake said, “You believed in me. You took me to lunch and encouraged me and told me I could do this.” He went on to confirm those who said that Cliff was the kindest, most supportive, smartest, often funniest, and most beautiful person in the room.

Be this

Rennae Stubbs gets the last word. She said, “You made it a joy to come to work every day.”

Can you do that where you work? Can you lead, follow, be humble, generous, kind, and make it a joy for others to come to work? If so, like Cliff Drysdale, you most definitely do good.