Cliff Drydale offers adieu to ESPN on the US Open 2025 – and why was he the only pro tennis player who wore a glove? – World tennis magazine

By Randy Walker

@TenniisPublisher

Cliff Drydale announced his retirement of his amazing, old television broadcast career at the US Open 2025. The announcement came on Wednesday 3 September exactly 57 years until the day of his famous upset of Rod Laver in the fourth of the US Open, perhaps the characteristic victory on his career.

As documented in the book “On this day in tennis history”Drysdale was described by the New York Times that days as” more a stylist than a tiger, except when he gets his vicious two-fist Backhand from a place on the field “After beating Laver, the Wimbledon champion a year before his Grand Slam-season, with a 4-6, 6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-6-1 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, is 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1.

Drysdale’s retirement at the US Open also comes 60 years after his characteristic tournament result of his career when he reached the final of the 1965 US Championships in Forest Hills (the modern US Open) who lost to Manuel Santana. Drysdale was the oldest regular broadcaster with ESPN, who participated in the networks for the first time live broadcast of a tennis event with the US Davis Cup match of 1979 against Argentina only a week after the network was first broadcast.

In addition to his contributions to tennis as a player, lawyer and broadcaster, Drysdale is also known for something quirky in his tennis career – he was the only player who wore a glove while competing!

Interestingly, John Mcenroe immediately asked Drysdale about why he was the only well -known player who wore a glove in high -level tennis.

“Why did you wear a glove? Did you have blister problems?” asked Mcenroe during the Jiri Lehecka – Carlos Alcaraz Match on ESPN. “Or did you just enjoy it because nobody has done it for 50 years?”

Drysdale: “When I came to the US here in the summer of the US, in the early stages of my career, I played in it, let’s say, Louisville or Washington or Boston, the weather was so oppressive and I was not used to it and the sweat would just do my hand. The glove instead.”

Drydale then explained that Emerson would Dunk his leather racquet grip in water and then dry it to make it stickier, but then said: “But I liked the glove and I was surprised that other people didn’t use it.”

Drysdale then said he went through 100 gloves in a year. “I would change gloves during a competition, so I would use three or four per match and I would have them cleaned.”