Overview

• ESPN announced that Cliff Drysdale will step down after the US Open 2025, marking the end of one of the network’s longest-serving commentary careers.
• Drysdale was honored on-air with video montages and personal messages that moved him to tears, and he thanked colleagues while noting a special message from Jack Nicklaus.
• Neither Drysdale nor ESPN provided a reason for the decision, and reports reiterate there is no confirmed health issue behind the retirement.
• A former world-class player and International Tennis Hall of Famer, Drysdale co-founded the ATP and served as its first president from 1972 to 1974, helping lead the 1973 Wimbledon boycott.
• He has been with ESPN since its first year of tennis coverage in 1979, though reports differ on whether his debut telecast occurred on September 14 or December 14 of that year.